Mayhew Annual Review 2022

Annual Review 2022

Brent

Ealing

Hammersmith & Fulham

Kensington & Chelsea

Westmin

CONTENTS

“When I found out about Mayhew and contacted them about whether they could help, it was like the weight had been lifted! Knowing Major would be safe and well, receiving expert care and support meant I could stop worrying and focus on my wellbeing. I can’t thank Mayhew enough for what they did for us – and for Major –when we most needed help.”

Alisa, Pet Refuge service user. Read more on page 13.

WELCOME FROM OUR CHAIR

OUR VISION

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

OUR PURPOSE

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

I

n 2022 we set about our work with renewed clarity and focus on how we can make the most difference for dogs and cats in our communities: the five boroughs in which we work here in London; Tbilisi, Georgia and Kabul, Afghanistan.

We proudly opened our London clinic’s doors, offering a range of preventative veterinary services free of charge to pet owners who would not otherwise be able to afford them. We embraced new approaches to ensuring that each and every dog who comes to us has the behavioural support they need to find their forever home. And we continued to adapt to the ongoing economic

pressures facing pet owners, providing the tools and advice needed so that dogs and cats are well cared for and stay with their loving owners.

We said a fond farewell to our Interim CEO, Howard Bridges, to whom again give the Board’s enormous thanks; and with great excitement we welcomed our new Chief Executive, Sherine Wheeler, who I am pleased to introduce to you on the next page.

The Board is delighted that Sherine is here with us, leading Mayhew through its next chapter.

For 136 years, we have been right here. ‘Here’ where we know dogs and cats need us, whether at our historic Home in North West London or our first – the first – solely not-for-profit clinic in Tbilisi. ‘Here’ in the real world, listening to pet owners and adapting

our services to prevent poor health and wellbeing outcomes for dogs and cats. ‘Here’ at the point where animal welfare and social welfare issues intersect.

Over the coming pages, you will see just how our passionate team has been here for those that needed us in 2022 and the difference that made.

With your support and by continuing to work and grow together, all the team are determined that we will be here for many more years to come.

Julianne Hicks Chair of Mayhew’s Board of Trustees

for dogs, cats and communities

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

It’s an honour to welcome you to my first annual review as Chief Executive of this extraordinary charity. Thank you to our Board of Trustees, the senior management team and our army of wonderful staff and volunteers for putting their trust in me, and for the incredibly warm and supportive welcome I have received.

Mayhew is very unique. For nearly 140 years, we have been here, right at the heart of the communities in which we operate, providing a lifeline to thousands of animals and nurturing them according to their individual needs. What sets us apart is our physical presence in the communities we serve – understanding what we can do to relieve the pressure that dogs, cats and people face, and delivering our help free of charge and without judgement.

I’m so proud of the way our teams go above and beyond each day to give dogs and cats the care, support and love they deserve.

But this is not an easy time for animal welfare charities, here or abroad. The prevailing economic and social conditions in which we are all living affect our work daily. Like our peers in the sector, we are seeing soaring demand for our services, rising costs, and challenges in sourcing adopters and foster carers and retaining a full complement of staff and volunteers. At the same time, as a charity relying significantly on the generosity of the public to fund our work, we are not immune to pressures on income as scores of people feel less able to give to the causes they love in these challenging times.

The surge in demand for our services is palpable. Our community vet clinic in London routinely operates waiting lists for pet owners seeking preventative treatments for their dogs and cats, which we offer free of charge to those who otherwise could not afford it.

There is also a very worrying increase in people turning to us for support support to rehome their pet dogs and cats. In UK Pet Food’s recent Cost of Living survey of nearly 9,000 households, the results were sobering: 13% relinquished their pet during 2022, with that figure rising to 20% amongst younger owners aged 16-24. Dogs were the most commonly relinquished pet at 47% and cats followed at 36%. In our own annual survey of Londoners, we found that the percentage of people who believe pets have a positive impact on wellbeing has more than halved since 2021, a worrying viewpoint when we know people are increasingly weighing up their ability to keep or take on pet dogs and cats. At the same time as having to operate waiting lists to manage our capacity, we are having to work very hard to find new ways to reach more prospective adopters and foster carers, as they too struggle to make ends meet within their households.

