MESSENGER readers have reacted purr-fectly to an appeal to help a cash-strapped animal rescue charity - by donating a whopping £18,000 in less than two weeks!

Messenger put out an SOS from Sale’s Society for Abandoned Animals in our July 22 edition, which needs to raise £50,000 to stave off closure after donations dried up.

But Messenger readers have reacted with gusto to the challenge, and the cash donations have once again started to pour in, and from a variety of inventive fundraisers.

Like four youngsters from Sale, led by Woodville Drive youngster Chris Bins, 12, who after reading about the charity’s plight, recruited three pals to help him organise a charity cake sale.

Sale Grammar pupil Chris, along with friends Ros Leah, 13; Sam Dickinson, 13, and Holly Downs, 13, spent last Friday baking and decorating cakes, which the pals then sold on Saturday from a stall outside Chris’ house.

The buisness-minded foursome even managed to talk staff at Cool Cupcakes in Ashton-on-Mersey into donating some of their tasty treats for the sale, too.

“We’ve done cake sales before for different charities so when I read I about the SAA, I wanted to do something to help,” explained Chris, whose family got their pet border collie Zara from the charity a few years ago.

“It was really good fun,” he added. “We sold all the cakes and raised £137.50, which we took down to the charity afterwards.”

Responding to the foursome’s endeavours, the sanctuary’s general manager Bob Gregson told Messenger: “In these difficult times the response has been overwhelming, and the fact these young people took the initiative and organised a cup cake sale to raise funds for the SAA is absolutely brilliant!

“We really didn’t know if the appeal would be successful but it is obvious that animals are very close to the hearts of many. Since the Messenger ran the article we’ve been inundated with donations and people offering to rehome animals. We’ve had a great response, including one donation of £2,000,” he said.

So far the SAA has raised £18,215 of the £50,000 appeal target. Donations can be made at via the sanctuary website www.saarescue.co.uk and through just giving www.justgiving.com/sfaa, or in person at the charity’s HQ off Dane Road, Sale.