ANNUAL REVIEW2019

03 Welcome from our CEO

04 A message from our Patron, The Duchess of Sussex

05 2019 in numbers

06 A decade of helping animals and people

16 Investing in our people and the animal welfare sector

17Raising awareness and donations

182019-20: the journey so far

20 2020: a look ahead

22 Financial review

As we complete another decade, it is important and interesting to take stock not only of recent achievements and challenges, but of all that has changed, developed and improved over the last 10 years. While we may have had a name change in that time, Mayhew fundamentally continues to exist to serve the dogs, cats and communities of London, and the overseas countries in which we work, with non-judgemental support at the point of need. However, much has altered in terms of the people and animals who need that help.Social issues and animal welfare have become increasingly interlinked in the UK, leading to a rise in people having to give up or abandon their pets. At the same time, the ease of buying a pet online has led to an appalling trend in impulse purchasing and the subsequent disposal of cats and dogs.

But all is not lost! I am delighted to see a much greater understanding of how human mental health and well-being can be benefitted and isolation decreased by pet ownership and animal-assisted intervention (AAI). Mayhew will continue to work to improve people’s understanding of the positive power of animals so that support for incorporating AAI continues to grow.

We ended the decade with a year of strengthening the foundations on which we are built. Both literally, with the refurbishment of our main kennel block, intake area and Animal Welfare team office space, and through the opening of the Animal Birth Control Centre in Kabul. But also metaphorically, as we collaborated with Middlesex University on a research project that proved how beneficial spending time with animals can be, something on which we base our whole ethos.

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic will bring a new set of challenges for us and our animals on-site in need of round-the-clock care. So much of Mayhew’s work is focused out in the community and we will be limited in our ability to provide support for animals and owners outside the Home. But we are here to help however we can and will overcome this together. In the meantime, we can benefit from the emotional support animals can bring at this time, and know I will be more thankful than ever for my four-legged companion, Sophie.

Mayhew will continue to adapt, respond and prevent for the next 10 years and beyond.

Thank you to all our staff, students, volunteers and supporters for all they have done for animals and people in 2019 and over the past decade!

Caroline Yates

Welcome from our CEO

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VisionA society where people understand the importance and value of animal welfare.

MissionWe promote animal welfare by delivering a broad range of community-based, veterinary, care and education services in the UK and overseas.

Who we areMayhew is an animal welfare charity working to improve life for cats, dogs and the communities we work in. We achieve this through the welfare, clinic and rehoming work carried out from our base in London, as well as overseas.

The trustees have carefully considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on what benefits the public, and believe that Mayhew’s work does so in a number of ways:

• We strive to create sustainable behaviour change through raising awareness with pet owners, animal care professionals and the general public about animal welfare issues and how to address them.

• We share best practice in preventative health and welfare, in our local neighbourhoods, citywide and in the countries where we work abroad.

• We work to ensure the highest possible standards in all areas of our work to enable the maximum long-term benefit to the humans

and animals involved.

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“I am proud to have served on Mayhew’s Board of Trustees for the whole of the past decade, and been Chair of the Board for the last year. As my tenure comes to an end and I reflect on my time with Mayhew, it has been extremely rewarding to see the organisation grow and develop, expanding its impact both in the UK and overseas. Our success depends on the contribution and dedication of many people – from staff and trustees to donors and volunteers – and I am very grateful to everyone who helps Mayhew achieve its important mission.” Svetlana Ignatieva, Chair of the Board of Trustees

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Mayhew is an animal welfare charity working to improve life

for cats, dogs and the people in our communities. We achieve this from our hub in London from where our clinic, community outreach, rescue and rehoming work operates, as well as helping overseas.We believe that animals bring huge value to individuals and that they have a central place in society. Mayhew is one of the busiest and most effective animal welfare organisations in London, rescuing and helping thousands of animals – and the people who care for them – every year. The Trustees have carefully

considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on what benefits the public, and believe that Mayhew’s work does so in a number of ways:

We strive to create sustainable behaviour change through raising awareness with pet owners, animal care professionals and the general public about animal welfare issues and how to address them.

We share best practice in animal preventative health and welfare, both in our local neighbourhoods, citywide and in the countries where we work abroad.

We work to ensure the highest possible standards in all areas of our work, from our preventative veterinary health care to working with vulnerable pet owners to finding new homes for the animals in our care, to enable the maximum long-term benefit to the humans and animals involved.

63DOGS

376CATS

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in numbers

15,031CATS AND DOGS

NEUTERED OVERSEAS

51,497ADULTS AND CHILDREN

REACHED BY OUR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

1,101ANIMALS NEUTERED

IN OUR LONDONCOMMUNITY VET CLINIC

919THERAPAWS

VISITS

38,037DOGS VACCINATED

AGAINST RABIES

78DOGS REUNITED

WITH THEIR OWNERS

2,032VACCINATION

APPOINTMENTS

1,100ANIMAL WELFARE

CASES HANDLED

601UK ANIMALS HELPED

OUTSIDE THE SHELTER

WHO WE ARE

As I write, the Covid-19 crisis is gripping every country in the world and destabilising the lives of countless families across the UK. I am proud of how Mayhew have responded by finding new ways to support animals and people in these uncertain times. What I am even prouder of is that Mayhew’s mission was made for moments like these. It’s not just about cats and dogs; it’s about all of us, about our ability to come together as a community. In the wake of Covid, we are reminded that our need to take care of one another is a vital part of the human spirit. Mayhew has always understood this.

