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← North Coast Cat Rescue

2025-12-31-annual-report

ANNUAL REPORT 2025

North Coast Cat Rescue

northcoastcatrescue@gmail.com Phone number: 07352337759

Charity number: NIC110114

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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|||| |---|---|---| |CHAIR’S REPORT ............................................................... 3| |TRUSTEE’S REPORT .......................................................... 6| |TRAP,|NEUTER,|RETURN (TNR) ...................................................... 6| |REHOMING ..................................................................................... 7| |VOLUNTEERS ................................................................................. 7| |PUBLIC EDUCATION ........................................................................ 8| |ADMINISTRATION &|FUNDRAISING .................................................... 8| |SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE .............................................................. 9| |NEXT STEPS ................................................................................ 10| |SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES ................................ 11|

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CHAIR’S REPORT

We are delighted to share with you the first ever Annual Report of the North Coast Cat Rescue (NCCR). When the four trustees came together in January 2024 to establish NCCR, none of us imagined that within a year we would be reflecting on such remarkable progress. This milestone is possible only because of the unwavering support of our volunteers, donors, and community partners. To each one of you who has given your time, energy, and generosity - thank you. From the very

beginning, transparency was at the heart of our vision. That is why one of our first priorities was to register with the Charity Commission Northern Ireland. Doing so ensures that our work, finances, and achievements are open to public scrutiny, building trust and credibility for NCCR as we grow.

Feline welfare remains the cornerstone of everything we do. Our primary mission is to improve the lives of unowned cats across the north coast, with Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) at the centre of our efforts. By humanely trapping feral cats, providing essential veterinary care (neutering), and returning them to their colonies, we are tackling the root cause of feline overpopulation. TNR is not only the most humane approach — it is the only proven effective long-term solution to improving the welfare of our feral cat colonies.

This past year has been a great success for our TNR programme, thanks entirely to the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters. Alongside this, we have rehabilitated and rehomed countless feral kittens and friendly strays. While we have been astonished by the sheer number of cats in need, this only underscores the importance of our work. We are

encouraged that local councils, including Causeway Coast and Glens, have publicly recognised TNR as essential, and we will continue to campaign for stronger support from councillors and MLAs.

In an ideal world we would have all cats in loving homes and there would be no free roaming, non-neutered cats. It is due to lack of action across Northern Ireland, in particular the Causeway Coast and Glens that the cat population has continued to grow. Whilst, we have no research to determine the exact number of feral and stray free roaming cats, we can estimate there are thousands. Feral cats are not socialized to humans, meaning they have grown up with little to no human contact. Whilst they are the same species as domestic

cats, their socialization to humans is different. Meaning feral cats have not been exposed to human touch, interaction and playing. Therefore, making them fearful of humans and confinement.

Our mission is to save and improve the lives of as many feral cats as we can. Managing feral cat populations through rehoming alone is not possible. The resources do not exist to socialize and adopt the thousands of feral cats in this country. Whilst we believe feral cats can be socialised in certain cases, the time and energy that would be required to attempt to socialise one feral cat, could have been spent neutering many cats and rehoming multiple friendly cats and kittens, whilst also potentially impacting the welfare of the feral cat. Thereby we plan to focus our efforts on neutering to reduce the overall number of cats/kittens struggling to survive outdoors.

Over the past year, we have been deeply moved by the compassion of local colony carers, whose kindness ensures that these cats live healthier, safer lives. Their dedication embodies the spirit of teamwork that makes NCCR’s mission possible.

As a new charity, we have also been humbled by the warm welcome we have received from fellow rescues, non-profits, and independent rescuers. Partnerships—such as our ongoing collaboration with a local petfood store in Coleraine - Jolleys[1] , who have been instrumental in our achievements to date.

