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Welcome to our website - we hope it will provide you with useful information about our Charity. Our full name
is Colchester & District Cat Rescue and Rehoming Society (or CCR for short!) We were formed in 1974 and became a
Registered Charity in 1978, so we were delighted to celebrate our Silver Anniversary in 2003 after 25 years. We celebrated
our 30th anniversary, on 6th February 2008. We are an independent local cat rescue charity (not connected
with any national charity), covering Colchester and the surrounding area. We liaise with other rescue organisations such
as Cats Protection and RSPCA branches in Essex and Suffolk to ensure that those in need find help. We receive no
government funding or grants, and are entirely dependent on our own fundraising (please see our "Help us raise funds"
page.) All cats that come to us are spayed/castrated, vaccinated and microchipped by us - our main costs are our
vets' bills. We keep all our microchipped cats registered to CCR at the Sanctuary address, and contact you if your
cat is found. We also maintain records of lost and found cats.
The Charity was originally formed by the late Sheila Parsonson MBE and the late George Charles, at Great Tey just outside
Colchester. However, due to planning restrictions and lack of space, in January 1996 the Charity moved to its purpose built
premises at "Lyndhurst" in Bromley Rd, Colchester on the road between Colchester and Ardleigh. We now
have about 150 cats (and one dog!) that we care for. We have 12 chalets with cats for rehoming, and 3
large groups of cats that we have been unable to find homes for, including some ferals. We never have any
cat put to sleep unless it is advised by our vet. Any cat that we have been unable to rehome is allowed to live out its life
peacefully with other feline companions. They have warm shelter, food and all necessary veterinary care for as long as they
need.
We are pleased to report that we are Sainsbury's (town centre
- Priory Walk) Charity of the Year 2011/12.
Obituary
Miss Sheila
Parsonson MBE 1926 - 2011 Founder of Colchester Cat Rescue
Sheila Margaret Parsonson lived in London for
much of her adult life, working in an insurance company, and it was there that she started to rescue cats and look after them
in her own home.
After taking early retirement, she moved to Great Tey outside Colchester in the early 1970s, and set
up a small concern in 1974 to rescue and rehome cats from her house. In 1978 she registered the Colchester and District Cat
Rescue & Homing Society with the Charities Commission.
After many years at Great Tey, Sheila had outgrown her
old home there. A fund raising campaign by her fellow Charity Trustee, George Charles, helped Sheila to move the charity to
a derelict smallholding in Bromley Rd, Colchester in 1995.
The old site was resurrected as the new Sanctuary, and since
that time it has been home to 150 or so cats needing new homes, including those that could not be rehomed and who lived out
their lives at the Sanctuary. Sheila would not let cats be put to sleep unless the vet said that their quality of life was
being affected.
Sheila continued to look after the cats and try to find homes for them for many years. Sheila was
recognised for her work and was awarded the MBE for services to animal welfare by the Queen herself at Buckingham Palace in
November 2002.
Sadly Sheila's health worsened in 2004, and after that time she was unable to take such an active
role in the Charity. However, the remaining Trustees took over the running of the Charity from that time, and will keep operating
as an independent Charity, as was Sheila's wish.
Both the Sanctuary in Bromley Rd, Colchester and the Charity
Shop in Eld Lane, Colchester continue to run in her memory, rehoming cats and raising funds to continue the work that Sheila
started.
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