Celebrity Hector joins Steph, Shaki and Sarah at Tower Hill cat craft day ...
22 February 2016
When Cats Protection volunteers joined Tower Hill library staff to put on a kids cat-craft day for half term, they were delighted when local celebrity and all-round good guy ‘Mr Handsworth ’ - Hector Pinkney MBE – took part in the feline fun.
‘Community’ is what Hector is all about, and is well-known locally for the foundation he’s set up - ‘the Dojo Community’ – which aims to bring ‘unity to the community’. Hector was ‘pleased to see so many children enjoying themselves and learning about cats’. He added: “Sharing love, with people and pets, is the greatest thing. After such a busy and happy day, we hope to set up something similar at Handsworth library. We can’t wait!”
Library assistant Sarah Vokes and daughter Honor, Cats Protection’s Stephanie Cox and Shaki McFarland, and ‘unmasked’ community main man Hector Pinkney, MBE – aka Mr Handsworth - put on a cat-chat-and-craft day at Tower Hill Library during half term - and the children loved it!
Stephanie Cox, Cats Protection Community Neutering Officer for the Midlands, was happy to travel to Great Barr to meet Hector along with Tower Hill library assistant Sarah Vokes - and says they all had a ‘wonderful and enlightening day with the local children who came along to make cardboard animals, paint masks, and generally have fun, be creative, and learn about cats.’
Says Stephanie: “I was delighted to help at the event. The children had a fun day, and so did their parents and carers – well, all of us. I’m sure everyone learnt lots about cats. It was an ideal opportunity too to launch our new ‘£5 to neuter your cat’ Birmingham-wide campaign - world spay day is 23rd February.”
North Birmingham Cats Protection welfare officer, Shaki McFarland, was on hand to talk to families who were considering adopting a cat. Says Shaki: “It was a great opportunity to share good practice, explain the welfare needs of cats, and promote the new neutering campaign.”
Tower Hill’s library assistant Sarah Vokes confirmed how well-attended and successful the day was. “Dozens of children rushed in once the doors were open, and the day’s activities included two craft sessions – making a variety of cardboard animals on one table and creatively decorating cat masks brought along by Cats Protection on another. There was lots of sparkle, glitter, learning and laughter.
“Shaki and Steph were fantastic and their craft session was brilliant. Our ‘celebrity’ Hector – awarded the MEB by the Queen a couple of years ago for his services to the community - lent a hand setting up the Cats Protection display and joining in.”
For the most part, the families who came along lived closeby, and had seen the posters and the letter in the Great Barr Observer promoting the event. And the consensus of the kids? ‘We couldn’t wait for Thursday to come – we only meant to stay for the morning, but it was such fun and there was so much to do we came back for the afternoon session too.’
** For more information about the '£5 to neuter your cat' campaign, go to www.cats.org.uk/bham
To book a Cats Protection talk, workshop or craft session, please contact the local branch on 0345 260 1503 or call Kelly, Community Education Officer, on 07791 457 729, e-m Kelly.Matthews@cats.org.uk