17/04/2024
A cat rescue charity is set to increase its presence in a West Yorkshire town after it secured larger shop premises with the help of national law firm Bevan Brittan.
Yorkshire Cat Rescue will make the switch to the new site in Brighouse as it continues its work to save the lives of all abandoned and unwanted cats in the county.
Property experts from Bevan Brittan’s Leeds office provided pro bono support on the move, advising the charity on the lease of the 1,830 sq ft shop premises as part of its community engagement and responsible business programme.
The charity’s new Brighouse base in Wellington Arcade is one of four shops across Yorkshire, with the others located in Halifax, Keighley and Skipton.
The move emerged after the lease on Yorkshire Cat Rescue’s former shop in the market town came to an end, giving it the chance to secure bigger premises and a better profile with passing shoppers.
The charity was advised on the property lease by Matthew Walsh, a Senior Associate and commercial property expert at Bevan Brittan, as well as trainee solicitor Jemina Gilbert.
Lynn Nicholls, the CEO of Yorkshire Cat Rescue, said: “This is a fantastic move for everyone connected with our charity in Brighouse. It will give us bigger and better shop facilities and more presence in the town centre, hopefully attracting more people to come in and either buy something or donate.
“We couldn’t have done this without the support of Matthew and Jemina at Bevan Brittan. As everyone knows, funds in the charity sector are always tight and therefore we are incredibly grateful that they were willing to do this on a pro bono basis.”
Matthew Walsh said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Lynn and her team on this transaction and it is great to see them moving into shop premises which will be better for the charity as a whole.
“We are committed to supporting the communities in which we work and this is just one way that we can give something back and help those who otherwise would not have the support they need. It is a great charity which ensures a safe environment for animals and we are really proud to have played our part in helping this organisation develop further.”
He added: “The lettings market in high streets across the country is less buoyant than we would all want it to be. But we hope that a new lease for a charity like this one will also have a positive impact for Brighouse as well.”
Bevan Brittan recently reached the milestone of having more than 100 colleagues based in Yorkshire. It also donated £25,000 before Christmas to Leeds Women’s Aid, an independent charity which offers support services to vulnerable women and their families.