2024-10-31-accounts

Charity number: 293787

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

CONTENTS
	Page
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisers	1
Trustees' report	2 – 15
Independent auditor's report	16 – 19
Consolidated statement of financial activities	20
Consolidated balance sheet	21
Charity balance sheet	22
Consolidated statement of cash flows	23
Notes to the financialstatements	24 – 45

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

Trustees

C Hammond N Sheen A Hamill-Stewart S Fraser

Charity registered number

293787

Principal office

The High Street, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 6AG

Auditors

Crowe U.K. LLP, Medway Bridge House, 1-8 Fairmeadow, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1JP

Bankers

National Westminster Bank Plc, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 6BH

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

The Trustees present their annual report together with the audited financial statements of the group and the charity for the 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024.

Celia Hammond Animal Trust is a Registered Charity, Number 293787.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Governing Document

The constitution of the charity is set out in the Deed of Trust dated 29 January 1986.

Trustees

During the year, the charity was administered by a board of Trustees:

Celia Hammond Naomi Sheen A Hamill-Stewart S Fraser C Beaumont-Kerridge (resigned)

Celia Hammond was elected on the founding of the charity. Celia Hammond is appointed in perpetuity.

Recruitment and Appointment of New Trustees

The management of the charity is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Trust Deed.

Individuals wishing to become Trustees apply by written application and are appointed by the existing Trustees if they are considered to be suitable for the vacancy that exists.

Policies and Procedures for the Induction and Training of Trustees

The charity is relying upon the guidance issued by the Charities Commission in relation to the induction and training of Trustees.

Pay Policy for Senior Staff

The remuneration of key management personnel is agreed by the Trust’s Board.

The Organisational Structure

The Board of Trustees provides the governance of the Charity. The Trustees delegate the day to day running of the charity to the senior manager, Sarah Le Fevre.

Subsidiary

The subsidiary company of the charity, CHAT Trading Limited, which raises funds for the charity by means of covenanting trading profits arising from the sale of donated goods, is administered by a sole Director, Celia Hammond.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The charity's aims and objectives are to promote the welfare of animals, particularly cats in need of care, and to prevent cruelty and suffering associated with the country's vast stray and unwanted animal problem, by the provision of spaying and neutering facilities. The aims are not limited geographically, but for funding reasons most activities currently undertaken centre on London and the Home Counties.

In setting objectives and planning for activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to public benefit, including the guidance 'Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)'.

The charity's objects are:

• To provide care and refuge for cats and kittens both feral and domestic and for those animals which on the basis of age, temperament or appearance would not normally be taken in elsewhere.

• To promote the welfare of animals through example and education.

• To humanely reduce the population of dogs and cats, both pedigree and mongrel in the UK by neutering as opposed to the current situation where hundreds of thousands of healthy but unwanted or stray animals are being destroyed simply because there are not enough homes to go around.

• To provide low cost neuter/vaccination clinics for animals belonging to people on benefit or those unable to afford private veterinary fees.

• To provide low cost treatment in our clinics for sick/injured animals whose owners do not qualify for help from the major charities but who cannot afford private veterinary fees.

• To operate a rescue service for animals, both domestic and feral, in emergency situations through calls from the public, local authorities and the police.

• To provide long and short-term sanctuary accommodation and rehoming facilities for rescued animals.

• To investigate complaints of cruelty and neglect and to take appropriate action.

• To achieve the Celia Hammond Animal Trust's aim, the Trustees' policy (which remains unchanged since our last report) is to provide three main kinds of charitable service.

• Clinic services - the provision of low cost neutering and vaccination services via the Trust's clinics. A full veterinary service is also provided at the clinics for sick / injured animals belonging to people unable to afford private veterinary fees and yet not qualifying for assistance through the major charities.

• Sanctuary services - the provision of an animal sanctuary to provide shelter for rescued animals that are unable to be homed.

• Rescue and re-homing services – these services are provided from the clinics and the Sanctuary in Sussex.

The contribution of volunteers

The charity has many volunteers who make a significant contribution to its operation. The charity was founded by volunteers and the charity could not survive in its present form without their contribution over all aspects of the charity's services. Volunteers bring to us a wealth of experience from all walks of life and a passion and desire to help us to help as many animals as possible and deliver our services to those in need. The charity currently has around 200 active volunteers.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

GOING CONCERN

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the subsequent uncertainty about the future has all contributed to the Trustees and charity management team assessment of the financial implications the charity faces in the next 12 months and beyond.

The Trustees have considered the overall financial position that the charity is now in and have compared the financial position of the charity now with the position in 2023.

The Trust’s main income continues to be from donations and legacies and secondly income received by the provision of veterinary services via the two London clinics. The two veterinary clinics have been negatively impacted by the national shortage of veterinary staff, the causes of which being a combination of the Pandemic, Brexit and an increase in pet ownership. We had hoped that post pandemic that we would have been able to swiftly return to a position of being fully staffed but this has not yet happened and veterinary staff recruitment and retainment is continuing to prove very challenging.

The Trustees are carefully monitoring the situation but also evaluating how the charity delivers its services in order to meet our aims and objectives and any changes we need to make to and adapt to in order to survive, meet our objectives and thrive in the ‘new normal’ U.K.

Post year end, the charity h as agreed the sale of a property donated to the charity as well as expecting the receipt of a large legacy with both expecting to yield in excess of a total of £1.5m. There are fluctuations in timings of legacy income though and Trustees are monitoring available cash closely. Based on the available information and cashflow predictions for the next 12 months, the Trustees continue to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Achievements and performance

2024 was a challenging year financially, with a combination of delays in the receipt of a long-awaited legacy and the sale of piece of land belonging to the Trust leaving us concerned about our cash flow position for the year. As reported in our last Trustees report, written in the Spring of 2024, our monthly running costs had been increasing as a result of increased costs faced by the charity for all the services and products we need to use from cat food to medications to utility costs and salary costs.

Several factors have combined in recent years that have placed the animal charity sector under immense pressure. The Pandemic, when many new pet owners acquired pets, closely followed by the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in an ever-increasing number of cats and dogs needing help, either for low-cost veterinary treatments or to be found new homes. This situation has been exacerbated by the high cost of private veterinary fees which has become a serious concern for the welfare of U.K pets as many owners, even those with pet insurance have found themselves unable to afford their pets’ veterinary care. The shortage of veterinary staff has been a U.K wide issue both for charity and the private sector. These financial and veterinary recruitment challenges have been experienced within the animal welfare sector throughout the U.K.

With so many pet owners turning to animal charities to seek help, many are surprised to discover that UK animal charities receive no government funding and rely entirely upon donations and their own income generating activities to continue their work. The financial pressures faced by animal charities has led so many charities, large and small, to cut much needed services and to even close their facilities. We cannot bear the thought that animals could be left with no hope and have been determined to keep our centres open and running.

