Pet lover who saved thousands of animals at her Wigan home has died

Sue Gummerson spent 30 years caring for animals in the garage at her home on Pagefield Street in Springfield after setting up Pagefield Rescue Centre.

She would stay up all night to hand rear tiny puppies and kittens and sometimes even went without food to ensure she could feed the animals.

Her daughter-in-law Julie Gummerson said: “It was just in her, it was natural to Sue. She helped any animal. She had all the cages and everything in her garage and all round her garden.

“People were very kind and gifted things to her, money for food and things like that.”

Sue was the youngest of three sisters and grew up in Springfield, going on to work as an auxiliary nurse at Wrightington Hospital.

The 71-year-old was a life-long animal lover and did whatever she could to help creatures that came into her care. Julie said: “Everybody used to bring their animals, everybody knew Sue.

She was always on the other end of a phone. If someone passed away, the police got on the phone to Sue to see if she could rehome their animals.”

Sue’s rescue was so well-known that sadly people would abandon kittens or other animals on her doorstep so she could help them.

“The ones she couldn’t help, she kept herself,” said Julie. “She had a few cats of her own that were elderly and no-one wanted to rehome. She had about six dogs as well.”

Sue spent three decades caring for animals, before moving to a bungalow in Orrell six years ago.

As well as caring for so many creatures, she loved flowers and gardening.

Julie said: “She was lovely. She was such a kind person.”

Sue died at home on Monday, July 27 after a long illness, leaving her son David and Julie.