Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation Charity Number: 1176322
Trustees' Annual Report & Financial Statements Period to 31[st] December 2025
10[th] July 2026
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Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements for the Financial Period from 1[st] January 2025 to 31[st] December 2025
Reference & Administration Details
Charity Details:
Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation
Registered Charity No 1176322
Registered Office: Lakin Rose Ltd., Cambridge house, Camboro Business Park, Girton, Cambridge, CB3 0QH, UK
TRUSTEES Sir Richard Armstrong CBE MA (President) Dr Merry Smith MA VetMB PhD Dip ECVS Dip AECVDI MRCVS (Chair) Dr Andrew Higgins BVetMed MSc PhD FRSB FRCVS (Senior Vice Chair) Dr Michael Seton BVetMed MSc MRCVS (Junior Vice Chair) Mrs Lisa Philpott BA (Hons) (Hon Secretary) Mr Roger Clark MA FCA ATII (Treasurer) Mrs Ros Bird MCloF (Adv Dip) Mr Brian da Cal BA MSc (retired December 2025) Ms Lorraine Miller BSc Dr Fieke Molenaar MSc GPCert(ExAP) DZooMed MRCVS Ms Esther Porta (retired July 2025) Mr Jakrapob Thaotad BSc PGDip
BANKERS Metro Bank Plc One Southampton Row London WC1B 5HA, UK CAF Bank 30 Old Broad Street London EC2N 1HT
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Emma Farquhar BFP FCA
History
The Charity known as STEF was established in 2017 and constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). It was entered onto the Register of Charities in England and Wales with Registered Charity Number 1176322 on 18[th] December 2017.
STEF functions to support the Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation Thailand (STEFT), which is registered as a charitable organisation with the Governorate of Phang Nga, number พง000000003/2561 dated 27 September 2018). The STEF Veterinary Centre was officially opened in June 2022. A Mobile Clinic is operated by STEFT veterinarians and ancillary staff, and covers 1,500-2,000 km per month, often serving remote areas. The hospital and mobile clinic provide free veterinary services, education, and advice to benefit the Asian elephant, as well as taking part in the annual government health checks on domestic elephants across the southern provinces in conjunction with the elephant specialists at Krabi veterinary hospital and the National Elephant Centre, Lampang.
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Structure, Governance and Management
The Charity is governed by a constitution dated 15 December 2017. The three overarching objectives of the Charity are to support the conservation and protection of Asian elephants by the provision of free veterinary care to any elephant in need , to promote humane behaviour and encourage an appreciation of the importance of elephant welfare to mahouts, elephant owners, veterinary professionals, students and members of the public by the provision of free education and to engage in and contribute to research relating to the Asian elephant .
The Charity is controlled by a Board of Trustees selected for their expertise and knowledge of elephant management, health and welfare, Thailand, finance, fundraising, charity governance and other appropriate areas. Trustees who have served to term or been appointed during the reported year are set out on page 2. New trustees are appointed with the specific needs of the Charity in mind in terms of skills, expertise, experience, and knowledge at the time of any vacancy. New trustee induction includes providing copies of the governing documents, objectives and policies of the Charity, minutes of prior meetings, and annual and financial reports. Upon appointment, new trustees are inducted by the Chair, Hon Sec and other trustees. Existing trustees are provided with training as and when required. The trustees meet three times a year (March, July and December) to review policies and progress and to oversee the operation of the Charity. Wherever possible, a working visit to the STEF Veterinary Centre in Thailand is facilitated early in a trustee’s first term to gain first hand insight into STEF’s work, and to place their role as a trustee into context. Operational support is built into these visits to make best use of the cost of travel.
During the period, Esther Porta resigned as a trustee due to work commitments. Brian da Cal’s 3-year term ended in December 2025. The Charity employed a freelance part-time marketing administrator and in addition benefitted from the help of four unpaid volunteers.
The Trustees of STEF declare that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
Activities, Achievements and Plans
The principal focus of the Charity is the provision of free veterinary care and promotion of the welfare of the Asian elephant in Southern Thailand, by supporting the highest possible standards of care and expert led education to increase knowledge of the elephant, its health, and cultural role in Thailand. During the period, the Trustees prioritised provision of funds and expertise to STEFT for the purchase of medicines and other essential veterinary consumables and to facilitate further work on its Elephant Hospital at its Veterinary Centre near Khok Kloi.
Trustees attended a strategy morning prior to our board meeting in July and revisited our primary objectives as well as signing off on an expanded legacy strategy. Our core strategy moving forward is centred on our three pillars: the provision of free veterinary care, provision of education to elephant carers, vets and students, and research for the benefit of the Asian elephant.
To help achieve the Charity’s objectives in the eighth year of operation, the Trustees have continued to develop STEF’s exposure through social media, regular newsletters and news updates on the website, as well as progressing our fundraising strategy, led by Ros Bird and assisted by freelance worker and volunteer Julie Clark, who has expertise in charity database management.