In early 2024 we reviewed our working models and implemented a combination of cost cutting measures and income generating steps to continue to be financially viable. With salaries being one of our biggest costs these measures reluctantly had to involve reducing the number of employed staff at each of our centres. Determined not to impact the number of animals we can help we have successfully recruited more volunteers to our animal care teams and to our veterinary teams. We truly appreciate the co-operation and willingness of our staff to help by taking on more responsibility, overseeing and training new volunteers and for going above and beyond to ensure that the needs of the animals in our care have continued to be met. We were able to minimise redundancies by not replacing staff who were leaving, and some staff chose to voluntarily reduce their working hours. We are hugely grateful to our loyal animal care volunteers who have helped by taking on extra shifts when we have been short of

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

help and are truly essential members of our teams. We now have an almost constant stream of veterinary students assisting at both of our London clinics, helping with the care of our rescued animals who are awaiting new homes and assisting our vets in our clinics whilst gaining valuable experience in a charity veterinary setting. We are also frequently joined for volunteer neutering days by vets and vet nurses from local veterinary practices who donate a day to come and help with neutering.

We have had to increase some of our costs to pet owners because certain surgeries and procedures have been provided at a subsidised rate for many years. For example, our cat neutering costs had not risen in over 10 years, having calculated the actual cost to the charity we had to increase the cost to at least cover our costs, so the cost to spay a cat was increased from £25 to £45. However, we will never turn away a cat in need of neutering and will find a way to fund the cost. We also increased our suggested minimum cat adoption fee from £65 to £80.

At times, the numbers of requests to help animals in need have felt overwhelming. We have had to prioritise those that we can help. Dealing with large numbers of welfare cases is emotionally stressful enough without having to worry financially. We have appealed to our supporters for help and are overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity in continuing to support our work for we can only help animals in need with their help, both financially and by volunteering.

By mid-2024 we were starting to see the effects of our cost cutting measures at the clinics and were seeing some improvements financially. We successfully sold the piece of land and received an anonymous donation of £300k. Our Winter newsletter raised £135,212.

2024 has been a tough year for us with the worry over finances in addition to responding to overwhelming numbers of animals in need of our help.

Veterinary services

The Trust has two low-cost veterinary clinics in London. Our first clinic opened in Lewisham in Southeast London in 1995 as a low-cost cat and dog neuter clinic. Our Second, larger clinic opened in Canning Town in East London in 1999 and both are now equipped to provide a range of veterinary services including X-ray, dental X-ray, ultrasound, endoscopes, haematology and biochemistry diagnostic machines, as well as neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, health consultations. We also have an orthopaedic vet based at our Canning Town clinic. Our Canning Town clinic provides 24-hour veterinary cover for inpatients and rescue cases for both of our London clinics. Our services are available for pets belonging to owners on a low income but who do receive the appropriate benefits to qualify for assistance at other major charity animal clinics.

Our vet clinics treat all our own rescue cases in London, treating and preparing our rescued animals who are mainly cats prior to them being adopted. This includes neutering, microchipping, vaccinating, flea and worm treatments, also treatment for wounds and injuries including fractures, treatment for any illness or age-related conditions and dental work. The cost of treating our own rescue cases at local private vets would be prohibitive for the Trust.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

We take in, treat and find homes for many sick and stray cats that have been handed over to private vets. With a significant stray cat population in London, members of the public bring to our clinics and report to us strays that they have been feeding who need treatment for injuries, neglected wounds and general ill health as well as neutering and microchipping.

Both of our veterinary clinics have been impacted by the UK wide shortage of vets and vet nurses which has occurred following the pandemic and changes that occurred because of Brexit, resulting in a reduction in EU vets registering to work in the UK. The shortage of vets has also led to charities struggling to compete with the high salaries being offered to vets in private practice although there are signs that this level of competition is now settling.

We are fortunate to now regularly benefit from the assistance of veterinary students completing work placements at our clinics helping our veterinary teams and animal care teams. We hope that they find their time in a charity veterinary clinic and rescue setting to be an invaluable part of their studies and that what they learn about animal welfare and rescue will stay with them in their future veterinary careers.

We are also very grateful to the vets and vet nurses employed in local private practice who choose to give up some of their valuable days off to volunteer at our centres to help with “Spay Days” neutering cats at our clinics.

We are also very grateful for the help provided by The Neuter Project based near Ashford in Kent to neuter cats rescued by our Greenacres Sanctuary and Tunbridge Wells based staff and volunteers at no cost. This project is run by one of our vet nurse assistants and provides free neutering undertaken by volunteer vets and nurses for cats and dogs that are in the care of animal rescue charities and groups. This project is of huge assistance in helping to reduce the vet bills faced by animal charities.

We have had to focus our neutering efforts towards cats at the moment due to the huge demand for cat neutering. With our rescue work being focused upon cats and with it being impossible to prevent cats from becoming pregnant without completely curtailing their freedom neutering cats has had to take priority.

In 2024 our two London vet clinics carried out 6,468 veterinary procedures for pets belonging to the public. These included consultations, neutering, dental work, ultrasound scans, x-rays, endoscopy, fracture repairs, enema’s, treating blocked bladders, amputations, eye enucleations, entropion surgery, hernia repairs, lump removals, thyroidectomy surgeries, chest drains, vaccinations, flea checks, and microchipping. Included in this number were 2,184 neutering procedures for owned pets.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

The demand for our services is huge, both clinics are based in areas of London of great need, where many people live in poverty or on low incomes and where there are many animals owned and stray in need of our help.

We opened our London clinics with the objective of providing our veterinary services to pets belonging to lowincome owners who could not afford private veterinary fees. However, the group of owners who cannot afford private veterinary fees has continued to grow as the cost of private fees have increased so quickly. Prices for treatments grew by 60% between 2015 and 2023, compared with inflation of 35% for other general services, according to CMA (Competitions and Market Authority) research. We have long been concerned, as have many in the veterinary sector and now pet owners, about the impact of large corporate companies buying up small independent private veterinary practices. Pet insurance is strongly recommended but vet fees can outstrip many policies and many low-income owners struggle to afford insurance. Owners often land themselves with large debts to afford veterinary care and tragically pets may be euthanised prematurely when owners cannot afford their care. We await with hope the results of an investigation by CMA into the activities of the biggest six corporate companies who own an ever-increasing number of private veterinary practices in the UK.

The cost-of-living crisis has been a major issue with many lower-income pet owners struggling to even afford good quality food for their pets so when faced with a veterinary bill they have simply been unable to afford to treat their pet. We have observed that many older cats have not received veterinary care for several years and can have multiple issues including severe dental disease or untreated hyperthyroidism.

