Emergency Fund Launched To Help Animal Rescue and Rehoming Organisations Through Coronavirus

The Association of Dogs and Cats Home (ADCH) has launched an Emergency Fund for animal rescues across the British Isles, to help them continue their vital work during the coronavirus outbreak.

This comes in response to a survey of rescue and rehoming organisations by ADCH, the sector umbrella body for companion animal rescue organisations, which revealed:

• 100% said their income had reduced;
• 61% said they have reduced staff numbers (the majority through furloughing);
• 55% said that fundraising income had already reduced by over 50%;
• Just 52% of members said they had three months of income and reserves remaining, whilst 32% had less than three months, and some significantly less than this. Yet none have shut their doors – they are still carrying out their vital work every day.

Claire Horton, ADCH Chairman, said:

“There are over 1,200 animal rescue and rehoming centres throughout the UK, doing their very best to care for hundreds of thousands of unwanted and abandoned animals each year. Their closure or reduction in capacity would be catastrophic for animal in need but the results of the ADCH survey paint a very worrying picture.

“There has been no let-up in the number of animals these rescues care for, yet their income streams have all but dried up due to cancelled fundraising activities and closure of charity shops. This is an emergency – the very survival of some of these rescues is at stake. The ADCH Coronavirus Emergency Fund is here to provide aid to rescues in immediate crisis and support to others further down the line.”

The funds will provide one-off grants of up to £10,000 to cover activities directly affected by coronavirus. Grants will be prioritised for organisations with an annual turnover of £500,000 or less and will help support the cost of food, bedding, cleaning equipment and transportation of animals, as well as additional staff costs as a result of staff and volunteers not being able to attend the rescue or shelter.

Claire Horton adds:

“Wide-scale pet abandonment could be one big consequence of the coronavirus pandemic if owners struggle to care for their pets financially or can’t cope with them after lockdown. We hope this fund will prevent animal rescue centres from being forced to close their gates and therefore safeguard the welfare of those animals in most urgent need.”

 Any corporations or members of the public who wish to donate to the ADCH Coronavirus Emergency Fund can visit http://adch.org.uk/donate/.

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For further information or images please contact ADCH Member and Administration Manager, Therese Davall, on [email protected] or 07388 380 824.

Notes to editors

• The ADCH survey of its members was open from 7-10 April 2020 and reminders chased 15-20 April. Responses were obtained from 134 members (89% of all members) across all eight jurisdictions that ADCH operates in. Applicants to the ADCH Coronavirus Emergency Fund will need to be a registered charity, CIC or not-for-profit organisation.

• Applicants need not be ADCH members, but rescue and rehoming of dogs and cats should be a major focus of their work.
• Donors to the fund include Petplan Charitable Trust, Mars Petcare, Battersea and Dogs Trust.
• Currently the fund sits at around £310k. ADCH is aiming to reach at least £500k.
• For more information and to apply visit http://adch.org.uk/adch-coronavirus-emergency-fund/

 About the Association of Dog and Cat Homes

• The Association of Dog and Cat Homes (ADCH) is the sector umbrella body for companion animal rescue organisations, providing support and promoting best practice to organisations the length and breadth of the British Isles.
• ADCH was founded in 1985 with the purpose of developing good practice in the rescue and rehoming of dogs and cats.
• ADCH now has over 150 members representing dog and cat rescue and rehoming organisations, large and small, across the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
• Visit adch.org.uk for further information.