21

HOMELESS SHELTERS VISITED

We were proud to give a voice to the voiceless – our dogs and cats – in the midst of rolling media coverage about the cost-of-living crisis in 2022. Our Chief Executive, Sherine Wheeler, and Head of Cattery, Georgina Costi, spoke passionately to several broadcast and print media outlets about the impact the crisis is having on dogs and cats and their families and the work charities like Mayhew are doing to keep people and their pets together during these tough times.

Father of four Colin was at breaking point when he turned to Mayhew for help. The 45-yearold was sleeping in his van following the breakdown of his marriage and was struggling to afford to feed himself, let alone his cats Max and Molly, all while living with osteoarthritis and depression. Colin said, “All of a sudden everything shot up. Cat food went from £3.60 to £4.10 - we’re not talking pennies. People might think if you get rid of the cats, then you’d have a bit more money in your pocket. But that’s just not an option.” We provided Colin with cat food, blankets and other essential supplies, and thankfully he is now settled in a new flat.

We believe in the transformative impact of the human-animal bond. Our TheraPaws programme enables people from all walks of life to access the amazing power of animal assisted therapy.

In 2022, without a dedicated staff member leading the programme, we were hugely indebted to our amazing reception volunteer Caroline Basma who took on management of TheraPaws. Her hard work ensured the volunteer and dog partnerships could continue visiting schools, hospitals, care homes and mental health facilities. Thank you, Caroline, you are amazing.

Ewa and her spaniel Jess started visiting local primary school St Margaret Clitherow in late 2022, and quickly saw the amazing benefits spending time with the loving dog had on the pupils and teachers. Children in the sessions were reported to be very relaxed, with Jess encouraging fantastic non-verbal positive communication with some younger pupils who have challenged speech.

Ewa said, “Jess proved to be very popular on her visit. The kids loved meeting her and stroking her lovely coat, and the older children got to read her a book. Jess loved all the interactions, so there were tail wags all around.”

We are visible in the community as part of our international work, and in Kabul alone spoke to more than 5,000 adults and children in 2022, helping them understand more about the dangers of rabies and how to behave around the street dog population, so that they can co-exist more happily and healthily.

As outlined in our 2021 annual report, 2022 was a foundational year of rolling out changes including to our operations, implementing services in our more defined catchment area in London and refining our focus on a range of preventative veterinary and animal welfare interventions that will have a lasting impact for dogs, cats, pet owners and communities. We recruited several key roles across the organisation, including our new Chief Executive Sherine Wheeler, and, thanks to our amazing staff and volunteers, managed to deliver on the majority of our targets despite a reduced capacity while vacancies were filled.