Elaine first came to the sanctuary in the 1970s when she moved to the area.   She wanted to adopt a cat - and went home with 3!   In those days, home visits were unheard of.  It was a very simple procedure.  Manager Arthur Thompson asked her a few relevant questions and then said "Hold on, I'll get you a box....those 3?".  Then she started coming in on her days off work to wash cat dishes, clean pens and help with jumble sales.    In those days, Arthur sat in the ramshackle old office with a typist who had an ancient manual typewriter with an owl perched on the top of it - yes, a live one!    Things have changed quite a lot since then.  Now the office systems are much more sophisticated.   Elaine is one of the office volunteers who takes phone calls, shows visitors round the site and prepares paperwork for adoptions.   She is also a home visitor, and enjoys going to people's homes to check for compatibility and to discuss how best to settle their chosen animals.    Asked about her many years of volunteering Elaine says:

I really enjoy the community of lovely people and animals.  We're all devoted to animals which gives us a special bond