Volunteer to pay Albrighton animal rescue centre's £26k rent

The rescue's founder said they had security for the next five years through Mr Freke's pledge

A volunteer at an animal rescue centre has vowed to pay their rent for the next five years, a total of £26,000.

Clive Freke had been a volunteer driver for Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands in Albrighton, Shropshire, for three years.

"I felt the one thing I could do was to give them that stability," the volunteer, from Kidderminster, said.

The rescue's founder, Lucy Strickland, said: "To know the centre is safe for five years is incredible."

"I can't lie, I cried. No words are enough for how we are feeling.

"We want to say the biggest thank you to Clive and his wife Christine, because you aren't just paying the rent, you are securing the home of so many animals and making our work possible.

"You are absolutely incredible human beings and honestly, no words will ever be enough."

Clive Freke said he wanted to give the centre stability for the next five years

Stray Cat Rescue Team West Midlands had 250 cats in its care in January

Mr Freke said: "They have 150 cats in their care at Maximus Meadows, and almost 100 cats in foster homes.

"But the one thing I didn't think they had was stability. They're based on a farm in Albrighton and they are reliant solely on donations."

Over the past few months, the rescue said it had paid £60,000 in vet bills, all sourced through donations.

"They're always looking for money and volunteers, and I felt the one thing I could do was to give them that stability by guaranteeing they could stay in the same place for five years," he said.

The rescue's centre Maximus Meadows was named after Maximus, a stray cat they rescued after a decade on the streets

Mr Freke even found his own cat through his role at the centre, after he took a cat from Birmingham to Hereford.

"I brought him via the house and we just decided that if he survived - because he was on his way to the vets to be put on a drip and he was pretty much on his last legs - we'd have him," he said.

"Now he's here three years later, big, bouncing around, and full of life."