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2022-12-31-accounts

CANGEN GORLLEWIN GWYNEDD WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH ADRODDIAD BLYNYDDOL 2022 ANNUAL REPORT Elusen Gofrestredig Rhrf 226126 Registered Chanty No

RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH ANNUAL REPORT 2022

INDEX


Page
Notice of Meeting and list of officers 1
Agenda 2
Letter from the Chairman 3
Minutes of 2022 AGM 5
Treasurer's Report 9
Financial Accounts 11
Secretary’s Report 16
Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre Report 18
Inspectorate Report 19

March 2023

NOTICE OF BRANCH ANNUAL MEETING 2023

Dear Member,

We are again holding our AGM by means of a virtual format through Google Meet.

The meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, 17[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.

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

HONORARY OFFICERS:President - Robert Eaglestone Vice President – Margaret Eaglestone Chairman - Ann Rees Secretary - Freda Holme Treasurer - Alun Rees Regional Representative - Alun Rees Deputy Regional Representative – Carl Lloyd Friends of Bryn y Maen Representative - Freda Holme

ELECTED COMMITTEE / TRUSTEES:Kath Caddick (to May 2022) Philip Caddick(to May 2022)

Rachele Follini Patricia Hibbert Rhianon Jones Alun Rees Osian Richards

David Hibbert Freda Holme Alexandra Latham Ann Rees

CO-OPTED COMMITTEE / TRUSTEES Carl Lloyd

STAFF:Branch Partnership Manager Gavin Bevan

ACTION LINE

0300 1234 999

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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

To be held by Google Meet video conference 7pm Monday, 17[th] April 2023

AGENDA

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

Rhif Elusen Gofrestredig 226126 Registered Charity No.

April 2023

Dear Fellow Members, Friends and Supporters,

Here we go again, another year gone by and another Annual Report and AGM. Although our membership is declining, year on year the Branch committee and an exceedingly small band of volunteers strive to keep the Pwllheli shop open and to take all the phone calls from pet owners requiring assistance with vet bills.

During the cost-of-living crisis veterinary costs have continued to rise meaning that a lot of pet owners can’t even meet the basic costs of worming, flea treatment and vaccination of their pets. Thank goodness for the continued operation of the North Wales RSPCA Mobile Clinic that makes weekly visits to Bangor, Caernarfon and Blaenau Ffestiniog. This allows us to direct eligible pet owners to subsidised treatment there, although this year we’ve seen demand outrun the available appointments, resulting in waiting lists.

The number of requests has certainly increased since last year, meaning that Alun spends most days with his ear glued to the phone taking calls, authorising vouchers and phoning the vets. Freda gets lots of requests via the shop too. We’ve seen an increasing demand for advice on behavioural issues with dogs, pet owners wishing to rehome pets as they can no longer afford to keep them, or they no longer fit into the families’ lives. Recently we’ve seen a worrying trend of dog owners wanting to rehome dogs with aggressive traits and a rise in XL Bully breeds locally.

Last summer we also took more calls about “abandoned” seal pups on our Gwynedd beaches. The likelihood is that the pups have been left on the beach whilst the adult seal has gone fishing for food and would return provided the pup isn’t surrounded by onlookers and their dogs. We also had lots of reports of sick seabirds on the beaches, likely to be suffering from Avian influenza. Our Inspectors have had to be trained and kitted out with specialised full personal protective clothing and masks to deal with such pick-ups, as there is a risk to human health from close contact with infected birds.

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August 2022 saw Branch Trustee Carl Lloyd secure a grant of over £7,000 from Comic Relief’s Community Fund in Wales Small Grants Scheme to support our work with Foodbanks. Carl had already sourced pet food approaching the end of its best before date that would otherwise end up in landfill. This has enabled the Branch to regularly supply dog and cat food to Foodbanks in Bangor, Bethesda, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Caernarfon and Pwllheli. Soon we hope to add Barmouth to our list.

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

As always, my 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. If you are reading this and think you can help us in any way please contact us via facebook, at enquiries@rspcawestgwynedd.org.uk or by phone on 01248 671304.

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.

Thank you – Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Ann Rees

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RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH Minutes of Annual General Meeting Held via Google Meet video conference. Monday, 25[th] April 2022 at 7.00pm.

