BRITISH VETERINARY BEHAVIOUR ASSOCIATION
REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
PERIOD ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2024
The British Veterinary Behaviour Association is a Registered Charity number 1199994 Website: www.bvba.org.uk
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1199994
TRUSTEES
The charity is administered by a committee that includes all the trustees who are elected at the Annual General Meeting:
Christopher James Laurence (Chair) Caroline Bower Wendy Cummins Rachel Malkani Kevin James McPeake Amy Miele Susan O’Hare Desmond Thompson (died September 2024)
PRINCIPLAL ADDRESS
c/o The Warren Kellaways Chippenham Wiltshire SN15 4LR
BANKERS
Cooperative Bank Ltd P.O. Box 101, 1 Balloon Street, Manchester M60 4EP
The British Veterinary Behaviour Association is a Registered Charity number 1199994 Website: www.bvba.org.uk
1. Objectives and activities
The British Veterinary Behaviour Organisation (BVBA) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The charitable objectives of the BVBA are to:
advance animal welfare and veterinary education for the public benefit by:
promoting science and evidence based education for the veterinary and animal behaviour professions on animal behaviour subjects
advancing education and best practice of the veterinary professions of the benefits of high welfare handling in veterinary practices
Public benefit
The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Volunteers
The charity is run by a team of volunteers made up of the trustees and a number of others who have an interest in the charity’s objects. The major tasks are organising our annual Study Day, organising webinars and other CPD events for veterinary and veterinary nursing students, and members and sitting on the Management Board for the Dog Friendly Practice scheme in collaboration with Dogs Trust. Without the combined effort of all of those people BVBA could not function.
2. Achievements and performance
BVBA was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 8[th] August 2022.
The major event of the year is our annual Study Day that takes place on the Affiliate Day of BSAVA Congress. This was the third year of returning to face-to-face meetings and the numbers attending remained disappointing. We again decided not to offer recordings of the meeting following significant difficulties in 2022 and this may have contributed to a 25% increase in numbers attending, although they remain significantly below those at pre-pandemic Study Days. We re-evaluated the position after the 2024 event which made a surplus largely thanks to excellent sponsorship from the industry and have decided that the value of in person meetings makes them worthwhile.
We again ran a virtual mini-conference in the autumn that consisted simply of a master class by a wellrecognised behaviourist. It was well organised and attended with access available only as a member benefit. Because the technology was run by BVBA volunteers the costs were modest and it will have enhanced our membership offer.
The ongoing work in partnership with Dogs Trust to establish the Dog Friendly Clinic scheme (DFC) has continued. The scheme is governed by a management board made up of representatives from BVBA, Dogs Trust and an independent member, currently Carl Gorman who is an Officer of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). There continues to be significant interest in the project with
The British Veterinary Behaviour Association is a Registered Charity number 1199994 Website: www.bvba.org.uk
numbers of individual and practice members consistently increasing and had reached over 200 by the end of the period.
BVBA organised four webinars on a variety of behaviour subjects in the period. Because BVBA is an Affiliate Group of BSAVA they are run through their systems for technical support. Audience numbers continue to be modest and the technology is less than helpful. We intend to trial running future webinars on our own platform to improve the delegate experience.
BVBA tries hard to provide behaviour input to students aiming to become members of the veterinary professions. To this end we have direct contact with a specific interested member of staff at as many relevant universities and colleges as possible. We also assist running on-line courses for students and these are popular and an effective means of raising the profile of the training and behaviour sector to the students. We have also run free events for students in collaboration with Dogs Trust and Cats Protection virtually.
We were devastated to learn of Des Thompson’s death in September following a long illness. Des was the founder of the Association and continued to have input until relatively close to his death. Several committee members attended his funeral to celebrate his extraordinary life and contribution. To recognise that contribution to the sector we have named our student award after him.
3. Financial review
Income for the period was £17,637 (2023 £17,889) and expenditure was £16,586 (2023 £23,265.93) due to a reduction in meeting expenses and journal costs. This left a surplus of £1,051. Study Day made a loss of £1,298 (2023 £4,697) thanks to excellent financial support from the industry and a significant reduction of costs due to a changes at Manchester Central.
The increase in membership fees has assisted the financial state and we hope in 2024 to make a small surplus from Study Day.
At the date of approving the report and accounts, there are no uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
There are no funds or subsidiary undertakings that are materially in deficit.
4. Structure, governance and management
BVBA is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by a constitution.
Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Christopher James Laurence (Chair) Caroline Bower Wendy Cummins Rachel Malkani Amy Miele Kevin James McPeake Susan O’Hare Desmond Thompson (died September 2024)
The British Veterinary Behaviour Association is a Registered Charity number 1199994 Website: www.bvba.org.uk
Trustees are elected by voting members at each AGM. The board of trustees has the power to appoint trustees but that power has not been used to date. No external body or any other person is entitled to appoint a trustee.
No governance and management details are exempt from disclosure.
5. Plans for the future
Plans for Study Day 2025 are well advanced and promises an interesting programme. We continue to provide the opportunity for those involved in research to present their findings in brief presentations. We will also continue to run our competition for students interested in behaviour by inviting them to explain what they hope to achieve. That project and other contact with students to encourage their interest in behaviour is part of our hope to engender a greater cognisance of the importance of the subject to the veterinary professions.
We have looked at the high cost of subscription to journals based on the cost to individual members. After considerable research effort by committee members we will be changing the basis on which we subscribe to a group membership rate with a significant reduction in cost and increased availability to members.
Approved by the trustees on 7[th] March 2025 and signed by C J Laurence
The British Veterinary Behaviour Association is a Registered Charity number 1199994 Website: www.bvba.org.uk
BRITISH VETERINARY BEHAVIOUR ASSOCIATION RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Receipts Journal refund Membership Meetings Sponsorship ESCVE subscriptions FABC Library subscriptions Total Receipts Payments Journal costs Trustee expenses Web and marketing Meeting expenses Subscriptions ESVCE PayPal charges Total expenses Net receipts/(payments) Cash funds at 31 December 2023 Cash funds at 31 December 2024 Cash funds Bank Paypal Total funds |
Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 0 8,574 4,533 3,200 1,015 315 17,637 3,173 2,757 47 9,031 131 1,211 237 16,586 1,051 15,218 16,269 13,490 2,779 16,269 |
Total funds 2024 £ 0 8,574 4,533 3,200 1,015 315 17,637 3,173 2,757 47 9,031 131 1,211 237 16,586 1,051 15,218 16,269 13,490 2,779 16,269 |
Total funds 2023 £ 3,058 7,281 3,764 2,900 886 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17,889 | |||
| 10,079 702 93 11,360 131 701 200 |
|||
| 23,266 | |||
| -5,377 | |||
| 0 | |||
| -5,377 | |||
| 3,642 11,576 |
|||
| 15,218 |
The British Veterinary Behaviour Association is a Registered Charity number 1199994 Website: www.bvba.org.uk