A TRAFFORD animal charity that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year has won the Queens Award for Voluntary service.

The Society for Abandoned Animals (SAA), based on the border of Stretford and Sale, cares for and re-homes unwanted cats and rabbits.

The society is staffed by a small team of paid employees and relies heavily on a large group of volunteers to continue to operate as they do.

Over the past year, the charity has admitted 166 cats and re-homed 161, as well as admitting 40 rabbits and re-homing 44, meaning four of those were with the charity from the previous year.

Janet Tate-Smith, chair of trustees at the charity, said: "Receiving this high profile and prestigious award reinforces our reputation and the need for our services within the local community.

It will hopefully encourage more people with a passion for animals and animal welfare to give up their time and skills in tackling the ever-increasing abandonment of pets and enabling those animals who come into our care to find their forever loving home."

The charity's dog kennels have been closed for two years due to there not being enough suitable space on the site to train and exercise dogs.

It is hoped that after raising enough money, a section of the site will be renovated for this very purpose and the dog kennels will be reopened.

As part of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, the Queen created the award to recognise excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community.

The award was announced recently with a small celebration held in London and there will be an invite for the charity to meet the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester to receive the award.

The Society for Abandoned Animals (SAA) was founded in 1966 by Peggy Henderson and her colleagues to try and help cope with the large number of animals displaced by house clearances in Hulme and to help these homeless animals find new loving homes.

The society has moved around throughout it's lifetime, with the current location, the Mosley Acre Farm, being bought in 1994 before being named 'The Peggy Henderson Animal Sanctuary" in homage to their founder.

If you would like to find out more information around adoption or donations, visit their website at 'www.saarescue.co.uk'.