Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From 31 March 2023 Period start date To 1 April 2024 Period end date
Charity name: Marley’s Ferret Rescue and Rehoming
Charity registration number: 1202585
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | To relieve the suffering of ferrets and domesticated polecats in need of care and attention and, in particular, to provide and maintain rescue homes or other facilities for the reception, care and treatment of such animals. To educate the public in matters pertaining to the prevention of cruelty and suffering among ferrets and domesticated polecats |
| Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts. |
Para 1.17 and 1.19 |
Our first purpose, regarding rescue homes and provision of care, is one way we provide benefit to the public. We have a no- questions asked policy to take in unwanted or stray ferrets/polecats, allowing anyone to place animals into our care. There are a small number of rescues in the country who specialise in the species, compared to e.g. cats and dogs, and so this core service makes it much easier for the general public in our area to find rescue homes as needed. We offer other services relating to the care and wellbeing of ferrets/polecats without them needing to be under our care. This includes: - Microchipping service; we are trained in microchipping small animals, and provide this at a low cost compared to vets. If a ferret goes missing, as they can be escape artists, this gives them a much better chance at being re-united with their owner. - Vasectomised hob service; female ferrets can develop life threatening illness if they are not brought out of the mating season in a reasonable timeframe. We offer the use of vasectomised male ferrets in our |
| care to the public, who bring females out of season safely. - Boarding; similar to dog and cat kennels, we offer space to temporarily house ferrets/polecats for the public - General advice; we offer advice and care tips to anyone who asks, helping others improve the daily lives of their own ferrets/polecats. Our second aim covers improving education about the species. We have run our own stalls at local fairs to help educate the local community, and offer talks in schools etc. |
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| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | The Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit has been made use of throughout the reporting period. As our aims are based on providing services and education, the guidance has been useful to ensure these are met for the widest set of people. For example, the charity has ensured it remains accessible to all by providing appointment times on any day of the week – this enables people who cannot visit during the week to make use of our services. Furthermore, the new location for the charity (more detail in Achievements and Performance) was chosen partly due to its physical accessibility e.g. step-free access. We have also extended the area we cover for call-outs to around a 3hr travel-time radius, allowing us to intake ferrets/polecats from a much further distance, or to reach people who cannot travel themselves. In both examples, the trustees made the conscious decision to ensure our benefit is as widely available as possible. |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Policy on grant making | Para 1.38 | Marley’s Ferret Rescue and Rehoming does not make grants to other charities, organisations or individuals. |
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | The charity does not undertake social investment programs |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | We have onboarded multiple regular volunteers during the reporting period. The main contribution of a volunteer is |
helping maintain a husbandry routine – e.g. cleaning animal enclosures and providing care - allowing additional time for the trustees to handle appointments such as for potential adoptee visits. In turn, this has resulted in a greater number of ferrets and polecats being adopted from us, opening up more spaces over time to take in further animals into our care. This then directly allowed us to help more ferrets/polecats find loving homes. Other
Achievements and Performance
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole. |
Para 1.20 | Our biggest achievement is finding caring lifelong homes for over 180 ferrets and polecats! These animals have come to us whether through an owner being unable to care for them, brought to us as strays or any other reason. In a few cases, we were also able to re-unite a stray ferret with their owner. On the topic of intakes, we had over 230 animals come into our care from the mentioned sources. We also ran our own fundraisers alongside stalls at local fairs, which had an unexpected side effect. It resulted in like-minded ferret owners having the space to come together and bond over their ferrets/polecats. Due to our social media presence, these fundraisers had a wide coverage across Nottinghamshire and the surrounding area, bringing together many people who would not have met otherwise. In addition, we also consider becoming a charity an achievement. Prior to registration, Marley’s Ferret Rescue was run independently by Jaymie Walters – one of our trustees. The registration has been a goal for Jaymie for multiple years, and a huge milestone for the rescue to reach. |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| Achievements against objectives set |
Para 1.41 |
|---|---|
| Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | |
|---|---|---|
| Investment performance against objectives |
Para 1.41 | No investments made |
| Other | To better meet the charity’s goals, the charity has also moved premises within the reporting period. This new address is 2 West Lodge, Babworth, DN22 8ER. This new location has roughly 40m2 available for the charity to setup enclosures upon, with space for a dedicated meeting room for appointments. This allows for increasing the number of animals in the care of the charity from a maximum of 80 to a maximum of 200. As a result, we can care for more animals at any one time, allowing more people to make use of our core service –providingrescuehomes. |
Financial Review
| Financial Review | ||
|---|---|---|
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | At the end of the reporting period, the charity saw: • Income of £18,049.89 • Expenses of £14,719.72 Available funds are as follows: • Cash balance £1,103.75 • Card balance £2,250.97 • Total balance available £3,354.72 We aim to retain a reserve of around £1500 at any given time, and any surplus above this value is then used for paying vet fees, purchasing food and bedding, and any other expense. Two accounts are in use; a bank account, and cash with a hand written log of transactions. |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | The reserve of £1500 has been specified to ensure enough money is available to cover emergency vet fees, regardless if no money has been budgeted for vet care. |
| Amount of reservesheld | Para 1.22 | £1500 |
