BLEAKHOLT Animal Sanctuary received a generous donation from a pet insurance company.

Animal Friends has donated £25,000 to Bleakholt, along with Take That tickets which will be auctioned off to raise more money for the Edenfield shelter.

Elaine and Chris Fairfax started Animal Friends in the 1990s and the company has forged links with Bleakholt over the last few years.

Mr and Mrs Fairfax flew in from Jersey to meet the charity’s president Gemma Atkinson and also have a tour around the sanctuary, which rehomes dogs, cats and small animals while pigs, goats, horses, donkeys and more live out their lives there.

Then the pair handed over the cheque to Bleakholt’s operations manager Stuart Murray.

The tickets are to see Take That perform at the Rainforest Ball for the Durrell Conservation Trust in Jersey in September.

Mrs Fairfax said: “My dad is from Heywood and both my parents were massive animal lovers which is why we wanted to come to Bleakholt.

“We support a lot of charities and this one is a special one.

“It’s got a superb atmosphere, you can tell how much the people who work here love their animals and we like supporting good causes.

“We are only too happy to help Bleakholt and hope we can help to make a difference to the lives of the animals here.”

Actress, DJ and model Miss Atkinson said: “We were delighted to get the Take That tickets, especially as it’s Bleakholt’s 60th anniversary this year, but for Animal Friends to hand over a cheque for £25,000 as well, which we didn’t expect at all, is amazing.”

Mr Murray said: “We rely on donations to run the sanctuary so this is a massive boost for us.

“Animal Friends have supported us with various projects over the years and they have become good friends of the sanctuary.

“We will be auctioning off the Take That tickets and will now put the £25,000 towards a project to make sure the animals at Bleakholt benefit.”