It does concern us that pets are becoming portrayed as a luxury, it is a very sad situation to think that the companionship of a pet could only be affordable by the wealthiest in our society. Cats and dogs can bring great joy to the lives of so many people; it is those who are most likely to be on a low-income including people with physical or mental disabilities and the elderly who often benefit the most from their pets.

Rescue services

We provide cat rescue and rehoming services, taking in and rehoming unwanted pet cats as well as stray cats from the communities surrounding our centres in Southeast London, East London and our Greenacres Sanctuary near Hastings. Our Greenacres Sanctuary is also a permanent home to many cats that are not able to be rehomed, many of which are older feral and semi-feral cats. Each centre is also supported by a team of volunteer foster homes who provide invaluable help particularly during the busy months of kitten season with caring for mother cats and litters of kittens in their own homes.

Photo: Part of a group of over 40 ferals we are helping on a TNR scheme.

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TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

We are inundated with requests for help and do have to prioritise cats in the greatest need, including sick or injured strays and unneutered cats. Through our Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) work with stray and feral cat colonies we work to contain the number of cats, preventing numbers increasing. We rehome feral cats when it is not safe to return them and instead relocate them to safe rural homes outside of London such as at stables and smallholdings where they will continue to be fed and have shelter.

Our experienced rescue staff and volunteers are called upon by members of the public concerned about injured or sick strays or about welfare situation with owned cats. Local authorities and emergency services regularly contact us for help with cats found in urgent situations or multi-cat households where there can be multiple welfare issues for the cats and their owners. We are frequently asked to assist following evictions and death of owners.

We take in many pet cats for a wide range of reasons including death of an owner, homelessness, allergies and behavioural issues as well as many cats who have been abandoned or left behind when their owner has moved.

We welcomed the introduction of compulsory microchipping for pet cats in June 2024. There are obvious benefits with being able to reunite much loved pet cats with their owners much faster, but even for cats that are no longer wanted by their registered owner finding out that they are not wanted, the cats age and any information possible about the cat is helpful for us when seeking a new home for that cat.

Adoptions

With so many animals in need of homes we have been concerned about our ability to find new homes for the animals in our care. Despite these concerns though we have increased the number of adoptions in 2024. We are very grateful to our hardworking staff and volunteers in their efforts to find new homes for our cats and kittens.

Photo: Hyacinth the cat leaving our Lewisham centre with her new family.

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TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

Total of adoptions for 2024: 1,953 (2023: 1,598, 2022: 1,517, 2021: 1,222, 2020: 1,444).

Lewisham – 2024: 956 (2023: 906, 2022: 870, 2021: 889, 2020: 580). Canning Town – 2024: 714 (2023: 508, 2022: 533, 2021: 572, 2020: 513). Sanctuary – 2024: 283 (2023: 184, 2022: 56, 2021: 129, 2020: 351).

Our Rescue and Rehoming work is a substantial cost to the charity, some of our rescued cats cost hundreds to treat and rehabilitate and care for before they are finally found a new home. We take in animals according to how urgent their need is rather than based on how adoptable they are so this does mean we can have a lot of challenging and ‘harder to home’ cats. Many older cats and those with health conditions are provided with longer support once adopted and can return to our London Clinics for veterinary treatment. We also provide future veterinary care for feral cats that are trapped, neutered and returned as well as for adopted feral cats.

We have increased the number of fundraising appeals particularly to help with the cost of rescues involving larger numbers of cats or for specific animals requiring expensive or intensive veterinary care whilst in our care.

To try and increase income, we have increased our suggested adoption donation to £80 per cat to help towards our basic veterinary costs (neutering, microchipping and vaccinating of cats prior to rehoming). We do however recognise that the actual cost of rescuing and rehoming each cat on average greatly exceed this amount. Many adopters do choose to donate more than £80 and we are able to claim Gift Aid on donations where the adopter is a taxpayer.

Whilst the cost of rescue and rehoming of cats is significant in the longer term, we hope that those who support us may consider regular giving in future or even leaving a legacy in their will to support our work.

Maintaining our focus on our core objectives

Given the financially challenging times we face we intend to focus the efforts of our veterinary clinics primarily on meeting our core objectives of the provision of low-cost neutering services to humanely stabilise and reduce the unwanted pet population. We also intend to maintain our essential rescue and rehoming services within the community and with stray and feral cats through our TNR (trap, neuter and return) programme.

Donations in kind

Basic essential supplies such as cat food and cat litter are significant costs to the charity. Wherever possible, we seek donations of food, litter and other essential supplies and, from time to time, are fortunate to receive larger donations of short-dated stock from pet food manufacturers.

Appeals for food donations via our Amazon Wish List are usually received positively and we are very grateful to our supporters for food received in response to our frequent appeals. Members of the public also bring food to our centres; this may be food that their cat won’t eat, or food left over after the passing of a beloved pet. All these donations are gratefully received and help to reduce our costs and help to reduce the waste of unwanted pet food. With the aid of a wonderful local volunteer in Southeast London we now have several cat food donation bins in stores including Pets At Home and Sainsburys and are delighted with the quantities of food being donated which have significantly reduced our cat food costs at our Lewisham centre.

Wider community benefit

Our services both Veterinary and Rescue continue to be of considerable public benefit.

• Our neutering services for pet cats and dogs prevent the birth of unwanted litters of kittens and puppies, litters who could end up stray or abandoned on the streets.

• Our neutering services for stray and feral cats prevent these colonies of cats from further breeding uncontrolled to the point where their numbers could be considered a nuisance in the community. Whilst smaller groups of neutered feral cats can have a positive contribution in a neighbourhood through acting as a rodent control larger groups can be regarded as a problem particularly in built up residential areas.

• The provision of microchipping at our clinics helps to reunite many lost cats and dogs with their owners and helps reduce pressure on council pounds and rescue centres.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

• The wealth of advice provided by our rescue, homing and veterinary clinic reception teams about responsible pet ownership helps cat and dog owners to be good owners and avoid potentially allowing their pet to create a nuisance to neighbours.

• The benefits of pets to their owners are often underestimated. For many people their pets bring a sense of purpose and joy to their lives. Caring for and walking a dog and meeting and talking to other dog owners is a social activity that dramatically improves the health and quality of their lives. A cat can provide valuable company to an elderly or lonely person. Our low-cost veterinary services enable many owners who could not otherwise afford to treat their pets to access quality veterinary care.

• Our rescue services are a valuable community service. We are contacted daily for help not only by individual members of the public but by local authorities, housing associations, councils, environmental health, private landlords, hostels, police, hospitals to assist with owned, stray and abandoned cats who are in need of help.