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | N/A |
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | None |
| Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern |
Para 1.23 | No uncertainties to report |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising) |
Para 1.47 |
Our main sources of funding are as follows: • Donations from the general public • Adoption fees; when an animal is adopted, we charge a fee that in turn covers our typical outgoings for vet care per animal • Grants from other organisations, such as Animal Friends Pet Insurance During the period 2023 to 2024 we ran in- person fundraising events, though this income was significantly less then donations and adoption fees; £1,367.20. We also experimented with running an online merchandise store under the trading name “The Ferreterium”, which did not have much success. This was started and shutdown within the reporting period, with a |
|---|---|---|
| total income of £610.43. Both these figures are included in the total income provided above. In addition to donations and fundraising, the charity offers three services that result in income; microchipping of small animals, boarding e.g. ferret “kennels”, and bringing female ferrets out of season. These both contribute to our first charity objective, by “providing facilities for the reception, care and treatment of such animals." |
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| Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted |
Para 1.46 | The charity does not hold any investments |
| A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 | The charity’s main risk is a prolonged period of reduced donations, no grants and no adoption fees being paid. We rely heavily on being able to recoup vet fees through adoption fees, and being able to pay said fees up-front via grants and donations. If we become unable to afford vet fees, we run the risk of not being able to provide adequate care for our animals. At present, we are seeing increased demand for adoptions compared to the start of the reporting period, as well as higher requests for animals to be brought to us. Therefore, we do not foresee this risk occurring. |
| Other |
Structure, Governance and Management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
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|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | Constitution of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | CIO |
| Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees |
Para 1.25 | Trustees are selected from individuals who have had significant contribution to the charity, and also have a wide knowledge of the species. For example, regular volunteers who wish to take on further responsibilities within the charity, and have a greater involvement in its running. The appointment process is a simple unanimous vote, where all existing trustees must be in agreement to onboard the new trustee/s. In the reporting period, no new trustees have been appointed. |
| Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements |
where relevant about: |
|---|---|---|
| Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees |
Para 1.51 | Provided all trustees are in agreement, the new trustee is onboarded onto our internal systems. We use Discord and WhatsApp for async communication, and Animal Shelter Manager 3 to track all animals in our care. Files are available on Discord covering our: neutering policy, finance policy, eligibility for rehome policy, stray policy, and resident policy (reasons for an animal to stay with us for life). Species-specific documents about care are also available, and highly encouraged to read for new trustees. Training is typically needed for running appointments and any other public-facing tasks. In the case of appointments, an existing trustee will initially pair up with the new trustee to show how the appointment is to be run, what documentation needs to be filled, and so forth. Once the new trustee is confident enough, then the existing trustee is able to switch to a supporting role, and allow the new trustee to run appointments themselves. As no trustees have been appointed in the reporting period, this procedure is not fully refined and will undergo review at the time of appointment. |
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | The charity is very loosely organised, with all trustees having equal standing in decision making. There are zero employees, or positions that are paid. Operational decisions are made by simple majority vote. By this, we mean decisions like: |
| • Where and when should fundraising activities be held • Which organisations to apply to for monetary grants • Whether an animal with a terminal illness no longer has a good enough quality of life; this then would be decision on providing euthanasia • Which vet practice should be used to treat a given animal There is no official wider network, however the charity does communicate with other ferret specific charities in a narrow set of circumstances: • An animal is brought into our care, that originated from another rescue • To share information about where ferret food is being offered cheaply or for free |
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| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | As mentioned above, the charity communicates with other animal rescues on an as-needed basis – this also includes other non-ferret-specific rescues. |
| Other |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaymie Walters | Entireperiod | N/A | ||
| Matthew Clarke | Entireperiod | N/A | ||
| Sophie Davis | Entireperiod | N/A | ||
– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved
Director name None
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
| Trustee name | Dates acted if not for whole year | |
|---|---|---|
| None | ||
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
Description of the assets No assets held held in this capacity Name and objects of the N/A charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for N/A safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
Additional information (optional)
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
| Additional information (optional) Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) |
Additional information (optional) Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) |
Additional information (optional) Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) |
|---|---|---|
| Type of adviser Name Address |
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| None | ||
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
None – no staff are employed
Exemptions from disclosure
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
All disclosed
Other optional information
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
| Signed on behalf of | the charity’s trustees | the charity’s trustees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date |
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| Matthew Alec Clarke | |||
Treasurer |
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| 27/1/25 | |||
| 27/1/25 |