Annual Report and Accounts 2024
Rescued
| Contents | Contents | |
|---|---|---|
| Trustees’ Report | Trustees’ Report |
Trustees’ Report 2 |
| Our Policies | Our Policies | Our Policies 3 |
| 2024 activities Care-for-Life |
2024 activities Care-for-Life |
2024 activities Care-for-Life 4 5 |
| Accounts | 6 | 6 |
| The charity | 8 | **8 ** |
In Care
Rehomed
Saving just one animal won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one animal
Page 2
Anim-Mates Trustees’ Report for the Year 2024
Anim-Mates is run entirely by volunteers and has rescued, \ "GEKey / cared for and r e h o m e d Sn thousands unwanted and of stray animals in no r th -w es t K ent si nce 2002.
At our sanctuary in Ash, Kent, we have introduced new or improved facilities for the animals in our care.
On pages 6 and 7 we set out our financial accounts for the year. Sadly, like all charities, we have been badly affected by the dramatic rise in the costs of living.
Almost all of our expenditure was on animal care, food, and veterinary fees.
Our income generally came from donations, fundraising events, Gift Aid, reclaimed VAT, public collections and legacies.
The limited number of fosterers and homes for the animals while in our care remained a challenge. We prioritised taking in injured animals, animals in danger of being put to sleep and unneutered animals.
If we were unable to take in an animal for some reason, we made every effort to find another animal rescue group that could.
Through our Care-for-Life scheme, we cared for a large number of animals who could not be rehomed due to illness, age or disability. We promised these animals that they would be in the care of Anim-Mates for the rest of their lives.
Our outreach team continued to visit feral cat colonies. They trapped the adult cats, had them neutered, and returned them to their habitat after they had recovered. Feral kittens were patiently domesticated and found new homes.
Everyone at Anim-Mates is a volunteer, and we would like to express our gratitude to the volunteers mentioned in this annual report and to those who, for whatever reason, prefer to remain anonymous. Without their help and time, all of which was given freely, Anim-Mates would not exist, and many more animals would remain homeless.
Trustees
Bobbie Bajwa Teresa Bloomfield Stephen Peirce
Most of the animals required routine veterinary care, such as vaccinations and neutering. Many required more expensive treatment. We never euthanised an animal except on veterinary advice, a decision we often challenged.
Page 3
Our Policies
To alleviate the suffering and distress of animals in need of care and attention in north west Kent in any or all of the following ways:
-
The rescue, veterinary treatment, neutering and re-homing of stray, abandoned and unwanted animals.
-
Providing care for life for animals that cannot be rehomed
-
To provide veterinary care/ neutering for animals whose owners are unable or unwilling to do so.
Rescue
There are many reasons why animals find their way to us. It could be due to the death of the owner, a break up of a relationship or a move. We also receive many calls about strays.
When our homes are full, we contact other animal welfare groups to see if they can offer suitable accommodation.
Care
Every animal that comes to Anim-Mates is cared for in a foster home and treated as their own pet.
All animals are examined by one of our vets. Animals that require veterinary care will stay with us throughout the process and will only be re-homed if they have a clean bill of health.
Mothers with kittens will stay with us for the long term. Abandoned kittens stay with us until they are ready to be rehomed.
Older animals can stay with us for as long as they need until that special someone comes along.
We will never euthanise an animal
except on veterinary advice.
Neutering
One of the main aims of Anim-Mates is to reduce the large number of unwanted animals. To ensure that no animal is rehomed to reproduce, all rescued animals are neutered.
The exception will be very young kittens. We will ask new owners to guarantee that the kittens will be kept indoors until they have been neutered.
We will visit feral cat colonies to trap the adults, neuter them and return them to their habitat. Feral kittens are domesticated and rehomed.
Stray animals
For stray cats, we will try to establish whether a cat is a genuine stray. The finder will be asked to enquire locally if anyone has lost a cat and to put a collar on the cat with the message 'If this is your cat please ring me'. If no contact is made within a few days, we assume the cat is a stray and take it in. We check for microchips in the hope of reuniting strays with their owners.
A stray is taken into our care for a minimum of 28 days. During this time, we register the animal with all the 'missing' agencies and also check to see if anyone has reported their pet lost. If all this work proves negative, the cat is then put up for rehoming.
