In January 1978, temporary Planning Permission was granted subject to a number of conditions: the building of a car turning area, no-one to encroach on neighbouring property and the clear marking of the premises as '' to comply with the local Planning Authority. This permission was valid until December 1978. It seemed that the fate of the shelter depended on the usual planning permission struggle against the objections of neighbours while the shelter managed on a shoestring. The cats were comfortable, but there were worries about enough food being available and the runs were in need of repairs which the shelter could ill-afford. Counting the cats at Basildon and Great Tey, and the late Mrs Middlemiss's 9 cats, Chelmsford Group were feeding 130 cats daily.

Looking back on correspondence from that difficult time, it is still unclear as to the exact status of CPL Chelmsford. The terms Group and Branch were being used almost interchangeably and much of the time the issue was neatly sidestepped by not using either term! The fact that some of the members of the Chelmsford Branch had left in order to join 'Catkins' made it hard to see where CPL Chelmsford ended and 'Catkins' began. In June 1978 Major Garforth wrote to advise Chelmsford CPL that the Executive Committee of the CPL had confirmed that Chelmsford CPL should be classified a Branch rather than a Group.

In April 1979 the Kirby bequest was still hitting problems and Major Garforth wrote:

"As regards the legacy, I have been chasing up the various Solicitors concerned in order to try and get this matter resolved [...] I do hope that soon we will be able to get possession of it and then we will have to think how it is to be used in order, hopefully, to find you a shelter."

Also in April 1979 Chelmsford Branch heard that the renewal Planning Permission had been refused because of complaints from close neighbours about excessive traffic and about hygiene. Dorothy and Wally Rolfe had devoted their lives to the destitute cats they cared for and a heartbroken Wally, then 71, told local papers: "I have put my whole heart and soul into this. It was the biggest thrill of my life when I was asked to have these cats. I shall be afraid to have any animals at all here now. I don't feel like staying here. There is another acre here that I would willingly allow them to use."

Neighbours had complained about the excessive use of a shared access, general nuisance, loss of privacy, bonfires which caused a foetid odour, and rats. The council immediately halted the erection of the new sheds (which were to become the 'Nine Pens'). HQ was asked to lodge an appeal on behalf of Chelmsford CPL. It was pointed out that there were stables and other livestock nearby which would almost certainly attract rats and cause smells. Letters from supporters appeared in the local papers, stating that the presence of the cats would deter rather than attract rats. A proper incinerator was in use to minimise the nuisance caused by the burning of old bedding and cat litter. However, in September 1979 an Enforcement Notice demanded that the shelter should be removed.

Planning Appeals were finally heard in October the following year. The Inspector for the Department of the Environment, who had listened to evidence from the CPL Group and the Borough Council, sent his report:- "SUMMARY OF DECISION. The Enforcement Notice is being quashed. Your clients' Section 36 appeals are being allowed and, subject to restricting conditions, planning permission will be granted." Additional improvements were required - parking space, as well as the turning area, and two industrial waste containers. CPL HQ came to the rescue, contributing towards these expensive items as well paying the legal costs incurred during the appeal. The formal notice of Planning Permission was issued by Chelmsford Borough Council in January 1981 and the council gave the go-ahead for the Group to start with the improvements to comply with instructions from the Minister of State for the Environment - including arrangements for refuse collection now that bonfires were banned and keeping the number of cats under 50. Only when the various conditions attached to the Planning Permission were met could Chelmsford CPL begin to improve and extend the shelter.

Tabletop model of the proposed shelter showing the "Main Shelter" (communal pen) at top left, the block of nine pens in the centre and a communal pen containing mini-shelters (chalets) to the right.

Click on image for large size view of the old Willow Grove shelter in the 1990s

In 1993, a safety corridor was added to the back runs of the 'Nine Pens' and a link passage enabled volunteers to get from the front of these pens to the back without having to go outside - especially useful in rain or snow. At the same time, a third isolation unit was added behind the bathroom; this accommodated non-infectious cats such as accident victims, especially those who needed a little moderate exercise to help them recover. At the beginning of 1994, the entire Big Pen was wired over to make it more secure and to give the cats from the 'Covered End' more space, by allowing them the run of the whole pen. Following three burglaries in which money and quantities of cat food were stolen and property was damaged, plans for a barbed-wire topped perimeter fence were finalised and constructed in 1995.

The next few years saw improvements made to existing facilities. The Nine Pens were maintained with new flooring put into each pen. An old Kitten Pen was demolished and two new ones built in its place. A large food storage shed was built on the site of the demolished Kitten Pen. At the same time, the old sheds in the grounds outside the perimeter fence were gradually being dismantled and there were plans to remove (i.e. dismantle!) the old blue caravan that was used for storing bric-a-brac - the expense and difficulty of removing it gave it many stays of execution. A new, much larger, Office was built closer to the perimeter fence's entrance gate. This intercepted visitors as they entered the shelter. A fence and "Staff Only" gate from the back run to the New Pen, and a similar one in front of the kitchen, kept unaccompanied visitors away from the kitten pens. The main entrance to the Nine Pens was moved the end near the old office and repositioned half way along the front safety corridor on the outside of the "Staff Only" gates. The front safety corridor itself was improved with wooden boards at the base, improving its structure and its appearance.

It was also important to secure the land upon which the shelter stood to prevent any land disputes when Willow Grove Cottage became vacant. The cottage grounds were partitioned from, and sold to, the shelter. Each had a separate entrance. This evenutally allowed the cottage to be sold separately with no problems over a right of way between the cottage and the shelter. The car park and driveway were resurfaced and providing additional parking spaces. At the shelter itself, the kitchen and old food store were both demolished and a single large shed was built in their place. The portable Ginny Pens were no longer maintainable up to the standard of the Nine Pens or other free-standing pens and by removing the runs, they became additional chalets for the cats in the Big Pen. Other little touches were added including climbing trees for the cats in the communal pens.