But there is a way through this. Whether in London or abroad, we are unwavering in our commitment to reach many more dogs and cats through our expert care and support so that dogs and cats are healthy, and loved for life, by communities who care for them and respect them.

Our veterinary work here and abroad helps thousands of dogs, cats and people avoid disease and makes a lasting difference to their health and wellbeing. This work also makes it possible for those animals living in low welfare environments to find improved living conditions or loving homes. Mayhew’s knowledge and expertise in the veterinary profession, here and abroad, is a huge source of pride.

We speak to people in our communities every day and know our work can be the difference between life and death; between hope and despair. People like Colin (page 14) who stopped buying himself essential items so that he could continue to provide for his cats; or Alisa (page 13) who would have cancelled her life-altering surgery if she couldn’t find temporary care for her beloved dog, Major.

We will continue to do whatever it takes to be there for dogs, cats and people like Colin and Alisa and families who would be facing heart-breaking choices without Mayhew.

Watch out for Mayhew in 2023 and beyond – we are ambitious and full of energy to provide even more preventative care and support to dogs, cats, pet owners and communities who need us. We are improving how we work, being even more intentional and impact-led in our approaches. The opportunities for us to broaden our reach and deepen our impact are clear – read more about our plan for the year ahead on page 18.

This concept of being ‘here’ is so important to us: being here when and where we’re most needed, understanding our communities and working hard to get dogs and cats the care, support and love they deserve.

We can only achieve our goals by growing our family of supporters, organisations and partners, those who are as committed to being here for dogs and cats as we are. We really wouldn’t be here at all without our fantastic volunteers, our dedicated staff, our incredible funders and partners, our amazing supporters, donors and our friends across the communities in which we work.

Without you, we are powerless to do our work. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.

Sherine Wheeler Chief Executive

MAYHEW’S UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION

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or nearly 140 years we have been here, right at the heart of the community for dogs and cats in need. Our size, structure and services may have taken different shapes at different moments across those 140 years, but one thing has remained absolutely the same: we understand, value and cherish dogs and cats and we do all we can to keep people and their pets together

In 2022, keeping pets and their families from being torn apart has been very challenging. The cost-of-living backdrop in which we’re all living is no longer a short-term crisis - its impacts are pervasive and enduring for many pet owners, forcing them to make heart-wrenching decisions about how to manage their everyday reality. And this is having a significant impact on the welfare of countless dogs and cats.

We understand what dogs, cats and pet owners are facing and we are working hard to meet emerging and urgent animal welfare needs. This has meant listening to our communities and being responsive by adapting our services, something that will continue into 2023 and beyond.

Offering expert veterinary care, rescue and rehoming services, programmes in the community and credible guidance and support, it’s Mayhew’s care, warmth and creativity that touches lives. Here, we take the time to really get to know the dogs and cats we care for and those who care for them.

Whether here in London or abroad, our commitment to animal welfare and improving health and wellbeing outcomes for dogs, cats, pet owners and communities is the same.

5,520 ANIMALS TREATED FOR PARASITES (MAYHEW ANIMALS AND UK OUTPATIENTS)

33 ANIMAL DENTALS (MAYHEW ANIMALS AND UK OUTPATIENTS)

1,623 OTHER VETERINARY INTERVENTIONS (MAYHEW ANIMALS AND UK OUTPATIENTS)

1,002 ANIMALS MICROCHIPPED (MAYHEW ANIMALS AND UK OUTPATIENTS)

1,078 ANIMALS NEUTERED (MAYHEW ANIMALS AND UK OUTPATIENTS)

