Tributes have poured in following the death of the founder of Tameside Animal Shelter, Jacqui Manclark, who died last week.

Jacqui, who turned 76 on 22 July, died suddenly at her Ashton home on Thursday 25 August. 

Jacqui founded TAS back in 2000 on Raglan Street in Hyde.

Back then, the shelter looked after dogs and cats. It left Hyde in 2018 and Jacqui set up a cattery in her back garden in Ashton.

She said a few years ago: “Tameside Animal Shelter is a non-profit making organisation, meaning all the monies are ploughed back in the shelter.

“We’ve been an integral part of Tameside for over 20 years.

“We left Hyde in 2018 after giving hope and care to unwanted and abandoned animals. Now we just have our cattery in Ashton.”

Jacqui was constantly thinking of new ways to raise money for the animals in her care and recently made up flowering hanging baskets at her home to raise much needed funds.

Sue Griffiths, from Denton, who fosters cats and kittens for TAS, said she was heartbroken to hear about Jacqui’s passing.

She said: “Jacqui was an amazing caring person.

“I met her seven years ago when I first started fostering for her, but we were very close and friends away from the animal world too.

“She was more like my mum than just a friend. She was very passionate when it came to animals and would do anything to help a cat in need.

“Since Jacqui has gone, the animal world has lost a very loving caring lady.

“Myself and her husband Phillip are totally lost without her.”

More than 130 tributes have been paid on TAS’s Facebook page and the shelter has now set up a book of condolence at its fundraising shop on Reynold Street in Hyde in honour of Jacqui.

Sue added: “I have been asked to carry on homing the cats and kittens at the shelter so anyone who has any interest in any of the cats or the kittens on the Tameside Animal Shelter Hyde Facebook please tag me when the pictures are posted or private message me and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

“We are currently closed for intakes at this time.”

If you would like to adopt a cat or kitten from TAS visit https://www.facebook.com/tamesideanimalshelter 

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