About Brenda, the founder of Allerton Cat Rescue
At Allerton Cat Rescue for over forty years, Brenda has given part of her home over to Cats who are in need of loving homes after abandonments, tragedies and a history of stray living. Allerton Cat Rescue has also been called Bradford Cat rescue and Prune Park Cat Rescue in the past
Brenda rescued her first cat at the age of 7 and for over forty years Brenda has given part of her home over to cats/kittens that are in need of loving homes. This is after abandonments, tragedies or a history of stray living. She runs a non-profit shelter which exists entirely because of volunteers, fundraising, donations of food, bedding, items for our charity shop, car boot sales, tombola’s and monetary donations.
During this time she has cared for the unwanted and unloved cats of the area; finding good homes for those which are adoptable, and keeps, for the rest of their nine lives, the old, injured and ugly. Thousands of abandoned and mistreated cats have been rehomed over the years.
International Fund for Animal Welfare, Animal Action Award Lifetime Achievement Award
Brenda was awarded the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Animal Action Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
Readers of ‘The People’ newspaper suggested Brenda be nominated and she was asked to go to the House of Lords where she was presented with the Award by the IFAW.
More Recently, Brenda was nominated for a Telegraph and Argus Community Star Award in the fundraising category, we were disappointed that she didn’t win this however an announcement was made and she was awarded a specially created lifetime achievement award on 4th December 2013 at the Banqueting Suite, City Hall Bradford. Both her and her husband Peter were thrilled. Brenda had had over 400 nominations which was the most in any of the categories that night.
Brenda relies on people’s generosity but it has been a struggle over the last couple of years. Local supermarkets do help by having food donation stations but not as much food is being left as it used to be, and financial gifts have reduced greatly since the credit crunch.
Brenda and the team of supporters are very concerned as to what will happen if donations continue to dwindle. If the rescue was to close, what would happen to all the abandoned and mistreated cats in Bradford?