Our dedicated staff and volunteers are able and willing to attend and assist promptly in an emergency and have the expertise to assist wit with nervous and feral cats.

Charity shop

The Trust has one charity shop at its Head office site in Wadhurst and is well supported by the local community. The charity shop provides a very useful income which supports the running of our Greenacres Sanctuary. Online sales of some donated goods are continuing quite successfully via the Celia Hammond Animal Trust eBay shop and other online auctions.

Regular giving

Regular gifts help us plan and ensure that money is available where it is needed most, allowing us to make a real difference to many thousands of animals’ lives.

Fundraising

The Trusts fundraising primarily utilises social media appeals and direct mailings. Public awareness of our work is therefore very important, and we keep our supporters updated via our social media pages and our website. Our small head office team run a supporter database and keep in touch with our supporters via email communications, postal updates and by using social media.

We are approved by the Fundraising Regulator the independent regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Legacies

Legacies continue to be the Trust’s largest source of income. The Trustees accept this is likely to continue to be the situation but considering recent delays with the probate system and increasing risk of wills being contested we continue to look for new opportunities to increase other income sources. Our aim is to raise sufficient funds to meet the needs of our day-to-day operational running costs and to use legacy income to fund investment in facilities and new projects.

Social Media

To further our aim of increasing our social media engagement and income we appointed a social media content creator and administrator in July 2022. The social media posts are an informative mix of fundraising and educational posts, showcasing the work carried out at our rescue centres and in our vet clinics as well as appealing for funds to support our work. Many stories are Happy Adoption stories and lift the spirits of those reading our posts. Wherever possible, the cat’s stories are followed from the point of being rescued, through their rehabilitation and then finally we catch up with them in their new homes. It is this journey which our own staff and volunteers find so rewarding and we like to share this experience with our social media followers.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

Governance

The Trustee board was increased from three to five Trustees just before the start of this financial year.

The Trustees invest a great deal of time and energy in the charity and believe passionately in the cause of animal welfare and the charity’s aims and objectives. The Trustees are up to date with and have a good understanding of the role of the charity, the charity’s current activities and the day-to-day challenges and issues faced in providing these services and meeting the CHAT’s aims and objectives.

A senior management team comprising senior veterinary staff, rescue and homing and Head office administrators including HR oversee the day to day running of the charity’s activities and meet regularly with Trustees to ensure the smooth running and provision of charitable services.

The Trustees are aware of the importance of the public’s confidence and trust in charities. It has always been charity policy not to adopt high pressure fundraising activities such as cold calling, door to door visits, street fundraising or the sale of our supporter database mailing list. The proportion of charity funds spent on fundraising and administration has traditionally been very low. The Trust’s funds have been spent on front line services. We strive to make funds received by the Trust stretch as far as we can and help as many animals as possible. However, we are actively looking at other fundraising opportunities in order to try and move away from relying upon legacy income.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The Trustees aim to regularly review the financial and operational risks that the charity could face and have plans in place to respond and manage risks should they occur.

The main areas of risk that the charity is exposed to are as follows.

Financial stability

As an animal charity we receive no government funding so are heavily reliant on donations, legacies and fundraising efforts to support our work. The Trustees therefore monitor finances very closely, producing cash flow forecasts and meeting regularly. With the current financial uncertainty and the cost-of-living crisis we are continually looking at minimising our running costs, utilising volunteers as much as possible and exploring expanding our sources of income through new fundraising efforts.

Operational

As an animal charity we receive no government funding so are heavily reliant on donations, legacies and fundraising efforts to support our work. The Trustees therefore monitor finances very closely, producing cash flow forecasts and meeting regularly. With the current financial uncertainty and the cost-of-living crisis we are continually looking at minimising our running costs, utilising volunteers as much as possible and exploring expanding our sources of income through new fundraising efforts.

Employment

The Trust employs an HR advisor who oversees recruitment, employment contracts, employment issues and provides support to employees as required. The HR advisor also provides support and guidance to staff on the recruitment and support of volunteers throughout the charity.

Health and safety

The Trust undertakes regular maintenance and servicing of equipment and buildings to ensure compliance with relevant fire, gas and electrical regulations, vehicle safety and maintenance.

Reputation

Maintaining the Trusts’ reputation is vital to preserve and increase support for our work and to attract financial support. The Trust encourages staff and volunteers to treat supporters and clients with the respect that they themselves also expect to receive from the public. The Trust seeks to resolve complaints although accepts that due to the nature of the work being animal welfare that some disputes will not be resolved to the satisfaction of the

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

complainant but instead in the interests of the animal involved. In addition to defending our reputation, when necessary, the Trustees are also seeking to be more proactive, improving and increasing our online presence to raise awareness and support.

Compliance

The Trustees aim to ensure good governance of the charity, comply with GDPR and ensure due diligence in decision making. A GDPR review was carried out in early 2024 and this policy will be reviewed annually.

Projects during 2024

We have continued to focus on delivering our core veterinary and rescue services as effectively as we can.

The one large project that we have continued with the preparation for is the Friendly Street Cattery project at our Lewisham centre. The new cattery once completed will provide greatly improved modern cattery accommodation including 23 spacious ‘walk in style’ cattery pens for some of our rescued cats who are awaiting new homes.

History

The site has been in the CHAT’s ownership for many years. The site has been in the CHAT’s ownership for many years, and a planning permission was first developed and granted in 2011 to demolish the building in FS and replace with a new building including a one-bedroom flat and reception area for the rehoming of cats, with a twostorey cattery to the rear. This project never proceeded due to financial issues. The project was resurrected in 2021 and legal clarification as to the status of the planning permission was sought.

Brief

In the interim period the client’s brief had changed, demolition was reconsidered, a flat was no longer necessary or desirable and new DEFRA standards for catteries had been issued. A feasibility study was commissioned, and the new brief and project objectives were clarified:

“The most important project objective is to provide good standard facilities for the cats. Other project objectives are listed below in priority order:

• Enhance the functionality of the CHAT site and bring it up to current DEFRE standards

• Fulfilling the programmatic brief of providing a new Rehoming reception area

• Cost effective and representing value for money from a capital and maintenance point of view.

• Sustainable

• Sensitive to local area/site.”

Planning permission

Planning permission for the new project was granted on 28th September 2023.

Technical design

The technical design was developed by the following design team:

Jo Townshend Architects Webb Yates Engineers (Structure, Civils and MEP) KM dimensions (Cost Control) CYM Consulting (Health & Safety) Hawton Shore Associates (Party walls & Legals)

Party Walls/Neighbours

Party Wall Awards for phase 1 have been agreed with the owners of No. 3 Friendly Street and with London Borough of Lewisham for the party wall with Friendly Gardens. A license has been agreed with LB of Lewisham for use of a small area of Friendly Gardens for access to the site.

