2021-04-05-accounts - Animal Friends Of Turkey (Afot)

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

	Period start date	Period start date			Period end date	Period end date
	6	April	2020		5	April	2021
From				To

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name

ANIMAL FRIENDS OF TURKEY (AFOT)

Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1182513

Charity's principal address 31 Honeypot Road

Brompton on Swale Richmond, North Yorkshire Postcode DL10 7HT

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year
Carol Holbrook	Chair
Andrew Gough	Secretary
Gail Tyson	Treasurer	From 4/9/2020

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name	Dates acted if not for whole year
June Campbell	Resigned 4/2/2021

TAR

January 2022

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) How the charity is constituted TRUST

TRUST DEED

How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company)

Trustee selection methods

ELECTED BY OPERATING COMMITTEE (eg. appointed by, elected by)

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the Charity’s Objectives:

To assist in the relief of suffering of animals in desperate need of intervention as a result of abandonment or abuse.

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

To provide a safe haven for rescued animals during their period of recovery, rehabilitation and preparation for rehoming.
To seek where relevant high quality permanent homes for rescued animals and to oversee their transition from rescue care into their new forever homes.
To continue to provide lifetime back-up guarantee to all dogs rehomed through the charity in the event that any adopter is no longer in a position to provide suitable long-term care.

TAR

January 2022

Main activities of charity during the year designed to meet these Objectives:

Extended the reach of the charity’s rescue operation to areas outside the immediate Fethiye region when alerted to cases of dire and urgent need.
Expansion of the charity’s rescue care network with the opening and establishment of a Sanctuary on the outskirts of Fethiye.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

The offering of full veterinary and rehabilitation care to all dogs in need that came into our care either into our Sanctuary or through placement within our foster care network.
Continuation of successful rehoming of dogs into thoroughly vetted homes following completion of their period of recovery, rehabilitation and preparation in accordance with regulations.
Confirmation that the Trustees have had regard throughout the year to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission in the execution of the charity’s work.

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

TAR

January 2022

Section D Achievements and erformance p

Summary of the main Summary of the main achievements and challenges of the charity achievements of the charity during the 2020-21 year: during the year The financial year ending in April 2021 was without doubt the most difficult and most challenging the charity has faced in its short history. AFOT ended the previous year on a high, completing yet another year of growth and development. The increasing demand for our rescue work and the limitations of our foster care network led us into taking the big step of opening a new Sanctuary on the outskirts of Fethiye. Once fully complete, the Sanctuary would allow us to double our care network by taking up to a further 30 dogs into our rescue care. The aim at the beginning of 2020 was that the Sanctuary would work hand in glove with our foster network.

The new centre would allow us to take urgent cases into a place of safety where they could be settled, treated if needed and assessed in the early weeks of care. Once settled into the Sanctuary, all dogs are set firmly on a path towards readiness for rehoming. It was always planned that each dog would then be moved on to one of our foster carers. This would ensure that every dog would have the vital experience of domestic living within a home and family environment before placement in their new forever home.

The first dogs were moved into the Sanctuary early in that first quarter of 2020. Then as we moved towards the new financial year the first of two major events struck – the Covid-19 global pandemic.

This hit us hard in a number of ways. Firstly, the imposition of lockdowns in the UK and Turkey brought with it logistical problems in both countries. The charity runs a rigorous vetting programme for all applications received from families wishing to offer a forever home for our dogs. This includes a physical homecheck carried out by one of our growing network of homecheckers across the UK. The restrictions preventing individuals from entering households brought an end to this face-to-face practice. We were forced to introduce a form of virtual homechecking using live video streaming technology to allow us to continue our practice of detailed inspections of potential homes.

In Turkey, our original plans to encourage volunteers to pay regular visits to our Sanctuary to help out there were blocked by similar lockdown restrictions. It also made the movement of dogs from place to place tricky at times. The other major impact of Covid-19 for us in Turkey was that it brought an end to our ability to organise on the ground fundraising events within the ex-Pat community there.

Furthermore, the on-off imposition of travel restrictions in various countries on the route across Europe brought interruptions to our regular transport of dogs to their new forever homes in the UK.

The charity implemented a number of measures to try to counteract the worst elements of the impact of the pandemic. We were forced to remain nimble on our feet in dealing with the logistics of cross-European travel by taking advantage of whatever window that changes in regulations allowed. We managed to get the Sanctuary up and running although not to optimum level in those early months.

