People of Hastings & St Leonards
Gemma Cooksley and Kate Thwaites
This week Kathryn Sutter spoke to two employees at Bluebell Ridge RSPCA Cat Rehoming Centre, Gemma has worked at the Centre for 20 years and Kate for 13.
We’ve both lived in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea all our lives. As teenagers, both of us volunteered at Bluebell Ridge. We’ve always had a keen interest in working with animals and studied animal-related courses at Plumpton College before being employed full-time back at the Cat Rehoming Centre.
We oversee the day-to-day running of the Cattery. The work involves rehabilitating and caring for unwanted, stray and abandoned cats while we look for new loving homes for them. This can involve the continuation of nursing care once injured and unwell cats leave the vets. We work closely with our vet to get them back to full health and ready for a new start in life. It’s also a public-facing role; we get a lot of enquiries about all aspects of animal welfare, as well as rehoming enquiries. The work is varied and keeps us on our toes. It is demanding at times but very rewarding. We sometimes see cats at their lowest point, and with a commitment of time, love and understanding, we see them flourish. Although it’s always hard to say goodbye, it’s lovely to see them happy in their new homes, enjoying life once more.
Living in Hastings and St Leonards, we love having the beach, Alexandra Park, and the countryside all on our doorstep. Bluebell Ridge itself is only a minute down the road from The Ridge in Hastings, and yet it feels very rural, tucked down Chowns Hill. We have a beautiful view over Westfield, and visitors always comment on it. It’s great for the cats as well, as it’s very peaceful and there’s plenty of wildlife to watch.
• Ollie and Ellie (pictured) are currently looking for loving homes. For more information about adopting a cat from
RSPCA Bluebell Ridge, please visit: www.bluebellridge.org
Read more in the series:
Simone Gosling, Manager of Bear’s House Nursery
Irina Lazareva, the force behind Sunshine Cafe
Kate Rosie, owner of Teddy Tinker’s
Millie Rowland, CEO of Boathouse Arts and founder of ‘Millie’s Nightclub’
Father David Hill, Rector of St John’s Church, Pevensey Road
Mike and Sue Shaw of Shaws Hair Stylists
Liz Coleman, member of the Hastings and Rother Interfaith
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