A raccoon with his own Facebook page is hosting a music festival to celebrate his first birthday and raise money for a raccoon rescue sanctuary.
Cody the raccoon – or more accurately his owner Kasey Valentine – is organising Codyfest at Club 85 in Hitchin on Friday, September 16, with bands confirmed including Sunsets the Day, Ghostman’s Torch, Eden’s Eyes, Conor Jesse Wells and Indigo.
Cody is a therapy raccoon for Kasey, who lives in Stevenage and has turned a few heads when she has taken her pet for a walk in the town centre.
Kasey has multiple illnesses, including ME – otherwise known as chronic fatigue – and a rare connective tissue disorder which means her joints often dislocate and she is in constant pain.
The illnesses had left her isolated and anxious about going outside and meeting new people, but Cody has turned her life around, himself becoming a celebrity and racking up more than 16,000 likes on his Facebook page.
She said: “Due to all the positivity surrounding Cody’s story, we thought we would share his special day with you all and raise money at the same time for a raccoon rescue sanctuary.
“When I first had Cody, I had some wonderful advice from Cherilyn Huff, who runs Little Mischiefs Raccoon and Exotic Animal Welfare and Rescue in Leicester. She rescues abandoned exotic animals from people who obtain them illegally, with no knowledge, or from sanctuaries and wildlife parks that can no longer keep them.
“She has so many of these animals living in fabulous homes in her own garden, and she builds all of their enclosures herself and runs it all out of her own pocket, which can be hard at times.
“The animals are like her own children and she does everything she can for them. She is truly wonderful.
“Unfortunately she has been inundated with abandoned animals this year and is struggling to raise money to build their much-needed enclosures. She is not someone to ask for help, so I am taking it upon myself to raise money for her.”
To find out more about Codyfest – which starts at 7.45pm at the Whinbush Road venue – and to buy tickets, visit www.codytheraccoon.com. Tickets are £5.50 online or £6.50 on the door.
For more information about Cody, visit Facebook and search for ‘Cody the raccoon’.
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