TAR

January 2022

Section D Achievements and erformance p

We launched a new UK-based fundraising operation under the leadership of a newly recruited committee member to help mitigate the effects of lost fundraising events in Turkey. Alongside this we took our first steps in attempting to attract additional revenues through grant applications.

These latter activities proved to be essential in protecting the charity from the worst effects of the pandemic on our finances. This was vital given the lack of reserves held by the charity.

This was the new reality for AFOT through the first six months. Then came the second major event to hit us and all rescue charities and groups similar to AFOT working in Turkey.

October 2020 saw the animal rescue community in Turkey rocked by the launch of a co-ordinated and sustained campaign of attack from a group of activists opposed to the export of dogs from Turkey for rehoming abroad.

The activists had been inspired by a Turkish exile living in the US by the name of Gamze Erkok. This lady had railed against the exportation of dogs by foreign nationals from that part of the world for many years. In the past she has launched campaigns in Cyprus, Romania and Greece against ex-pat rescue groups there. In 2020 she turned her focus on Turkey itself where there are many ex-pat British communities dotted along the main tourist areas of the south coast. In nearly all of these areas there are ex-pats who have organised rescue groups and aid programmes to help the thousands of street dogs that live there. AFOT is one of the more prominent UK-based rescue groups operating within these communities.

On a weekend in October 2020 Gamze Erkok organised a three-hour live video call via one of the social media channels with a number of her followers based in Turkey. During that call she was joined by a man who claimed to have inside intelligence on “illegal trafficking of dogs for profit and exploitation” from Turkey to the UK. He claimed “English” foreign nationals were stealing dogs and selling them for thousands of pounds for use in experiments, for sale to the UK skin and fur trade and for use as “sex toys” by rapists.

The result was an immediate and an overwhelming and viral social media campaign that quickly spread these accusations across Turkey. On the Monday after the weekend call, the authorities in Ankara and along the south coast received a volley of complaints. The volume and severity of the complaints resulted in the authorities imposing immediate restrictions on non-private exportation of dogs from Turkey. This was despite the ludicrous nature of the allegations. The restrictions were not directed at the rescue charities or groups themselves but at the pet transport companies that these groups rely on for their rehoming activity.

When the suspension first came in, we along with other groups and charities affected by it worked hard to get as much information as possible as to how long it would remain in place. We were advised by the local State Vet in Fethiye that the authorities were dismissive of the allegations themselves but had felt compelled to act given the volume and vehemence of the complaints. We were asked to remain patient and it was expected that the suspension would be lifted in 2-3 weeks.

TAR

January 2022

Section D Achievements and erformance p

This situation actually continued until May of 2021. However, in the intervening months the commercial transporters were able to work with the local State Vet’s office to find a way of operating despite the suspension. This involved applying for paperwork from State Vets in other areas of Turkey and there were those among them who were happy to help.

Some also utilised some of the allowed procedures for private adoptions and many dogs were reclassified in this way. This was harder but through these methods we were eventually able to move some dogs although the flow and regularity of these trips was extremely curtailed. As a charity, we worked tirelessly to get the suspension lifted. This involved:

Working with other rescue groups to lobby the authorities in Ankara
Lobbying Ministers and MPs in the UK in an effort to get pressure applied via the Foreign Office
Launching our own PR campaign both in the UK and Turkey to place a spotlight on our work

We received huge backing from our army of supporters who rallied behind us to help us through this difficult period. This included help through additional donations and also in the huge lobbying effort to secure the support of local MPs and Ministers. We are grateful for the support that came from many MPs and Government Ministers including the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, who helped encourage investigation by the Foreign Office.

The collision of the two major events of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption to the pet transporters required us to remain on our toes throughout as we attempted to negotiate our path through a world with ever shifting rules and regulations. We were successful in this.

We maintained our policy of having no paid staff throughout this financial year. All work within the charity continues to be carried out by a small but active group of volunteers based in the UK and Turkey. The Sanctuary, for instance, is run and managed by two live-in volunteers.

The fact that we were able to maintain some level of transport throughout this turbulent period is testament to the hard work of this small band of volunteers who run the charity. Also, thanks to efforts of our new fundraising operation and the incredible backing we continued to receive from our supporters, we were able to keep our heads well above the waterline. Indeed, incredibly we ended the year with growth in our overall income through the 12-months despite the challenges.

This was due in main part to our own fundraising efforts together with the handful of small grants we managed to win during the year. However, the most critical element was the continued generosity of our supporters who kept us going through their regular monthly donations and their support for the various appeals we ran during the 12 months. We will always be indebted to these wonderful people as they are the ones who keep us going.

