A Hitchin cat café celebrated its first anniversary since opening this bank holiday weekend.

Hertfordshire's first ever cat café, Meow Lounge, rang in its first birthday with a stall selling cat-themed gifts in the town square and a charity raffle on Saturday.

Previously the clothing shop Twisted Fabric, the lounge opened one year ago after the owner, Stefanie Gaglio, visited a cat café in London – sparking the idea to open one herself.

Ms Gaglio said: "I ended up just sitting on the floor the whole time, with a cat sitting on my lap, and it was just the most peaceful experience I'd had in ages."

Gaglio's family have been adopting and rehoming cats since her childhood, and now she hopes that Meow Lounge can continue this tradition while bringing the same feeling of escapism she experienced to the Hitchin community.

She continued: "I just want the lounge to be the best it can possibly be for the kitty cats in there.

"They've had a real rough start in life, some more than others, and from here on in, it's got to be their perfect happily ever after.

"The way I see it, the lounge is their house and, when our customers come to visit, they're the cats' guests and we're their humble staff, which is a privilege."

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Meow Lounge has rehomed 42 cats in its first year in collaboration with The Scratching Post, a Waltham Abbey rescue shelter.

To celebrate the anniversary, the café – located in The Arcade – hosted a birthday raffle to raise funds for the shelter, with the grand prize being a year of free access to the café.

Runner-up prizes included afternoon tea for two and tickets to one of the lounge's event nights.

Previously, Meow Lounge has organised private café sessions and gift vouchers for groups such as Caudwell Youth, an organisation that helps empower at-risk young people through mentoring and support.

For its second year, Gaglio, who runs the lounge with her husband Rick, hopes to continue supporting the local community in this way.

Gaglio said: "We want to continue giving back because the cats give, and I just want everyone to get what they can from just being around these beautiful little animals."

For more information on the lounge, visit their website.