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2021-12-31-accounts

CANGEN GORLLEWIN GWYNEDD WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH ADRODDIAD BLYNYDDOL 2021 ANNUAL REPORT i• Elusen Gofrestredig Rhif 226126 Registered Charity No

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH ANNUAL REPORT 2021

INDEX


Page
Notice of Meeting and list of officers 1
Agenda 2
Letter from the Chairman 3
Minutes of 2021 AGM 5
Treasurer's Report 10
Financial Accounts 12
Secretary’s Report 17
Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre Report 18
Inspectorate Report 19

March 2022

NOTICE OF BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2022

Dear Member,

Due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic situation we are unable to hold our AGM in its usual format we are again holding our AGM by means of a virtual format through Google Meet.

The meeting is scheduled to be held on MONDAY, 25[TH] APRIL at 7pm.

To enable you to join the meeting we will need your e-mail address so that the invitation to join the Google Meet meeting can be sent to you. I would be grateful if you could send your e-mail to enquiries@rspcawestgwynedd.org.uk as soon as possible if you are able to attend. Your e-mail address will be saved securely and used only for any relevant West Gwynedd Branch correspondence with you as a Branch member. Your details will not be shared with any third parties.

Mrs Freda Holme Hon. Branch Secretary. Tel. 07900 597891

Arfaes, Llwyndyrys, Y Ffor, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 6NG

HONORARY OFFICERS:-

President - Robert Eaglestone Vice President – Margaret Eaglestone Chairman - Ann Rees Secretary - Freda Holme Assistant Secretary – Rachele Follini Treasurer - Alun Rees Regional Representative - Alun Rees Deputy Regional Representative – Carl Lloyd (from May 2021) Friends of Bryn-y-Maen Representative - Freda Holme

ELECTED COMMITTEE / TRUSTEES:-

Kath Caddick Rachele Follini Patricia Hibbert Rhianon Jones Alun Rees Osian Richards

Philip Caddick David Hibbert Freda Holme Alexandra Latham Ann Rees

CO-OPTED COMMITTEE / TRUSTEES Carl Lloyd

STAFF:Branch Partnership Manager Gavin Bevan (from March 2021)

ACTION LINE 0300 1234 999

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

To be held by Google Meet video conference Monday, 25[th] April 2022 at 7:00 pm

AGENDA

Cymdeithas Frenhinol Atal Creulondeb i Anifeiliaid Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Patron: HM the Queen

Rhif Elusen Gofrestredig 226126 Registered Charity No.

April 2022

Dear Fellow Members, Friends and Supporters,

Another year has gone by, Covid-19 is still with us and continuing to hamper fundraising efforts. However, Freda and Alexandra, together with their small band of shop volunteers, have been resolute, despite the risks, to keep our Pwllheli shop open. The shop is a reminder to everyone that the RSPCA exists in this area and remains a hub for people to drop in if they are seeking financial help with vet bills or just a chat about animals. Alun has continued manning the phone which is very busy daytime, evenings and weekends including a call on Christmas Day in 2021. He not only deals with almoning calls but has become the friendly voice at the other end of the phone for pet owners struggling with finances and others struggling with loneliness where their pet is their main support. Sickness in that pet can be devastating for them.

We continue to see the consequences of the purchase of a “designer pet” during lockdowns with an increase in calls from their owners wanting a neutering voucher or help with veterinary costs. It is frightening to see how many people spent hundreds of pounds plus on buying a dog and then can’t afford to pay for veterinary care or even vaccinations, deworming, or flea treatment in some cases. We do what we can when we can and are very often glad that we contribute to the operating of the Mobile Clinic that is now back to weekly visits to Bangor, Caernarfon and Blaenau Ffestiniog. This allows us to direct eligible pet owners to subsidised treatment. Otherwise these animals would be unlikely to get these basic needs.

The National RSPCA released their Together for Animal Welfare 2021 – 2030 strategy last year. Their vision is “ A world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion.” The mission is to ensure animals have a good life by rescuing and caring for those in need, by advocating on behalf of all animals and by inspiring everyone to treat them with compassion and respect. RSPCA Branches are pivotal to the

West Gwynedd Branch Cangen Gorllewin Gwynedd

Website: http://www.RSPCAWestGwynedd.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rspca.westgwyneddbranch

success of this vision and mission. The National Society is finally starting to recognise the valuable work that is done by Branches and that they would be a far poorer Society if they lost the tremendous contribution made by all the unpaid Branch volunteers across England and Wales.

RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch has strived to continue supporting our Inspectorate and Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre again in 2022. Freda, Alun and I are on the Friends of Bryn-y-Maen committee and our own West Gwynedd committee member Osian Richards has become integral to the development of the Friends website. He is also modernising the RSPCA West Gwynedd website, so watch that space!

My thanks go to our Inspectorate team, Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre staff & volunteers, the Mobile Clinic and Gavin Bevan, our Branch Partnership Manager for his support.

As always, my particular thanks go to all our committee members for all that they do to keep this Branch from following the path of so many other Branches, slipping into RSPCA trusteeship. An RSPCA Branch has existed in this area since 1877 – please help us to keep on going - by becoming a Branch member, committee member, volunteer, fosterer, fundraiser or considering leaving a legacy to RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch.