Those present at the meeting are listed on page 8

1 Chairman’s Welcome Ann welcomed everyone to the meeting and said that Covid-19 is still with us and continuing to hamper fundraising. The Pwllheli shop, despite risks, has been kept open and reminded everyone that the RSPCA is still alive in the area and remains a hub where people can drop in if they require help with vet bills or just a chat about animals. Alun continued to man the phones and deal with the many calls, including one on Christmas Day 2021. He not only deals with almoning calls but has become the friendly voice for pet owners struggling with finances and others struggling with loneliness where their pet is their main support.

We continue to see the consequences of the purchase of a “designer pet” during lockdowns with an increase of calls from owners wanting a neutering voucher or help with veterinary costs. It is frightening to see how many people spent hundreds of pounds on buying a dog and then can't afford to pay for veterinary care, or even vaccinations, de-worming, or flea treatment in some cases. We do what we can, when we can, and are often glad 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 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 success of this vision and mission. The National Society is finally starting to recognise the valuable work done by Branches and that they would be a far poorer Society if they lost the tremendous contributions made by all the unpaid Branch volunteers across England and Wales.

RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch has striven to continue supporting our Inspectorate and Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre again in 2022. Alun, Freda 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 this space.

My thanks go to the Inspectorate, Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre staff and volunteers, the Mobile Clinic and Gavin Bevan, our Branch Partnership Manager for his support. As always particular thanks go to all our committee members for all they do to keep the 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.

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

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish two of our committee members our best wishes. Unfortunately, Philip Caddick is having numerous health issues at the moment and both he and Kath feel they are not in a position to stay on committee. I'd like to thank them

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for their services to the Branch, the Mobile Clinic and for fostering cats and kittens. I wish them both well.

In addition, in recent months we've lost some Society friends and colleagues in neighbouring Branches – Frances Miller, Ceredigion Branch and Ruth Williams, Ynys Môn Branch, both long-standing stalwarts of the Society. We also lost Inspector Tim Jones to cancer at 63 years of age. Tim was a marvellous Inspector, a true gentleman, and a good friend to West Gwynedd Branch. I'm sure you'll join me in sending our sympathies to their families and friends.

2 Apologies received are listed on page 8.

3 Minutes of AGM 2021

These were proposed by Freda Holme, seconded by Carl Lloyd, and accepted by the meeting.

4 There were no matters arising

5 Financial Report

Alun Rees reported that incoming resources for 2021 amounted to £100,350 and expenditure £86,704. Covid restrictions continued but as compensation we received £10,000 Business Rate Grant from the Welsh Government via Gwynedd Council. We also received a welcome, albeit unexpected, legacy of £12,843 from the late Ms Marion Una Massey of Bangor.

The largest single source of income was again the House-to-house collections organised throughout England and Wales by the National RSPCA. The second largest source was from our shop, run by our dedicated and unpaid small group of volunteers led by Freda and Alexandra.

The largest sources of expenditure were the cost of vet bills and the contribution towards the costs of running the Mobile Clinic, kindly managed by Aberconwy Branch. This provides veterinary advice and treatment to animals that are unlikely to be taken to ordinary vet practices. £10,000 was donated to RSPCA Clwyd and Colwyn Branch to pay towards their x-ray machine and £500 towards Pen Farthing's NOWZAD charity in Afghanistan.

Thanks to all those who have helped to achieve these results in such a cost-effective manner, largely due to their willingness to work unpaid and submit claims only for actual out-of-pocket expenditure.

I would also like to thank Laura Adams of W.J. Matthews & Son who has examined our accounts meticulously for the last 2 years and now also submits our VAT returns to HMRC. This was done in 2022 despite being on maternity leave.

Alun’s report was proposed by Freda Holme, seconded by Rachele Follini and accepted by the meeting.

6 Adoption of Independent Examiners

Alun Rees proposed that the examiners, W.J. Matthews and Son, are retained. This was seconded by David Hibbert and accepted by the meeting.

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7 Branch Annual Report

Freda Holme commenced her report by saying that although 2021 saw us still in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic the Branch had continued to do as much as possible to help local animals and their owners.

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

The Branch charity shop in Pwllheli was again closed 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. Even 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 safe. As well as bringing in income we also receive pet food, cages etc.

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 for cats and kittens over 6 months old and an amount towards the cost of vet treatment. 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. A total of 665 animals were treated and 316 neutered in the 18 vet practices we work with. We also provided emergency short-term boarding for dogs at 3 private boarding establishments when the owners were hospitalised.

The RSPCA Mobile Clinic, which visits Bangor, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon, 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 West Gwynedd.

