1 August 2018
Charlie the cat to star in Channel 4 series
An Anchor retirement scheme in Merseyside is about to see one of its residents become an overnight star. 聽
That鈥檚 because they are about to be featured in a six part Channel 4 Documentary, and then become the face of a local charity鈥
However, the star is not one of its 40 odd ladies or gentlemen living there鈥ut the resident cat - Charlie. Last year, Charlie was hit by a car and left for dead but brought back to life by local animal charity in nearby Huyton, PDSA.
Karon Claeys, Scheme Manager of Bold Manor in Dragon Lane, was the one who found him. 聽鈥業 was on my way to an Anchor meeting when I saw poor old Charlie had been knocked over by a car in our own car park. 聽We immediately alerted the owner Linda Rivington and between us brought him to the local vet. 聽He was then transferred to PDSA who performed multiple operations on him bringing him back to life and made Linda as happy as I ever seen her.
It was while Charlie was at PDSA that a Channel 4 team were filming a series called 鈥楾he People鈥檚 Vet鈥 and thought Charlie would make for a great subject. 聽His entire recuperation was filmed and will be shown as part of the six part series starting this week.
And just to really add to his ego, Charlie will become the face of PDSA when they begin a year-long advertising campaign.聽
Charlie鈥檚 owner Linda said: 鈥業 just want to say what a fantastic organisation the PDSA is. I cannot put it into words how they obviously helped Charlie, but I was so upset at the time and they were unbelievably honest and truthful right from the start and helped me lift my spirits through those terrible days鈥.
Back to Karon again: 鈥業t is amazing how things like this can bring people together. 聽First of all Charlie is near death, then he is patched up and loses the sight of one eye and starts bumping into all the furniture, and now a year later Charlie has been adopted as the scheme鈥檚 pet. Everyone here knows him, whether he is sleeping in the lounge or jumping up on my desk, always looking for attention. 聽
鈥業t鈥檚 such a heart-warming story, because in another town on another day Charlie would have been put down without a thought, and now he is if anything, larger than life enjoying his twilight years. 聽Who says cats don鈥檛 have nine lives!鈥
The People鈥檚 Vet, begins this Saturday 4 August at 4.30pm on Channel 4.