We will continue to do all that we can to support the animals and to prevent cruelty, promote kindness and alleviate suffering of all animals. Stay safe and well.

Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Ann Rees

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH Minutes of Annual General Meeting Held via Google Meet video conference Monday, 19[th] April 2021 at 7.00pm.

Present at Meeting:

Members: Kath Caddick, Philip Caddick , Rachele Follini, David Hibbert, Patricia Hibbert, Freda Holme, Alexandra Latham, Heather Morton, Alun Rees, Ann Rees, Griff Thomas, Mandy Thomas, Vicky Stacey.

Staff: Gavin Bevan, Emma Cross, Inspector Phil Lewis, Amanda Rooney, Victoria Williams.

Guests: Jonathan Francis, Sally Hyman, Carl Lloyd, Kate Jones, Mair Eluned Jones

Apologies: Robert and Margaret Eaglestone, Chief Inspector Leanne Hardy, Catherine Head, Rhianon Jones, R McLeod, Jim Mason, Lyn Williams.

1 Chairman’s Welcome

Ann Rees welcomed everyone to the meeting. As one of the first RSPCA branches to hold a virtual AGM in 2020, this second foray into the digital is a familiar landscape for our technologically advanced members! That said, Ann expressed special thanks to Alun Rees and Gavin Bevan for their help setting up the meeting.

Ann went on to introduce Sally Hyman, Chair of Llys Nini Branch and Chair of the Wales Board as well as the three Branch Partnership Managers attending the meeting in the form of Gavin Bevan, Emma Cross and Amanda Rooney.

Ann then provided the following branch update.

Another year has gone by, and what a difficult year it has been for everyone, everywhere, with the Covid pandemic.

RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch has strived to continue supporting pet owners in 2020 and supporting our Inspectorate and Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre.

The pandemic has made it a difficult year for fundraising, with no street or store collections or fundraising events. Our Pwllheli shop managed to open for a few months during late summer and autumn but had to shut in line with Welsh Government requirements. This meant that we lost the summer tourist trade and the Christmas boost that we usually see. Freda and Alexandra, together with their small number of shop volunteers, are to be commended for continuing to keep the shop going, when allowed to do so.

It was a very different experience running the shop during a pandemic. Freda, Alexandra and volunteers were provided with masks, visors and gloves when working. We had to limit the numbers of customers into the shop at any one time, request they use face coverings and sanitise

their hands on entering. The vast majority of customers were very co-operative, but our volunteers had some difficult conversations with a minority who just didn’t want to conform with our common-sense safety measures.

Inevitably, our income dropped, we still had our shop rent and services charges to pay but were fortunate in qualifying for the Welsh Government Restrictions Business Funds, for which we are extremely grateful. Hopefully, our shop may be able to open soon – our local customers are missing us and the bargains available in-store.

The demands for financial assistance with paying vet bills increased as pet owners lost their jobs or were furloughed. More people became eligible under our criteria of being on means-tested benefits and sought our help. More people decided to get a pet to help with the tedium of lockdown but forgot to think of the financial consequences of owning a pet. Often people pay a lot for a “designer pet” but then resort to charities for assistance with ongoing veterinary costs.

Full credit to Alun and Freda, who deal with the almoning calls, for their patience, time and commitment to this unpaid “job”. In 2020, they increasingly became listening ears to lots of people struggling both with problems with their pets and their own feelings of loneliness and isolation. So, thanks very much to both of you.

We gained two new committee members/trustees last year. Carl and Chele, both ex-Branch Support Specialists for the RSPCA, joined West Gwynedd Branch. We are looking forward to making full use of their expertise and youthful enthusiasm. Together with Alexandra and Osian, they’ve managed to bring down the average age of our committee considerably and raised our hopes for the future of the Branch.

As always, my thanks go to our Inspectorate team, Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre staff & volunteers and Amanda Rooney, our Branch Partnership Manager for her support. Thanks also to Clwyd and Colwyn Branch Clinic for stepping in when our Mobile Clinic was not able to operate. Thankfully, the Mobile Clinic is now back in operation, run by vet Jim Mason, assisted by two new vets and Lee, the Clinic Manager.

Despite these difficult times, we will continue to do all that we can to support the animals and to promote the RSPCA’s message to prevent cruelty, promote kindness and alleviate suffering of all animals .

2 Minutes of AGM 2020

These were proposed by Osian Richards, seconded by Griff Thomas, and accepted by the meeting.

3 There were no matters arising

4 Financial Report

Alun Rees (Treasurer) surmised that the figures looked quite bad compared with the start of 2020, pre-Covid:

TOTAL INCOME DROPPED BY £18,748 TOTAL EXPENDITURE ROSE BY £20,181

INVESTMENT VALUATION DROPPED BY £13,681 - though this figure has largely recovered after Brexit and the roll-out of the Covid vaccines.

Looking ahead to 2021:

On the positive side:

Alun’s report was proposed by Griff Thomas, seconded by Vicki Stacey and accepted by the meeting.

