THE Society for Abandoned Animals (SAA) is toasting to 50 years of being a registered charity.

The rescue centre, which straddles the Stretford and Sale border, was officially registered by the Charity Commission on February 8 1967.

For many years, SAA was known as Peggy Henderson's Animal Sanctuary, in recognition of the tireless work of Peggy Henderson, without whom we wouldn't exist.

The charity was initially set up in the 60s, when large areas of Hulme and Moss Side had been designated for development.

Ruth Hastie, SAA fundraiser, said: “All the residents had been moved into temporary accommodation but Manchester Council refused to let people take their cats and dogs with them.

“It took months but Peggy and her two cohorts, Pat and Eric Milne, gained the trust of the animals and started their attempts to rehome them.

“Funding for this venture was tight and they decided it was about time they put themselves on a more legal footing, hence the birth of The Society for Abandoned Animals in January 1966, a year later becoming an official charity.”

The charity started out at a farm in Buxton, then a house in Manchester and moved to its current premises at Mosley Acre Farm, Barfoot Bridge, on Christmas Eve 1994.

In this time, the sanctuary has rescued many animals, including a Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig, but it currently cares for cats and rabbits with the hope that we will have dogs back with us in the near future.

SAA is inviting its supporters to join them for a 50th anniversary celebration at The Bridge Inn, Dane Road, Sale, from 2pm on Saturday February 4.