Mayhew’s work providing animal care and veterinary services to the pets of the homeless community and other at risk groups not only keeps the animals safe; it also makes people more resilient. The TheraPaws animal assisted intervention programme delivered to nursing homes, elderly wards, mental health centres and beyond promotes physical, social and emotional wellbeing. Mayhew’s temporary fostering programme, Pet Refuge, is more important than ever, with more people unable to afford to care for their animals until they can get back on their feet. And of course, the international neutering and vaccination

programmes protect dogs while helping to empower struggling communities to build a more positive relationship with the animals that live among them.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the volunteers, staff and students at Mayhew. As an expression of my own commitment, I renewed my sponsorship of a dog kennel in the name of our son, Archie, to create an interim home for a pet in need. I hope you will show them your support in whatever ways you can. When you do, you will be contributing not just to animal welfare but to the shared welfare of us all.

A foreword from our Patron, The Duchess of Sussex

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“I have worked in animal welfare for 25 years. My early days were spent rescuing and rehabilitating cats and dogs in the worst state imaginable. So many of these animals could have been prevented from their pain by owners having better information and education, and if they knew where to turn for help.

“That is why when I look back at the last 10 years at Mayhew, I am most proud of being part of developing our open and non-judgemental approach. We have worked tirelessly to steer away from the perception that rescue centres are critical, and instead convey that we are the very people you must come to if you’re struggling with your cat or dog. Through this strategy, gradually our work has shifted from rebuilding broken animals to preventing them coming to us in the first place.

“Every year we see social issues and animal welfare issues become increasingly interlinked. People coveting ‘designer’ animals bred in poor conditions, without understanding their long-term expense and needs; the housing crisis and rogue landlords

dictating who can and can’t keep their pets; rising costs of living at the same time as austerity; the list goes on and on. Our Animal Welfare Officers are continually developing their skills to best support the people who need us, as well as their pets. In 2019, for example, we all became qualified in mental health awareness. People are now able to speak to us about their issues, which means that we can develop animal welfare outreach programmes that are more holistic.

“I was beyond proud that in 2019 we helped more dogs outside our Home than within it, and I almost can’t believe that across the whole 10 years we have kept 10,000 animals and loving owners together. That’s 10,000 human and animal bonds that would have been broken without our help. It may make it harder for us to find case studies that show how bad situations can become for people and pets without our intervention, but I’d much prefer to share success stories than before and after images of cats and dogs who could have been spared if their owner just knew where to turn in a crisis.”

POWER OF THE – HUMAN ANIMAL

BONDReduces blood pressure and stress.

Combats loneliness and social isolation.Improves emotional and physical well-being.

Unlocks memories and emotions.

PET REFUGE AND WORK WITH HOMELESSNESS

PREVENTING ANIMALS COMING INTO THE SHELTER ENVIRONMENT AND ADDRESSING OTHER ANIMAL WELFARE ISSUES THROUGH PREVENTATIVE HEALTH AND WELFARE INTERVENTIONS

SUPPORTING ANIMALS, AND OWNERS TO STAY TOGETHER

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND VETERINARY TRAINING IN THE UK AND OVERSEAS

APPROACH

RESULTS

IMPACT

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF ANIMALSWHICH INCREASES COMPASSION AND RESPECT

PICK & SNIP AND TRAPNEUTER, RETURN IN UK AND OVERSEAS

A DECADE OF HELPING ANIMALS AND PEOPLEMayhew believes in the power of the human–animal bond. In 2019, we underpinned this belief with groundbreaking research in which care home residents reported an increase in their quality of life as a result of regularly seeing our TheraPaws dogs. We also worked to help more owners going through a crisis to stay with their animals, and ensured the cats and dogs that needed to come into Mayhew received the best care possible while we found their new homes.

The end of 2019 marks the end of the decade, so this review will explore not only Mayhew’s impact in the last 12 months, but also how much has changed across the years – and how we are continuing to adapt and deliver for the cats, dogs and communities who need us.

Community support

TheraPaws Clinic International Rescue and rehoming

ZOE EDWARDS HEAD OF ANIMAL WELFARE

Our approach

Look out for these icons over the coming pages to see how our work fits together:

Education Raising awareness Fundraising Volunteers

Cyril, an eight-year-old male Pomeranian, came to us after being attacked by another dog. He was covered in deep wounds, had heavily matted fur and was missing a couple of teeth. We suspected that he had been kept in poor quality conditions on a puppy farm, and had possibly been used for breeding. Sadly, Cyril was one of many small, ‘designer’ breeds that came into Mayhew in 2019 needing extensive veterinary and rehabilitation support.

We supported the campaign for a ban on third-party puppy and kitten sales – also known as ‘Lucy’s Law’

– and welcomed the news that it would come into effect on 6 April 2020. Mayhew was honoured that the Animal Welfare Minister David Rutley made the public announcement of the new legislation at our Home in May 2019. We hope that dogs like Cyril and their offspring will now be more protected, as anyone looking to buy a puppy or kitten will have to adopt them from a rehoming shelter or deal directly with a licensed breeder, who in turn must meet certain welfare conditions under their licence agreement.

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NIAMH CARWOOD, THERAPAWS COORDINATOR “When TheraPaws first started in 2012, the focus was improving quality of life for people in care or hospital. Thankfully, animal-assisted intervention is a growing field in the UK and is being used by more and more sectors of the healthcare system.

“Now dogs, horses, cats and even some of our smaller animal friends are being used to help people all over the world, from improving social interactions and helping children read, to encouraging positive mental health and rehabilitating prisoners – the list goes on and on. Today we get requests from all areas of the NHS asking for our help, and while we can’t work with everybody, we (mostly the dogs!) are making a difference to the lives of the people we visit.”

Mayhew’s TheraPaws™ programme brings the benefits of spending time with dogs to those who need them most.

As well as continuing to visit elderly people in care homes, hospitals, day centres and hospices, in 2019 our teams visited more mental health centres and worked especially closely with children and adolescent services. Using animal-assisted intervention as a complementary part of their care plan provides people of all ages with better tools to cope and thrive.

