A GENEROUS donor has come to the rescue of an animal charity just days after a thief snatched more than £300 from a town centre fund-raising stall.

A 50-year-old Bolton woman, who runs a business in Radcliffe, was touched when she heard members of Bolton and Radcliffe Cats Protection League were counting the cost of a robbery last Saturday afternoon.

The woman -- who refuses to give her name -- decided to stump up the cash herself.

Barbara Angold, chairman of the long-established charity group, says she and Sandra Coop, who runs the Halliwell cat pens, are "absolutely delighted" by the mystery woman's donation.

Mrs Angold, of Bolton Road, Radcliffe, said: "I got a call out of the blue from a lady who told me she was going to give us the money we had lost.

Astonished

"I was astonished. It's fantastic news and it shows that there are some very nice people out there."

The money was stolen after the charity's successful canopy sale on Victoria Square.

It is thought the quick-fingered thief struck as the charity group was packing away tables at the Bolton canopy, grabbing a wallet containing hundreds of pounds from a tin.

The registered charity, which receives no subsidies, relies solely on voluntary donations and fund-raising activities to help pay for food and veterinary bills, totalling more than £1,000 a month.

The stolen money would have been a welcome cash injection for the cat charity which provides care for stray, injured and unwanted felines.