Cats Protection’s Southend & District Branch was fortunate enough to receive a very generous gift in the will of a cat lover and keen supporter which went towards opening a charity shop in Westcliff-on-Sea.

Our new charity shop in Southend-on-Sea

Without the kindness of people who remember Cats Protection in their wills we would not be the charity we are today; these special gifts fund more than half of everything we do.

The shop’s opening in October 2015 was attended by Countdown and Strictly Come Dancing TV personality Rachel Riley and Sir David Amess MP who brought a bag of donations.

TV personality Rachel Riley attended the opening of the shop

Customers flooded into the new charity shop!

Sue Bennett from the Southend & District Branch said: "The legacy has been a real gift of a future for the branch."

All profits from the shop go directly towards the branch’s work for cats including paying veterinary bills and providing them with warmth and food until they’re adopted by their new owners.

Black cat Jet is just one of the cats that benefited from the funds raised since the opening of the shop. Jet was being fed as a stray before being brought into the branch’s care. He had developed bare patches on his skin, likely due to an allergy. He is now being treated in the hope that his fur will grow back and the branch will continue to care for him until he finds a new home.

Jet has been cared for thanks to profits from the charity shop

By leaving a gift in your will you can help change the lives of thousands of cats and kittens for years to come. Find out more about how vital these gifts are in helping us care for so many cats and kittens and how you can remember Cats Protection in your will by visiting https://www.cats.org.uk/support-us/giftsinwills.