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TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

Tender

Four contractors were invited to tender for the project. All of them were known to members the design team. Tenders were returned in July 2024. As CHAT did not have access to the necessary funds to carry out the entire project, the project has been phased. The first phase was organised to expend the amount of funds available for the project of £300,000.

Initially we worked with the two lowest tenderers to develop the phasing to fit the reduced budget and in the process ended up choosing the preferred contractor Arcus Group Ltd. The first phase focuses on the refurbishment and extension of the existing building on Friendly Street. This building has been derelict for over 20 years and was in much need of work.

Construction

Works for phase 1 started on site on 31st March 2025 under a JCT Intermediate Building Contract with Contractors Design (2016 Edition) which is a traditional form of contract for a contract sum of £299,229.46. The contract period for phase 1 is 28 weeks ending on the 13th of October 2025.

Future phasing

CHAT is currently fund raising for the remains of the project and it is hoped that the contractor and the design team will be able to continue working seamlessly on the project towards completion of the whole project.

Other projects

Essential upgrade and repair of ventilation and air conditioning at Canning Town and Cattery Expansion Project at our Greenacres Sanctuary

We are delighted to report that, thanks to the generous support of a wonderful donor, we have been able to fund the construction of additional cattery accommodation. This new facility includes a fully equipped kitchen for preparing food, a cosy living room, dedicated storage space, and a fully decked outdoor run, allowing the cats safe access to the outdoors.

This has been a major project, involving the installation of full utility services to the new building. Once completed, the space will provide a safe, comfortable, and enriching environment for cats who are unable to roam freely due to specific health or behavioural needs.

Although the project is ongoing, we are now nearing completion and are incredibly grateful for the support that has made this vital addition possible.

Page 13

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

Reserves policy and going concern

Charity Commission guidance defines free reserves as income that becomes available to the charity and is to be expended at the Trustees' discretion in furtherance of any of the charity's objects, but is not yet spent, committed or designated. In accordance with Charity Commission guidance, the designated reserves represent the fixed asset required to deliver the charity's objectives/ At the balance sheet date, the charity's reserves comprised the following :-

Total reserves Less: Fixed asset reserve Free reserves	2024 2023 2,163,079 2,515,974 (699,898) (730,577)
	1,463,181 1,785,397

The charity needs free reserves both to enable it to progress to completion its long-term projects and to protect its current activities, in order to allow the Trustees to meet their responsibilities and ensure that it continues to operate on a going concern basis. The Trustees have examined the needs, risks and challenges faced by the charity in both the short and medium term, along with relevant financial forecasts and have formulated a policy to meet those needs.

The Trusts income is vulnerable to fluctuations in donor generosity and to safeguard against these it is essential for the Trust to have sufficient unrestricted funds available should income fall and a buffer to keep the charity operational. Reserves must also safeguard the future of over 700 cats in our care at any time including providing a permanent residence to animals at our Sanctuary should our financial situation deteriorate to such a point that the charity can no longer continue at its present level.

The Trust has a reserves policy that we feel safeguards the animals in the charities care and provides us with emergency reserves to enable us to be able to wind up the charity in the event of financial disaster. Our reserves policy is one million which is equivalent to 4 months running costs. The Trustees consider that the current level is sufficient to cover any shortfall in the event of unexpected financial difficulties.

As at 31 October 2024, the Trust had 5.6 months (2023 – 5.9) of running costs in free reserves.

Page 14

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102);

• make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102) have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the group will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Group and the Charity's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Group and the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Group and the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Disclosure of information to auditor

Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees’ report is approved has confirmed that:

• so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable group’s auditor is unaware, and

• that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable group’s audit is aware of that information.

Auditor

The auditor, Crowe U.K. LLP, has indicated his willingness to continue in office. The designated Trustees will propose a motion reappointing the auditor at a meeting of the Trustees.

Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees on 10th September 2025 and signed on their behalf by: ……………………………………………….. Celia Hammond Trustee

Page 15

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Celia Hammond Animal Trust (the 'parent charity') and its subsidiaries (the 'group') for the year ended 31 October 2024 which comprise the Consolidated statement of financial activities, the Consolidated balance sheet, the Charity balance sheet, the Consolidated statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has been withdrawn.

This has been done in order for the accounts to provide a true and fair view in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the Group's and of the parent charity's affairs as at 31 October 2024 and of the Group's incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Group's or the parent charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Page 16

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST (CONTINUED)

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Annual report other than the financial statements and our Auditor's report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• the information given in the Trustees' report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or

• the parent Charity has not kept sufficient accounting records; or

• the parent Charity financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Trustees' responsibilities statement, the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements which give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the Group's and the parent charity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the Group or the parent charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Page 17

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST (CONTINUED)

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 151 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within which the charity operates, focusing on those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The laws and regulations we considered in this context were the Companies Act 2006, Charity SORP (FRS102) and tax regulations.

We identified the greatest risk of material impact on the financial statements from irregularities, including fraud, to be the override of controls by management and legacy income recognition, specifically in relation to the benefit and completeness assertion. Our audit procedures to respond to these risks included:

• enquiry of management about the company’s policies, procedures and related controls regarding compliance with laws and regulations and if there are any known instances of non-compliance

• examining supporting documents for all material balances, transactions and disclosures

• • review of the board meeting minutes

• enquiry of management and review and inspection of relevant correspondence with any legal firms

• • evaluation of the selection and application of accounting policies related to subjective measurements and complex transactions

• detailed testing of a legacies received during the year and around the year and agreeing these through to supporting documentation to assess whether it had been captured in the appropriate accounting period

• testing the appropriateness of a sample of significant journal entries recorded in the general ledger and other adjustments made in the preparation of the financial statements, and review of accounting estimates for biases.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditor's report.

Page 18

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST (CONTINUED)

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity's trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and its trustees, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Matthew Howard (senior statutory auditor)

For and on behalf of Crowe U.K. LLP

Statutory Auditor Medway Bridge House

1-8 Fairmeadow Maidstone Kent ME14 1JP

Date: 15 September 2025

Page 19

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

Note Income from: Donations and legacies 4 Charitable activities 5 Other trading activities 6 Investments 7 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities 8 Total expenditure Net expenditure before net losses on investments Net losses on investments Net expenditure before taxation Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Net movement in funds Total funds carried forward	Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 2,254,223 557,538 35,225 75,848 2,922,834 26,037 3,124,690 3,150,727 (227,893) (125,000) (352,893) (352,893) 2,515,973 (352,893) 2,163,080	Total funds 2024 £ 2,254,223 557,538 35,225 75,848 2,922,834 26,037 3,124,690 3,150,727 (227,893) (125,000) (352,893) (352,893) 2,515,973 (352,893) 2,163,080	Total funds 2023 £ 1,715,283 593,632 26,073 78,452 2,413,440 28,272 3,547,684 3,575,956 (1,162,516) (225,000) (1,387,516) (1,387,516) 3,903,489 (1,387,516) 2,515,973

The Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

The notes on pages 24 to 45 form part of these financial statements.