Within this report, you will find details of our work, impact, and vision for the future. Our mission remains steadfast: to carry out TNR for as many feral cats as possible across the North Coast, to educate the public about feline welfare, and to rescue, socialise and rehome feral kittens and strays where needed. Due to increasing veterinary costs, the public are

1 https://www.jollyes.co.uk/store/coleraine

also reluctant to take on financial burden of vet care for sick and injured strays and ferals, so we use our resources to help get sick and injured ferals and strays to vets for veterinary care and cover the costs of treatment.

We look forward to building on the successes of our first year, with the hope and determination to help even more cats in the year ahead.

Chloe McGarvey NCCR Chair

Background and vision

North Coast Cat Rescue (NCCR) was established in 2024 with the key aims of providing support for treating and neutering feral and stray cats.

NCCR’s Charity purposes are:

a) Provide Financial support for treating and neutering stray/feral cats. This is not intended to include owned cats, except for were emergency treatment is provided prior to locating owner.

b) Provide traps, cat carriers and microchip scanners for loan to public, and/or use by volunteers. To enable the safe containment of sick/injured cats or those in need of neutering.

c) Fostering of cats and kittens in a safe and suitable environment and rehoming to a suitable home for that animal. Providing medical care, until deemed to be fit for homing, and then advertising and rehoming.

d) Provide advertising and advice regarding safe rehoming of cats.

e) Assist with advising prospective new owners on how to find a suitable cat.

f) Educate public on responsible cat ownership. Including behaviour, appropriate medical care such as vaccinations, flea and worm treatment, microchipping and neutering.

Public benefit statement

Feral cats play a complex role in the rural ecosystem. Their presence can naturally deter rodents, yet unmanaged colonies pose risks to biodiversity, public health, and animal welfare. Unneutered cats often suffer malnutrition, disease, injuries, and unchecked breeding, resulting in unnecessary suffering and further strain on local communities.

Research shows that Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR ) is the humane and effective approach for

feral cats. TNR improves cats’ health, addresses

community concerns, stabilizes colonies, and helps cats and people coexist. TNR also helps to:

The wider community also benefits; managed colonies are healthier, quieter, and less disruptive, while reducing risks of disease transmission and territorial conflict with owned pets. By controlling feral cat populations, we help to safeguard biodiversity and improve the welfare of the feral cat colonies.

Feral cats are bonded to their outdoor homes and to their feline families. TNR acknowledges their nature, their biology, and their inherent value as beings deserving of respect and protection by allowing these cats to continue their lives in familiar surroundings while ensuring their population stabilizes.

TNR is the ONLY evidence-based, humane, and effective approach to cats outdoors. Spaying or neutering means fewer kittens born outdoors and the reduction of behaviours associated with mating — including yowling, spraying, fighting and roaming. Additionally,

vaccinations provided during TNR improve the cats’ health and address community health

concerns.

The above infographic demonstrates 2025 trap, neuter & return projects for feral cats across the Causeway Coast and Glens area.

TRUSTEE’S REPORT

In setting our objectives and planning our activities for the year the trustees have considered the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the charity’s purposes and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries.

Achievements

Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR)

Since NCCR launched volunteers have successfully trapped, neutered, and returned 340 feral cats. 156 Male and 184 female. This is a remarkable

achievement for a new organisation, and it reflects both

the dedication of our team and the overwhelming need for this service across Northern Ireland.

However, demand has already far exceeded our current capacity. We continue to manage a long waiting list of cat colonies in need of urgent intervention, underlining the importance of sustained support for TNR work in

protecting cat welfare and stabilising populations. Now we have over 100 feral cats on our waiting lists from colonies across the north coast, this is expected to grow, and cats will continue to mate whilst waiting for TNR. We must also acknowledge the physical effort of trapping, the organisation behind arranging TNR, the transporting and lastly the veterinary costs associated with TNR. In addition, our waiting list only includes those we are aware of and within our area. It does not account for those cats that are not yet known to us or across areas outside our operational catchment.

Alongside direct interventions, we have loaned humane traps to members of the public 32 times, equipping them with guidance on safe use and best practice in cat welfare. By empowering local communities with knowledge and resources, we are extending our impact well beyond the cats we reach directly.

