A new café at a pet refuge, named in memory of the tea-serving gran whose legacy funded the work, has had its official opening.
Doris Davies served up thousands of cups of tea in her career, including brewing up for spooks cracking the World War Two Enigma code.
The 95-year-old’s grandson David officially opened Doris’s Bunker yesterday, built by Rubicon Garden Rooms at North Clwyd Animal Rescue Centre at Trelogan, near Holywell.
Doris, an animal lover from Kinmel Bay, left more than £36,000 in her will to the Flintshire centre, to say thanks for the Irish terrier and poodle she adopted from NCAR. Doris also left donations to Rhyl lifeboat and her local church.
Deeside-based Rubicon Garden Rooms also gave a substantial discount on the new 500 square foot cafe, where teas and snacks will be served up to NCAR’s staff and many volunteers, plus visitors seeking to adopt a rescue animal.
David and his family travelled from Ludlow, Shropshire, to perform the opening ceremony.
David’s twin brother Glynn was unable to attend the opening ceremony due to family commitments.
The identical twins only discovered three years ago that Doris had once worked at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, the central site for Britain’s codebreakers during World War Two, who famously decrypted the German enigma machine.
HGV driver David, who has a rescue greyhound, said: “It’s amazing that in just a few months this café has been built, and it’s all thanks to our grandmother. She was a remarkable lady and it is fitting that her name should be over the door.
“I hope many more people will be able to enjoy a cup of tea here, thanks to Doris, whether they are a volunteer or a family thinking about giving a forever home to one of the many animals helped by NCAR.”
Glynn, a firefighter who shares Doris’ love for pets, said: “It is perfect that our grandmother’s name should continue with this café – I am sure that she would have loved to have seen it. She did like a cup of tea!
“She also worked in a café in Llangollen during her long and varied life, and must have served up thousands of cups of tea and coffee to all sorts of people in her time.
“When David and I first came to NCAR to hand over the cheque from our grandmother’s will, we were very impressed by the centre and the work it carries out to re-home dogs, cats and other pets. I hope the cafe will help the centre to continue with this excellent work.”
NCAR fundraising manager Nicky Owen, whose parents Anne and Neil run the centre, said: “When we found out that Doris worked in tea-rooms for most of her life, in Llangollen and also at Bletchley Park, we thought it would be fitting to use her very generous legacy to create this much-needed café, and then name it after her.
“The team at Rubicon Garden Rooms worked through some pretty dreadful weather to create the café, ready to be fitted out. We are very grateful for their efforts, and for the discount we received, which has enabled us to make Doris’ generous legacy stretch even further.
“Our supporters are always extremely generous – we received donations of catering equipment along with tables and chairs plus other items.
“One of our supporters, local landscape gardener Lewis Price, installed decking for free, to create an outside seating area, while the signs for Doris’s Bunker were supplied, also free, by Art Graphic Sonics Signs of Deeside.
“As well as a rest area for staff, volunteers and visitors, Doris’s Bunker will also be used for meetings with funders, volunteer training sessions and fundraising events.”
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