In the early 2000s, my circumstances changed greatly - I became a single income household and had to give up as a shelter volunteer in order to work more overtime. So my personal photographic history stops early in the 2000s. In the years afterwards, the shelter that was familiar to me was demolished and a new purpose-built cat adoption centre took its place. The new main reception and homing pens were completed in January 2007. By 2013, Chelmsford CP had been trying to replace the "Faith" and "Hope Pens" (New Pen and Big Pen). In May of that year a discussion took place in the committee meeting and it was agreed to incorporate the renewal of Faith and Hope with the replacement of the remaining eight timber-framed pens. The old wooden pens were, by then, in poor condition and becoming increasingly difficult to clean and keep hygienic, let alone repair and maintain. By then, Head Office advised that the Branch had sufficient funds to carry out this replacement. By Autumn 2013, the Branch had produced plans of the whole site showing the existing layout along with drawn plans of the proposed layout for the new pens. Quotes were received for all the building works and a Full Planning Application was submitted to Chelmsford Planning Department.

In the Spring 2014 Newsletter, Margaret Mimpress described the 50th Anniversary tea. "Last October our branch celebrated 50 Years of helping cats in the Chelmsford area and beyond. We decided to mark the occasion with an afternoon tea at the Miami Hotel in Chelmsford. We thought it would be a good idea to invite our Deputy Mayor andDeputy Mayoress along, who were delighted to attend. The afternoon started with our nervous committee arriving at the hotel to make sure all was well and before long, all the guests - volunteers and staff, past and present - started to arrive and sit down and meet their friends for a good chat and to catch up on times past. Then the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress' chauffer driven car arrived and two of our committee members greeted them at the door and showed them to their seats. At that point the afternoon tea started with sandwiches, scones, cream and jam with cake to follow and of course cups and cups of tea, which was enjoyed by all. The afternoon was finished with the Deputy Mayor giving a speech and going around to talk to all of the volunteers, then she cut the celebration cake which was kindly iced by one of our volunteers. Little did our founder member envisage way back in 1963 that we would be celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2013.

Faith Pen (New Pen) had become unusable and Hope (Big Pen) was becoming dangerous to use. The pens had been built in the 1970s. The original eight wooden kitten pens were becoming irreparable and were hard to keep clean and hygienic due to their age and construction (what had been state of the art in the 1970s had become out-dated nearly 40 years later). Part of the planned rebuilding was to re-locate those two pens at the same time as building new kitten pens. It was important to phase the redevelopment so that no kitten pens were out of operation during the works. The contract to produce the new kitten pens went to Pedigree Pens. The design was based on one of the original wooden pens, a design that had proven itself over almost 40 years, but the materials were very different! The Building Contract was awarded to St. Louis Design and the Electrical Contract to Danbury Electrics.

Phase 1 of the rebuilding began in April 2014, and was to install the bases for eight kitten pens ready for their delivery on 29th May 2014. These pens were erected and completed by 7th June 2014 and the next task was to install power (for heating), lighting and the flooring and to scrub them down ready for the first occupants. By the end of June, all the mums and kittens were transferred to the new kitten pens. Phase 2 began in July 2014 and started with the construction of two bases for the new Faith and Hope pens. These were equipped with power, lighting, paving and flooring as well as the enclosures. These were completed by September 2014. At the same time, the overgrown vegetation was cleared and the diseased trees – the remains of the Rolfe’s orchard – were removed. The cleared area was levelled and turf was laid. One pen, “Carol’s Pen” was designed as an isolation pen for ill, nervous or problem cats.

In 2014, long-standing members Kathleen Cook (who ran the book stall at fayres) and Joyce Lorimer (coincidentally my old deputy headmistress at Chelmsford County High School) passed away.

n 2016, I scanned my photograph collection for the benefit of those who might want to see some of Chelmsford CP's history.

Click on image for large size view of Willow Grove in the Winters of 1991 and 1994

Moving into the 2000s, the grounds were completely redeveloped. A new brick-built Adoption Centre was built in place of the Nine Pens. The empty communal pens became overgrown in the same way as the old Willow Grove Garden Shelter. Over time, everything from the old shelter was cleared so all that remains are photographs taken by helpers and supporters from that era. On the site of the old kitten pens, Pedigree Pens Ltd installed ten bespoke maternity pens for the Chelmsford and District Adoption Centre. Built of white PVCu, these were more hygienic and easier to sterilise than the plyboard-lined wooden pens and they were also fire retardent. In 2013, the Group/Branch/Adoption Centre celebrated its 50th Anniversary - a tribute to the perseverence of all those who fought for its survival at various times in its history.

These photos were taken as part of the Group's publicity - partly to show supporters and donors what was involved in the day-to-day running of the shelter, and partly to let would-be volunteers see what needed doing. The publicity boards also had a fair number of "helper cuddling cat" photos to show that it was not all hard labour. They also showed kittens being hand-fed and cats being dosed from a spoon. After the experience of a would-be helper who complained "you always give me the dirty jobs" (and lasted only one morning) it seemed a good idea to let people know what was involved. There was a policy of not letting under-16s work at the shelter unless they were accompanying a parent. A number of Duke of Edinburgh scheme youngsters spent a year volunteering.

Photos taken at the 2017 Family Fun Day. Click on each image to see it full sized.