23 VETS AND 1 VET NURSE TRAINED OVERSEAS

We rehomed

325 CATS 34 DOGS

553 PEOPLE REACHED THROUGH THERAPAWS VISITS

109 FOOD PARCELS DROPPED OFF AT FOOD BANKS

12,965 DOGS NEUTERED OVERSEAS S

3,095 ANIMALS VACCINATED (MAYHEW ANIMALS AND UK OUTPATIENTS)

24,133

DOGS VACCINATED AGAINST RABIES OVERSEAS

73 STRAY PETS REUNITED WITH THEIR OWNERS

22 PET REFUGE ANIMALS REUNITED WITH THEIR OWNERS

423 ANIMALS HELPED WITH VETERINARY CARE, PRACTICAL SUPPORT AND ADVICE IN THE COMMUNITY (INCLUDING GYPSY, ROMA AND TRAVELLER COMMUNITIES AND HOSTELS)

VETERINARY INTERVENTIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY VET CLINIC

Mayhew has had a community vet clinic on site since 1925 and we have a long and proud history of reaching dogs, cats and pet owners with low-cost veterinary interventions they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford. In March 2022, we were proud to make all veterinary provision free at the point of need. Through offering preventative vet treatments including neutering, microchipping, vaccinations and dental procedures, we can give dogs and cats the best chance

When Django came to us, he was suffering with entropion, which meant his eyelashes were rubbing against the surface of his eyeball. This was causing him a lot of pain and putting him at a greater risk of infection. He also had several broken teeth and tested positive for FIV, an incurable but manageable infection for an indoor cat.

Thankfully, our incredible veterinary team were able to address Django’s health issues promptly, and they also neutered him. He made a wonderful recovery under the watchful eyes of our veterinary and cattery teams, and shortly afterwards he was adopted and moved to his new home - where we hear he’s doing well and has settled in very nicely.

Our smallest patients can often be the most demanding and we were hugely proud that across Mayhew, we hand reared 14 kittens in 2022. We take in all newborn kittens brought to us, as well as supporting heavily pregnant cats to safely give birth at Mayhew. We rely hugely on amazing volunteer foster carers to give kittens the round-theclock care they need to survive the critical first few weeks of life, supported closely with advice and guidance from our vet team. This year, volunteer foster carers have included many Mayhew staff members and even our Chair, Julianne!

of a long and happy life. Their health is protected, potentially detrimental behaviours are reduced and animal populations are controlled safely and humanely.

6,831

VETERINARY TREATMENTS IN 2022

VETERINARY INTERVENTIONS OVERSEAS

We are proud to work with talented and passionate animal welfare and veterinary staff in communities overseas where a dog’s quality of life would otherwise be at risk. We work in Kabul, Afghanistan and in Tbilisi and other Georgian regions to humanely manage dog populations, prevent potentially fatal zoonotic diseases and support the community to better understand and value the animals and live more harmoniously alongside them.

In Kabul, 2022 saw the fourth year of our vaccination programme, and third year of our neutering programmes, which together have resulted in zero positive cases of rabies in dogs recorded since April 2021, and – notably – no human deaths from dog-mediated rabies recorded since the end of 2020. In Tbilisi, we proudly opened the first solely not-for-profit vet clinic in Georgia and neutered more than 2,000 dogs.

DOGS WERE NEUTERED IN ONE DAY TO MARK WORLD SPAY DAY AT OUR KABUL CLINIC

Thank you, in particular, to the incredible support of our funders Brigitte Bardot Foundation, Dogs Trust Worldwide and the Edgard & Cooper Foundation without whom our work for dogs and cats in Afghanistan and Georgia would not be possible.

