9 Feb 2026
Officials have relaunched their £1 a month donation campaign after latest figures revealed its helpline had received 6,481 contacts in 2025 – up 27% on the previous year.
Allister Webb
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Image © Syda Productions / Adobe Stock
A leading veterinary charity has made a fresh plea for fund-raising support as it revealed calls for its assistance have reached another record high.
Vetlife officials have relaunched their £1 a month donation campaign after latest figures revealed its helpline had received 6,481 contacts in 2025 – up 27% on the previous year.
The total equates to almost 18 people a day seeking the organisation’s support, compared to around 14 individuals per day in 2024.
Joanne Driver, the charity’s head of operations, said: “Behind every call, email or referral is a colleague or family member who needs support.
“Our volunteers are committed to being there whenever someone reaches out, and the scale of demand we are seeing shows just how vital Vetlife has become to members of veterinary teams and their families.”
Around two-thirds (67%) of helpline users sought support via email in 2025, up from 59% in the previous year, as officials said the gap reflected evolving preferences in accessing assistance.
The charity further disclosed that its financial support service had also experienced a record year, with 96 applications for assistance in 2025.
Meanwhile, referrals to its health support service increased by 29% to 233, which the charity believes reflects a growing demand for mental health support within the sector. Officials said demand was also being increased by those needing support remaining in the service for longer.
According to its latest published annual report, Vetlife spent around £487,000 delivering the three services in 2024, as its total expenditure exceeded £1 million a year for the first time.
The group initially launched the £1 a month donation appeal last March, in response to the then-record figure for annual helpline contacts of more than 5,100.
At the time, officials revealed a target of encouraging 50,000 people within the veterinary community to sign up, though it is not known how many did. But while the most recent annual report stressed a stable financial position, the scheme is considered to be crucial as a means of sustaining what the organisation sees as its “core activities”.
Vetlife president James Russell said: “Regular donations are vital in helping us plan for the future and respond to rising demand.
“By giving consistently, supporters help us ensure that the most vulnerable in our community always have access to the help they need.
“A small amount makes a huge difference when we join together and give as a community.”
Supporters can sign up to the campaign, which is backed by Hill’s, via the Vetlife website.
In January, VetPartners named Vetlife as its nominated charity for this year, after its staff raised more than £35,000 for the organisation throughout 2025.