Several cat traps were loaned to members of the public. 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 in another difficult year and also the Inspectorate and the Animal Centre for their work during

such a trying time.

8 Election of Committee

A virtual ballot took place and as all candidates received 50% or more of the vote the following were elected to the Branch Committee:-

Rachele Follini David Hibbert Patricia Hibbert Freda Holme Rhianon Jones Alexandra Latham Alun Rees Ann Rees Osian Richards

9 Inspectorate Report

Chief Inspector Leanne Hardy started her report by saying she named 2021 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 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 PPE that had to be safety-checked by trained staff before officers were able to work with birds.

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She then went on to talk about staff changes and also gave details of some of the cases dealt with during the year.

She ended by thanking animal centres, Branches, members and volunteers for all their support and help during the year.

10 Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre Report

Chris Butler from the centre read the report which said the centre welcomed 2021 with the hope of returning to normality, but the pandemic continued to have an impact on the centre's work. The dedicated team remained committed and positive throughout the year and focussed on achieving the very best for the animals entering their care. The report then gave details of the number and types of animals dealt with and how they coped with the difficulties.

The report ended by thanking the North Wales Branches and Friends of Bryn-y-Maen for continuing to support the animals that were in need in this challenging time.

11 Talk by Sally Hyman, Chair, Llys Nini Branch; Chair, RSPCA Cymru Regional Board - “Llys Nini, Past and Present”

Ann Rees introduced Sally and gave a brief resume of her history with the RSPCA.

Sally then proceeded to give a very interesting, illustrated talk about Llys Nini, how it dealt with animals in their care and the use the site was put to in order to raise money, raise the profile of the Branch and help the environment. She also spoke of the interaction with the local community and how this benefitted both sides.

Ann thanked Sally for her talk and said we could all learn something from her about fundraising and tenacity.

12 Closing comments

Ann thanked everyone for attending and said the Branch would continue to carry on working for the animals and pet owners in Gwynedd. And that it would do whatever it could to prevent cruelty, promote kindness and alleviate suffering of all animals.

The meeting closed at 8:15pm

Chairman…………………………………………………………date………………… ATTENDANCE Members (9) Rachele Follini David Hibbert Pat Hibbert Freda Holme Alexandra Latham Alun Rees Ann Rees Griff Thomas Mandy Thomas Staff Gavin Bevan BPM Chris Butler, ByM Chief Insp. Leanne Hardy Friends and Guests Mair Eluned Jon Francis Sally Hyman Carl Lloyd

APOLOGIES RECEIVED Victoria Williams, Bryn-y-Maen

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TREASURER’S REPORT & PRESENTATION OF ACCOUNTS 2022

The total incoming resources for the year amounted to £94,525 (2021: £100,350) with Trade debtors of £2,884. Expenditure in the year amounted to £92,444 (2021: £86,704) and a massive fall of £50,346 (2021: a rise of £11,519) in the value of investments with current liabilities of £8,292 (2021: £11,512). This resulted in an overall loss for the year of £48,776.

The allocation of the two shares of the “House to House” collections organised by RSPCA HQ fell slightly from £48,268 in 2021 to £46,436. 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 2023. Our shop at Pwllheli produced a sizeable increase in income from £10,654 in 2021 to £23,831 in 2022. The takings were increased further by the £2,000 (2021: £10,000) received from the Welsh Government Covid Business Rates Grant. The shop takings were also enhanced by £960 from sale of rags (included in the £23,381 figure above) and also the £750 in the collection box plus £187.50 Gift Aid. The Gift Aid scheme brought a welcome total return from HMRC of £413 (2021: £482). £25 was claimed under the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.

The recorded sharp decrease in the value of our investments compared with 2021 is due mainly to the “perfect storm” of the Russian invasion of Ukraine starting on 24[th] February 2022 and the uncertainty resulting from the Liz Truss / Kwasi Kwarteng mini budget of 23[rd] September 2022. The cost of vet bills rose slightly to £53,259 (2021: £48,486) largely due to the cost-ofliving and inflation rises. Our North Wales Mobile Clinic was back in action for most of the year, despite staffing problems resulting from lengthy illness due to Covid (our driver) and maternity (one of our vets). Veterinary costs charged by commercial vet practices to the public increased significantly.