5 Adoption of Independent Examiners

Alun Rees proposed that the examiners, W J Matthews & Son of Caernarfon be retained as our accountants and agents for quarterly digital submission of our VAT figures to HMRC. This was seconded by David Hibbert and accepted by the meeting.

6 Branch Annual Report

Freda Holme (Secretary) shared the following branch annual report with the meeting.

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH SECRETARY'S REPORT 2020

Although 2020 was an exceptional year for us all due to the Coronavirus pandemic the Branch still carried on with a few of its normal functions.

The Branch received some donations of pet food from Morrisons and Asda during the year.

Our fosterers still took in, cared for and rehomed a few cats and kittens and also accepted some semi- feral cats from the inspectors

The Branch charity shop in Pwllheli was open for less than 6 months and of course when it was open it had to have all the safety measures in place to help prevent the spread of the virus and to keep staff and customers well. Unfortunately, not every customer was willing to wear a mask and sanitise their hands and it meant that one member of the shop staff had to be on door duty all day as no-one was allowed in without these measures.

In-between the various lockdowns etc:- collection boxes were emptied, £170.28; there was one flag day at Pets at Home, Bangor, £28.60; various donations were received, £3,146.42; cat adoption fees, £160.00.

Even though income was limited the Branch continued to receive requests for help with vet bills. These increased as more people were out of work and on benefits. Due to the fact that we have a

very conscientious treasurer we have the funds at present to provide the help needed. We still provide free neutering of cats and kittens over 6 months and an amount towards neutering dogs of £100 for female dogs and £70 for male dogs. We also help with an allowance towards the cost of vet treatment of animals. Of course, to qualify for the help owners must be on means-tested benefit or a low income.

The RSPCA mobile clinic which normally visits Bangor, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon was unavailable for most of 2020. A telephone service was in operation and was staffed by Clwyd and Colwyn Branch until a new clinic manager was appointed in September. Since then, he and a vet dealt with the calls.

Several cat traps were loaned out to members of the public as needed and brought in some welcome donations.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with the Branch for their help during such a difficult year.

Freda’s report was proposed by Ann Rees, seconded by Alexandra Latham, and accepted by the meeting.

7 Election of Committee

A virtual ballot took place and as all proposals received at least 50% of the vote and the following were elected to the Branch Committee:

Kath Caddick Philip Caddick Rachele Follini David Hibbert Pat Hibbert Freda Holme Rhiannon Jones Alexandra Latham Alun Rees Ann Rees Osian Richards

Sally Hyman congratulated the Branch on keeping going throughout the pandemic and Phil Lewis as being inspirational – well done and thank you!

8 Inspectorate Report

Inspector Phil Lewis gave a very full report of the Inspectorate activities during the year. He quoted details of several cases, prosecutions etc during the year and fielded a number of questions from the attendees. He also passed on the sad news that Denise Farrant ( late Chief Inspector Basil Farrant’s wife) passed away in February.

9 Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre Report

Victoria Williams, Animal Centre Manager, in her report, gave details of staff changes and animals taken in and rehomed during the year. She thanked the North Wales Branches and The Friends of Bryn-y-Maen for their continued support of the Centre. During the year, the Centre took in 330 animals and rehomed 228. She added, throughput has been quicker due to virtual rehoming (much more time efficient meaning more time spent with animals), and the Centre has been networking into England. Victoria also fielded questions from the attendees and expressed her satisfaction in seeing the new Barn Building being utilised at the Centre to which the Branch donated £50,000 towards its construction.

10. Guest Speaker

Ann Rees introduced Amanda Rooney who provided a presentation on her work at the RSPCA Harmsworth and Putney hospitals.

11 Closing comments

Ann Rees, Chairman, added before closing the meeting: I’d like to thank you all for logging on and dialling in this evening. It’s always a great relief to me when we get the AGM finished. Thank goodness the technology held out for us. Special thanks to Amanda, our guest speaker; to Gavin for getting us through the complexities of the election of the committee and to Rachele for taking the minutes this evening. At the risk of embarrassing him, I’m going to say a really special thanks to Alun. Without him in the past 12 months, the Branch would really have struggled. My covid work commitments over the last year have meant that I’ve had less time to devote to the Branch. Alun single-handedly put together the newsletter this year, all I did was proof-read it. He organised for everyone to get their reports in so that we could get the Annual Report together and pulled together all the AGM invitations for posting and emailing. All this as well as the accounts and bill paying. He may have retired from his old job, but he works extremely hard in his new unpaid one. So, thanks Alun. We may be few in number, but I think we deserve to be proud of the difference we make to the welfare of animals in the West Gwynedd Branch area. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

The meeting closed at 9:00 pm

Chairperson…………………………………………………………date…………………

TREASURER’S REPORT & PRESENTATION OF ACCOUNTS 2021

The total incoming resources for the year amounted to £100,350 (2020: £87,892) with Trade debtors of £1,899. Expenditure in the year amounted to £86,704 (2020: £117,516) and a rise of £11,519 (2020: a fall of £13,681) in the value of investments with current liabilities of £11,512 (2020: £8,167). This resulted in an overall gain for the year of £25,165 (2020 loss of £29,624).

