RCVS makes £4k Christmas charity donation

The RCVS has made Christmas donations to a cat rehoming charity and national education charity.

The charities – Stoke-on-Trent-based Iris’s Cats in Need and the Country Trust – were chosen by RCVS president Mandisa Greene and will each receive a £2,000 donation.

Every year, in lieu of posting cards, the college makes a donation to a charity of its president’s choice, and, in light of savings in postal and meetings costs, it has increased the total amount that can be donated to £4,000.

Good causes

Dr Greene said: “This year has been a very tough one for charities big and small as they have had to contend not only with the coronavirus, but decreases in fund-raising income and opportunities to raise funds as a result. So I am very glad that, this year, we have been able to increase the amount that can be donated to these good causes.

“For those who, like me, live in the Stoke area, Iris’s Cats in Need is something of a local institution, not only in rehoming stray cats with loving new families, but also in reuniting lost cats with their owners. This year many of our most vulnerable have had to contend with increased isolation and loneliness, and I know that cats and other companion animals can act as a lifeline and a source of solace and comfort, so I am very glad to be able to help Iris’s continue its wonderful work.”

Jean Clegg, treasurer for Iris’s Cats In Need, added: “We are very grateful for this donation from the RCVS and to Mandisa Greene for nominating us. As is the case with many small charities, it has been a challenging year and this has provided a real boost. The money will be used mainly towards paying for veterinary care.”

‘Excellent work’

The Country Trust helps children from disadvantaged backgrounds connect with the countryside.

Dr Greene said: “As a national charity, the Country Trust does excellent work in helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds access the countryside to learn more about food, farming and animals.

“As president, I have commented on the need to widen access to the veterinary professions as a career choice to children from broader socio-economic, racial/ethnic and other backgrounds, and the Country Trust – by exposing working in agriculture, animal welfare and veterinary medicine to a broader range of children – is certainly helping in this respect.

“I would also like to thank Navaratnam Partheeban – a member of the RCVS diversity and inclusion group, who is a trustee of the charity – for telling me about its work.”

‘Thrilled’

Jill Attenborough, chief executive of the Country Trust, added: “I am thrilled the RCVS has chosen our charity to be one of the recipients.

“The donation comes at a really important time for the charity as we gear up to meet the demand for our new programme, Farm in a Box, which is proving really successful with schools that can’t come out on visits at the moment, and support those schools that can, to access the wonder of real working farms.

“We are also in the process of organising school visits to the RVC’s Hatfield site, which is very exciting, and we are really keen to inspire children from all backgrounds to consider that this might be something they could go on to do.

“Food and farming offer so many possibilities, and the amazing children we work with have so much potential.”