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 £92,444 and total unrestricted balance (including income-generating investments) of £310,552 in the investment and general funds, we have just over 3.3 years of reserve capital, though with projected yearon-year increases in spending and the substantial planned costs of supporting the mobile clinic, this figure is closer to 2.8 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:

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“…..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

At 31[st] December 2022 11% of our invested funds are now held in selected equities, about 43% is held in bonds and gilts, no more than 19% is held in current accounts, and the 27% 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 to our Branch are expected to be £15,000 per annum, plus an estimated £5,000 for additional referrals to veterinary practices in our area.

In 2022 the North Wales collaboration to distribute pet food approaching end of shelf-life to animal rescues and pet owners on limited finances via food banks came to realisation. The management of the logistics involved rental of a warehouse facility in Mochdre, the successful application for a Comic Relief Grant of £7,122 towards storage and distribution. The use of the mobile clinic for delivery to Blaenau Ffestiniog, Bangor & Caernarfon in our Branch ensures no extra journeys. Local volunteers then redistribute it directly to foodbanks in Bangor, Bethesda, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Caernarfon & Pwllheli

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 4 practices in our Branch area. Our own free cat-neutering scheme is available at all the vet practices in Gwynedd. We also run 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

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RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 226126

______________

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

______________

W J MATTHEWS & SON CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

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Independent Examiners’ Report to the Members of RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch for the year ended 31st December 2022, which are set out on pages 12-14.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the Charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation 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 all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

David Chidley W. J. Matthews & Son Chartered Accountants 11-15 Bridge Street, Caernarfon, Gwynedd.

Dated:

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RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2022

General Designated General Designated Restricted 2022 2021
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
Income:
Legacies - - - - 12,843
Membership subscriptions 161 - - 161 394
Covid Business Rates grant 2,000 - - 2,000 10,000
Comic Relief Food Bank grant - - 7,122 7,122 -
From Voluntary Sources
Sundry donations 1,392 - - 1,392 6,752
Gift aid 413 - - 413 482
Flag Days 100 - - 100 -
House to house collections 46,436 - - 46,436 48,268
Jumble 48 - - 48 -
Contribution from Aberconwy branch
-		 - - - 57,672 233 78,972
_ _ ______ ______ _____
Investment Income:
Investment income (Gross) 8,280 - - 8,280 8,280 7,479 7,479
_ _ _ _____ _____
Charitable Trading activities:
Dog boxes 2,199 - - 2,199 397
Charity Shop takings 23,831 - - 23,831 10,654
Adoption fees 270 - - 270 160
VAT refund 2,273 - - 2,273 28,573 2,688 13,899
_ ______ __ _ _
£87,403 £- £7,122 £94,525 £100,350
__ ______ _ _ _
Direct Charitable Expenditure:
Contribution to Regional Board - - - - 6,000
Contribution to HQ 551 - - 551 551
Donations 5,265 15,000 - 20,265 17,634
Veterinary costs 37,035 16,224 - 53,259 48,486
Boarding 1,568 - - 1,568 1,834
Charity Shop rent 9,880 - - 9,880 9,880
Charity Shop heat and light 835 - - 835 554
Charity Shop trade refuse 309 - - 309 287
Charity Shop F.R. goods 182 - - 182 -
Mobile Clinic Telephone - 351 - 351 167
Mobile Clinic Room hire - 120 - 120 -
Mobile Clinic Driver Hire - 190 - 190 -
Comic Relief Haulage - - 1,800 1,800 -
Comic Relief Officer’s Travel - - 333 333 -
Comic Relief Storage unit rental
-		 - 1,284 1,284 -
90,927 - 85,393
______ _____ _____ ______ ______
Other expenditure:
Postage and stationery 149 - - 149 100
Accountancy 650 - - 650 560
Repairs and Equipment 361 - - 361 138
Consumables 73 - - 73 55
VAT not recoverable 181 70 33 284 1,517 458 1,311
_ _ ______ ______ _ ______ ______
Total payments £57,039 £31,955 £3,450 £92,444 £86,704
_ _ ______ _ ______
Net income/ (expenditure)
for the year 30,364 (31,955) 3,672 2,081 13,646
Transfers between funds (31,955) 31,955 - - -
Cash and bank balances
At 31stDecember 2021 84,822 55,000 - 139,822 126,176
______ ______ ______ _ ______
At 31stDecember 2022 £83,231 £55,000 £3,672 £141,903 £139,822
______ ______ ______ _ ______

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RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 31st DECEMBER 2022

