A local animal charity has expressed its relief and profound thanks to Telford & Wrekin Council after a successful collaboration secured a new town centre space, allowing the charity to continue raising vital funds for cats in need.
Volunteers at Cats Protection Telford & District were initially dismayed to learn their popular market stall would not be kept on as part of the ongoing Wellington Market regeneration. However, following months of dedicated negotiation, the Council’s Regeneration team stepped in to support the branch, helping it secure the space previously occupied by Spirit of Bulgaria in the Market Piazza on Market Street, just inside the market gateway.
The charity’s current market stall will close its doors on Saturday, 1 November, and is set to reopen on Tuesday, 25 November in its new, permanent shop-based location.
More Than Just a Stall
Tracy Hitchcock, Coordinator for Cats Protection Telford & District, praised the community and the Council for their unwavering support. “We would like to thank our fantastic market stall customers for all their support and loyalty over the last three years and for rallying around us as we were threatened with closure. We are grateful to the Council for continuing to work with us to find a solution that keeps us within the community.”
Ms Hitchcock emphasised that the stall had grown into a crucial community hub. “The stall has gone from strength to strength and we are proud that it not only raises funds that enable us to rehome around 150 cats each year, funding their vet care as needed, but has become a community hub from which we have provided a wide range of support to cat owners.” This support includes the trap-neuter-release of 300 feral cats since the stall began, providing neutering for 1,862 cats in 2023 and 2024 (with a further 156 neutered this year to-date), and supplying over 22,385 meals to owners who are struggling via the Community Kitty scheme.
Council Committed to Traders
Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, expressed his personal delight at the resolution. “I am personally delighted that we have been able to find a new home for Cats Protection. I appreciate the news of the investment works into the market did cause the charity and volunteers some concern but throughout the negotiations, the Council remained committed to trying to find a solution with the charity and my thanks go to everyone involved in persevering until we found one!”
Councillor Carter acknowledged the complexities of the works: “The once in a generation Market Refurbishment is a complex project, even more so when our commitment has always been to ensure the Market remains open while the work is underway and traders kept informed of works in progress.”
The new shop will enable the volunteer-run branch to continue its cat welfare work, providing information, advice, and signposting to cat owners. It will also sell a wide range of goods, including handmade jewellery, knitted cat toys, paintings, blankets, and a large selection of cat-themed merchandise such as notebooks, calendars, and official Cats Protection branded items.
The shop will continue to host a vital collection point for cat food donations for the Community Kitty scheme, and the volunteers are keen to receive any donations of new handmade items once they have reopened.
Tracy encouraged supporters to attend their last day of trading this Saturday. “We would be delighted to see our loyal supporters on our final day of trading at our current stall on Saturday. We will have light refreshments on offer and would love to explain more about our plans for the new store and of course, you can still grab a bargain. We are so excited to have this opportunity, thanks to the cat-lovers of Telford and the Council, to continue at Wellington Market.”
To find out more about Cats Protection Telford & District, visit cats.org.uk/telford.
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