A woman determined to bring “silliness and togetherness” back to her neighbourhood is creating a local cat directory a year after holding a feline mayoral election.
Hayley Hawkins, from Low Fell in Gateshead, was inspired by a cat election in Massachusetts and her own 13-candidate poll attracted a turnout of 77.3%, higher than the last general election and Brexit referendum.
This year she is collating the Kitty Pages Low Fell directory to “include profiles of the cats in the area” and put them in nearby pubs for people to enjoy.
She hopes: “As people are walking around Low Fell they might start looking out for cats and thinking ‘ooh that must be Sir Floofybottom the third, I read about him’.”
Hawkins said: “Division seems to be in fashion at the moment and it is very easy to feel powerless in the face of it but I knew I needed to do something, no matter how small, to bring a bit of silliness and togetherness into our community.”