2022 2021
£ £
Monetary assets:
Investments:
SUTL Cazenove Charity Equity Value Fund A Income 35,441 57,770
SUTL Cazenove Charity Bond Fund A Income 77,033 101,637
M&G Charifund 56,175 59,488
_ _
£168,649 £218,895
_ _
Bank and cash balances:
Bank Deposit Investment Account 83,223 83,016
Bank Current Accounts 57,881 56,080
PayPal Account 724 651
Cash float 75 75
______ ______
Total £141,903 £139,822
______ ______
General funds 83,231 84,822
Designated funds 55,000 55,000
Restricted funds 3,672 -
______ ______
£141,903 £139,822
______ ______
Debtors:Trade debtors £2,884 £1,899
______ ______
Current Liabilities:
Trade creditors and accruals £8,292 £11,512
______ ______

Approved by the Branch Committee on ……………………………. and signed by Dr. A. T. Rees Honorary Treasurer

………………………………………

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RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2022

Restricted Funds

In April 2022 the branch set up a new scheme which involved collecting donated animal food and distributing to food banks across North Wales. A Comic Relief Grant was received for £7,122 to cover storage and distribution costs.

Designated Funds

A balance of £25,000 was brought forward from 2021 in relation to the cat and dog free neutering scheme. A total of £16,223 was spent during the year ending 31 December 2022 leaving a balance of £8,777. 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.

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 2021 was £30,000. A total of £15,732 was spent during the year ending 31 December 2022 leaving a balance of £14,268. 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. (2021 – NIL).

Reimbursements made to trustees were as follows

2022 2021
No of trustees Cost No of trustees Cost
Travel costs reimbursed Nil Nil Nil £Nil

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RSPCA WEST GWYNEDD BRANCH SECRETARY'S REPORT 2022

2022 saw us slowly recovering from the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic but facing new problems with the rise in the cost of living. Due to both these circumstances calls increased for help with both costs of vet bills and rehoming of animals.

Some of the rehoming problems occurred because owners had obtained animals during the pandemic as something to occupy their time. When their lives returned to normal, they found they were unable to cope with the new addition to the family as it sometimes did not fit in with their usual way of life.

More thought should be taken when deciding to have an animal as part of your family.

Even though income was limited the Branch still provided financial help. We 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.

The RSPCA also runs a joint scheme with Cats Protection for neutering pet cats which includes microchipping and costs the owner £5. There are 4 vet practices in our Branch area that are part of this scheme: https://www.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/neutering/neutering-campaigns/walescampaign

We still received donations of pet food from Morrisons during the year for which we are always grateful.

The Branch charity shop in Pwllheli is slowly trying to recover from all the problems of the past two years. At present it is the only fundraising being done by the Branch. We are still receiving pet food, cages etc. brought into the shop by customers and supporters.

During the year various collection boxes were emptied yielding £2,199. Miscellaneous donations totalling £1,392 were received, supplemented by £413 Gift Aid. No other form of fundraising was undertaken during the year. Any ideas for 2023????

£53,259 was spent on vet costs and £1,568 on boarding.

The RSPCA mobile clinic - https://www.rspcamobileclinic.org.uk/, which visits Bangor, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon each week, is much appreciated by pet owners and is always busy. It is now by appointment only and some venues are booked up well in advance of the visits.

Just to remind you, all the clinic costs are paid by the Branches using this facility. In 2022 1,244 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 and Ann and Alun did some hands-on catching of various types of animal.

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A new venture being pursued by the North Wales RSPCA Branches is to acquire almost out of date dog and cat food donated by a small number of suppliers and distribute it to local food banks who issue it to people in need – https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/costofliving/foodbank#onSubmitSetHere This is also environmentally friendly as under Trading Standards legislation the food cannot be sold legally after expiry of the “best before date”, even though it is still safe for consumption It then has to be incinerated or sent to landfill. The mobile clinic is used to transport food from our central depot to the outlying clinic venues while making its weekly visits. The work has been supported by a Comic Relief Fund grant.

This has proved to be very successful and keeps some Branch members extremely busy with the practicalities of supply and demand.

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 a continuing trying time.

Freda Holme

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RSPCA BRYN-Y-MAEN ANIMAL CENTRE 2022 ANNUAL REPORT

The centre experienced a number of staff changes during 2022, Cally Harris our committed receptionist started her well-deserved retirement having dedicated over seventeen years to the centre. We will miss Cally’s positive approach and commitment to supporting animals and people in need, we wish her a relaxing retirement.

