Organisers of a fundraiser that will create a permanent memorial for Ely’s ‘most famous cat’ Garfield say they are “so touched” after a cat magazine donated £1,500 towards their goal.

Your Cat has launched good causes, a new initiative that pledges at least 30% of subscription proceeds go to community cat projects in the UK.

Its first ever donation is going to help create Garfield’s memorial statue.

Organiser of Garfy’s GoFundMe page, Cate Caruth, said: “We are so touched that Your Cat has made this generous donation to help us create the memorial for Garfy in Ely.

“We have a vision of a lovely restful place in the park [Pocket Park], where his statue will be, and this amazing contribution is bringing our goal closer.”

Commonly known as ‘Garfy’ and ‘Mr Sainsbury’, David Willers’ pet was a local celebrity who regularly featured in the press for his various antics, as well as being the star of two books.

Garfield died after being hit by a car in 2019 and since then, David had been thinking of the best way to create a memorial for him.

In June, David received planning permission from the council and hopes to install a bronze sculpture of the much-loved feline with a bench beside it.

He is hoping to raise £6,500 towards the statue and, so far, £4,665 has been raised which includes the donation from Your Cat.

Your Cat publisher, James Buzzel, said: “We’re so pleased to help fund a memorial statue for Garfy, who is a perfect example of how cats offer so much joy to so many people.

“It is important that the impact of cats is preserved so they are recognised and remembered in modern culture.

“With this statue, Garfy’s legacy and story will live on for generations in the local community.”

If you’d like to make a donation towards the creation and installation of ‘Garfy’s’ statue, you can donate through the fundraiser that has been set up on GoFundMe.

Plans are in place to unveil the statue during summer 2023 and any surplus money after the creation and installation of the statue in Pocket Park will be donated to other charities.