Labrador Welfare Registered Charity No 1012192
Trustees’ annual report for the period 1 May 2020 to 31 April 2021
Reference and administration details
Charity name Labrador Welfare Registered Charity Number 1012192 Charity’s address 2 Tapton Crescent Road Sheffield S10 5DA Phone Number 0114 2661756
Names of Trustees who manage the charity
Ray Carnall Chairman Officer of charity and Trustee Debra Ellis Treasurer Officer of charity and Trustee Susan Roberts Secretary Officer of charity and Trustee Ruth Leckie Trustee Rehoming Coordinator
Name and address of advisors
Vets 4 Pets Barnsley 161 Wilthorpe Road Barnsley S75 1JQ
Structure, governance and management
Description of charity’s trusts
Type of governing document Constitution adopted 6 June 1992. Amendments made 1994, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2009.
How the Charity is constituted Membership, renewable annually. Officers and Committee to be re-elected after 2 years.
Trustee selection methods
By invitation of the officers of the charity. Trustees to be re-elected every 2 years.
Additional governance issues.
Trustees must not have been convicted under the 1911 Protection of Animals Act, The Dangerous Dog Act or Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The charity is supported by Northumberland and Durham Labrador Retriever Club and is also listed as a breed rescue by the Kennel Club.
The Charity is a member of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH).
All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or benefits.
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Objectives and Activities
Summary of the main objectives of the charity
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To provide for the immediate needs of the dogs handed into our care.
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To support those members of the public who wish to adopt a dog or, for whatever reason, need to relinquish ownership of their dog.
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To provide and maintain new homes for displaced dogs and to offer advice and lifelong support to their carers.
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To work with our sister charities and other general rescues to ensure that no Labrador is left in need.
Trustees ensure that our work is carried out within the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
We continue to accept dogs for rehoming from all locations within the area we cover and to support those members of the public who find that they have to relinquish their dog.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objectives.
When undertaking the rehoming of Labrador Retrievers, we follow the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and this is embraced by our Policy and Procedure document.
We continue to accept dogs within our area from all backgrounds.
Where financial hardships are being experienced we continue to waiver the relinquishing fee.
Where the owner has no transport, every effort is made to help with the transportation of the dog to the kennels we use.
Our foster dog scheme for older dogs of 9 years and over enables those on low/limited income to enjoy the benefits of dog ownership as no adoption fee is required and Labrador Welfare helps to pay for major vet bills.
The ethos of Labrador Welfare is to offer support and guidance to the adopters of our dogs for the whole of the dog’s life whether this is by phone, email, or in person by our representatives,
Labrador Welfare has a non-discriminatory policy. No prospective owner will be refused the right to adopt a dog on the grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, age of children, nationality or religion. The person’s ability to provide the dog with a secure and loving home is the only consideration.
Additional details of objectives and activities
The 100 Club continues to help support the Foster dog scheme. All money raised by the Club goes directly towards the payment of veterinary fees for these dogs.
Our Sponsor dog scheme enables supporters to make regular payments to help towards veterinary fees for any dog that may come into our care with a known chronic medical condition that cannot be covered by insurance.
Without funding from the 100 Club and Sponsor Dog scheme we would be unable to offer financial support to those people caring for these dogs.
Without the voluntary help of our supporters, all of which is unpaid, we would be unable to continue with our work.
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Achievements and performance
Once againCOVID 19 has had a huge impact on our work this year. However once again we have been fortunate that the number of dogs needing to be rehomed has been much lower than average and we have been able to find homes for all the dogs handed over to us whilst keeping within government guide lines.
We have worked hard to maintain our values despite financial constraints.
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We care about Labrador Retrievers
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We value and respect our many volunteers and supporters
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We are committed to providing a high-quality service at all times
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We are committed to being open and honest with members of the public that adopt dogs from us
Change in work circumstances and marriage or partnership breakdown and ill health remain the main reasons for handing dogs over for re-homing. We still have dogs handed over for financial reasons and many of these have been due to owners having to move into rented accommodation or emigrating in order to find employment. We continue to see a growing number of dogs being handed over that have training and behavioural problems also many dogs come through without current vaccinations and so these have had to be paid for by the charity. Dogs are now neutered prior to adoption unless there are reasons why this may not be appropriate. We have had no strays coming through this year. We continue to work with other Labrador Rescue groups, Dog Wardens and general rescues when they need help with any Labrador Retrievers.
We continue to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the kennels (Cliffe kennels) we use. Their help and advice have been invaluable to us over the year. We are grateful to them for their continuing support especially during the current unprecedented circumstances this year.