Following a meeting in 2024 with Thailand’s British Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission and the DEFRA Agriculture Lead, the STEF Veterinary Centre was invited to be part of the UK ambassador’s roadshow tour of Southern Thailand during April of 2025, which formed part of the celebration of 170 years of Anglo-Thai relations. His Excellency Mark Gooding and party visited the veterinary centre and met with STEF’s founder Jakrapob Thaotad, Chair Merry Smith, and local officials and village leaders from Phang Nga province as well as partaking in a tour of STEF’s veterinary facilities hosted
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by the hospital staff. The visit generated significant publicity and good will for STEF within the province.
We were informed of our first legacy notification in October 2025. Further legacy advertisements have been placed in suitable publications.
As a result of our collaboration with Blackpool Zoo, STEF hosted a silent auction and quiz evening at the zoo on World Elephant Day, 12[th] August 2025, which was attended by 220 zoo supporters and which raised over £8000, including a £5000 donation from the zoo. This was STEF’s first live event in the UK and following the success of the evening we plan to make an event at the zoo an annual activity. Further collaborations with Wildlife Vets International (WVI) were initiated, and STEF became members of the Anglo Thai society, which is fostering an extended network of support. Future collaborative events with the ATS are in the planning stages.
Education and research are priorities for STEF and during the period talks at schools and universities were given in the UK and Thailand. A pilot research project monitoring the shedding of EEHV from healthy adult elephants in the Phang Nga province was successfully carried out at the STEF Veterinary Centre by an undergraduate veterinary student from the USA, supported by the STEFT vets. Later in the year, plans were put in place for STEF to host an Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV) awareness and welfare CPD day for vets, vet students, elephant owners and carers in Khok Kloi, Thailand, in April 2026. The day will lead to collaborations with experts at the National Elephant Centre, Lampang, Chaing Mai and Bangkok universities.
Thanks to the support of STEF, STEFT treated 221 elephant patients during 2025 throughout the southern provinces (2024, 204). Conditions ranged from colic (food impactions), malnutrition, weakness, trauma, infections, eye ulceration and parasitic infestations to more specific diseases and injuries, including 3 cases of EEHV in juvenile elephants. Many elephants were provided with supplements and antiparasitic treatments for internal and external parasites. Blood tests and other laboratory investigations were conducted routinely in the STEFT hospital laboratory. Advice and guidance are always given to try and minimise injury and prevent disease. Fifty-one patients were admitted to the STEFT hospital (2024, 50). In 2025, the Vet Volunteer Programme coordinated by STEFT welcomed 78 overseas visitors (27 in 2024), including 19 veterinarians, 13 veterinary nurses or technicians and 45 veterinary students. Volunteers came from the USA (17), UK (14), Australia (6), China (5), Republic of Korea (4), Thailand (4), Canada (3), India (3) Singapore (3), Mexico (1) and other European countries (18).
Regarding capital projects, the overhead steel gantry within the treatment area of the hospital was extended and an additional hand operable hoist was fitted to allow the STEF T vets to use slings to support weak or recumbent elephants within the treatment stocks, and to safely unload a recumbent elephant from a transport lorry on arrival at the hospital, should this be needed. Additional renovation work completed during the period included upgrading the bathroom facilities within the veterinary centre volunteers’ accommodation and refitting the hospital kitchen and dining area with stainless steel equipment and storage to maximise hygiene in these areas.
The Trustees report that the STEFT Veterinary Centre continues to meet an urgent health and welfare need in Phang Nga and neighbouring provinces where there is no local veterinary facility for elephants, and the centre serves to support communities, often in isolated, rural areas. The Trustees consider these aspirations to be fully compatible with the aims and objectives of the Charity. The Trustees believe that through veterinary care, education, science, and by example, the Charity can continue to help in the protection and care of Thailand’s elephants and assist in the conservation of this endangered species.
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Financial Review
Acknowledgements
The Trustees are most grateful for the support received from major trusts and corporate and individual donors during the period. Particular thanks are offered to The Two R’s Charitable Trust, The Hawthorne Trust, The Ofenheim Trust, The Anthny V. Martin Foundation, The Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust, The Marjorie Coote Animal Charity Trust, The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust, The Animal Defence Trust, The Castanea Trust, The Michael and Shirley Hunt Charitable Trust, The Robert Clutterbuck Charitable Trust, The Alice Noakes Memorial Trust, Blackpool Zoo, Mrs Julia Edge and generous contributions from many others, including during the Big Give campaign in December 2025. The Trustees thank those individuals who gave Gift Aid permissions during the period.
Statement of the Charity's Policy on Reserves
The Charity aims to hold the equivalent of six months' unrestricted operating costs (circa £35,000 from 1st January 2026) as free reserves. This policy is reviewed regularly. At the end of the period, the charity held free reserves totalling £161,815. This amount is significant and resulted from an unexpectedly large donation of £149, 408, from a Trust which closed its charity fund during the period. Trustees agreed to ringfence a sum sufficient to support the cost of rebuilding the essential components of the hospital on a new site, should the STEF Veterinary Centre and land be subject to a compulsory land purchase order to build a new international airport in Phang Nga Province. This proposal is subject to the political landscape in Thailand and a definite time frame for these plans is unknown. During the period we have ringfenced £100,000 towards rebuild costs and consider our free “working” reserves at the end of the period to be £61,815. We intend to allocate further funds to this rebuild sum as finances allow.
