A woman who dedicated most of her life to looking after animals has passed away.
Pamela Winifred Townsend passed away on May 17 and her funeral took place on June 13. She was born in March 1931.
Pamela, who never married, founded the Willow Tree Animal Sanctuary, Gainsford End, Toppesfield, in 1969 when she was 38.
Her cousin, Christine Drain, of Braintree, said: “Pamela had to walk past an abattoir when she was younger on her way to school and she always felt sorry for the animals.
“This motivated her to want to do something.
“She didn’t have any animals when she was younger as she grew up during the war so there were few pets.”
After leaving school, Pamela worked in the family’s transport business, Townsend Transport Company, until setting up the rescue centre.
Read more in this week's Gazette.
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