Our dedicated team of Home Visitors continue to support those who adopt dogs from us, helping us to meet our objective of life long support for the dog and owner. Once again we have worked within Government guidelines, our usual practice has been adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure not only the future health, safety and well-being of the dogs but also the safety of our Home Visitors who have undertaken thorough garden checks observing social distancing and government advice on facial coverings in all cases.
We have produced two newsletters, (autumn and spring) in which we have tried to inform, educate and advise as well as give news of our activities. We continue to receive contributions from our members and adopters. This helps to ensure that our newsletter remains vibrant and interactive and reflects the views of our supporters. The newsletter is also available through our web site and feedback from visitors has been very positive.
Our web site continues to prove popular with the general public. With the help of our voluntary web master our site has been totally revamped and this has ensured that we are still able to reach an ever-increasing number of people through this popular medium. Thanks to our volunteers we also have a presence on social media platforms which are well supported and generate much interest.
Fundraising has been very limited but our supporters must be congratulated on the many ways they have devised to raise funds, most of this has been done via the internet.
We are once again partnered with Pets at Home, St James’ Retail Park, in Sheffield. However COVID regulations have prevented us doing collections at the store. We have still been eligible to earn ‘lifeline’ points to spend at the store. We are grateful to the store for their fundraising efforts on our behalf through 2021 and the money raised has helped us to ensure that support is there for our foster and sponsor dogs.
Our 100 Club continues to help support our foster dogs but we have still had a short fall in funds. Unfortunately, this has meant that we have had to ask carers to make a donation towards vet bills where they have felt able to do so. Our Sponsor dog scheme has helped those owners who have
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taken dogs on that require lifelong medication and/or therapy or those who require professional support for behavioural problems; however, we do need more people to join. Wherever possible, owners are being asked to purchase medications through the internet as this can be cheaper than purchasing through vets.
We continue to hold full membership of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes. Membership has enabled us to network with other organisations with similar objectives to ourselves. The dissemination of information and the sharing of information are valuable to us (especially during COVID 19) and the standards set by the Association act as a bench mark for us. The Association of Dogs and Cats Home have developed a Code of Practice which all members will comply with and the Kennel Club have also developed their own Code of Practice for breed rescues. Compliance with these Codes of Practice will give the general public confidence in the standards we achieve. We have completed the ADCH’s fifth self assessment but were not required to have a peer assessment this year due to the restraints of the COVID regulations.
We continue to benefit from the support of the Kennel Club. Many people wanting to take on a Labrador visit the Kennel Club web site for information on breed rescues.
Financial Review
Brief statement on the Charity’s policy on reserves.
Money is held in our reserve account to ensure that, should we raise no funds in one year, we would still be able to function. This account also holds money that has specifically been designated for certain projects and developments. The remainder is to support the payment of vet bills for our foster dogs and sponsor dogs and to allow us to offer financial help to get people over difficult periods.
Further financial review details.
All dogs now leave us neutered, microchipped, treated for fleas and worms and vaccinations are as up to date as possible. All microchips are transferred into the owner’s on adoption. We also request a relinquishing donation to cover the first week of kennelling whilst we assess the dog to ensure that it finds the right home. This fee is waivered in cases of financial hardship.
Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees
Signature
Full Name Susan Roberts
Position Secretary Date September 2021
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Labrador Welfare - AGM Summary of Accounts for Financial Year 2020-21
Total Closing Balance of Bank Accounts at previous year end: Total balance for new Financial Year (1)
£ 40,836.98 £40,836.98
Add Sources of Income:
| Adoptions | £ 5,440.00 |
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| Donations | £ 39,697.87 |
| Fundraising | £ 4,477.68 |
| Insurance Commission | £ 851.76 |
| Membership | £ 890.00 |
| 100 Club | £ 5,665.00 |
| Sponsor Dogs | £ 1,207.00 |
| Total Income (2) | £58,229.31 |
Less Expenditure:
| Annual Payments | £ 429.83 |
|---|---|
| Kennelling | £ 9,662.00 |
| Miscellaneous | £ 976.19 |
| 100 Club Wins | £ 532.50 |
| Transfers | £ 22,500.00 |
| Vet Bills & Internet Medication | £ 22,708.24 |
Total Expenditure (3)
Balance (1) plus Income (2) less Expenditure (3) Total Bank Accounts' Balance at Year End
£56,808.76
£ 42,257.53 £42,257.53
Anne Hull
9 Kingswood Hall
Sheffield
S6 1RF
Tel. 07747189897
Email: hull.anne@yahoo.co.uk
9th November 2021
To whom it may concern
Re: Labrador Welfare
In respect of the above charity I confirm that the accounts for the financial year 2020 to 2021 have been checked and are in good order.
Anne Hull AAT