Rehoming
Each potential new home is thoroughly checked for suitability before an animal is placed there. This ensures that the animal is in the best possible home with the best possible owner.
Any animal that cannot be rehomed, for whatever reason, will remain at AnimMates in our Care-for-Life programme.
Page 4
Here’s a snapshot of what Anim-Mates achieved in 2024
Animals
We rescued, cared for and rehomed a variety of unwanted domestic pets. Our Care-for-Life scheme flourishes and is highlighted on the page opposite.
Animal Housing
At our sanctuary we have continued to upgrade some of the outbuildings that house our 100+ Care-for-Life residents.
Public Donation Collections
We were able to hold our usual collections at garden centres and pet shops.
Fundraising Events
we attended our traditional outdoor fundraising events, and monthly online auctions which continued to bring in much needed funds.
Communications
Outreach Scheme
To help reduce the number of breeding feral cats, we increased the number of cats that we had neutered. Some very young feral kittens were domesticated and found new homes.
Funding
We received many generous donations from Friends of Anim-Mates, and animal lovers, often qualifying for Gift Aided. We continued to receive donations and gifts from The Pets Foundation, the charity arm of Pets At Home.
Volunteers have kept our 800 or so Friends of Anim-Mates up to date with our work which was achieved through our newsletters, (printed and electronic) website (anim-mates.org.uk) and on Facebook (facebook.com/oliversfarm).
Wish List
We continued to have an Anim-Mates wish list at the world’s biggest online store, Amazon, where anyone can choose gifts from a wide-ranging list of items to be sent directly to our sanctuary.
eBay
Legacies
Some of our supporters who sadly passed away were very kind and left the charity legacies in their wills.
A number of animal-loving eBay sellers continued to donate all or part of their auction monies to Anim-Mates.
Plans for 2025
We aim to:
-
Continue as an effective hands-on, volunteer-led animal rescue charity
-
Maximise the number of feral cats we neuter and rehome or return to their habitat
-
Recruit more fosterers to increase the number of care spaces available
-
Review and implement the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
-
We hope to increase our range of fundraising events
-
To bring new and innovative elements to our website.
-
Help educate animal owners about the necessity of neutering while there are so many homeless animals and the need for good animal welfare
-
Raise the profile of Anim-Mates to help for all the above reasons
Page 5
Care-for-Life scheme has a wide range of animals
Anim-Mates Care-for-Life scheme is for animals who cannot be re-homed because of age, infirmity or special care needs. We commit to care for these animals for the rest of their lives. They are treated, loved and cared in our sanctuary and in fosterers’ homes.
Some of our many Care-for-Life animals
Our elderly guinea pig Ellie came to us after her life long companion passed away. Now nearly seven years old Ellie shares her life with six other guinea pigs who are in our care.
When Wizzard the pony came to us he suffered from has locking stifles in his back legs. Following an operation and with exercise and care his mobility has vastly improved. This lovely boy is one of our herd of Care-for-Life ponies.
Ben, a black and white cat was the victim of a road traffic accident. After spending three weeks at a vets recovering from his injuries, we offered Ben a home at our sanctuary where he enjoys the company of our other feral cats.
Micro pig Charlotte came to when she was nine-weeks-old. Her owners realised she was feral and couldn’t cope with her in their suburban home. Charlotte is now fully grown.