TAR

January 2022

Section E Financial review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

AFOT is still relatively young and has yet to build up any meaningful reserves. We currently hold deposits sufficient to cover the usual day-today running costs over a six-month period. We aim to build this up to initially extend to 12 months cover is we are able.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

None

Section F Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)

Full name(s) Carol Holbrook Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc)

Date 4/1/2022

One of the many dogs saved this year. Rupert – emaciated and close to death with severe breathing difficulties when found. Today he is adored and happy with his new family in Somerset

TAR

January 2022

Charity Name Animal Friends Of Turkey (AFOT)

No (if any)

Receipts and payments accounts

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 4/6/2020 4/5/2021

Section A Receipts and payments

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Donations for dogs/cats 29,568 - - 29,568
other donations 46,300 - - 46,300
events & merchandise 9,177 - - 9,177
Gift aid 9,759 - - 9,759
Refunds 992 - - 992
Grants 1,000 - - 1,000
dog refund reversal 1,395 - - 1,395
- - - -
98,191 - - 98,191
Sub total (Gross income for AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - -
Total receipts 98,191 - - 98,191
A3 Payments
Vet fees 12,791 - - 12,791
Foster, kennels & all food costs 16,149 - - 16,149
Sanctuary costs inc repairs (not food) 6,907 - - 6,907
transport 45,452 - - 45,452
website + postage 1,069 - - 1,069
Events + merchandise sales 526 - - 526
Dog donation refunds 3,215 - - 3,215
Pay pal/other fees 437 - - 437
Donations made to other charities 215 - - 215
Sub total [ 86,761 ] - - 86,761
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - -
Total payments 86,761 - - 86,761
Net of receipts/(payments) 11,430 - - 11,430
A5 Transfers between funds - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 6,360 - - 6,360
Cash funds this year end 17,790 - - 17,790
----- End of picture text -----

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

			Unrestricted		Restricted
Categories	Details		funds		funds
B1 Cash funds	AFOT bank account 37878068 AFOT bank account 78827868 Pay Pal account *Total cash funds*		to nearest £ 7,418 10,014 358 17,790		to nearest £ - - - -
	(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))		OK	OK
			Unrestricted		Restricted
			funds		funds
B2 Other monetary assets	Details		to nearest £ - - - - - -		to nearest £ - - - - - -
B3 Investment assets	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) - - - - -
B4 Assets retained for the	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) -
charity’s own use					- - - - - - - -
			Fund to which		Amount due
B5 Liabilities	Details		liability relates		- - - - - (optional)
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees		Signature	Print	Name
			Carol Holbrook

----- Start of picture text -----
CC16a
----- End of picture text -----

Last year

to the nearest £

9,420 39,027 6,595 3,052 - - - - 58,094

58,094

12,879 17,655 - 24,085 346 382 150 437 -

55,934

55,934 2,160 - - 2,160

Endowment funds

to nearest £ - - - -

Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - -

Current value (optional) - - - - -

Current value (optional)

When due (optional)

----- Start of picture text -----
Date of
approval
1/7/2022
----- End of picture text -----

Charity Name Animal Friends Of Turkey (AFOT)

No (if any)

Receipts and payments accounts

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 4/6/2020 4/5/2021

Section A Receipts and payments

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

			Unrestricted		Restricted
Categories	Details		funds		funds
B1 Cash funds	AFOT bank account 37878068 AFOT bank account 78827868 Pay Pal account *Total cash funds*		to nearest £ 7,418 10,014 358 17,790		to nearest £ - - - -
	(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))		OK	OK
			Unrestricted		Restricted
			funds		funds
B2 Other monetary assets	Details		to nearest £ - - - - - -		to nearest £ - - - - - -
B3 Investment assets	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) - - - - -
B4 Assets retained for the	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) -
charity’s own use					- - - - - - - -
			Fund to which		Amount due
B5 Liabilities	Details		liability relates		- - - - - (optional)
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees		Signature	Print	Name
			Carol Holbrook

----- Start of picture text -----
CC16a
----- End of picture text -----

Last year

to the nearest £

9,420 39,027 6,595 3,052 - - - - 58,094

58,094

12,879 17,655 - 24,085 346 382 150 437 -

55,934

55,934 2,160 - - 2,160

Endowment funds

to nearest £ - - - -

Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - -

Current value (optional) - - - - -

Current value (optional)

When due (optional)

----- Start of picture text -----
Date of
approval
1/7/2022
----- End of picture text -----