Tributes have remembered a Suffolk animal rescue charity founder and former parish council chairman as ‘a force of nature’ and ‘a one-off who broke the mould’.
Friends and colleagues have continued to pay their respects this week to Madeleine Jackaman – better known as Maggie – following her death on December 6, at the age of 82.
For more than 30 years, Mrs Jackaman was the driving force behind Suffolk and Essex Small Animal Welfare (Sesaw), helping to rehome thousands of animals.
Maggie Jackaman has been described as a force of nature by those who knew and worked with her. Picture: Contributed
Founded in 1992, after her early retirement from BT, Maggie ran the charity, alongside her team of volunteers, from her home in Leavenheath, until its closure this year.
During this time, she also served on the village’s parish council for over 15 years, including a decade as chairman.
Although Sesaw was primarily set up to rescue and rehome dogs, cats and other domestic pets, it also took in a wide variety of other animals, which became permanent residents.
These included ponies, sheep, geese, goats, micro pigs and even a llama.
It also cared for sick or injured wildlife – everything from foxes, deer and birds, to more unusual creatures such as a wallaby, a skunk and a monitor lizard – before releasing them back into the wild.
“Maggie’s devotion to animal rescue was unrelenting and fearless, even in the face of danger,” said a statement from Sesaw.
“She once stood her ground by refusing to hand back an ill-treated dog, despite the person threatening to return with a firearm.
“Thousands of animals have been rehomed thanks to Maggie and her fantastic volunteers, who have worked through fair weather and foul, without fail, every single day.
“Maggie will long be remembered for her quiet, intuitive way with animals and ability to match people with their new pet, or pets, when they found themselves signing up for two instead of one.
“Despite her slight figure, Maggie was a force of nature, whose stamina few could match.
“She regularly dashed off emails in the early hours, before the recipients were awake, then spent the day running her beloved Sesaw, until long after the last volunteer had gone home.
“Madeleine Jackaman was a one-off who certainly broke the mould. We will not see her like again.”