Who We Are
In 2012 when a national cat rescue charity closed its West Oxfordshire branch, several of the volunteers started Sunshine Cat Rescue. SCR is run entirely by volunteers, totally dependent upon its own fundraising to maintain and run the charity. The charity’s aim is to reduce the suffering of cat/kittens in need of care by providing shelter until new homes are found. While based in Oxfordshire we have no centre and all the felines in our care are with volunteer fosterers who take the animals into their own homes all over the county.
All cats and kittens which Sunshine Cat Rescue cares for are neutered prior to being re-homed. In the case of very young kittens, they are re-homed on condition that the new owner arranges for the kitten to be neutered at the appropriate age. Feral cats which the charity becomes involved with are trapped and neutered before being released back into the area where they were found. Neutering is the most effective way of reducing the number of unwanted cats/kittens roaming the area, thereby helping to provide a safer environment for the general public who are less at risk of coming into contact with potentially aggressive feral and disease-ridden animals.
All cats and kittens which Sunshine Cat Rescue cares for are neutered prior to being re-homed. In the case of very young kittens, they are re-homed on condition that the new owner arranges for the kitten to be neutered at the appropriate age. Feral cats which the charity becomes involved with are trapped and neutered before being released back into the area where they were found. Neutering is the most effective way of reducing the number of unwanted cats/kittens roaming the area, thereby helping to provide a safer environment for the general public who are less at risk of coming into contact with potentially aggressive feral and disease-ridden animals.
Meet Our Committee
Sunshine Cat Rescue is operated 100% by volunteers
LOU TYACK |
SHARON CARBONERO |
SANDIE INNESS |
Welfare Co-ordinatorI am the Welfare Co-ordinator for Sunshine Cat Rescue. I love reading and gardening when given time but cats have taken over my life for the past 25 years. Horses are my first love but I have no room to keep any here and I am getting too old now to ride.
I was an auxiliary nurse at a local hospital for 13 years which helps with some welfare issues with the cats. |
Admin SupportI've now been involved with cat rescue charities for over 25 years, always as a Home Visitor, as a Secretary for a while and since Sunshine Cat Rescue started until recently, as Treasurer.
Over the years, I've had the opportunity to meet so many lovely people and their pets and it's always heartwarming to see the happiness that a pet brings to a family. Apart from cats, my passions include the theatre - just love music gigs, ballet, musicals - and warmth, sunshine, blue skies and sandy beaches. Greece and Italy are favourite places to visit, especially via a cruise ship. I also enjoy history and genealogy and have managed to trace my ancestors back to the Vikings, a soldier in William the Conqueror's army and Alfred the Great! |
Homing Co-ordinatorI adore all things feline so being involved with a rescue charity is my idea of bliss!
It was back in 2000 that I started volunteering with Lou and the team and then took on the fundraising for 9 years, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Although I had a break I was always in the background and loved helping when I could. Fast forward to August 2021 when I started helping Lou with some foster kitties once a week and when an opportunity arose to help with re-homing I jumped at it! What a great team of Fosterers and Home Visitors we have ensuring we find the right homes for all the cats and kittens that come into our care, making my role very rewarding and I am simply loving it. |
JULIE STONEY |
SUE NEWITT
|
SUZANNE HILTON
|
|
|
|
Volunteer Co-ordinator |
Trustee
|
Trustee
|
|
I’m Julie the volunteer co-ordinator for fundraising events.
I live with my 3 boys, hubby Mark, Thai our cat and Alonso, our German Shepherd. I love recruiting and meeting new people to help with our events and chatting about cats and more cats! My hobbies include ballet, BodyBalance, weights, roller skating and swimming, both pool and open water. I try to mix up my workouts and I also like to experiment with cooking nutritional meals. At the moment I am concentrating on training my puppy but give me a cat any day to train, I think it’s easier !!! |
My name is Sue Newitt, and I’ve been involved with Sunshine Cat Rescue since it was founded in 2012. I am currently a Trustee for the charity.
Cats have always been a big part of my life—whether growing up with them, feeding strays, adopting rescue cats in need of a home, or cat‑sitting for friends. My husband, Colin, and I have had our two latest Sunshine rescue cats for three years: a large black‑and‑white tom and his little tabby sister, who are now four years old. We also care for two outdoor tuxedo cats. I love reading, spending time with friends, family, and cats, enjoying days out, and travelling—especially to Cyprus, the island of cats. I’m incredibly proud of the Sunshine Cat Rescue team and everything they do to help cats and kittens in need, especially as they are all volunteers. |
I have been involved with Sunshine Cat Rescue since 2012 and am occasionally, and affectionately, known as the Jumble Queen. I’ve been organising the jumble sales for many years now, and I always look forward to our twice‑yearly events, which bring so many of our volunteers and supporters together to raise money for the charity.
I retired this year and was delighted to take up the opportunity to become a Trustee. I’ve learnt a great deal about charity operations over the past few months, and I know there is still plenty more to learn. I’ve loved cats since childhood, but only recently welcomed my first kittens—Sacha and Fifi—who were, of course, Sunshine rescues. They have been an absolute joy, and part of what motivates me every day is the desire to help ensure others have the chance to experience the happiness that cats and kittens bring into our lives. |