Haywill Animal Rescue proposes opening new cat café

A new cat café could soon be opening on the Tameside/Glossop border. 

It’s the brainchild of Lynn Haydon-Williams, who runs the Haywill Animal Sanctuary and Therapy Centre in Broadbottom. 

The Centre helps local people with mental and physical disabilities by allowing to interact with animals. 

Lynn from Haywill said: "Animal therapy is a very important part of our charity, we work with people with special needs, mental health issues, disabilities and behavioural difficulties using the animals. Animal Assisted Therapy is an intervention for people with a wide range of difficulties. It engages the client in a therapeutic, learning process to bring about awareness and a change in emotional, psychological, physical and behavioural problems.

"It is experiential in nature, people learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the animals then discussing and debriefing about the process. 

“The benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy are widely documented. Animals provide a social and emotional support for the person, with assumptions that because the animal seems non-judgemental to the person, it is perceived as comforting, raises self-esteem and makes it easier for the person to express themselves.” 

Lynn Haydon-Williams

Now Lynn believes a cat café could add beneficial elements to the therapy by providing a place where people can relax, get a hot drink and interact with the cats.

She is hoping somebody will donate a static caravan they can convert. 

Lynn told us: “A caravan would be ideal as it is already fitted out. We would however need to convert some of the space into safe haven for the cats so they can get away to eat and sleep. We have been trying to raise money for this but circumstances are so difficult at the moment and we spend so much of what we raise on animal feed.” 

If anyone can help Lynn out, you can contact her by emailing lynn@haywillanimalrescue.co.uk 

Listen to Lynn's full interview below...