“Since we got Cassie eight years ago, the one constant in my life, no matter how bad a day I am having, is that she brings me joy. I am lucky enough to have this amazing dog and I really wanted to share that experience with others. We look forward to our TheraPaws visit every week.

“Some children take to Cassie right away, and some need more time to get over their fear of dogs. But she

always brings smiles to their faces and one of my favourite moments of the week is hearing the excited murmurs from the students when they realise Cassie is waiting to come see them. It melted my heart recently on one of the girls’ last day as she thanked Cassie for ‘helping her get better’. She said she would never forget her therapy dog!”

Heather, TheraPaws volunteer

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While our shelter has stood for over 130 years and will always be here for dogs and cats in need, we know that rescuing and rehoming alone won’t improve animal welfare.

Our Animal Welfare Officers (AWOs) are out in the community across London every day, working to change people’s behaviours and improve their understanding of critical welfare measures such as neutering, so that we can continue to help more animals outside of the Home than ever.

Pick and SnipOur Pick and Snip project helps people to get their pet neutered when they either can’t afford to or have physical or mental health issues preventing them from being able to access a vet.

Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR)In 2019, we trapped, neutered and safely returned (as they can’t be

domesticated and rehomed) 297 feral cats as part of our long-running work to humanely control and contain the cat population in London.

We worked to improve the public’s awareness and understanding of feral cats in a number of ways, from running a social media competition asking people to tell a feral and stray cat apart on World Stray Day, to sharing advice on how to care for feral cats in our supporter magazine, Tails. Our AWOs also now ask local residents to complete a short survey about their feral cat colony when they call with concerns, and then again after we’ve helped.

We have since been pleased to see an increase in calls about feral cats from the general public, showing our awareness activities had an impact and that people want to help.

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TheraPaws visits made since the programme’s launch

5,259

cats and dogs neutered for free through our Pick & Snip scheme in 2019

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HELPING OUTSIDE THE HOME

LIBERTY CANNON, ANIMAL WELFARE OFFICER“Feral cats have and always will be a part of London wildlife. We now ask feeders [people who care for feral cats] for their opinions on the feral colonies before and after we visit. We can see a positive shift in perspective, with 92% reporting no further worries about the cats’ health once we’ve been.

“The surveys also show how important the cats can be to communities: 75% of people reported speaking to others about the cats, and 58% believe the cats have encouraged social interaction. One group of student housemates are so committed to their role looking after their local feral cats that I regularly receive messages updating me on how they are doing, and asking for advice on new things that emerge, such as when they noticed one cat had an injured paw!”

Sky originally came into Mayhew as a stray. Thankfully, she was microchipped and our AWOs were able to reunite her with her owner. During the conversation on collection, Animal Welfare Officer Tania explained the benefits of having Sky spayed and the risks of not doing so, especially if she were ever to go missing again. Neutering was something Sky’s owner really wanted to do, but wasn’t in the financial position to make possible. Tania offered to help, and a few weeks later collected Sky and brought her to our Community Vet Clinic for neutering, before returning her to her grateful owner later that day.

In October 2019, we launched groundbreaking research by Middlesex University evidencing the benefits of animal-assisted therapy for elderly people in a care home. The study of our TheraPaws programme observed a 12% increase in the self-assessed ‘quality of life’ of residents.

BRINGING THE BENEFITS OF ANIMAL-ASSISTED INTERVENTION TO MORE PEOPLE

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Pet RefugeFor 15 years, Mayhew’s Pet Refuge programme has cared for the pets of people going through a crisis so they can access the support they need to recover and be reunited with their animals. In 2019, we added a new way of helping people. Our Pet Refuge ‘guardians’ are volunteers who visit cats and dogs in their homes to feed, walk and care for them during very short-term periods of crisis for their owners.

Supporting homeless peopleWe have continued our work to support homeless people and their pets, running 17 drop-in sessions at shelters across London in 2019, including five in just one weekduring December.

As ever, Mayhew teamed up with Crisis, the national homeless charity, to help people and animals over Christmas. As well as providing kennels at one of their Christmas centres, and training Crisis staff and volunteers in dog safety and our approach to animal welfare, we also gave members of the public the opportunity to purchase one of five specially designed virtual gift cards, which funded much-needed items and services. The total amount raised for Mayhew was an amazing £16,433.94 from 1,433 gifts and 64 additional donations!

Jaswinder was homeless and living in St Mungo’s supported accommodation when he realised he needed help. Unable to afford to pay for his beloved husky Twilight’s care, and with no friends or family to turn to, he was in a desperate situation. Jaswinder did a lot of research on the internet for someone to take care of Twilight, which is where he found out about

Mayhew’s Pet Refuge programme. The stars aligned when shortly after this our Animal Welfare Officers visited his accommodation as part of their homeless outreach work. They discussed the programme, then a few weeks later in late 2019 we collected Twilight, who stayed in our kennels for four weeks while Jaswinder got the help he needed.

At Mayhew, we want to help as many cats and dogs as possible avoid spending lots of time in shelter. Our Rehome from Home project started in 2018 as we acknowledged that more people are going online to sell unwanted pets.

The project supports people who need to give up their animals to find them

new homes responsibly and safely. Our dog adoption team and trained volunteers speak to sellers to advise about how easy it is for dogs to end up in the wrong hands, and to offer Mayhew’s expertise and support in finding the right adopter. Five dogs were rehomed in 2019 without needing to leave their home surroundings.

LISA GUINEY, DOG ADOPTION OFFICER

“There have been big changes in the last decade in terms of the breeds of dogs needing our help. We see fewer bull breeds and mixed breeds compared to 2010, but many more ‘designer’ cross-breeds and fashionable small pedigree types like pugs or Pomeranians. While these kinds of dogs can be very desirable as puppies, they are often abandoned or relinquished to rescue centres once the owners come to see the expense and health needs coming through, as well as behavioural problems as a result of incorrect or non-existent training and socialisation. Buyers and adopters alike are choosier about what they want, with many searching for the ‘perfectly behaved dog’!