The wider community benefits from well managed feral cat colonies. Good management results in a reduction of disease transmission and territorial conflict with owned pets. These colonies are healthier, quieter, and less disruptive.

Rehoming and rehabilitation

We are proud to report that 55 cats and kittens have been successfully rehomed since NCCR launched in Sept 2024. When young kittens are discovered within feral colonies, our approach is to socialise and prepare them for adoption, while returning feral adult cats to their established colonies. Although returning cats to

their original colony is always the preference, on occasion where it has been unsafe to return cats to their original home, we have found new homes for them as ‘mousers’. This balanced strategy reduces colony size over time, prevents suffering, and gives kittens the opportunity to thrive in loving homes.

Every rehoming is supported by a rigorous process. This diligence helps protect cats from mistreatment and ensures lasting, positive outcomes for both the animals and their new families.

Whilst most of our rehoming has been kittens that were, previously feral from the colonies in which we complete TNR, we have also rehomed and rehabilitated friendly adult strays and stray kittens. This has included injured adult cats who have required veterinary care and rehabilitation with our fostering team. We are very proud of this work as often adult cats are overlooked and less preferred than kittens.

NCCR have also paid for the veterinary costs of 12 injured feral or stray cats in 2025. 9 of these were feral cats who were treated and returned to their colony and 3 were friendly strays who have since been rehabilitated and rehomed.

Volunteers

Our volunteer programme has grown steadily, with a dedicated team recruited through social media campaigns, online applications, interviews, and reference checks. Every volunteer has received role-specific training, access to key documentation, and uniforms, ensuring a consistent and professional standard across all activities.

This year, we also introduced social events for volunteers, providing valuable opportunities to build friendships, strengthen teamwork, and celebrate achievements together.

Our volunteers contribute across a wide range of activities, including:

Their dedication is at the heart of our charity’s success. Our volunteer programme not only drives our operations but also fosters strong community engagement, encouraging local people to take an active role in animal welfare.

The trustees would like to extend thanks to every one of our volunteers. Without you all, these achievements would not be possible.

Public Education

Public education remains a cornerstone of our work. This year, we provided educational outreach approximately four times per month , consistently highlighting the importance of TNR and responsible cat ownership through strong social media engagement.

In addition to our online presence, we attended twelve public events, meeting community members face-to-face to raise awareness, share advice, and encourage support.

We also supported the public directly, handling an average of five enquiries per month . Our dedicated volunteer-staffed phone line has become a lifeline for concerned members of the public seeking advice on cats.

Administration & Fundraising

Behind the scenes, we have worked hard to strengthen our organisational foundation. Specifically, we have:

Public donations remain our lifeline, and we are profoundly grateful for the generosity of our supporters. Without this community support, the work we do for vulnerable cats would not be possible.

Fundraising has been an area of significant activity this year. We organised 12 events , including clothing sales, raffles, pub quizzes, market stalls, and community bucket collections. We also set up an on-line charity EBay account and Amazon wish list. These events not only raised vital funds but also expanded our public visibility.

We maintain a valued sponsor partnership with Jolley’s Petfood store in Coleraine. This allows us to raise the public profile of the charity, collect donated items and raise money through selling items at a stall on Jolley’s premises.

We have created and successfully sold over 125 NCCR calendars to increase our funds during the Christmas period.

We have also launched our sponsor a trap appeal to help increase monthly donations. For £5 per month donation, supporters receive a monthly newsletter of the activities of their trap. At present we have 15 monthly donors as part of this appeal.

Social Media Presence

We maintain a strong social media presence, with more than 3.3k followers on Facebook, and 1K followers on TikTok. This presence allows us to provide much needed public education, raise awareness of the charity and to generate funding through on-line links for making donations.

We have recently created an Instagram account and are due to have our website finalised in 2026.

We have also launched a bi-monthly newsletter for our supporters who are not on social media. This is created by volunteers and delivered to supporters directly.