In Georgia, nervous street dog Gogona had been neutered under Mayhew’s trap, neuter and return programme after having a litter of puppies. After her surgery, a local monastery agreed to care for her and her pups who were later rehomed, with Gogona staying at the complex. In the autumn of 2022, Gogona came back to the monastery with a significant injury to the back of her neck. She had jagged gashes through the skin which were starting to become infected. Without knowing whether the horrific wound was caused by someone, or by Gogona getting stuck somewhere, we recognised she needed urgent medical help. Teona, her volunteer carer, brought her into the University clinic, where Dr Ana, our Head Vet in Georgia, was able to cut away the dead tissue and put in drains. She was also given antibiotics, pain relief, and antiinflammatories. Thankfully, Gogona recovered well through a lengthy rehabilitation process and the happy dog is now back at the monastery under Teona’s watchful care.

SHARING TRAININGKNOWLEDGE, OTHERS TO DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY VET CARE

ANIMAL WELFARE INTERVENTIONS AT OUR HISTORIC SHELTER IN KENSAL GREEN

With capacity for up to 15 dogs and 80 cats on-site, and many more in foster homes, we are not the biggest shelter in London – and we don’t want to be. Our focus is on preventing dogs and cats from needing to come into shelter in the first place.

When dogs and cats do come into Mayhew, they often need a lot of care, love and support from our teams. Alongside the veterinary attention they require, each animal receives a tailored enrichment plan and goes through thorough assessments so we can match them to the environment best suited to their individual needs. In 2022 we enhanced our behaviour modification approach for dogs in particular, working with a clinical animal behaviourist to ensure that every dog in our care has the best chance of finding their forever home.

Two-year-old Chow Chow, Bungle, came into Mayhew with very sore and painful eyes due to a condition called entropion, which caused his eyelashes to turn inwards. After successful surgery at our community vet clinic, Bungle needed monitoring and lots of TLC while his eyes healed. Our staff and volunteers were unable to resist Bungle’s sociable personality and he soon became Mayhew’s unofficial ‘office dog’, spending his days outside of mealtimes and walkies receiving love and attention from staff and volunteers in the open plan office.

At Mayhew, we know that we can have impact far beyond our physical locations in communities by sharing our knowledge with others and to train the next generation of veterinary talent.

We’ve joined forces with the University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine to provide fourth-year students a ‘hands-on’ experience performing neutering procedures at our community vet clinic in London.

Melanie Blevins, Teaching Fellow in Small Animal Surgery at the University of Surrey says, “The neutering clinic days hosted by Mayhew are an invaluable opportunity for our students to put all of their training into practice in a real-life environment”

Veterinary Student, Annie, adds, “I am so grateful to all of the Mayhew and University staff, the lovely pets, and their owners for such an amazing experience. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to practice with expert supervisors and leave with the confidence to perform vital surgical and anaesthetic skills, the necessary patient care, and all aspects of communication required for the job.”

We are committed to improving veterinary competencies and capacity overseas as well as at home in London.

Our Afghanistan Country Director, Dr Abdul-Jalil Mohammadzai DVM – or Dr Mo – is a passionate advocate of our humane dog population management approach and speaks at conferences around the world on the subject.

STUDENTS VISITED OUR LONDON CLINIC IN 2022

In 2022, he spent two weeks in Iraq training vets at War Paws and speaking to local authorities about our ‘Kabul model’, before heading to Algeria in November to train more vets alongside our funder, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.

In Tbilisi, Georgia, our newly opened clinic serves as a training centre for vets and other veterinary professionals with four vet professionals receiving training from the team.

Dr Mo was acknowledged as a Rabies Hero by MSD Animal Health in March 2022. He was given the award for his ground-breaking work to eliminate dog-mediated rabies in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, a mission he is passionate about and on which he speaks widely.

Our teams took the time Bungle needed to work on other quirks, such as his preference for not eating from dog bowls, instead providing all his meals on lick mats, and desensitising him so that he was comfortable to wear a harness. After eight months at Mayhew, Bungle finally found his forever family in early 2023 and the whole Mayhew team were there to wave him off to his new home in Oxfordshire.