Details of Any Funds Materially in Deficit
The Trustees declare that the charity had no funds which were materially in deficit at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities.
State of the Charity’s Finances
The attached Receipts and Payments Account shows that in the period to 31 December 2025 the Charity raised £249,582 (2024, £93,479), made grants of £113,613 (2024, £86,793) to STEFT and spent £11,766 (2024, £14,068) on administrative assistance. IT and website costs were £2,438 (2024, £1,889) and fundraising costs totalled £7,112 (2024, £14,003). The Charity returned a surplus of £161,815 in the period, which was due to a single large donation of £149,408. As stated above, £100,000 of this sum has been ringfenced by the Charity for rebuilding the essential components of a new veterinary hospital.
The Trustees are satisfied that STEF is in a sustainable position as we move forward into 2026. As a charitable organisation, STEFT actively raises funds in Thailand and through its international veterinary volunteer programme, which is actively growing. STEFT can support some but not all of its running costs. The STEF Trustees plan to continue to support STEFT with periodic capital assistance, operating costs and in its educational objectives promoting the work of the charity in providing veterinary care and attention to needy elephants.
Particulars of Any Outstanding Guarantee Given by the Charity
The Trustees declare that the charity has given no guarantee where potential liability is outstanding at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities.
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Particulars of Any Outstanding Debt
The Trustees declare that the charity has no outstanding debts which are secured by an express charge on any of the assets of the charity at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities.
Trustees
Trustee expenses were reimbursed for meeting attendance and the total sum of £5683 was expended on trustees’ national and overseas travel. No funds were spent on consultants’ travel. The Trustees have Indemnity Insurance with AXA Insurance UK Plc at an annual premium for 2025 of £386.
Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved this report and authorised that it be signed on their behalf.
Chair, for and on behalf of the Trustees Date: 10[th] June 2026
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| Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation | Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charity registration number 1176322 | ||||||
| Receipts and Payments | 13 months | |||||
| Year to 31 December 2025 | to | 31/12/24 | ||||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |||
| Receipts | ||||||
| Donations | 218,040 | 30,500 | 248,540 | 90,231 | ||
| Tax repayments | 308 | 308 | 3,061 | |||
| Bank interest | 734 | 734 | 187 | |||
| Total receipts | 219,082 | 30,500 | 249,582 | 93,479 | ||
| - | ||||||
| Payments | - | |||||
| Grants to STEF Thailand | 82,698 | 30,915 | 113,613 | 86,793 | ||
| Website and IT | 2,438 | 2,438 | 1,889 | |||
| Fundraising | 7,112 | 7,112 | 14,003 | |||
| Insurance | 386 | 386 | 386 | |||
| Bank charges | 60 | 60 | - | |||
| Sundries | 406 | 406 | 741 | |||
| Administrative assistance | 11,766 | 11,766 | 14,068 | |||
| Consultant's travel | - | - | 864 | |||
| Ind. Examiner, reg office | 420 | 420 | ||||
| Trustees' meetings | 329 | 329 | 995 | |||
| Trustees' travel and expenses | 5,683 | 5,683 | 4,882 | |||
| Total payments | 111,297 | 30,915 | 142,212 | 124,621 | ||
| Balance for period | 107,784 | (415) | 107,369 | (31,142) | ||
| Balance at beginning of peiod | 54,031 | 415 | 54,446 | 85,588 | ||
| Balance at end of period | 161,815 | 161,815 | 54,446 | |||
| Balance sheet at 31 December 2025 | ||||||
| Surplus receipts | 161,815 | 161,815 | £ | 54,446 |
||
| Represented by | ||||||
| Cash at Metrobank | 75,995 | 75,995 | 44,299 | |||
| Cash at CAF Bank | 85,820 | 85,820 | 10,147 | |||
| - | ||||||
| Total | £161,815 | £ | 161,815 |
£ | 54,446 |
|
| Restricted funds | Medication | Vets | Refurbishment | Hoist | ||
| Opening balance | 415 | |||||
| Received | 8,500 | 7,000 | 13,500 | 1,500 | ||
| Paid | 8,915 | 7,000 | 13,500 | 1,500 | ||
| Closing balance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name SOUTHERN THAILAND ELEPHANT FOUNDATION members of
On accounts for the 31 December 2025 Charity no 1176322 PERIOD ended (if any)
Set out on pages
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the period ended 31/12/2025 .
- Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention ~~(other than that disclosed below *)~~ in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
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the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: Date: 06/07/2026 Name: EMMA FARQUHAR FCA Relevant professional ICAEW qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: 43 Medcalfe Way, Melbourn. Cambridgeshire SG8 6HU
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October 2018
IER
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of Nothing to disclose any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
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October 2018
IER