Chester bar creates fundraiser for Wrexham cats charity

The collaboration between a sports bar and a cat charity has been brought about by a teenage cat-lover.

Melita Peel, 16, masterminded the bar's name and branding in memory of her family's cat, Cosmo, who was originally adopted from Cats Protection North Wales Cat Centre on Bradley Road in Wrexham.

Her father's bar, Cosmo's Pool & Snooker Club, on Victoria Road in Chester, has pledged to raise at least £1,000 over the next year in recognition of the impact Cosmo had on their lives before he died on December 1, 2023.

Cosmo the much-missed cat.

Visitors to the sports bar, which opened in April, may have already spotted its Cosmo-inspired mascot, thought up by Melita, a fluffy black cat who slinks in from the edge of the bar's website and across the pages of menus. The cat theme continues with donation points for Cats Protection dotted around the venue. Melita, who is studying for her A-levels, and her father Jeremy Peel, 53, will also be holding fundraising events for the charity including pool and darts competitions.

Read more: Meet the black cats hoping for good luck at rescue centre

Jeremy and Melita wanted to help the centre, which re-homes about 350 cats in-need each year, and also honour Cosmo's memory.

Melita said: "Dad and I have always loved cats and when we adopted Cosmo he really changed our life, he was comforting and funny after a long day at school or work. However busy the day had been, I would get home and Cosmo would greet me with a purr and flick of his tail.

"Sadly he passed away on the day we got confirmation of the business opening. It therefore seemed only right that we'd name the bar after him and raise money for the charity that brought him to us."

Read more: All creatures great and small in Leader photo challenge

As well as customers being able to donate spare change from their drinks order, upcoming events with proceeds benefitting the charity include a Halloween fancy dress party.

Centre manager for North Wales Cat Centre, Suzan Kennedy, said: "We're really delighted Jeremy and Melita chose to partner with us and the bar is a lovely way to remember Cosmo. Cats are such a precious part of our lives and it's so painful when they are no longer with us but Cosmo's name will now be on everyone's lips and he'll be chatted about for years to come."

Suzan added: "If Cosmo's reaches its £1,000 target, it will allow us to perform 23 neutering operations which not only prevent unwanted kittens but have numerous health benefits to the cats. Alternatively, we could fund four dental procedures, something we often need to provide for cats in our care as very few insurers cover dental work."