“We have also seen a big increase in dogs being given up because of issues related to a landlord or housing agreement. A big part of our job at Mayhew is to keep on top of these changes to society and human behaviours, because they directly affect cats and dogs. For example, we worked with Brent council to adapt their pet policies for tenants. And when we noticed a steady decrease in unwanted dog calls, we realised that it was linked to people paying more money than ever for puppies and then wanting to reclaim some of that money by selling the pet online when it didn’t work out. We developed the Rehome from Home scheme to help.”

HELPING PEOPLE IN A CRISIS TO STAY WITH THEIR PETS

THE STEP BEFORE SHELTER

When Chicco’s owners bought him from a cocker spaniel breeder as a puppy, they weren’t informed that he was a working cocker spaniel and so was a lot livelier than they anticipated. They didn’t have the time he desperately needed, so enlisted Mayhew’s help to find him a new adopter – all from their own home. We found an experienced owner who was looking for an active dog, and Chicco now spends his days doing lots of activities, including flyball and agility training!

We are committed to reducing animals’ stress through the rehoming process by minimising their time in shelter. In 2019, we assessed 11 dogs in their homes before they came into us for adoption, which helped us get them on our adoption web page sooner so they could find their forever homes as quickly as possible.

In 2019, we invested in ensuring our Animal Welfare Officers have the set-up they need to do their complex outreach work as effectively as possible. They now have a full team, an optimised office space, including a more private, fit for purpose animal intake area, and Toughpads (heavy-duty, portable laptops) to enable working on the go.

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days shaved off the average length of stay for cats compared to 20184

homeless people and their pets helped in 2019

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“[Mayhew] looking after Twilight was basically a lifesaver. You really have saved my life. And not only you; Twilight has also saved my life.” Jaswinder

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For our dogsIn 2019, we completed a rather mammoth task – replacing and improving our main kennel block, as well as the animal intake room and Animal Welfare team working area. Our refurbished kennels provide a safer and more fit for purpose environment for our dogs and staff. They have more natural light, more personal space and even better enrichment, from TVs and radios to mimic the home environment, to essential oil diffusers.

For our catsOur Animal Welfare Officers bring in 96% of Mayhew’s felines. Many of them are abandoned or lost and become strays. Most will require medical care and attention, and we know they will need the love, care and expertise of our Cattery team for weeks or months at a time.

Bowie is Mayhew’s longest-staying dog. In our care for the whole of 2019, she was one of the first to benefit from the new facilities. The 12-year-old Staffie cross is an intelligent, chatty and sensitive girl who still has plenty of energy. Currently with one of our amazing foster carers, Bowie is hoping to find her ‘hero’ in 2020!

Mayhew’s Community Vet Clinic provides free and low-cost preventative care for all pet owners – in addition to the life-saving work they perform every day for the cats and dogs we rescue.

As well as completing 2,032 vaccination appointments and neutering 1,101 animals, in 2019 our Community Vet Clinic team continued to go above and beyond for the many stray and abandoned cats and dogs brought through the doors.

CHARLOTTE WHALLEY, HEAD NURSE

“When I first arrived at Mayhew in September 2010 for a 12-week student placement, I joined a team of two vets, three nursing staff and volunteers. I couldn’t have imagined that almost 10 years on I would be fortunate enough to be Head Nurse, working alongside five full-time vets, a Practice Manager, a Senior Nurse, six Registered Veterinary Nurses, one Student Nurse, two Patient Care Assistants, a Clinic Administrator and a receptionist!

“We have always had a dedicated and passionate team of staff and volunteers. Through the substantial expansion and refurbishment of the clinic in 2016 and the growth of the team, we have been able to keep up to date with advances in veterinary care and adapt our services to the needs of our community, while maintaining our commitment to preventative measures, education and early neutering.

“Sharing our knowledge and experience is an important part of our work. I’m now lucky enough to be passing on the skills that I was taught to student veterinary nurses, vet students and international vets. In 2019, we hosted seven student vets on extramural placements, as well as Mayhew Georgia’s vet, Dr Ana Metskhvarishvili DVM.

“We have helped thousands of animals and their owners over the last decade and I am so proud to be part of an organisation that cares about every individual.”

IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ANIMALS IN OUR CARE

TRAINING OTHERS TO OFFER HIGH-QUALITY VET CARE

When loving (and lovable!) stray Explorer came to Mayhew, our vets noticed one of his pupils was larger than the other – a condition called anisocoria. As we monitored Explorer, we saw significant ongoing changes in the left eye. Tests revealed that his sight was starting to deteriorate and that he had unusually high levels of calcium in his blood. Explorer was suffering from idiopathic lymphonodular uveitis – a painful, inflammatory ocular disease that can eventually lead to blindness. We had to act fast, and our vets decided to perform a surgery to remove the left eye. He quickly recovered, and was immediately back to his old tricks, charming our vet nurses and Cattery team into cuddling him at every opportunity, before finding his forever home.

We were delighted to have our commitment to providing excellent care for our patients recognised though achieving accreditation as a Cat Friendly Clinic.

When our Animal Welfare Officers found two-year-old stray Mimi, they were shocked to find her tail was missing and the wound hadn’t healed. Mimi was rushed into our clinic for a full tail amputation and then recovered in the warmth and comfort of our cattery. Two weeks later, Mimi was readmitted into theatre for some dental work – our vets had noticed that her upper right canine was fractured on intake. After several weeks and lots more TLC, Mimi was ready to go to her new forever home.

Of course, we often have no choice but to take cats and dogs in immediately and look after them for as long as it takes until they are ready to find new homes. For these animals, our expert and caring teams work hard to ensure their time at Mayhew is as stress-free and supported as possible.