The allocation of the two shares of the “House to House” collections organised by RSPCA HQ fell slightly from £50,346 in 2020 to £48,268. The profits gained from the use of professional canvassers are shared 50:50 between HQ and each of the Branches in existence at the time of the collection. As a result of RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch taking over RSPCA Meirionnydd Branch in 2011, the “new” Branch received two portions of the profit for the first 10 years. We are expected to revert to a single share in 2022. Our shop at Pwllheli produced a slight increase in income from £8,115 in 2020 to £10,654 in 2021. Thankfully this was offset by the £10,000 (2020: £13,000) received from the Welsh Government Covid Business Rates Grant. The Gift Aid scheme brought a welcome return from HMRC of £482 (2020: £864), but we were unable to claim anything from the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme as we were unable to empty any collection boxes other than the one in our shop, nor hold store or street collections.

An unexpected legacy of £12,843 was received from the late Ms Marion Una Massey of Bangor.

The recorded decrease in expenditure compared with 2020 is due mainly to the combination of £500 donation to Pen Farthing’s NOWZAD animal charity in Afghanistan (2020: £5,000 donated to the Australian Bushfire Disaster), £10,000 donated to RSPCA Clwyd & Colwyn Branch towards their new X-ray machine at the Rhyl clinic (2020: £25,000 donated to the RSPCA Branch Emergency Fund (for Branches in need of financial support)), plus the contribution of £6,000 to Regional Board for RSPCA Cymru project work (compared to £12,000 in 2020). The cost of vet bills rose slightly to £48,486 (2020: £44,779) largely due to the reduced opening hours of commercial veterinary clinics. Our North Wales Mobile Clinic was back in action for most of the year. Veterinary costs charged by commercial vet practices to the public increased significantly

£5,000 was donated to RSPCA Llys Nini Swansea to Cardiff Branch towards the care of Inspectorate dogs seized from a raid on a puppy farm. Many of the pups were infected with Giardia – an intestinal parasite that results in severe debilitating diarrhoea. This will appear on the 2021 accounts.

Reserves Policy

The Branch Reserves Policy remains unchanged from that given in the Annual Report of 1997. This is to maintain a level of financial reserves that will enable the Branch to ensure continuity of activities providing animal welfare support and the ability to adjust, in a measured way, to any significant change in resources. Reserves are those funds which are freely available for general purposes and are uncommitted.

The trustees have established a policy of holding reserves of unrestricted funds equivalent to two to three years’ expenditure. Based on our current expenditure of £86,704 and total unrestricted balance (including income-generating investments) of £358,717 in the investment and general funds, we have just over 4.1 years of reserve capital, though with projected year-on-year increases in spending and the substantial planned costs of supporting the mobile clinic, this figure is closer to 3 years.

This policy therefore conforms to the regulations of expendable endowment in paragraph 16 of the Charity Commission’s guide to Charities’ Reserves (CC19), namely:

“…..many charities with an expendable endowment depend on the income it produces to fund core or continuing activities. Expending any of the endowment itself would reduce the income from it and might jeopardise some of those activities. The charity would then either have to increase its income from other sources, …. or have to cut back its activities. The endowment cannot be regarded as free funds if a charity has that degree of dependence on income from it.”

This policy is subject to half-yearly review.

Investment Policy

To safeguard our investments from withdrawal while the value had dropped, we used our surplus cash to fund our donations. Following Brexit completion and the start of the Covid vaccine roll-out, the investments have started to recover.

As a result, at 31[st] December 2021 16% of our invested funds are now held in selected equities, about 45% is held in bonds and gilts, no more than 16% is held in current accounts, and the 23% balance to be held in fixed interest notice account(s).

Future Plans

Our major plan for the year is the continuation of the mobile clinic service in Bangor, Blaenau and Caernarfon with the additional costs of the hub and clinic manager. An additional 2 vets now provide resilience and even the opportunity of extending the current 3-day service to 4 or even 5 days. The costs are expected to be £10,000 per annum, plus about £1,500 room hire, plus an estimated £5,000 for additional referrals to veterinary practices in our area.

There are also plans for a North Wales collaboration to distribute pet food approaching end of shelf-life to animal rescues and pet owners on limited finances via food banks.

We will also be continuing to participate in the all-Wales cat neutering scheme with Cats Protection via Regional Board which is currently available in 5 practices in our Branch area. Our own free catneutering scheme is available at all the vet practices in Gwynedd. We hope to include subsidised microchipping of cats at one practice using surplus microchips we have in stock. The Dogs’ Trust £50 neutering scheme finished in January 2021 so we have replaced this by our own contributions to subsidised neutering costs of £70 per dog and £100 per bitch. Both schemes are subject to the owner(s) being on means-tested benefits or low income, or for rehomed feral and stray cats, and available while funds last.

It is our intention to continue to provide assistance in the payment of veterinary bills to owners on low income and un-owned animals and on request assistance with boarding / treatment of RSPCA Inspectorate animals where no other funding is available.