Chris Butler transferred into a Deputy Manager role at RSPCA Great Ayton. We look forward to continuing our working relationships with Chris and his new centre into the future.

Clare Jones transferred into a receptionist role at the centre having spent over 28 years as an Animal Care Assistant, her local knowledge and animal care expertise will continue to benefit the centre team and wider communities.

Libby Ali and Callum Bartley transferred into supervisor positions and we welcomed Terri Round, Hope Hover and Russ Smith to the team as Animal Care Assistants.

Our dedicated volunteer team completed an incredible 3,936 hours supporting the centre team with animal care, maintenance and gardening duties. We remain incredibly grateful for the dedication and support our volunteers provide to the animals in our care.

Our highest recorded hours for the year went to Vicky, our cattery volunteer who completed 391 hours.

284 animals entered our care through our local and national inspectorate teams. This included 72 dogs, 110 cats, 53 rabbits and 49 other species including Fish, Poultry and Small Animals. We experienced restrictions on wild birds entering our care due to the Avian flu outbreaks, but continued to support the short term housing of wild mammals ahead of transfer to Stapeley Grange.

A total of 164 animals found new homes through the centre's adoption process this included 40 Dogs, 71 Cats, 27 Rabbits, 26 other species. We experienced an increase in adopters travelling great distances to adopt our smaller animals including Rabbits, Hamsters and Gerbils.

We completed our first community fundraising event at Pets at Home since the start of the pandemic, which was a positive experience and raised vital funds and food, treats and enrichment toys for the animals in our care.

Thank you to Friends of Bryn-y-Maen and the North Wales Branches for continuing to support the centre throughout these difficult times to ensure we can continue to best support the animals that need us most. We look forward to seeing you all at the Friends Dog Show in 2023.

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

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North Wales RSPCA Inspectorate ANNUAL REPORT 2022

North Wales Inspectorate Annual Report 2022 Year in summary 2022 was predominantly governed by avian influenza, making it harder for the frontline teams to seek assistance from volunteers, vets and wildlife hospitals. Many of these services had to close their doors, whilst we were still being tasked with collecting sick or injured wild birds. This put a lot of pressure on the team here in North Wales, but they worked really hard under difficult circumstances in order to get to as many animals in need as possible.

Last summer was particularly difficult with the NCC and frontline overwhelmed with work. Senior management and the inspectorate are continually developing the modernisation program in order for the front line to be as efficient and effective as possible. Looking ahead there are a number of projects that will hopefully enable us to get to the animals that need help faster and deal with animal cruelty and neglect quickly and professionally to secure the best outcome for those animals.

We welcomed Inspector Jenny Anderton back from her maternity leave to work part time. She was up and running in no time, after a number of weeks refreshing her knowledge and skills and pairing up with her colleagues.

Our Wildlife Casualty Volunteers have been rebranded to Animal Rescue Volunteers (ARV) to better reflect the diversity of the tasks they are being asked to assist us with. The focus going forward is engagement. Due to the avian influenza crisis, much of the wildlife collection work dropped off so the inspectorate has been looking at other ways to best utilise the thousands of hours our amazing volunteers kindly offer each year.

The Inspectorate Veterinary Assistance Voucher (IVAV) scheme was introduced in 2022 across all of Wales and England. This is an invaluable resource for the Inspectors and AROs who are encountering all the more potential neglect issues with pet owners being impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

Feedback from the three regional operational superintendents include;

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them, as they are a useful tool for Inspectors and Animal Rescue Officers when trying to resolve animal welfare issues.”

Cases and Complaints of note

Inspector Rachael Davies investigated a family after a puppy with freshly cropped ears was found in their possession. Two males pleaded guilty to one offence each of failing to meet the needs of a bulldog under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 by failing to provide proper and necessary veterinary care and attention for her cropped ears. Both defendants received the same sentence - disqualification from keeping all animals for 24 months and were ordered to pay £300 costs, a £120 fine and a £34 victim surcharge. The court heard that the two men had told the RSPCA that the sevenweek-old puppy was taken into their care with already cropped ears and they had owned her for a week. Ear cropping is illegal in Wales and England under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

