HAYWARDS HEATH, England, September 3 /PRNewswire/ --
- With Photos
Cat loving celebrities have kindly donated their 'paw prints' in a bid to
raise money for the UK's leading feline welfare charity, Cats Protection.
Ricky Gervais, Gary Lineker, Joanna Lumley, Sir Michael Caine, William
Roache and even Prime Minister Gordon Brown are among over 20 celebrities who
have lent their support to the charity's Celebrity Paws auction, which will
run from 27 September to 6 October.
Each celebrity was asked to draw round their hand,
decorate it and then sign it to create a unique item. All the drawings are
going to be auctioned online to raise vital funds for Cats Protection during
its 80th year.
Janet Wickens, the charity's Head of Fundraising and Communications,
said: "We wanted to do something extra special to mark Cats Protection's 80th
birthday and we are delighted that Celebrity Paws has attracted such support
from cat lovers in the public eye. Admittedly some hands are wackier than
others but each one has been signed by the celebrity and is completely
authentic so we hope these one-of-a-kind creations will get people bidding!"
The auction is being run through Ebay and everyone is encouraged to log
on via http://www.cats.org.uk/celebritypaws to view the full list of paw
prints available.
The drawings will be on display at Cats Protection's National Cat Centre
in Sussex throughout September and will be exhibited at the charity's biggest
fundraising event of the year, The Aristocats Ball, which will be held at The
Grand Hotel in Brighton on Saturday 6 October.
For more information about the auction, please call Cats Protection's
national Helpline on +44-(0)8702-099-099.
Notes to editors:
1. Photos of the paw prints are available on request. Please contact
the Media Office.
2. The full list of Celebrity Paws are as follows: Rt. Hon Gordon Brown
MP, Prime Minister, Rt. Hon David Cameron MP, Leader of the Conservative
Party, Sammy Lee, Manager of Bolton Wanderers Football Club, Steve Coppell,
Manager of Reading Football Club, Gareth Southgate, Manager of Middlesbrough
Football Club, David Moyes, Manager of Everton Football Club, Sir Patrick
Moore, Tamzin Outhwaite, Ricky Gervais, Gary Lineker OBE, Fay Weldon CBE,
James Herbert, Ian Rankin OBE, Roger McGough CBE, Richard Briers CBE, Joanna
Lumley OBE, Prunella Scales CBE, Fiona Phillips, Richard McCourt, Robert
Rankin, William Roache MBE, Maureen Lipman CBE, June Whitfield OBE, Jilly
Cooper OBE, Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Michael Caine.
3. Cats Protection is the UK's leading cat charity, helping around
142,000 cats and kittens per year through a national network of 29 Adoption
Centres and 252 volunteer-run Branches.
4. Cats Protection's registered charity number is 203644. The charity's
vision is to ensure that every cat is given the chance of a life where it
will be treated with kindness and understanding of its needs.
5. Founded as the Cats Protection League in 1927, the charity adopted the
name Cats Protection in 1998. We ask that you use the name Cats Protection
when referring to the charity in all published material.
6. For more information about the work of the charity, please log on to
http://www.cats.org.uk
The pictures accompanying this release are available through the PA
Photowire. They can be viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.
Cats Protection