Page 6
Anim-Mates Accounts for 2024
| 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Income | |
| 1. Handover donations 150 |
230 |
| 2. Adoption Donations 1,005 |
1,430 |
| 3. Public donations 26,917 |
33,043 |
| 4. Sponsorship 190 |
443 |
| 5. Fundraising 12,317 |
16,289 |
| 6. Collection pots 907 |
1,384 |
| 7. Legacies 6,372 |
1,346 |
| 8. Bank interest 5,919 |
6,374 |
| 9. Gift Aid 5,656 |
- |
| 10. VAT refunds 10,195 |
17,452 |
| Total income 69,628 |
77,991 |
| Expenditure | |
| 11. Veterinary Fees 47,052 |
50,890 |
| 12. Food / bedding / stabling 12,677 |
15 ,236 |
| 13. Animal accessories 1,121 |
791 |
| 14. Insurances 1,520 |
2,006 |
| 15. Postage 766 |
867 |
| 16. Administration 1,939 |
1,109 |
| 17. Newsletter 392 |
496 |
| 18. Fundraising 279 |
590 |
| 19. Vehicles running costs 3,860 |
3,821 |
| 20. Buildings maintenance 4,103 |
5,250 |
| 21. Utilities, water, gas, electricity 2,617 |
2,551 |
| 22. Miscellaneous 6,000 |
6,000 |
| 23. Vehicle purchase 1,914 |
40,438 |
| 24. Building works 1,365 |
3,063 |
| Total expenditure 85,605 |
133,108 |
| Net of receipts (payments) -15,977 |
-55,117 |
Page 7
Anim-Mates Accounts for 2024
Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024
| Opening balance | 186,616 |
|---|---|
| Income and Expenditure | -15,977 |
| Closing balance | 170,639 |
| Represented By | |
| Petty cash | - |
| Co-op Bank Current | 11,399 |
| Co-op Bank Deposit | 78,618 |
| Santander Current | 2,119 |
| Santander Deposit | 1,096 |
| Close Brothers Deposit | 77,407 |
| Total cash funds | 170,639 |
Notes on Annual Accounts for 2024
-
Donations from owners/finders who handed over animals to Anim-Mates
-
Donations from adopters of Anim-Mates animals
-
Donations given and sent to Anim-Mates
-
Donations from sponsorship of Care-for-Life animals
-
Gross income raised from events organised by our volunteers
-
Collection pots in pets shops and other stores
-
Gift Aid from HMRC on donations, usually claimed in retrospect
-
VAT refunds on goods purchased
-
Health checks, follow-up treatments/operations, neutering, vaccinations, flea treatment, medications. Most vets kindly give us a small a discount on their fees and medications
-
Includes all foods, special dietary foods, sawdust, hay and cat litter
-
Includes equine fly masks, litter trays etc.
-
Public liability, accidental damage, personal accident, and vehicles insurance 15. For letters and distribution of quarterly newsletters
-
Stationery, leaflets printed in house, website.
-
Printing costs only. Editorial and preparations are done inhouse
-
Initial outlay for fundraising events e.g. hall hire, deposits
-
All the charity’s vehicles expenses ie. services/repairs/tax/fuel
-
Repairs and maintenance of outbuildings and land to accommodate animals
-
Various
Page 8
The organisation behind the animals
Patrons Jenny Seagrove, Jean Moore
Trustees who administer the charity : Bobbie Bajwa Teresa Bloomfield Stephen Peirce
Fosterers/Foster carers care for the animals in their homes until they are rehomed: Bobbie and Arif Bajwa, Teresa Bloomfield, Karen Constant, Lisa Inns, Caroline Lakeman, Sarah Williams, Karen Wright
Homevetters assess the homes of prospective adopters for suitability for each animal : Bobbie Bajwa, Lisa Inns,
Tamara Phillis, Alex Simpson-Usuanlele, Lindsey Simpson, Leah and Mick Taylor, Linda Tunbridge, Jackie Turley, Dennis White, Karen Wright
Vets Numerous veterinary practices have given Anim-Mates their expert services, most of whom have kindly given the charity discounts on their fees
Friends of Anim-Mates People who support the work of Anim-Mates by donations and volunteering
Newsletter Alison Pugh, Leah and Mick Taylor
Website Mick Taylor
Volunteers Andrew Abrehart , Bobbie Bajwa, Teresa Bloomfield, Claire Brooks, Zoe Cartwright, Kate Collins, Lynn Davis, Julie Doherty-Winch, Tracey Dutreuillh, Caitlin and Lucy Harris, Sarah and Dave Hickson, Lisa Inns, Clair Jarrett, Caroline Lakeman, Anastasia Lubina, Jean Moore, Murielle Morizot, Faye Northover, Angela O’Brien, Alison Pugh, Steve Peirce,
