Probus Ladies enjoy a visit from Cats Pro volunteers ...
13 September 2017
Talk volunteers Pam Wood and Sheila Pennell drove slightly out of their comfort zone to present ‘Cats Protection’ to Highgate Ladies Probus group in Walsall in September - but the quiz, talk, and question-and-answer session went down really well – so it was purrs all round!
“The ladies numbered around forty”, says Sheila, “and about half had cats currently or in the past. They were all great contributors to the fun of the event as well as attentive listeners. Inadvertently, we took-in a circuitous route to get there – almost ending up in Brownhills – but arrived in good time for coffee with a chance to meet and chat with everyone first.”
Pam Robinson, chair of Highgate Ladies (centre) welcomed volunteers Pam Wood and Sheila Pennell to talk about the work of North Birmingham Cats Protection.
Adds Pam, who is Education Officer with North Birmingham Cats Protection: “One Probus member, Isabel, took great pleasure and pride in showing us photos of her newly-acquired already much-loved black-and-white stray Tom-cat. She told us how she’d managed to worm and flea-treat him, but had no idea how she would lure him into a carrier to get him to the vets to be ‘done’ – though she had every intention of doing so!”
The invitation to speak to the all-ladies group came from Probus speaker-organiser Sylvia Aston earlier in the year. After the session, chair Pam Robinson thanked the CP volunteers and presented them with a donation of £30, while jam sales took that sum to over £60. And all contributions to help with the work of Cats Protection are, of course, greatly appreciated.
Kelly Matthews, Community Education Officer, Wales and Central England, who provided all the goodies distributed at the talk, is enthusiastic about ‘getting the cat knowledge out there’. She has dozens of talk volunteers in her area but ‘could always do with more’.
Says Kelly: “Pam and Sheila are just two of our dedicated invaluable volunteer speakers. Raising awareness of our work is vital so that people understand what we do to help and protect cats and kittens, and how important our neutering campaigns are. Our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs."
*Any group or school wanting to request a talk can contact the helpline on 0345 260 1503 and a volunteer will return the call.