Mayhew is known and respected for our high-quality care and rehoming work, and in 2019 we saw people coming from further and further away to adopt from us. We even rehomed one cat to Darlington, a whopping 241 miles away!

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volunteer foster carers look after the cats and dogs who don’t cope well in the shelter – thank you!

39“Less than half of all cats adopted across the years at Mayhew are over the age of three. Age rather than temperament seems to play a big factor in adoptions for cats so older felines need us to be there more than ever.” Matthew Pearson, Cat Adoption Officer

“I was drawn to Mayhew for its innovative projects and close links with the local community, which I am keen to help expand.” Justin Ainsworth, Senior Vet ( joined Mayhew in 2019)

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Mayhew works to build veterinary skills overseas and supports vets to pass on their learning in their home countries.

In Afghanistan, we have recruited and trained veterinary staff in our Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre, provided fifth-year student learning opportunities and supported vets from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. In 2019 Mayhew continued to support our International Vet Training Programme (IVTP) alumni in Russia and India. In Georgia, IVTP graduate Dr Ana Metskhvarishvili DVM is on the front line of helping animals and training up future life-saving vets.

Following on from two successful years of Mayhew Afghanistan delivering a mass canine rabies vaccination programme, we were proud to open our Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre in summer 2019, which will now deliver a spay and neuter programme for Kabul to further address – in a humane way – the number of free-roaming dogs on the city’s streets. The centre has the capacity to neuter around 200 dogs per week.

All the ABC Centre staff, the dog-catching team and support personnel are local Afghans who are fully committed to delivering this programme, which is a first for Afghanistan and for the region. The target is to neuter almost 10,000 dogs in the first year (to July 2020), which will help to control the current population of free-roaming dogs and create safer and healthier communities. By the end of 2019, the team had already neutered 3,549 dogs.

IMPROVING VETERINARY CARE AROUND THE WORLD

CAPACITY BUILDING OVERSEAS

Community Engagement Officer Dr Moattar started working for Mayhew Afghanistan in April 2019 and has reached 3,702 individuals with community engagement programmes across 15 venues including schools, the university, Kabul Zoo and Kabul Municipality.

Stray cat Lego was found in the street in Tbilisi with a severe forelimb injury. The cat was in need of urgent surgery, but was so dehydrated and in such a poor condition that he would have not survived it at that time. The Mayhew-supported vet team was able to build up his strength just enough to handle the operation, at which time they had to make the decision to remove his badly damaged leg. After the amputation, Lego recovered in foster care with the local family who found him. Luckily for little Lego, they fell head over heels for him and decided to make it a permanent arrangement!

DR ANA METSKHVARISHVILI DVM “Although we’ve only been a registered NGO in Georgia since 2018, this year we managed to spay over 700 animals. This is a great number, especially if you think of how many offspring those dogs could have had. We have been working to expand a little and will start 2020 with two more clinics in Tbilisi involved with Mayhew Georgia doing our Trap, Vaccinate, Neuter, Return project. We also had a very important trip to visit Anaklia, an area towards the seaside, which has led to us organising our first spay and neuter pilot outside of Tbilisi, which will take place in 2020.

“Dr Temo Sherozia has been my first student that I have fully taught – and still continue to teach as it’s really endless in a way! Training other vets is really important. To be working properly with high standards is great, but there’s a limit to the number of things you can do as you are alone. Training another vet and sharing your knowledge is doubling the amount of the proper work that you can do! It’s the same ethos as the spay and neuter programme, but instead of preventing the population you are doing it in reverse and planting the knowledge web for the whole country with the tiny steps. So I think it’s very important for raising the standards and animal welfare in the whole of Georgia, and I hope that we will have more people interested to be trained and motivated to do the same type of work that we do.”

“I qualified as a vet in Afghanistan and, after moving to the UK, started at Mayhew as a volunteer in 2001. This turned into a job after seven months, and I gained lots of experience working in theatre before shifting to Mayhew’s international work full-time. Over the past decade with Mayhew, I have been involved in the training of vets in many countries such as Russia, India, Georgia, Romania and Afghanistan. In 2016, we registered Mayhew as an NGO in Afghanistan, which has now been replicated in Georgia too. “Rabies, and fear of rabies, has been a part of Afghan life for many years, with tens of human deaths recorded in the capital, tens of thousands of dogs culled every year in the most inhumane way and a lack of coordination to address the problem from the various authorities tasked with dealing with

it. Moreover, access to human rabies vaccinations and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) vaccines after a dog bite is extremely limited and far too expensive for the average Afghan.

“At the end of 2016, we convinced the Kabul authorities to stop culling by strychnine poisoning and implement instead a mass vaccination programme delivered by Mayhew Afghanistan, which would also provide data for our neutering programme. Mayhew Afghanistan’s team comprises all local Afghans, including retrained municipality dog-catchers – no longer dog-killers but humane dog-catchers and ambassadors for the programme.

“One dog I will always remember was Rufus. He had dermatitis on his back leg, but resisted all the antibiotics we tried. To control the infection, I decided to try using local honey, which worked!”

DR ABDUL JALIL MOHAMMADZAI DVM (DR MO)

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dogs vaccinated against rabies and 640 against common canine diseases in Georgia in 2019

655human deaths from rabies recorded in 2019 in Kabul

0dogs vaccinated against rabies in Kabul

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Our Human and Voluntary Resources teams work hard to ensure that all Mayhew’s employees, students and volunteers are happy and healthy at work.

Taking opportunities to thank and recognise our people is always a priority, and in 2019 we upheld our Investing in Volunteers accreditation and started a ‘Room to Reward’ scheme. We were also able to invite eight employees and volunteers to a rather special garden party.

