CATS at a local rehoming centre are purring with delight thanks to a donation from staff at a Dorchester housing association.

Magna Housing has donated £160 to Taylor’s Animal Rehoming Centre thanks to funds raised from its monthly staff lottery.

Magna’s Employee Lottery, MEL as it is referred to by Magna staff, is a monthly lottery run internally that gives staff a chance to win money and raise cash for charities of their choice.

Members of MEL recently nominated the charities they would most like to benefit from the money raised over the last year.

As a result of the nominations, five local charities, including Taylor’s, have each received a donation from Magna.

Taylor’s Animal Rehoming Centre is the West Dorset branch of the RSPCA, based at Kingston Maurward in Dorchester.

Tess Every, centre manager at Taylor’s, said: "We have to raise all of our funding ourselves. The majority comes from sales from our local RSPCA charity shops, but the rest relies on fundraising in the community. We’re really grateful for all the donations we receive.

"The money Magna has donated has come at a very useful time for us. We will use it to neuter the litters of kittens we have before they can be rehomed in time for Christmas."

At any one time Taylors has up to 62 cats and kittens as well as many rabbits and other small animals needing new homes.

The centre also regularly rescues large numbers of hens from battery farms in the area.

Carly Parsons, MEL committee member at Magna, said: “Staff chose Taylor’s Animal Rehoming Centre, Alzheimer’s Society, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust and Shelter. Each charity will receive £160.

"It’s great to have been able to help so many local charities using the MEL funds that have been raised."