In London, despite focusing our intake within our five-borough catchment area in 2022, we still saw a significant year-on-year increase in the number of requests for us to take on dogs and cats that pet owners felt they could no longer care for. Coupled with a reduction in adopters coming forward, our shelter has been stretched to the limit and we have only been able to help as many dogs and cats as we have thanks to our amazing team of volunteer foster carers.

It was one of the hottest days of the year when Bob, a fivemonth-old ginger cat, was brought into Mayhew. The young cat was found unconscious, and he was quickly taken to our clinic where the team discovered he had sustained serious head injuries. He had a split upper palate alongside other trauma, likely caused by him falling from some height such as from a flat’s balcony.

Our clinic team set to work on getting him conscious and safe before moving him to a cosy cabin in our kitten block. He was continuously monitored by the team and soon enough, this sweet cat was healed and ready for rehoming. He found his forever home shortly after, and now spends his days snoozing on sofas and chasing leaves across a protected garden.

Emma, Bob’s owner, said: “Bob is the most confident, playful, and loving cat and I am so grateful to the team at Mayhew for caring for him so wonderfully. can never thank them enough for helping him become the cat he is and bringing us together!”

Our incredible team of volunteer foster carers enable us to care for many more cats and dogs awaiting their forever homes.

LILLY AND STUART

LILIBET AND CAROLYN

As well as dogs and cats awaiting their new loving homes, Mayhew’s shelter is also occupied by pets of loving owners who are experiencing a temporary and unexpected change in their personal circumstances or a crisis, causing a need for temporary care for their dog or cat. We take these beloved pets into our care through our Pet Refuge service for up to three months, providing veterinary and behavioural support and lots of love and attention. In this way, we prevent these animals and their loving families from being torn apart and stop them from coming into shelter in need of rehoming.

9 CATS 13 DOGS REUNITED WITH THEIR OWNERS AFTER BEING CARED FOR AT MAYHEW AS PART OF PET REFUGE

When Alisa from Bromley was told she urgently needed complex surgery in September 2022, her main priority wasn’t so much the major procedure required for painful bilateral osteoarthritis but rather who would look after her two children who both have special needs – and her beloved 12-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, Major. Single mum Alisa, 50, was so desperate to find care for Major that when it appeared increasingly unlikely, she even considered cancelling the surgery she so badly needed altogether. Alisa found out about our Pet Refuge programme and the situation took a turn for the better.

Alisa said, “It was a moment will never forget! Without Pet Refuge, doubt my family and Major would be together today and I would not have been able to have my operation. Knowing Major would be safe and well, receiving expert care and support, meant I could stop worrying and focus on my wellbeing. I can’t thank Mayhew enough for what they did for us – and for Major – when we most needed help.”

When poodle crossbreed, Lilly, was spotted in the water in the Grand Union canal in Brent this June, it was only thanks to the quick response of two observant passers-by that she avoided drowning. Thankfully, Lilly was brought into us for assessment, vet treatment and to begin the long road to recovery from her ordeal. The team at Mayhew set about finding Lilly a loving and peaceful home environment with an experienced and trusted foster carer.

As Merryn Walker, Mayhew Head of Kennels, Dog Adoptions and Fostering explains, “Lilly’s is one of those horror stories you read about. We were so shocked by her condition. She was covered in putrid, muddy canal water and was understandably very nervous and traumatised by her experience. We won’t ever know whether she ended up in the canal by accident or if she was thrown into the water. Our foster carer really helped rebuild Lilly’s confidence so she could come back to life again.”

Volunteer foster carer, Stuart, explained, “Lilly was nervous when she first came to us and wary of strangers on the first few outings, even hiding behind my legs if someone approached. Considering what she’d probably been through I’m not surprised. But she soon grew in confidence when she realised she was safe and turned out to love attention, which is just as well. Lilly is such a little cutie that she was never short of admirers.”