New initiatives for employees included establishing an environmental group, ‘Green Paws’, appointing Mental Health Champions and strengthening our Social Committee.

“I joined Mayhew in 2007 as an NVQ Level 2 student in animal care and went on to complete an animal care and management course (Level 3). I wanted to further my learning in cat behaviour and Mayhew encouraged me to do this, so I also completed a cat behaviour diploma. With this experience, I was employed as an animal care assistant to work in the cattery and kennels and on nightshifts. I gained a huge amount through these different roles, which enabled me to become Head of Cattery a couple of years later.

“As I’ve completed these animal care and management courses

myself, it’s allowed me to train and pass on my knowledge to new animal care students, volunteers and work experience students in the cattery. Mayhew works closely in the community so we see a variety of animals with different behaviours, needs and backgrounds. We teach students how to provide the highest standards of care, ensuring the good health and well-being of all the dogs and cats in the Home. Throughout the years, I’ve seen many of our students go on to work within the animal sector, sometimes even at Mayhew!”

Our Fundraising and Marketing teams increase awareness of Mayhew’s invaluable work and inspire people to join our cause.

In 2019, we focused on creating impactful, integrated appeals across digital and print channels to reach our target audiences and raise more donations for the animals who need them.

INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE AND THE ANIMAL WELFARE SECTOR

RAISING AWARENESS AND DONATIONS

When German shepherd Tess arrived at Mayhew, she was emaciated, weak and covered in sores. Our Veterinary and Kennels teams sprang into action to relieve her suffering. She was tested, vaccinated and given a special medicated bath before being moved into a warm comfortable kennel where she was gradually nurtured back to full strength. Tess’s condition was shocking and upsetting, but we wanted to show people how badly animals still need our help. We put together a powerful postal appeal telling Tess’s story, completely supported and enhanced by digital content including videos and a bespoke landing web page. It was a hugely successful call for help and raised over £17,000, which will go towards helping more dogs like Tess.

“Having been a volunteer for 14 years, I was very honoured to have been invited to attend the garden party at Buckingham Palace on behalf of Mayhew. It was a wonderful experience.” Mike Ciniglio, kennels volunteer

“Green Paws encourages all employees to highlight areas where Mayhew can improve our impact on the environment and enables those who have a passion for these issues to have their voices heard, discussed and, where possible, implemented. Working in animal welfare is very rewarding, however Mayhew understands the demands the sector can have on our employees, so our Mental Health Champions provide opportunities to talk, or simply offer a space where they can enjoy a moment of escapism.”

Scott Weir, HR Officer.

dogs vaccinated overseas thanks to a ‘£1 one life’ World Rabies Day campaign across our print and digital channels

7,000+

ALISSA JOHNSON, DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER “In the last 10 years, the importance of charities having a strong presence on social media has greatly increased. Billions of people are now active on social media every day and it is an essential place for us to reach existing supporters, potential donors, service users, adopters, volunteers and more.

“Mayhew started using social media in 2009 and since then we have built up an engaged supporter base of over 130,000 people across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. We were reminded of the power of social media in 2019, when we ran an urgent appeal to find a foster home for long-staying dog Bowie – and one of our supporters on social media stepped forward to temporarily care for her.”

volunteer hours at events800

raised at Mayhew events£40,000

We were delighted to be recognised with not one, but two .ORG awards in 2019 for Mayhew’s new website and our ‘Home is where their dog is’ campaign. Both included a $1,000 prize, which will help even more cats and dogs.

Our celebrity supporters were out in force at our events in 2019, with stars including Danny John-Jules, Robert Powell and James Bolam helping our Carols at Christmas evening to be a sell-out!

Volunteers are the backbone of Mayhew. We now have 15 different volunteer roles and welcomed 32 new recruits in 2019, ending the year with 352 in total.

KAYLEIGH KILCOMMONS, HEAD OF CATTERY

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2019-20THE JOURNEY SO FAR

LAUNCHED THE FIRST ANIMAL BIRTH CONTROL CENTRE IN KABUL IN JULY 2019, NEUTERING 3,549 DOGS BY THE END OF THE YEAR

SUCCESSFULLY REFURBISHED THE KENNELS AT OUR LONDON HOME AND SUPPORTED EMPLOYEES, VOLUNTEERS AND STUDENTS THROUGH THE PROCESS. THE NEW FACILITIES INCLUDE AN UPGRADED OFFICE SPACE AND ANIMAL INTAKE AREA, AND WE ARE BACK UP TO FULL STAFFING LEVELS IN THE ANIMAL CARE TEAM.

REVIEWED OUR VET CLINIC TEAM’S STRUCTURE AND WELCOMED NEW SENIOR VET JUSTIN. WE WERE ALSO DELIGHTED TO SEE VALUED TEAM MEMBERS GILLIAN AND CHARLOTTE TAKE UP NEW POSTS AS PRACTICE MANAGER AND HEAD NURSE RESPECTIVELY, AND TO CONGRATULATE OUR COLLEAGUE GRAHAM ON BECOMING A QUALIFIED REGISTERED VETERINARY NURSE.

INCREASED THE PRESENCE OF OUR THERAPAWS PROGRAMME ACROSS THE WHOLE OF LONDON.

INCREASED AWARENESS OF MAYHEW IN LONDON BY 20% IN 2019.

TRIALLED A NEW STYLE OF DIRECT MAIL APPEALS AND INCREASED OUR AVERAGE DONATION.

SURVEYED THE COMMUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS FERAL CATS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE HOW WE MEASURE THE IMPACT OF OUR WORK.

PILOTED A NEW APPROACH FOR DELIVERING PET REFUGE IN SHORT-TERM CRISES AND RAN TARGETED ADVERTISING IN GP SURGERIES, HOSPITALS, COMMUNITY GROUPS AND SHELTERS.