Alun T Rees Hon Branch Treasurer

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 226126

______________

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

______________

W J MATTHEWS & SON CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

Ind¢p¢nden¢ Ex•minets' Re￿rt to th¢ Mtmbers tyf RSPCA West GwTrnedd Branch I rep)n to the tyusi¢¢s on m) examinaiion of the ac¢o4fftts of RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch for the year ¢nd¢d 31st December 2021. which are set out on pages 14.16. Res￿￿51b1llle$ and ￿515 of report A$ ihe Charily tTusiees )L)u are rcspothsible fc¥ ihe preparation of the accounts in ac¢ord8ne.with the requirEments of the Charilies Act 2011 I'the Act,). I re￿rt in respect of my examinaiion of the Trust's accounts carricd out under seeiion 145 of Ihe 2011 Act and in canyin8 Out my ¢xomination. I have folh)w¢d all the Appli￿ble Dirrfiions given by the Charity Commission under seaion 14515Kbl of ihe 2011 Act. lttd¢p¢ndent tiThlntr's Slitemenl I hove complcied my examinati(￿. I confirni that no rnalerial matter5 have com¢ to my alleniion in conneclion wilh the examination which gives me cause io believe that in. any maierial r¢s￿￿-. the accouniing re¢ords were rK)L kept in a¢¢ordBn¢¢ with stttion 130 of th¢ Chariiies A¢¢: or the accounis did noi accord with the accouniing re¢ord¥ or Ihe accounts did TK)i Comply with the applicable requirements concerning the fonn and wnient of accounis sei Qui in lh¢ Charili¢s {A¢¢o￿nIS and Reports) Regulations I(￿8 other ihan any reqllir¢meni Ihol ihe ￿0￿￿1$ give a 'trU¢ and fair vicw whirh 15 not a mhttcr considtrrd as part thf an independenl exarninaiion. I have no eoneems and h&ve eome across no other miners irt eonneetion wilh ihe examination to which altenlion should be drawn in this repjn in order io ¢ngble a pTr)￿r unders￿ndIng of ihe accounts w be r¢ached. Davld Chldley W. J. ,MAtlhews & Son Ch8rttred Accountant$ 11-15 Bridge Street, Caernrfon. Gwyntdd. D8ted: IA/o¥/hJ2 . 13

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

General Designated General Designated Restricted 2021 2020
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
Income:
Legacies 12,843 - - 12,843 -
Membership subscriptions 394 - - 394 424
Covid Business Rates Grant 10,000 - - 10,000 13,000
From Voluntary Sources
Sundry donations 6,752 - - 6,752 2,092
Gift aid 482 - - 482 864
Flag Days - - - - 29
House to house collections 48,268 - - 48,268 50,346
Contribution from Aberconwy branch
-		 233 - 233 78,972 1,284 68,039
_ _ ______ ______ _____
Investment Income:
Investment income (Gross) 7,479 - - 7,479 7,479 8,178 8,178
_ _ _ _____ _____
Charitable Trading activities:
Dog boxes 397 - - 397 270
Charity Shop takings 10,654 - - 10,654 8,115
Adoption fees 160 - - 160 210
VAT refund 2,688 - - 2,688 13,899 3,080 11,675
_ ______ __ _ _
£100,117 £233 £- £100,350 £87,892
__ ______ _ _ _
Direct Charitable Expenditure:
Contribution to Regional Board 6,000 - - 6,000 12,000
Contribution to HQ 551 - - 551 3,308
Donations 10,500 7,134 - 17,634 41,059
Insurance - - - - 539
Veterinary costs 30,058 18,428 - 48,486 44,779
Boarding 1,834 - - 1,834 855
Charity Shop rent 9,880 - - 9,880 9,880
Charity Shop heat and light 554 - - 554 474
Charity Shop trade refuse 287 - - 287 170
Mobile clinic telephone - 167 - 167 226
Mobile clinic professional fees - - - - 200
Mobile Clinic Room hire - - - - 320
Mobile clinic haulage - - - - 85,393 1,086 114,896
______ _____ _____ ______ ______
Other expenditure:
Postage and stationery 100 - - 100 341
Accountancy 560 - - 560 550
Repairs and Equipment 138 - - 138 1,165
Consumables 55 - - 55 88
VAT not recoverable 425 33 - 458 1,311 476 2,620
_ _ ______ ______ _ ______ ______
Total payments £60,942 £25,762 £- £86,704 £117,516
_ _ ______ _ ______
Net income/ (expenditure)
for the year 39,175 (25,529) - 13,646 (29,624)
Transfers between funds (25,529) 25,529 - - -
Cash and bank balances
At 31stDecember 2020 71,176 55,000 - 126,176 155,800
______ ______ ______ _ ______
At 31stDecember 2021 £84,822 £55,000 £- £139,822 £126,176
______ ______ ______ _ ______