Next Steps

We are continuing to develop our systems and resources ensuring continuous improvement of the charity. Specifically, we intend to:

Funding

Volunteer Activity

Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities

The trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

• State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees: Alison Hagan, Trustee/ Treasurer, 28/01/2026

SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Period 1[st] January 2025- 31[st] December 2025

Total Income raised: £44,712.00

Payments made total: £36,459

Balance: £8,253.16

Cash Funds brought forward from 2024: £2,500.18

Current Funds at time of submission: £10,753.34 (31/12/25)

Income raised

NCCR income for 2025 was accumulated through public and charity donations. A combination of NCCR fundraising events, monthly donors, members of the public fundraisers and donations from other charities/nonprofits towards our rescue work. It is thanks to the generosity of members of the public and other non-profits that we have been able to make an impact on cats across the north coast.

Majority of NCCR donations are raised via online platforms in the form of regular donations and adhoc donations via Paypal or direct debits, £13,432.59. Donations via PayPal Giving Fund accounting for £9,224,59, which is accessed through our Facebook page. JustGiving also generated £3,580.84 worth of donations. A total of £895.95 was raised through calendar sales and selling items on our Facebook charity shop.

Donations from other Charities and businesses

We have been fortunate to receive donations from charity including 7[th] Heaven Animal Rescue Trust, Lila’s Legacy/Ballyclare Cattery & Spa, Northwest Animal Welfare Group and Animal Support Trust. We thank these non-profits and businesses for their generosity and support.

Funding & Platforms

Fundraising Events

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who supported our fundraising efforts this year. £4,065.61 was raised through 12 fundraising events. This included 2 street collections, 3 market stalls, 2 pub quizzes, 2 indoor bucket collections, 2 fundraising stalls at Jolleys Coleraine, 1 Car boot sale and 1 new and old clothes fundraiser. We would like to thank all

our volunteers and members of the public who have contributed towards our fundraising efforts. Without your support, we cannot help cats.

Payments out- charitable expenditure: Most of our payments out are for veterinary fees for cats with a total of £27,230.87. The most common expense is neutering for feral and foster cats. The is followed by vet supplies of flea/worming treatment and blood tests at a total of £4,656.46. TNR equipment of humane cat traps and accessories are responsible for the third highest spending of £2,244.95.

Payments out-Administration costs:

As a charity our focus remains on the cats and for this reason we aim to keep administrative costs to a minimum. Our administrative costs are for our charity phonelines (helpline and TNR coordination), charity insurance, and bank and PayPal transaction fees. This also includes printing of posters and purchasing of fundraising materials/equipment. Below includes support costs of the above categories.

Summary

We would like to extend thanks to all NCCR volunteers for their efforts. Without their time, effort and dedication none of these achievements wouldn’t be possible. We are very grateful to all volunteers for their contributions over the last year. In addition, we would also like to thank our supporters and donors- their generosity towards our charity has been incredible. Without volunteers and supporters, the impact on cats would be much lessthank you everyone.

Appendix

Balance sheet 2025

2025 Profit & loss

History of financial audit

eS

Date: 14/10/2025 North Coast Cat Rescue Time: 16:37:30 Balance Sheet

Page: |

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To:From: MonthMonth19 , JanuarySeptember 20252025
Chart of Accounts: DefaultLayout of Accounts
Period Yearto Date
Fixed Assets 0.00 0.00
Current Assets
Bank Account 3,736.26 6,236.44
3,736.26 6,236.44
Current Liabilities
0.00 0.00
Current Assets less Current Liabilities: 3,736.26 6,236.44
Total Assets less Current Liabilities: 3,736.26 6,236.44
Long Term Liabilities
0,00 0.00
Total Assets less Total Liabilities: 3,736.26 6,236.44
Capital& Reserves
Funds 0.00 2,500.18
P & L Account 3,736.26 3,736.26
3,736.26 6,236.44
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2024 Balance sheet