Page 20

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2024

Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 13 Investments 15 Investment property 14 Current assets Debtors 16 Cash at bank and in hand Current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 17 Net current assets Total net assets Charity funds Unrestricted funds 19 Total funds	16,427 602,420 618,847 (155,743)	2024 £ 699,898 77 1,000,000 1,699,975 463,104 2,163,079 2,163,079 2,163,079	34,319 823,656 857,975 (197,656)	2023 £ 730,577 77 1,125,000
				1,855,654 660,319
				2,515,973
				2,515,973
				2,515,973

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Celia Hammond

Trustee

Date: 10/9/2025

The notes on pages 24 to 45 form part of these financial statements.

Page 21

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

CHARITY BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2024

Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 13 Investments 15 Investment property 14 Current assets Debtors 16 Cash at bank and in hand Current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 17 Net current assets Total net assets Charity funds Unrestricted funds 19 Total funds	22,378 601,134 623,512 (154,104)	2024 £ 693,592 79 1,000,000 1,693,671 469,408 2,163,079 2,163,079 2,163,079	46,594 818,659 865,253 (196,528)	2023 £ 722,170 79 1,125,000
				1,847,249 668,725
				2,515,974
				2,515,974
				2,515,974

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Celia Hammond

Trustee

Date: 10/9/2025

The notes on pages 24 to 45 form part of these financial statements.

Page 22

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

Cash flows from operating activities Net cash used in operating activities Cash flows from investing activities Dividends, interests and rents from investments Purchase of tangible fixed assets Net cash provided by investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year The notes on pages 24 to 45 form part of these financial statements	2024 £ (254,704) 75,213 (41,745) 33,468 (221,236) 823,656 602,420	2023 £ 252,583 78,696 (13,895) 64,801 317,384 506,272 823,656

Page 23

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

1. General information

Celia Hammond Animal Trust constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The charity's principal activities are to promote the welfare of animals, particularly cats, and to provide spaying and neutering facilities and other veterinary services to those on low incomes.

The charity is the parent to CHAT Trading Limited, private company limited by shares, which provides retail services.

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair' view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a 'true and fair' view. This departure has involved following the Charities SORP (FRS 102) published in October 2019 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

Celia Hammond Animal Trust meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

The Consolidated statement of financial activities (SOFA) and Consolidated balance sheet consolidate the financial statements of the Charity and its subsidiary undertaking. The results of the subsidiary are consolidated on a line by line basis.

2.2 Going concern

Accounting standards require the Trustees to consider the appropriateness of the going concern basis when preparing the financial statements. The Trustees have taken notice of the Financial Reporting Council guidance, which requires the reasons for this decision to be explained. The Trustees regard the going concern basis as remaining appropriate for the reasons outlined in the Trustees report. Thus, they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the annual financial statements.

Page 24

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.3 Income

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

The recognition of income from legacies is dependent on establishing entitlement, the probability of receipt and the ability to estimate with sufficient accuracy the amount receivable. Evidence of entitlement to a legacy exists when the Charity has sufficient evidence that a gift has been left to them (through knowledge of the existence of a valid will and the death of the benefactor) and the executor is satisfied that the property in question will not be required to satisfy claims in the estate. Receipt of a legacy must be recognised when it is probable that it will be received and the fair value of the amount receivable, which will generally be the expected cash amount to be distributed to the Charity, can be reliably measured. Legacies where there is uncertainty of the amount to be received or timing of receipt are not accrued.

Donations are recognised as income when the conditions for its receipt have been met.

Trading income relates to the income generated from the provision of vetinary services at clinics. This income is recognised at the point of sale, as the conditions for its receipt have been met.

Investment income predominantly relates to rental income from investment properties.

Other trading income relates to income generated by CHAT Trading Limited and are paid to the charity annually. The accounts of the Company set out the income recognition policies applied.

Where income is received for a specific purpose, the income is included in restricted funds.

All other income is accounted for on a receivable basis.

Income tax recoverable in relation to investment income is recognised at the time the investment income is receivable.

2.4 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the Group to raise funds for its charitable purposes and includes costs of all fundraising activities events and non-charitable trading.

Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the Group's objectives, as well as any associated support costs.

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

Page 25

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.5 Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Group; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.

2.6 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing £1,000 or more are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.

Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition are included in the measurement of cost.

Investment property is initially measured at cost and is subsequently remeasured to fair value at the end of each reporting period. Any gains or losses are recorded in the profit and loss account.

At each reporting date the Charity assesses whether there is any indication of impairment. If such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is determined to be the higher of its fair value less costs to sell and its value in use. An impairment loss is recognised where the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount.

Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives.

Depreciation is provided on the following bases:

Freehold property	- 4% straight line
Motor vehicles	- 25% reducing balance
Fixtures and fittings	- 25% reducing balance
Computer equipment	- 33% straight line

2.7 Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

2.8 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

Page 26

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.9 Liabilities and provisions

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, the provision is based on the present value of those amounts, discounted at the pre-tax discount rate that reflects the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognised in the Consolidated statement of financial activities as a finance cost.

2.10 Financial instruments

The Group only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

2.11 Pensions

The Group operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the Group to the fund in respect of the year.

2.12 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Group and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Group for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income, gains and losses are allocated to the appropriate fund.

Page 27

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

3. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgment

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions:

i) Investment property valuations:investment properties are revalued by Savills when the. Trustees believe there has been a material change in value. Trustees assess on an annual basis the valuation of the properties. The value of the properties is estimated to be the open market value at the balance sheet date.

ii) Accrued legacy income: Management judgements are required to estimate a suitable amount of legacy income to accrue at the reporting date. The amount is calculated based on the conditions set out in the Charity SORP (FRS 102).

iii) The Trustees use forecasts when concluding upon the going concern assertion when preparing the financial statements. These forecasts have estimates and judgements included throughout but are based on the historic performance of the charity and expected future income and expenditure.