RSPCA WEsf GWTr'YEDD BK4NCH srATEI4IENTOF ASSETS.4YD LIABILITIES 31st DECE.MBER2O21 2021 2020 loneiary lsstts: IDvestment5: SU'I-L ('az¢nove Charity Equity Value l-.und A Income SUTL C.azenove Charity Bond Fund A Income M&G Charifund 57,770 101,6_17 59,488 46.075 108,812 53.469 £218.895 £207.376 Bank ind tsh ￿lI￿Ces. Bank Dewsit Invesiment Account Bank Current Accounts PayPal Accounl c.ash float 82,686 42.810 604 75 56.080 651 75 Tot1 £139.822 £126.176 General fund5 Designated funds Reslri¢i¢d funds 84.822 55,000 71.176 55.000 £139.822 £126,176 Debtors: Trade debiors £1.8 £2.26] Ctsrrent Lixbilifies: I'rade Lr¢diiors and a¢¢rual$ £8,167 Approv¢d by the Brn¢h Commlitee .... Dr. A. T. Rte5 Honorry Tre*$urtr . signed by 15

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

Restricted Funds

There is no restricted fund carried forward as at 31 December 2021.

Designated Funds

A balance of £25,000 was brought forward from 2020 in relation to the cat and dog free neutering scheme. A total of £117,094 was spent during the year ending 31 December 2021 leaving a balance of £7,906. The Committee agreed to top up this figure to give a balance of £25,000 at the year end. Of the £25,000, the members of the committee have agreed that £5,000 of this fund is to be used for a farm cat neutering scheme in Dolgellau on a trial basis.

A sum of £30,000 had been designated to subsidise a mobile clinic providing veterinary services and advice to pet owners in the Bangor, Caernarfon and Blaenau Ffestiniog areas. The balance in the fund at 31 December 2020 was £30,000. Additional donations of £233 were allocated to the fund and a total of £7,335 was spent during the year ending 31 December 2021 leaving a balance of £22,898. The Committee agreed to top up this figure to give a balance of £30,000 at the year end.

Investments

The investments are stated at market value.

Trustees

No trustees received any remuneration in the year. (2020 – NIL).

Reimbursements made to trustees were as follows

2021 2020
No of trustees Cost No of trustees Cost
Travel costs reimbursed Nil Nil Nil £Nil

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH SECRETARY'S REPORT 2021

2021 saw us still in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic but despite this the Branch continued to do as much as possible to help local animals and their owners.

We received donations of pet food from Morrisons stores at Bangor & Caernarfon during the year proving that some people were still unselfishly thinking of others.

The Branch charity shop in Pwllheli was again closed in early 2021 due to the lockdown and also during the summer of 2021 due to continuous verbal abuse from some members of the public. The latter was reported in the Daily Post, The Times and also on TV. When it was open it still had all the safety measures in place to help prevent the spread of the virus and to keep staff and customers well. As well as bringing in income we also receive pet food, cages etc which are brought into the shop.

In-between the various lockdowns and difficulties of day-to-day living:- collection boxes were emptied, £397; legacies received, £12,843; donations received, £6,752. We were unable to undertake any other form of fundraising.

Even though income was limited the Branch continued to receive requests for help with vet bills. We still provide free neutering of cats and kittens over 6 months old and an amount towards neutering dogs of £100 for female dogs and £70 for male dogs. We also help with an allowance towards the cost of vet treatment of animals. Of course, to qualify for the help owners must be on means-tested benefit or a low income. £48,486 was spent on vet costs and £1,834 on boarding. In 2021 a total of 665 animals were treated and 316 animals neutered in total at the 18 vet practices we work with. We also provided emergency short-term boarding for dogs at 3 private boarding establishments (PBEs) where the owners were hospitalised.

The RSPCA mobile clinic, which visits Bangor, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon each week, reopened in 2021 but is now by appointment only. A new manager and extra vets were appointed during the year and the service is now running very well. Just to remind you, all the clinic costs are paid by the Branches using this facility. In 2021 a total of 1,042 animals were seen by the clinic at the 3 locations in Gwynedd.

Several cat traps were loaned out to members of the public as needed. Alun and I have 12 traps between us, but most are out on loan at any one time.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with the Branch for their help during another difficult year and also the Inspectorate and the Animal Centre for their work during such a trying time.

Freda Holme

RSPCA BRYN-Y-MAEN ANIMAL CENTRE 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

We welcomed 2021 with the hope of returning to normality; but the pandemic continued to have an impact on our work, from delays to court cases, reduced staffing levels and an ever-increasing number of animals needing our specialist support.

Our dedicated team remained committed and positive throughout the year and focused on achieving the very best for the animals entering our care. We broadened our knowledge and increased our skills through learning opportunities within the organisation, ensuring we all have the most up to date approaches and information for the rehabilitation and care of our animals.

The centre volunteers committed an incredible 4,453 hours, directly supporting and enriching the lives of the animals in our care. Our dedicated foster families provided space for numerous animals, many of whom without this opportunity would have spent over a year in centre accommodation. Hopefully 2022 will see the conclusion of the dog prosecution cases and provide a positive outcome for both the dogs and foster families.

