Name a train campaign in memory of Lancaster station cat Sir Toby

The family of a much-loved trainspotting Lancaster cat which passed away last week hope to have their pet’s memory live on by naming a train in his honour.
Sir Toby Toblerone, a trainspotting quadriplegic cat, who has died.Sir Toby Toblerone, a trainspotting quadriplegic cat, who has died.
Sir Toby Toblerone, a trainspotting quadriplegic cat, who has died.

Sir Toby Toblerone was infamous in Lancaster for his love of Lancaster railway station and, in particular, the Virgin Pendolino trains.

He became an official mascot of the train station in 2015, and was a familiar sight for passengers on the platforms.

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Sir Toby Toblerone, owned by Julie and Stephen Wilding, had no feeling from the neck down and had to be carried around and cared for in the same way a disabled human would.

He was adopted six years ago by Steve and Julie after being found paralysed.

Toby and his owners, both volunteers for Cats Protection, helped to raise money for and awareness of disabled pets and touched many hearts with his daily blog.

Sadly, on April 1 Toby passed away at home with his family around him, just a few days short of his sixth birthday.

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Sarah Strachan, who is working with Julie to raise money and awareness for Sir Toby’s cause, said: “When I found out this very sad news I wanted to do something to honour Toby’s memory and turn his sad passing into a wonderful gift to the charities he supported and his many followers.

“With this in mind I contacted Virgin Trains to see if we could get a Virgin Pendoleno named in his honour and, so far, the response from Virgin has been positive; I’m just waiting to hear what fitting memorial they can help with.”

Sarah has set up a petition and a fundraising page has also raised so far more than £3,000 for three charities.

Sir Toby became a popular figure in Lancaster in 2015 after Stephen started taking him to watch the trains at Lancaster railway station twice a week. He particularly enjoyed watching the Pendolino which trains.

Because members of staff have got to know Toby on his station visits, they decided to crown him their official mascot.

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