Page 28

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

4. Income from donations and legacies

Unrestricted funds 2024 £ Donations 1,063,475 Legacies 1,190,748 2,254,223 Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Donations 1,221,962 Legacies 493,321 1,715,283 Income from charitable activities Unrestricted funds 2024 £ Provision of veterinary services 557,538 Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Provision of veterinary services 593,632	Total funds 2024 £ 1,063,475 1,190,748
	2,254,223
	Total funds 2023 £ 1,221,962 493,321
	1,715,283
	Total funds 2024 £ 557,538
	Total funds 2023 £ 593,632

5. Income from charitable activities

Page 29

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

6. Income from other trading activities

Income from non charitable trading activities

Unrestricted funds 2024 £ Sale of donated goods 35,225 Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Sale of donated goods 26,073	Total funds 2024 £ 35,225
	Total funds 2023 £ 26,073

7. Investment income

Unrestricted funds 2024 £ Rental income 68,636 Interest 7,212 75,848 Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Rental income 67,703 Interest 10,749 78,452	Total funds 2024 £ 68,636 7,212
	75,848
	Total funds 2023 £ 67,703 10,749
	78,452

Page 30

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

8. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Summary by fund type

Unrestricted funds 2024 £ Provision of veterinary services 2,877,073 Provision of sanctuary to animals 228,617 Governance 19,000 3,124,690 Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Provision of veterinary services 3,297,209 Provision of sanctuary to animals 235,475 Governance 15,000 3,547,684	Total 2024 £ 2,877,073 228,617 19,000
	3,124,690
	Total 2023 £ 3,297,209 235,475 15,000
	3,547,684

Page 31

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

9. Analysis of expenditure by activities

Provision of veterinary services Provision of sanctuary to animals Governance Provision of veterinary services Provision of sanctuary to animals Governance	Activities undertaken directly 2024 £ 2,458,701 221,585 - 2,680,286 Activities undertaken directly 2023 £ 2,879,990 227,187 - 3,107,177	Support costs 2024 £ 418,372 7,032 19,000 444,404 Support costs 2023 £ 417,219 8,288 15,000 440,507	Total funds 2024 £ 2,877,073 228,617 19,000
			3,124,690
			Total funds 2023 £ 3,297,209 235,475 15,000
			3,547,684

Page 32

CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

9. Analysis of expenditure by activities (continued)

Analysis of support costs

Staff costs Depreciation Governance costs Facilities Staff costs Depreciation Governance costs Facilities	Provision of veterinary services 2024 £ 316,360 72,324 - 29,688 418,372 Provision of veterinary services 2023 £ 182,149 74,592 - 160,478 417,219	Provision of sanctuary to animals 2024 £ - 7,032 - - 7,032 Provision of sanctuary to animals 2023 £ - 8,288 - - 8,288	Governance 2024 £ - - 19,000 - 19,000 Governance 2023 £ - - 15,000 - 15,000	Total funds 2024 £ 316,360 79,356 19,000 29,688
				444,404
				Total funds 2023 £ 182,149 82,880 15,000 160,478
				440,507

10. Auditor's remuneration

	2024	2023
	£	£
Fees payable to the Charity's auditor for the audit of the Charity's annual
accounts	19,000	15,000

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

11. Staff costs

Wages and salaries Social security costs Contribution to defined contribution pension schemes	Group 2024 £ 1,514,916 111,751 26,462 1,653,129	Group 2023 £ 1,672,312 122,372 26,802 1,821,486	Charity 2024 £ 1,514,916 111,751 26,462 1,653,129	Charity 2023 £ 1,672,312 122,372 26,802
				1,821,486

The average number of persons employed by the Charity during the year was as follows:

Veterinary services Sanctuary Management Finance	Group 2024 No. 61 8 4 2 75	Group 2023 No. 72 12 4 2
		90

The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was:

		Group	Group
		2024	2023
		No.	No.
In the band £60,001	- £70,000	1	1
In the band £70,001	- £80,000	1	1

The total amount of employee benefits received by key management personnel is £240,762 (2023: £266,208)

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

12. Trustees' remuneration and expenses

During the year, two Trustees have been paid remuneration or have received other benefits from employment with the Charity. Naomi Sheen was paid for employment services as a cat rehoming coordinator with the Lewisham Branch of the charity – a position held since 2001 and prior to becoming a Trustee. Naomi Sheen’s continued employment in this position has been notified to and authorised by the Charity Commission. Andrew Hamill-Stewart was paid for locum veterinary services provided in the year. Under Charity Commission guidance, the provision of these services does not constitute employment benefits and therefore no notification is required.

The value of Trustees' remuneration and other benefits was as follows:

		2024	2023
		£	£
N Sheen	Remuneration	10,190	9,421
A Hamill-Stewart	Remuneration	16,575	-

During the year ended 31 October 2024, no Trustee expenses have been incurred (2023 - £NIL) .

13. Tangible fixed assets

Group

Cost or valuation At 1 November 2023 Additions At 31 October 2024 Depreciation At 1 November 2023 Charge for the year At 31 October 2024 Net book value At 31 October 2024 At 31 October 2023	Freehold property £ 2,067,025 31,845 2,098,870 1,368,085 60,369 1,428,454 670,416 698,939	Motor vehicles £ 115,726 9,900 125,626 102,481 5,881 108,362 17,264 13,245	Fixtures and fittings £ 443,478 - 443,478 425,085 6,174 431,259 12,219 18,393	Computer equipment £ 63,919 - 63,919 63,919 - 63,919 - -	Total £ 2,690,148 41,745
					2,731,893
					1,959,570 72,424
					2,031,994
					699,899
					730,577

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

13. Tangible fixed assets (continued)

Charity

Cost or valuation At 1 November 2023 Additions At 31 October 2024 Depreciation At 1 November 2023 Charge for the year At 31 October 2024 Net book value At 31 October 2024 At 31 October 2023	Freehold property £ 2,067,025 31,845 2,098,870 1,368,085 60,369 1,428,454 670,416 698,939	Motor vehicles £ 102,006 9,900 111,906 95,067 5,881 100,948 10,958 6,939	Fixtures and fittings £ 443,478 - 443,478 425,085 6,174 431,259 12,219 18,393	Computer equipment £ 63,919 - 63,919 63,919 - 63,919 - -	Total £ 2,676,428 41,745
					2,718,173
					1,952,156 72,424
					2,024,580
					693,593
					724,271

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

14. Investment property

Group and Charity

Valuation At 1 November 2023 Impairment At 31 October 2024	Freehold investment property £ 1,125,000 (125,000)
	1,000,000

The 2024 valuations were made by the Trustees, based on valuations carried out by Watson Day in 2018 and Clive Emson in 2024, on an open market value for existing use basis.

The Trustees have carried out an assessment in the current year based on current market values.