The centre admitted a total of 315 animals through our Inspectorate teams which included 62 dogs, 155 cats, 38 rabbits and 60 other animals. We continued to temporarily hold wildlife until it was transferred to Stapeley Grange. A team of Bryn-y-Maen and Stapeley volunteers started twice weekly Wildlife transfers during the summer months, this considerably reduced the number of inspectorate journeys with wildlife during their busiest season. Our volunteers thoroughly enjoyed the experience and at the end of the summer, assisted with releasing rehabilitated wildlife back to the wild.

We continued to rehome our animals through the virtual rehoming process with a total of 220 animals starting a new chapter. This included 29 Dogs, 116 Cats, 19 Rabbits and 56 Small Animals. We continue to receive positive feedback and updates on our adopted animals, which is always rewarding to see.

Another year without our Friends Dog Show and community fundraising opportunities, Cally created her own fundraising mission for the centre and Friends Group. Raising over £1,500 which is an incredible amount that will make a big difference. Cally you are a star, and we are truly grateful for your hard work and dedication to secure additional funding.

Thank you to the North Wales Branches and Friends of Bryn-y-Maen for continuing to support the animals that need us most in these challenging times. We look forward to the year ahead and continue to work closely with our Inspectorate and Branch networks to broaden our activities to best support the animals who need us most.

Kind Regards Vicky Williams Centre Manager Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre

North Wales RSPCA Inspectorate ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Year in summary

2021 I will name as the year of the mask! It started still under pandemic restrictions that continued throughout the rest of the year. We were also hit with the avian influenza outbreak. Both of these events have had a significant impact on our day-to-day work. Credit has to be given to the inspectorate for their resilience and ability to respond, adapt and overcome quickly in these situations. Whilst the use of face coverings became routine under COVID 19 regulations, the discovery of the zoonotic strain of avian influenza required the use of specific mandatory respiratory PPE that had to be safety checked by trained staff before officers were able to work with birds again.

There were some staff changes to the North Wales inspectorate team during the past year. ARO Lauren Bradshaw left us whilst Inspector Dave MacCartney came across from West Mercia to help us out. Dave has been an inspector for over 41 years, and I am delighted to tell you that he is going to stay working in North Wales. A brand new ARO Melanie Froude joined us and started her training in October. She is due to pass out and join the team in March/April 2022. We are quite an eclectic bunch!

Inspector Jenny Anderton went on maternity leave in August and a little while later gave birth to her son Gruff Joaquin Pastor. They are both doing really well, and we hope to see her back sometime later on in 2022.

We also recruited some new Wildlife Casualty Volunteers who assist the frontline in the transfer of wildlife in need. This is a developing role that will contribute to the Organisation’s strategic goal of a million strong by 2030.

Cases and Complaints of note

After the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare had received complaints about the defendant keeping animals in a suffering state, an equine case that started in 2020 was finally concluded in 2021. Following the execution of a warrant by North Wales police in relation to welfare offences and a breach of ban, we removed 93 ponies and over 150 poultry from a farm in North Wales.

After months of waiting, the defendant entered guilty pleas to charges laid against him and a result of this hearing the district judge sentenced the defendant to 20 weeks custodial suspended for 2 years, £1000 in costs, £128 victim surcharge and a 20-year ban on keeping, owning and/or being responsible for equines and poultry. This was a fantastic result for a huge amount of hard work put in by so many officers.

Another horse case was finally put to bed in 2021. A man was handed a suspended jail term and banned from keeping horses after a mare suffered such severe injuries from a halter rope around her face that she had to be put to sleep.

RSPCA inspector Jenny Anderton attended a farm in 2019 to respond to welfare concerns about a grey Arab mare horse. The horse was seen in a field with a roller around her body and a rope headcollar to her head, with the lead rope dangling to the floor. The horse repeatedly stood on the rope, causing the head collar to tighten more and more each time. The defendant was urged by the RSPCA to seek urgent medical attention for the horse - and to find a veterinary surgeon who could dart the animal if she could not be caught. However,

the RSPCA soon witnessed him trying to catch the animal by driving after the horse in a vehicle and beeping the horn repeatedly - something which caused the animal "great distress". He told the animal welfare charity he had "absolutely no intention of incurring any vet bills". The RSPCA later contacted a vet, who was able to sedate the horse with a dart. Sadly, the injuries to the horse caused by the rope were so severe that she had to be put to sleep to prevent further suffering. Vets found that bone on the horse's head had been left exposed, and there were deep wounds on the underside of the jaw area. Wounds to the equine were found to be filled with maggots and eggs. Veterinary opinion concluded that the horse "had been caused unnecessary pain and suffering by having had a rope halter tied to (her) face and being placed into a field". The man was sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. He was also disqualified from keeping all equines for 18 months; and ordered to undertake 25 rehabilitation days over the next year and a half. In addition, he was ordered to pay £600 in costs and a £122 victim surcharge.

