A north-east animal sanctuary is aiming to raise £67,000 to mark a milestone birthday for legendary rocker Paul Rodgers.
The rock vocalist – who has performed with Queen, Free and Bad Company – is the most famous patron of Willows Animal Sanctuary near New Pitsligo.
As he approaches his 67th birthday, his wife Cynthia is preparing to surprise him by raising £1,000 for every year of his life to donate to the Willows team.
Mrs Rodgers has invited fans of her husband’s star-studded career to donate cash to the centre. Anyone who donates more than £20 will then be in the running to win one of 67 items of merchandise signed by Mr Rodgers.
The memorabilia that will be handed out as prizes has not been revealed.
But, in a post on the centre’s website, Mrs Rodgers – who lives with her husband in the Canadian province of British Columbia – said: “Paul’s 67th birthday is Saturday, December 17.
“So, for the man who has everything, I thought that we could surprise him by trying to raise £67,000 for Willows’ animals.”
She described her husband as a “very active patron” of the sanctuary which employs vulnerable people and cares for hundreds of rescued animals.
The musician became a fan of the charity after hearing about the plight of one of its many residents.
Plucky pig Babe hit the headlines when she fell off a lorry on her way to market – outside Willows’ gates. After reading about her story in the Press and Journal online five years ago, Mr Rodgers began fundraising for the charity.
In 2014 he announced he would donate all the takings from a gig at the Royal Albert Hall to the centre.