Hon Auditor David Fowler, FCA (Retired)
Anim-Mates is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales No 1098252
All those persons listed above are unpaid volunteers
| Contact Anim-Mates by phone, letter, email and on the web | Contact Anim-Mates by phone, letter, email and on the web |
|---|---|
| = | Phone07743 331397 |
| PostAnim-Mates | |
| Olivers Farm | |
| Ash | |
| Kent | |
| TN15 7HF | |
| Emailinfo@anim-mates.org.uk | |
| | Websitewww.anim-mates.org.uk |
Ch•rity Narn• No lff f095252 Recei tsand ments accounts CC16a For the perfod Irom Period dato 318t Dwibor 202 1st J8nu8 2024 To Sectlon A Recelpts and payments Unresthct•d fvnds lun funds Trtal tund• L••ty••r Handov6r A¢Dpkn don4trM6 Public dFath0n Sp)n$orBhip Fundrni 150 160 230 1.430 3J,l) 26,917 2(917 190 12A17 11317 p¢ts 16.289 a86 8ank Inw••t Gfft 4Md V81 Rèlund¥ 8.Jn 919 8,374 ross income AR) •9,1211 an •• tabl• . 47.062 17.062 11077 1.121 1,$20 Fooo. litters be(1 EqpnE Inwr8nc Po8ts Naminisirntt Pro194On•1 Fo New$tter Bank Cha Fworai Buikli m8inM8r mIslIan)S 1.121 1 20 791 867 1,•J• 312 4.103 e,otrJ 2,551 3,421 2.017 1617 VthkY•runni Sub tot1 81328 2,326 A4 As••t #nd inv•Btm•nt Vehicles 8Lithg in¢ rfwprwt 1.114 J,083 43,SQ1 Sub total 1279 85,605 85.605 133.108 Net of rncelpts/(paym0nts) A5 Transfers befvAen funds A6 Cajh funds last year end Cash funds Ihls yearend 15.977 1S.977 55.117 170,63 170.639 186,616 CCXX R1 rA*nts {SSI 05ffj7ft025
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Detslls fuTrds funds lo ne4re¥t£ funds to re¥l £ 81 Cash funds Pety ca 2.119 71.118 Tt>tal cash ffunds 170,639 rthYii OK OK Endowmevt funds lunds O•lall• n•arert£ to Cwr•nt ¥h D•tal Co# IOPbonl 83 In¥trnet z••• Jrntl 84 As80ts rotalned ft)r th• chaflty's own u8• Fund to ntyunt Vlh¢n d B5 Liabilities S&ned by Gne X iwo truste05 on behall ol dl Ihe trustees &g1Wre F4int Date of rov CCKX F12 ¥)ts (SSI
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examIneS report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Report to tho trustees On aGcounts for the year ended Charity no ?Is Set out on pages I repyt to trustees on my examinalth of the accounts of the at)ve charity (Ihe Trusf) for the year ervJeJJ Respon8ibilfti08 and bas18 of r8POrt AS the chartys intslees, yw are rest f(r fv wepar8tKJn of the acccmjnts n acdance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (kn Acr). I reP[t in resP8Ct crf my exaMInatK of the Trust's accounts carried out under $8CtkJn 145 d the 2011 Acl and in carying out my examinakn, I have foKfrned all the appl¢able DireCtiS given by the Charity Commisson undef sect7 145(SMb) of the kt. Indop•ndent trhe charity's grcth incMie exc m qualrfied to examIne5 statement undertake the ng a qualrfied member of linsert name of ed tKtyll. Da l ] rf t I have ccmnpleted my eXin8tOn. I ccrfirm that no material matters have come to my attentK)n in crlIC with the examination (other than that dlxk)sed belthv ') whth eS mè cause to tli8v8 that In, any material spect.. the accourniro ¢Yd$ were rK kept in a¢dance wth tIon 130 the Charrties ACL. (Y Ihe aCclnts dkj Th)t acciyd wlth COUnting rec8. or Ihe accounts dJ Th)t CnplY with the applicable requirements CemIng the fonn clent of accujnts set out in the Charities (AcccAnts and Res) Regulaticms 2CQ8 other than any roquirement Ihat the accounts grve a ,tn and fair, view which i8 not a matter Csidered as part of an indeFendwrt examinati. I have no tcernS ar#J have ccAne across no other matters n connection wrth the examinati to whh attenti shwld be drawn in this report in der lo a Fxoper UnderStandr of the accourts to be reached. ' Please dte Ihe WdS in the brackets rf they do not appty. Slgned: Date: /y/2 02 f< Name: i/J qualifi&*ion(s) or body Irf any): IER Oct 2018
Address: /f nT Section B Disclosure Ow comwe examiner nee(ts lo hhrt malenal matters ot concern (see CC32, Independent exarnmatj d charity acc(yJnts: (threctM)ns and idance for examiners). Glve here brlef details of any items that the 8xamlner wlshes to dlsclose. IER Oct 2018