Cat-loving friendsraise cash for charity

The event was hosted in the Portadown home of Faith and Lydia Downey (10) with the support of their friends Rachel McClelland and Catherine Robinson (the girls call themselves the Funky Felines Committee).

The coffee morning was a great success, with a host of feline enthusiasts attending to show their support by buying hot drinks and tray bakes.

It was also an opportunity for people to meet and find out more about the charitable work of Cats Protection and the Belfast Adoption Centre.

Faith said, “I wanted to raise money for the Belfast Adoption Centre after recently visiting the centre with my family to meet some of the cats and kittens looking for their forever homes.

“My pet cat ‘Mittens’ and my sister’s pet cat ‘Suzy’ also inspired me to do something to help cats in need.”

Belfast Adoption Centre deputy manager Andrew Doherty said “It is so encouraging that Faith and her friends received such great support on the day so we’d like to thank everyone who came along and supported the girls and their brilliant idea.

“If we didn’t receive such wonderful support from the likes of fantastic people like Faith and our local community, so many more cats would needlessly remain homeless.”

The Belfast Adoption Centre is part of a national network of more than 250 volunteer-run branches and 32 centres that together help over 205,000 cats and kittens each year.

Meanwhile, animal re-homing organisations in the local area have less than two weeks to apply for a grant of up to £10,000 from Support Adoption For Pets.

If you know a local centre that could use this funding visit www.supportadoptionforpets.co.uk.