Over recent years, Kings London has been regularly visited by their good friend Stella. She likes to wonder into B2, curl up in a classroom and enjoy a well deserved nap while the lesson goes on around her! Stella is much loved by staff and students alike, and is a valued member of both the school, and the wider Beckenham community.
Stella’s name was originally inspired by the snow leopard, Stelmaria, in the ‘Northern Lights’ by author Philip Pullman. She is around five and half years old, and is a rescue cat from Rommey House in Downe. She was originally found on the streets of Romania, which means that her name is actually Stea, Romanian for ‘star’.
Stella is very popular around Beckenham and has actually become quite famous. This might be as a result of having her very own Instagram account! She regularly inspects the shops in the high street, visits the cinema to watch the latest films and, of course, checks that her friends at Kings London are okay.
Often, Stella was brought to the vet as people thought she was a lost cat. As a result, Rebecca, her human mum, decided to fit her with a tracker collar that pinpoints her location via GPS. Through the tracking collar, Rebecca and her family have learnt some of her favourite haunts, which include the Jumping Bean shop, Superdrug (the chair near the window is a great place to people-watch!), Lidl, Clarks, all of the charity shops, Beckenham Bookshop and even the library!
In February this year, people got a bit worried because Stella went missing for three months, which prompted lots of stories in the newspapers and on social media, but thankfully she was found safe and sound.
Everyone at Kings London is looking forward to more visits from Stella in 2024!
