A SWISS man has donated hundreds to a North-East animal charity after being moved by its plight.

The man, known only as Marc, read about the work of the Darlington and Wear Valley Cats Protection branch online and was inspired to donate £400 to the cause.

In a post on a website set up to celebrate the work of cat rescuers, he said he wanted to help the organisation provide food for the animals they look after to help them get through the winter.

Marion Maychell, co-ordinator of the charity, said the generous donation would make an enormous difference.

She said: “It is amazing to think that somebody from another country was so inspired by our work that he wants to help us.

“It has blown us away and is a real boost, it means a great deal as it will help us feed the cats we look after over Christmas.”

She added: “As a charity, we are desperately in need, as it has been a really harsh year. So much help is needed as there are so many more cats on the streets.

“We also need more adopters, as we have more than 30 cats waiting to be re-homed and more than 100 on our lists that we can’t take in because we simply don’t have the room.”

To offer a cat a home or donate to the charity, visit wearvalley.cats.org.uk or call 0845 3134749.