15. Fixed asset investments

Investments

Charity Cost or valuation At 1 November 2023 At 31 October 2024 Net book value At 31 October 2024 At 31 October 2023	in subsidiary companies £ 2 2 2 2	Listed investments £ 77 77 77 77	Total £ 79
			79
			79
			79

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

15. Fixed asset investments (continued)

Principal subsidiaries

The following was a subsidiary undertaking of the Charity:

Name	Company	Principal activity	Holding	Included in
	number			consolidation
CHAT Trading Limited	03055752	Retail sale in non-	100%	Yes
		specialised stores to
		support and fund the
		Trust

The financial results of the subsidiary for the year were:

Name	Income	Expenditure	Profit/(Loss)	Net assets
	£	£	for the year	£
			£
CHAT Trading Limited	35,225	14,254	20,971	7

16. Debtors

Due within one year Amounts owed by group undertakings Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income	Group 2024 £ - 14,112 2,315 16,427	Group 2023 £ - 33,004 1,315 34,319	Charity 2024 £ 5,951 14,112 2,315 22,378	Charity 2023 £ 12,869 32,410 1,315
				46,594

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

17. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Bank overdrafts Trade creditors Other taxation and social security Other creditors Accruals and deferred income	Group 2024 £ 138 62,470 26,790 40,074 26,271 155,743	Group 2023 £ 138 99,774 46,042 36,203 15,499 197,656	Charity 2024 £ - 62,470 26,790 40,074 24,770 154,104	Charity 2023 £ - 99,936 45,390 36,203 14,999
				196,528

18. Financial instruments

Financial assets Financial assets measured at cost Financial liabilities Financial instruments measured at cost	Group 2024 £ 616,532 Group 2024 £ (128,814)	Group 2023 £ 856,151 Group 2023 £ (151,637)	Charity 2024 £ 615,246 Charity 2024 £ (127,314)	Charity 2023 £ 855,653 Charity 2023 £ (142,854)

Financial assets measured at amortised cost comprise trade debtors, other debtors and cash.

Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost comprise trade creditors, other creditors and accruals.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

19. Statement of funds Statement of funds - current year Balance at 1 November 2023 £ Income £ Unrestricted funds Designated funds Designated Funds - all funds 730,577 - General funds General Funds - all funds 1,785,396 2,922,833 Total Unrestricted funds 2,515,973 2,922,833	Expenditure £ (72,324) (3,078,403) (3,150,727)	Transfers in/out £ 41,645 (41,645) -	Gains/ (Losses) £ - (125,000) (125,000)	Balance at 31 October 2024 £ 699,898
				1,463,181
				2,163,079

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

19. Statement of funds (continued)

Statement of funds - prior year

Unrestricted funds Designated funds Designated Funds - all funds General funds General Funds - all funds Total Unrestricted funds	Balance at 1 November 2022 £ 799,562 3,103,926 3,903,488	Income £ - 2,413,440 2,413,440	Expenditure £ (82,880) (3,493,075) (3,575,955)	Transfers in/out £ 13,895 (13,895) -	Gains/ (Losses) £ - (225,000) (225,000)	Balance at 31 October 2023 £ 730,577
						1,785,396
						2,515,973

The designated fund represents the value of fixed assets used in the delivering of the charitable objectives of the Trust.

Transfers relate to fixed assets purchased from unrestricted funds and transferred to the fixed asset fund.

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

20. Summary of funds

Summary of funds - current year Balance at 1 November 2023 £ Income £ Designated funds 730,577 - General funds 1,785,396 2,922,833 2,515,973 2,922,833 Summary of funds - prior year Balance at 1 November 2022 £ Income £ Designated funds 799,562 - General funds 3,103,926 2,413,440 3,903,488 2,413,440	Summary of funds - current year Balance at 1 November 2023 £ Income £ Designated funds 730,577 - General funds 1,785,396 2,922,833 2,515,973 2,922,833 Summary of funds - prior year Balance at 1 November 2022 £ Income £ Designated funds 799,562 - General funds 3,103,926 2,413,440 3,903,488 2,413,440	Expenditure £ (72,324) (3,078,403) (3,150,727) Expenditure £ (82,880) (3,493,075) (3,575,955)	Transfers in/out £ 41,645 (41,645) - Transfers in/out £ 13,895 (13,895) -	Gains/ (Losses) £ - (125,000) (125,000) Gains/ (Losses) £ - (225,000) (225,000)	Balance at 31 October 2024 £ 699,898 1,463,181
Designated funds General funds	Balance at 1 November 2023 £ 730,577 1,785,396 2,515,973
					2,163,079
					Balance at 31 October 2023 £ 730,577 1,785,396
Summary of funds - prior year
Designated funds General funds	Balance at 1 November 2022 £ 799,562 3,103,926 3,903,488
					2,515,973

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

21. Analysis of net assets between funds Analysis of net assets between funds - current period

Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 699,898 77 1,000,000 618,846 (155,743) Tangible fixed assets Fixed asset investments Investment property Current assets Creditors due within one year Total 2,163,079 Analysis of net assets between funds - prior period Unrestricted funds 2023 £ 730,577 77 1,125,000 857,975 (197,656) Tangible fixed assets Fixed asset investments Investment property Current assets Creditors due within one year Total 2,515,973

Total funds 2024 £ 699,898 77 1,000,000 618,846 (155,743) 2,163,079 Total funds 2023 £ 730,577 77 1,125,000 857,975 (197,656) 2,515,973

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

22. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Net expenditure for the period (as per Statement of Financial Activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Impairment to investment property Dividends, interests and rents from investments Decrease in debtors Increase/(decrease) in creditors Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities 23. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents Cash in hand Total cash and cash equivalents 24. Analysis of changes in net debt At 1 November 2023 Cash flows £ £ Cash at bank and in hand 823,656 (215,915) Bank overdrafts repayable on demand (138) - 823,518 (215,915)	Group 2024 £ (352,893) 72,424 125,000 (75,213) 17,893 (41,914) (254,703) Group 2024 £ 602,420 602,420 Other non- cash changes £ (5,321) - (5,321)	Group 2023 £ (1,387,516) 82,880 225,000 (78,695) 1,403,355 7,559 252,583 Group 2023 £ 823,656 823,656 At 31 October 2024 £ 602,420 (138) 602,282

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CELIA HAMMOND ANIMAL TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2024

25. Related party transactions

During the year the charity paid rentals of £5,200 (2023: £5,200) on a building owned by Ms C Hammond, a Trustee, in respect of accomodation for employees. This amount is subject to a formal lease and is considered to be substantially less than market rate for such a property.

During the year CHAT Trading Limited paid the Trust £8,000 (2023: £8,000) in rent. CHAT Trading Limited paid £20,971 (2023: £95,302) via deed of covenant. At the year end, CHAT Trading Limited owed the Trust £5,951 (2023: £12,869).

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