From the 1^st till the 12^th of June it’s Volunteers Week, and we are singing our praises for our amazing volunteers who give up hours of their free time to help us at The Mayhew. From cat and dog socialising, to processing donations, our volunteers are vital to the running of The Mayhew and we are so appreciative to their hard work.

At The Mayhew we rely on over 1,000 hours of volunteer time per month and have just under 300 enthusiastic volunteers who carry out a variety of important roles for us.

Our Voluntary Resources Coordinator, Hayley Lynes, said: “Our volunteers are vital to the work we do here at The Mayhew, with just under 300 volunteers helping us with everything from cleaning cat cabins to fundraising at events. Volunteer Week is a chance to say thank you to all our enthusiastic and hard-working volunteers!”

Cattery volunteer Peter East with Mayhew cat Magnum

We couldn’t operate without our dedicated army of volunteers, so for Volunteers Week we’d like to celebrate some of their work with you.

One of our cattery volunteers, Jenny Fairfax had a very touching story about how her lifelong love of cats led her to The Mayhew. Here is her story…

“As a child, I never showed any interest in dolls. My passion was for animal toys and my obsession grew until, after a lot of pestering, my parents finally succumbed and let me get a kitten for my fifth birthday.

I chose the runt of the litter and I remember my parents taking me to one side and saying, “Darling are you sure? He looks quite poorly?” But my mission had begun: I had to save Mr Kipps, the best present EVER, and we were inseparable. And so my lifelong love affair with cats began.

Since then I’ve had many cats in my life and at the moment my husband and I are guardians for five beautiful felines: Winnie Weeze, Archie Bella Rockafella, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mr Milo (the healing cat) and Mickey Mouse O’Riley.

Jenny and Desmond

Being a local lass, I was always aware of The Mayhew and when we moved to Maida Vale many years ago, we came to visit and adopted Miss Felix. I felt there was such a warm feeling at The Mayhew and I sensed the animals were happy there. I never forgot the feeling and that’s what brought me back two decades later so I could finally begin the healing process after the loss of my beautiful mother.

I have always been extremely close to my mum and when she passed away my world fell apart. After many months of trying to come to terms with my loss, I made the decision to volunteer as a cattery assistant at The Mayhew. I started just over a year ago and it is one of the best decisions I’ve made.

I help out every Friday and I get stuck into the cleaning and organising of the cattery, freeing up time for the staff and students so they have more valuable time to socialise with the cats. Sadly, some of the animals are very distressed when they arrive and it’s paramount that they have familiarity, consistency and an abundance of cuddles so they can build friendships and trust with the people they see every day. It’s only then that these cats can start healing and prepare for their new homes.

The Mayhew is such an incredible organisation and I am so proud to be part of the team. I treasure my Fridays there, caring for all the beautiful animals and working with such amazing, dedicated and kind staff, students and other volunteers. I feel that I have found my utopia at The Mayhew.

At 5pm every Friday when I’m about to leave, the staff and students always thank me for my hard work. But I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at The Mayhew from the bottom of my heart, as you have truly helped me heal and become myself once again.

I love you all! Your Friday girl, Jenny”

Click to read about another of our cattery volunteers,  Lauren Osbourne >>

Click to read about our behind-the-scenes volunteers,  Bonnie Baker and Rowan Williams >>

If you’re interested in joining our pawsome team of volunteers, then head over to our webpage here to search for volunteering vacancies and how to apply.