Sandbach Animal Rescue said it has hosted monthly coffee mornings at the town hall for a number of years, but was recently told by the town council the authority had cancelled three months of events.

The commitment was particularly important for aquatic facilities where energy demands are "typically high", in order to maintain the heating and ventilation of the pool environments, Ms Brown added.

But Ms Sheardown, of Sandbach, Cheshire, is now preparing for an 800km (497miles) bike ride in India in to top the £100,000 she has already raised for AMMF - the UK's only charity focused on the ...