REVIEWED OUR SUPPORT FOR INDIA AND RUSSIA, WHERE MAYHEW-SUPPORTED TEAMS ARE BECOMING MORE SELF-SUFFICIENT. WE WILL BE REDUCING OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THESE REGIONS FROM 2020, WHILE STILL PROVIDING VET TRAINING AND SOME FUNDING FOR VETERINARY PROVISION.

LAUNCHED OUR VACCINATIONS FOR LIFE ‘BOOSTER BUNDLE’ AND SOLD 82 IN 2019.

COMMUNITYWe will invest in the Animal Welfare team, structure and processes so they are equipped to deal with a year on year 10% increase in projects helping the community.

We will work with organisations such as Middlesex University and the Westminster Drug Project to research the impact of TheraPaws on vulnerable people and those suffering mental health issues.

Mayhew’s focus on tackling the irresponsible breeding that results in puppies like Luna (see page 6) ending up in our care will continue as a priority in 2018. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced a call for evidence on whether there should be a ban on 3rd party puppy sales. Mayhew has been an advocate for this ban and has provided evidence to government for review and will closely follow other suggested amendments to animal welfare legislation.

REHOMINGWe will expand our Home from Home project supporting people who want or need to give their pets away to good homes, to do so using our adoption services from their homes – rather than needing to use online selling platforms.

Our cattery and kennels teams will continue with 2017’s developments to our behavioural assessment and enrichment methods, policies and procedures and continue to improve them in line with appropriate understanding in the animal welfare world.

CLINICWe will be producing bespoke training materials and videos for our vet training programmes, something needed across the veterinary sector.

In addition, we will pilot a graduate vet training scheme with Medivet, in line with our commitment to improving standards in the future of animal welfare and veterinary care.

MAYHEW INTERNATIONALWe will recruit a second dog-catching team in Kabul, Afghanistan to implement and deliver the mass canine rabies vaccination programme, carry out a second Dog Population Survey to assess changes from 2015 and from that design and start a comprehensive Trap, Vaccinate, Neuter, Release programme in the second half of 2018.

In Georgia, we will continue to train Georgian vets working to address the free-roaming dog and cat populations in Tbilisi in a safe and secure way, working with the local authorities on shelter management and disease control.

In Russia, we will continue to empower graduate trainee vets to pass their skills on, welcoming one vet to London for training in the summer and supporting the local charities with spay and neuter projects for street and stray animals, private shelters and families on very low-incomes.

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COMMUNITY• Move forward with research

conducted with Middlesex University into the impact of TheraPaws during the Westminster Drugs Project rehabilitation course.

• Continue working to even out the split between elderly and mental health focused TheraPaws visits.

• Embed Pet Refuge ‘guardians’ as an alternative method of accessing short-term respite to ultimately keep owners with their animals.

• Strengthen our links with human service providers in London to ensure we are effectively preventing animals becoming separated from loving owners who are going through a difficult time.

REHOMING• Develop the Rehome from Home

project and complete as many dog assessments in their homes as possible to avoid animals spending unnecessary time in shelter.

• Continue providing first-class medical and rehabilitation support to the stray and abandoned kittens and cats who need us most, before finding them forever homes.

CLINIC• Continue reviewing how best to

support our communities with the products, services and offers they need, including increasing neutering capacity post-pandemic to address the anticipated surge in need from pet owners and feral colonies.

• Support student vets and vet nurses in London and overseas through training and ongoing extramural studies, with one student due to become a qualified RVN in 2020.

• Launch new e-newsletter to improve delivery of information and engagement with clinic customers.

MAYHEW INTERNATIONAL• Complete the third year of our

Kabul rabies vaccination cycle with no human or canine deaths, and move to a maintenance programme.

• Complete 10,000 spay and neuter surgeries at the Animal Birth Control Centre in Afghanistan.

• Undertake a spay and neuter pilot in Anaklia, Georgia, and continue building relationships with authorities and onboarding new partner clinics.

SUPPORTING SERVICES• Continue optimising benefits

for employees and volunteers, including switching to a new health cash plan provider, reviewing and streamlining the volunteer recruitment and training schedule and ensuring that engagement with our wonderful volunteers continues despite their not being in the Home during the pandemic, through newsletters and emails.

• Invest in our infrastructure to enable better working, including the maintenance of a robust IT system to allow more staff to work from home and communicate easily and effectively with each other during the coronavirus crisis and beyond.

• Develop a short-term, interim fundraising strategy to reflect the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis before adapting 2020+ strategies to address ongoing ramifications.

2019-20 A LOOK AHEAD

In the early months of 2020, the coronavirus (Covid-19) – spread throughout the world. Many people’s lives have been affected and our thoughts remain with all those who have lost friends and

family to the disease. In the UK, no charity has been left untouched by its effects. At Mayhew, we have followed all government guidelines and taken immediate and proactive steps to ensure the health and safety of our staff, volunteers and service users, including introducing home working and furloughing some staff where appropriate. With great regret, we asked our wonderful volunteers to stay away until the crisis had passed.

We quickly restricted many of our physical services, including stopping outpatient clinic appointments, pausing adoptions, focusing on rescue responses to life or death situations and postponing our TheraPaws visits and much of our outreach work both in London and overseas. At the same time, our Animal Welfare Officers have adapted our focus to remotely supporting our community with telephone advice and contactless drop-off of supplies to those most in need. TheraPaws sessions for care-home residents have moved to a virtual format, and our Marketing and Fundraising teams also launched new online events and initiatives to stay in touch with our supporters. We are hugely grateful to all our staff who have continued to come into work to look after the many dogs and cats under our care.

We predict, in line with many other charities, that 2020 will be a challenging year in terms of raising funds. We’ve had to cancel some of our fundraising events and the income we receive from our physical services such as clinic appointments and adoptions has been reduced. However, we rely mainly on voluntary income to fund our operations, and we are confident that we can continue to rely on our amazing supporters to help Mayhew through these difficult months.

