A MEMORIAL has been erected in Wellington’s town centre to commemorate the life of a “much-loved” town cat.

Situated in Monmouth Gardens, the new memorial sign marks the passing of Elvis, who was cared for by several residents and businesses including The Nook & Cranny, following his death in June at the age of 11.

Upon request, Wellington Town Council had the memorial placed in the North Street garden.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Much-loved town cat Elvis sadly passed away this June and left a gap in everyone's hearts, especially at The Nook & Cranny who took responsibility for his veterinary care.

“After losing Elvis, they had this wonderful memorial sign made and asked us if it could be situated in Monmouth Gardens, one of "his lordship"'s favourite places.

“We of course said yes, and our Open Spaces Team made space in the flowerbed and installed the sign

“We hope that this memorial is a comfort to all who enjoyed Elvis' company over the years and that Monmouth Gardens can be used as an area of quiet reflection.”

Black cat Elvis was well known for his travels around town and was looked after by a number of local businesspeople, including the Nook and Cranny’s Maxine Price, Charlotte Beatty, and Sharon Front, who met the cat six years ago at their first North Street shop.

Following a period of illness, Elvis was taken to Mount Vets on Thursday, June 12, by Ferne Animal Sanctuary, where he sadly died.

The Nook & Cranny team began fundraising to cover Elvis’ vet fees, with any money left over used to purchase the Monmouth Gardens’ memorial plaque and donated to Cats Protection.

Maxine said: “Everybody knew Elvis, and everybody loved him. He affected a lot of people.”