The event will raise funds for one of the country’s busiest animal centres 

An RSPCA wildlife centre and cattery in Cheshire is urging local people to come along and support its annual festive fundraiser.

On Sunday (December 10), Stapeley Grange, in London Road, Nantwich, is holding its popular Christmas fair with a range of fun and festive activities for all ages.

Come along between 11am and 3pm to meet Santa in his woodland grotto or listen to some live carol singing. Or why not browse the wide range of gifts and produce that will be available from local stallholders or take part in the tombola and raffle. 

We typically receive 6000 animals a year, including cats, seals, swans, foxes, badgers and birds - making it one of the busiest in the country - and all proceeds from the festive fundraiser will go towards their care. 

They currently include Napoleon (below), a two-year-old black cat who is patiently waiting for a new home after he was found abandoned at a house in Merseyside after the property was repossessed. As well as Christmas shopping and entertainment, people will be able to go on a mini tour of Stapeley’s wildlife centre and the cattery will be open for people who are interested in finding out more about adopting a feline friend.

Visitors will also be able to visit the RSPCA’s award-winning RHS Chelsea Garden, which relocated to the Cheshire site in September after making its mark at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 in May.  

Created by Martyn Wilson, the garden is a sanctuary for wildlife and people and sits in an area that staff and volunteers at Stapeley Grange are transforming as part of a community wildlife project.

The design combines a garden with a wildlife sanctuary and draws its inspiration from walks in native woodland, a visit to Stapeley Grange’s sister centre at West Hatch in Somerset and a volunteer’s view of enjoying nature from the watcher’s hide.

Five lorry-loads of displays, fittings, plants, trees and furniture were transported to Stapeley during the garden’s relocation. 

Around 900 trees have already been planted and plans are in place to create a wildlife meadow which, along with the garden, will be used as part of the centre’s education work in the local community.

The RSPCA garden at this year’s Chelsea’s Flower Show was a celebration of the charity’s upcoming 200th anniversary and gave the country’s oldest animal welfare charity a unique opportunity to raise awareness and support for its cause at the world’s most famous horticultural event.