As our Financial Review on page 22 shows, Mayhew’sfinancial position improved during 2019. Included in the legacy income figure of £2.1m for 2019 is £1.4m where the charity was notified of its entitlement prior to December 2019 but where the money was actually received in 2020. The trustees believe that Mayhewhas sufficient cash and reserves to enable us to copewith the immediate consequences of the coronavirus pandemic such as challenging fundraising conditions and reduced operational activities in the short-term.

2020 heralds the final year in Mayhew’s current organisational strategy. The global coronavirus pandemic is calling into question many of our – and so many other organisations’ – 2020 plans. The following areas of focus will guide us through the crisis, as we explore new methods of supporting the animals and people in our communities.

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Alice Morgan Wright–Edith Goode Fund Testamentary Trust Animal Friends InsuranceBubbles and StarsButternut BoxDiana Mary Symon Charitable TrustDogs Trust WorldwideEdgard & CooperFondation Brigitte BardotGallimore TrustLbm Jem Charitable TrustPetplan Charitable TrustRock ‘n’ Roll Rescue CamdenSouter Charitable TrustSylvanus Charitable TrustThe Annandale Charitable TrustThe Audrey Emma Lamb Charitable Trust The Chelsea Square 1994 TrustThe Daswani Law Company LtdThe Dennis Alan Yardy Charitable TrustThe Dominic TrustThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable TrustThe Feroze Charitable TrustThe Goldcrest Charitable TrustThe Mitchell TrustThe Oldhurst Trust The Pauline Bishop Charitable TrustThe Rose FoundationThe Spear Charitable TrustThe Stanley Grundy FoundationThe Violet Mauray Charitable Trust

Business membersAKT IILEIVARS LtdLocale SouthbankProtectaPet LtdScarlet & VioletVavasour Investments Ltd

Trustees

THANK YOUMayhew receives no funds from the lottery or

government; we are entirely dependent on the generosity of our supporters in order to continue and develop our essential animal welfare work. In 2018, we reported an increase in total income of 27%, and this year we are delighted to report a similar increase of 25%. Thank you so much to everyone who supported us in 2019.

As in 2018, non-legacy donations make up about 33% of our overall income for 2019. However, 2019 saw a 21% increase in the value of donations compared to last year, with the final amount received coming in well over £1 million. This increase reflects our continued investment in raising funds and awareness, expenditure which increased by 10%. This investment – which remains at a stable 23% of overall expenditure – ensures that we can secure sufficient income in the future to continue all our charitable activities.

In 2019 our legacy income increased by 34% to over £2 million. We never cease to be grateful to all those who remember Mayhew in their wills: without these amazing gestures of kindness and support, we would be unable to carry out our charitable activities so extensively.

In 2019, we spent nearly a quarter of a million pounds on a major refurbishment of our dog kennels and animal welfare facilities. About 90% of this amount was paid for by funds donated specifically to the project, and we are very grateful to all our supporters who contributed.

In addition to our mass canine rabies vaccination programme overseas, 2019 saw the inauguration of our Animal Birth Control Centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, which includes a further local team of vets, assistants and dog-handling and facilities personnel to implement the city’s first comprehensive dog population management programme.

At the end of the year, our surplus (including gainon revaluation of investments) was £362,006 (in 2018 our deficit (including loss on revaluation of investments) was £168,878). As reported last year, the trustees had budgeted for expenditure to exceed income in 2019, so a surplus of this magnitude represents a welcome improvement in Mayhew’s financial position. This is particularly important as we face the challenges arising in 2020 from the global coronavirus pandemic.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

TOTAL EXPENDITURE: £3,157,0592018: £2,932,232

Animal welfare: £2,092,344 (67% of total expenditure)2018: £2,030,866 (69%)International grants for animal welfare: £72,176 (2%) 2018: £73,668 (3%)Animal welfare in Afghanistan: £253,127 (8%) 2018: £159,497 (5%)Raising funds and awareness: £739,412 (23%) 2018: £668,201 (23%)

TOTAL INCOME: £3,480,5662018: £2,781,142

Legacies: £2,092,019 (60% of total income)2018: £1,556,593 (56%)Donations: £1,135,628 (33%)2018: £939,088 (33%)Fundraising events: £41,166 (1%) 2018: £50,091 (2%)Trading income: £74,802 (2%) 2018: £73,192 (3%)Vet clinic and rehoming fees: £120,996 (3.5%) 2018: £137,645 (5%)Investment and other income: £15,955 (0.5%) 2018: £24,533 (1%)

Based on the income and expenditure figures included in our audited Annual report and accounts 2019All costs include applicable support costs

A lasting legacyWe were saddened to have lost a dear friend, adopter and animal lover in 2019: Eileen Crabbie. In her passing, Eileen has offered a final act of kindness and left Mayhew a significant gift in her will. This legacy will enable us to build on and develop our work, helping more animals and owners. Thank you, Eileen.

Our kennels refurbishment this year was only made possible by some very generous gifts. This included a legacy from the late Brian Sewell’s estate, and a significant amount fundraised in memory of George Michael by a group of his fans, The George Michael Lovelies. Thank you.

At Mayhew, we are lucky to have several amazing employees and volunteers who have dedicated well over a decade of their life to our work. In 2019, the following employees reached milestone work anniversaries:

• Gillian Rich, Practice Manager

• Jean Andrews, Office Manager

• Kate Stanley, Cattery Section Supervisor

Thank you for all you do.

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info@mayhewanimalhome.orgwww.themayhew.org0208 962 8000Mayhew, Trenmar Gardens, Kensal Green, London, NW10 6BJ

Registered charity number: 1077588

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