During the winter, ARO John Littlewood assisted an elderly couple and their two dogs In Rhyl, North Wales. The elderly lady had recently had a hip replacement after being immobile for some time. The gentleman had suffered a stroke a few months previous, and this had meant they had not been able to get their 2 dogs groomed for some time. The couple admitted that once the dogs’ condition had got to a certain point, they were then too scared and embarrassed to take the dogs anywhere in case the RSPCA were called, and they would have the dogs taken away. When ARO Littlewood attended, he found 2 Shih Tzu type dogs very matted. Both of the owners were visibly upset and in tears and expressed that all they wanted to do, as part of their rehabilitation, was to be able to take their dogs for a walk. So John contacted the RSPCA Rhyl Branch clinic and the manager Kieran quickly arranged an appointment for the 2 dogs to be dematted. Kieran also arranged for his staff to collect the 2 dogs from their home address thus freeing up the inspectorate to attend to more animals in need.

A week later John was able to visit the dogs again and the very grateful owners. The little pooches looked amazing, and from being 2 quiet shy dogs they had now transformed into 2 very friendly and happy dogs. A brilliant example of collaboration between the frontline officers and our fantastic Branches.

Rope rescue Inspectors Roberts, Dunderdale, Pugh, Broadbent and Davies all came to the rescue of a stuck sheep on Craig Ddu in the Snowdonia mountain range in May. Inspector Roberts was alerted to the sheep and was told that it had been stuck on the ledge for around 2 weeks. When he went to assess the job, he discovered that the sheep had eaten everything that had been available on the ledge so it was important we acted before she starved. Fortunately, conditions on the day were dry and clear, Inspectors Dunderdale and Davies descended down to her, Inspector Davies managed to catch her as she was getting drastically close to the edge and together, they got her into a animal bag and lowered her to the ground where Inspector Pugh was waiting to ensure she made a safe landing. Once everyone was down on the

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ground she was let out, checked over and soon returned to the flock below, a much happier sheep!

Collections and rescues of note In March 2023

Two swans were reunited on a pond in North Wales after flying into the windscreen of an ambulance. Thankfully neither the paramedic, his colleague or either of the swans were injured in the incident which happened on the westbound carriageway of the A55 near Abergele. There were no patients on board at the time of the collision. RSPCA officer Mike Pugh was called to the scene shortly after 6pm to find the windscreen of the ambulance completely smashed and the vehicle being loaded onto a lorry to be towed away. The birds were thought to have flown into the windscreen as they were flying low over the carriageway, possibly on their way to a pond in Pentre Mawr Park. Mike was able to load both birds into his van and relocate them safely.

Other items of note

ARO John Littlewood was invited along to a cost-of-living event in Wrexham. The event was well supported by other agencies and charities to assist the local community with advice regarding the cost-of-living issues we are currently facing. John enlisted the help from Insp Leanne Cooper from Cheshire who is involved in the North of England's pet food bank project. John was given fantastic support from Carl Lloyd from Aberconwy Branch who was able to supply a large amount of pet food which was then distributed to local people identified as being in need of some support.

John and Leanne were able to meet with teams from Wrexham's Cats Protection adoption centre who are proactive with trap, neuter and release schemes as well as local housing, social services and mental health teams who all are likely to attend locations with animal welfare issues. We were able to advise agencies on what to look for so they can identify animals and people who may be in need of support from the RSPCA. More importantly we were approached by many local residents giving them a chance to find out more about the Inspectorate and the work we do. It became apparent that local residents seem to picture the Inspectorate as people who only take people's animals away. It was a great opportunity to dispel some myths and promote all the other aspects of our work. At the same time we were able to promote the work our Branches, clinics and hospitals carry out on a daily basis both regionally and nationally.

In April, a partnership between RSPCA, North Wales Police, RSPB, NRW, the Wildlife Trust, BDMLR and other marine welfare groups began, called “Operation Seabird”. It was an educational initiative to teach people who use our coastlines the basic rules of interacting with marine life in a safe and respectful manner. It was hoped that with promotional material, press coverage and action days we will see a reduction in the amount of disturbance and damage at key sites across North Wales. This was to encompass seal colonies, tern colonies, sand dune systems, whales and dolphins and rafting seabirds. It was aimed at influencing climbers, powerboat and jet ski owners and other water users to keep their speed down, and the distances from animals up.

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To finish, I would like to thank the animal centres, Branches, members and volunteers for all their support and help throughout 2022 and look forward to more opportunities in 2023 to work together for animal welfare.

Chief Inspector Leanne Hardy 783 North Wales Inspectorate RSPCA Cymru

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