Byfleet Cat Rescue's biggest fundraiser runs 1pm to 5pm on Saturday 5 September at Caenwood Close, Weybridge. Free entry, opened by patron Peter Egan.

Byfleet Cat Rescue has set the date for its biggest fundraiser of the year. Cat-Fest runs from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday 5 September at Caenwood Close, KT13 8TY, and entry is free.

The charity’s patron, the actor Peter Egan, will open the event, and the musician Ben Lovejoy is playing an acoustic set, the rescue says on its Cat-Fest page. Its own listing promises a barbecue, a bar, a raffle, face painting, live music and a stall of items for sale, plus an appearance by Tilly the Adventure Cat.

One practical point worth knowing before you set off: the venue is not in Byfleet. Caenwood Close is in Weybridge, just over the boundary in Elmbridge, a short drive or bus ride from the village the rescue is named after.

A rescue with no rescue centre

Byfleet Cat Rescue is a volunteer-led charity, registered as number 1217567, and it works without a building. “Without a physical rescue centre, our cats are cared for in the homes of our incredible fosterers,” its about page says, including a long-term sanctuary it calls Felix House for cats that will not be rehomed because of age or health. Cats that come in are either prepared for adoption or given lifelong care.

That model is why a fundraising day matters more here than it would for a charity with a shop and a steady counter income. Vet bills, medication and food for foster households are the running costs, and Cat-Fest is the year’s main push against them.

The rescue also runs something more regular that gets less attention. Every Saturday from 10am to 12pm it opens a garage sale at Stream Close in Byfleet, selling donated cat trees, bedding, litter trays and carriers. If you are setting up for a new cat, that is the cheapest starting point in the borough, and the money stays local.

What it means for you

Cat-Fest is three weeks away, which is enough notice to put it in the diary and to plan around the venue. Free entry means you can turn up and decide how much to spend once you are there; the fundraising is done through the barbecue, the bar, the raffle and the stalls rather than at the gate.

If you cannot make 5 September, the Saturday garage sale in Byfleet runs all year, and the rescue takes fosterers as well as money. Adoption and fostering both start from the charity’s own forms, not from a third-party listing site.

For what else is on locally, see our things to do in Woking page.

Sources

  • Byfleet Cat Rescue, events page (Cat-Fest date, time, venue and free entry; the weekly Saturday garage sale at Stream Close, Byfleet)
  • Byfleet Cat Rescue, Cat-Fest Fun Day page (patron Peter Egan opening the event, Ben Lovejoy acoustic set)
  • Byfleet Cat Rescue, about the charity (foster-based model, Felix House) and its published charity number 1217567
  • Postcodes.io, lookup for KT13 8TY (Elmbridge, Weybridge Riverside ward)