Rita Woodham

An amazing sense of humour, always cheerful, full of laughter and an animal lover to the end.

From a very young age, mum loved animals. As a child she had a dog, Jerry, and at some point a cat.

When mum raised her own family there were always animals in the household-mainly cats but later on a rabbit and a dog.

Mum hated cruelty to animals in any form and never hesitated to take action if she could help prevent it. She was also a generous and regular contributor to a variety of animal charities.

The last cat mum ever cared for was a stray Tom cat, who would make himself at home, stay for a while then disappear on his travels for a week or two before returning for some rest and fussing.

Mum always fed wildlife in the garden too-wild birds, a fox and even the odd rat; watching them gave her great pleasure especially when she became housebound- their antics became a talking point for her and brightened up her days.