A Love Darg Case Study


Love Darg Logo love darg, knitting

This year, we are delighted to say that our Love Darg partner will again be Cats Protection.

Cats Protection is working hard to overcome the impact of COVID-19, which led to the closure of shops and the cancellation of face-to-face fund-raising events.

The charity has had to adapt during lockdown, particularly with its highly successful new online adoption process, which enabled people to rehome a cat without visiting centres.

Below we have a wonderful case study from cat lover Frances Jeater, who found a furry best friend using this brand new process.


Frances Jeater is an actor from Richmond in Surrey.

She was one of the first people to use hands-free homing when she adopted her cat Molly in April 2020.

“My beloved cat Bertie died two years ago at the ripe old age of thirteen. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t get another cat but as the weeks passed I realised how much I was missing having one,” she tells us.

“When we went into the first lockdown and all the animal rescue centres closed, I thought I’d missed the boat.

“Then a friend mentioned that Cats Protection had launched a new online adoption process called hands-free homing.

“I went on to the website and spotted five-year-old Molly. Obviously I couldn’t go and meet her, but the Cats Protection team provided lots of information about her personality.

“A week later, Molly was delivered to my home and settled in straight away.

“She is utterly enchanting and makes me laugh every single day. Lockdown without Molly would have been very grim indeed.”

How the Love Darg began

The Love Darg is “The People’s Friend’s” very own charitable appeal.

Its name comes from an old Scots phrase meaning “work done for love”. Throughout its long life it has stayed true to that founding principle.

The Love Darg began in 1885 as a Grand Exhibition and Bazaar of Juvenile Industry to raise funds for a cot in the Children’s Ward of Dundee Royal Infirmary.

It then developed into a nationwide charity appeal. It has seen “Friend” readers make and donate thousands of gifts over the years.


For more information on the Love Darg, including how to donate, click here.

Iain McDonald

Iain is Digital Content Editor at the "Friend", making him responsible for managing flow of interesting and entertaining content on the magazine's website and social media channels.