Rope rescue

2021 was an exceptionally busy year for the rope team. Our specialist officers are called up regularly and have taken part in a number of highly skilled rescues that have made the press over the years. A couple to note in 2022…

Officers were contacted after the stranded goats were spotted on the unstable rocks near the sea, in an area known locally as Austin's Rock. The animals became stranded after two female goats came into ‘season’ - and were pursued by 19 Billy goats off of safe land and towards the rocks near the sea. RSPCA Cymru feared they were at severe risk from high tides at the next full moon, or from starvation due to a lack of grazing and food supply. RSPCA Cymru teamed-up with Conwy County Borough Council to come to the aid of the goats, with an "innovative rescue plan" put together which involved creating a path of hay bales for the goats to climb back to safety - with funding provided jointly by the RSPCA and the local authority. Thankfully, all 21 stranded goats have now walked back to safety using the hay bales. RSPCA inspectors Mike Pugh and Mark Roberts laid the path of bales for the goats. An RSPCA officer has said the charity's work with the local authority rangers is a great example of "what can be achieved together for animal welfare", in what is the latest adventure of the local population of wild goats.

The famous Great Orme goat population has roamed wild in the local area for more than a century, and were originally a gift from Queen Victoria, who also as Monarch granted the RSPCA its 'Royal’ patronage in 1840. It is understood Lord Mostyn acquired a pair of goats from the Royal Herd and brought them to the Llandudno area; and the population grew steadily since. Inspector Pugh said: "These goats were in real trouble - and had a rescue plan not been hatched, they would either have starved or drowned; as there was no grazing or palatable water and they were at risk from the tide at the next spring tide later this week. "They got into trouble after two female goats came into season and they were pursued by 19 Billy goats; and they ended up on an outcrop of rock and in real danger. "We're so grateful to the local authority for their help with this operation and delighted we have been able to help in what was an innovative rescue mission and a really good example of what can be achieved together for animal welfare. "The plan was hatched to create a walk-way off the rocks for the goats and back to safety - so we made a tiered path of 50 hay bales, and gradually, the goats made their way back. "Fortunately, 18 goats had got to safety before the weekend - and the remaining three walked to safety over the weekend. It's a huge relief as the alternative for these animals was unthinkable."

A 12-strong team of RSPCA officers - including rope rescue specialists - saved three sheep trapped precariously on a steep cliff edge at Dinas Island in West Wales. The sheep had become trapped on the cliff above the sea with very limited grazing available and were in "serious jeopardy". RSPCA officers abseiled down to reach the sheep, and carefully put the

animals into secure bags. They were then lowered to another team of officers in a boat below. Nine officers - Mark Roberts, Richard Abbott, Vicki Taylor, Nayman Dunderdale, Gemma Cooper, Alan Barnes, Dean Wilkins, Megan Higgins and Jo Pearson - were part of the rope rescue team; while officers Rohan Barker and Justin Stubbs were in the boat below. Fortunately, all three sheep were saved successfully and immediately returned to the farmer.

RSPCA inspector Neill Manley said: "These three sheep were in serious jeopardy - and urgently needed our help. "An operation like this takes a lot of planning, but fortunately everything went according to plan. "The weather was relatively calm, and our system worked well - with officers accessing the sheep by abseiling down the cliff, before lowering the sheep in bags to a boat below. "We're delighted to have been able to help these sheep in their hour of need. "Thankfully, the sheep were all fine despite their ordeal and a happy ending means all the planning and efforts of our officers was certainly worth it."

Collections and rescues of note

A report was received by the NCC, after a Rhyl resident was tricked into believing a baby alligator had been found in a bush in the North Wales town, before being placed in the bath of their home in June). However, it was actually a toy alligator - with the whole incident a prank by the caller’s family! Suspicions were immediately raised by RSPCA inspector Andrew Broadbent, who asked the panicked caller to double-check the validity of her family member's claims. RSPCA inspector Andrew Broadbent said: "As soon as this call came in, it seemed highly unlikely to be true! "It's important to never rule anything out in the animal welfare world - but there aren't too many alligators lurking in the bushes in Rhyl!

"The poor caller had been tricked by family members, who had put a toy alligator in the bath and pretended they had collected it from nearby bushes. She was only trying to help - and was very apologetic. "Our chat certainly offered a bit of light relief at a difficult time for everybody at the moment, amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We do sometimes get calls where people mistake toys or other objects for animals - and my colleagues have previously rushed to the aid of a rubber scorpion, a cuddly toy dog stuck on a roof, or a squirrel mistaken for a cat up a tree! But this was certainly a new one for me!” The caller, who sounded the alarm to the RSPCA, said: "My brother went out and told me he'd found this baby alligator in a bush in Rhyl. My mother was in on the prank too. "They were so convincing, that I genuinely thought it was real and was planning on how to look after him. "I was ready to help the alligator - and we'd even discussed getting some meat from the butchers to feed him, and how I'd keep my hamster who lives with us safe. "They didn't realise I was going to phone the RSPCA! It wasn't until I told my family I'd called that they burst out laughing - and I had to then tell the RSPCA this alligator was actually made of plastic!"

As always, I would like to thank the animal centres, branches, members, and volunteers for all their support and help throughout 2021 and look forward to more opportunities to work together for animal welfare in 2022.

Chief Inspector Leanne Hardy 783 North Wales Inspectorate RSPCA Cymru