Lilibet and her three newborn kittens were found under a tarpaulin in the freezing cold. Fortunately, a member of the public called us to help and we saved their lives. After a general health check and three weeks of recovering in our cattery, Lilibet’s family were collected by one of our amazing foster carers who could provide the home setting they badly needed and socialise the kittens at the critical time in their young lives.

Volunteer foster carer, Carolyn, explained, “The flexibility of fostering an adult cat appealed to us. But, since my husband Charlie and have both been working from home since lockdown, our lifestyle really suited rearing kittens too. It turned out to be easier than we thought. Lilibet is a fantastic mum and did a great job of looking after the kittens, so our job was mainly focused on looking after Lilibet so that she could do a good job of being a mum. The other key role we played was in socialising the kittens, which means handling them, playing with them, and getting them used to the sorts of stimuli that you’d typically find in the domestic environment, like the sound of the hoover, the radio, the hairdryer and so on.”

Our volunteer foster carers play such a vital role in the Mayhew family. Carolyn adds, “It’s been really nice getting to know the team, and everyone’s so friendly that as a volunteer you feel part of the team too.”

Following her operation in October and time in respite care, Alisa returned home safe and well in December 2022 – with Major overjoyed to greet her after his time being cared for at Mayhew.

In summer 2022, we launched a digital campaign to raise awareness of our Pet Refuge service. Our tongue-in-cheek film featured dogs and cats leaving reviews of their time at the Mayhew ‘hotel’, with touching statements about how nothing is as good as going home after a holiday. The campaign reached over three million people and and attracted 558 new supporters to Mayhew. Amazingly, 50% of the enquiries we received all year for Pet Refuge support arose from this campaign.

At Mayhew, we want to prevent dogs and cats from coming into the shelter environment and we work hard to keep them with loving owners whenever that is possible. We do this through our presence in the local community – understanding what we can do to relieve the pressure that can lead to families considering giving up their pets and delivering that help for free and without judgement.

We provide the essential supplies that might temporarily be out of reach, including dog and cat food, litter, bedding, leads, harnesses and toys, directly to those who need it or through community support services such as food banks or homeless shelters. The demand for this service has rocketed in response to the cost-of-living crisis, with the price of pet food shooting up by more than 20% in a year. We rose to meet this need, providing three times the number of care packages to struggling pet owners in 2022 than 2021.

ANIMAL WELFARE INTERVENTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY 17

FOODBANKS VISITED

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.

2022 YEAR IN REVIEW IN LONDON

AT OUR SHELTER:

• We saw a decline in people expressing interest in adopting, while at the same time seeing an increase in people giving up pets for rehoming. This was due to a combination of the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis on household finances and lifestyle changes in a post-pandemic world such as pet owners needing to go back into the office or not having as much time for their animals.

• We’ve seen an increase in dogs and cats coming in with behavioural problems; they often need more care, require more behavioural modification and are harder to rehome. This is an additional reason for the observed dip in adoption numbers year-onyear.

• Due to the current pressures on household finances, people have been less inclined to take on dogs and cats with ongoing health conditions.

• We saw a notable increase in stray dogs coming into us. Of the 76 that came in as stray, 50 were returned to their owners.

• Approximately half of cats coming into our care were strays and half were signed over to us as their owners could no longer look after them.

• Over summer, there was a sharp increase in demand from pet cat owners who could no longer look after their cats so we halted Pet Refuge intakes to enable us to temporarily prioritise capacity for these cats at risk of abandonment. In addition, through Pet Refuge, we took in more dogs in 2022 than in the prior year.

• We made physical improvements to the shelter, including to our Kitten Garden and Cattery.

IN THE COMMUNITY:

• We paused our Trap Neuter Return (TNR) service while we launched a feral cat population survey in Harlesden to find out how many feral cats might be living there.

• We continued to work with Gypsy, Roma and traveller communities, homeless shelters and hostels and individuals temporarily needing help by providing them with advice, support with disease prevention, veterinary treatments and the essentials to care for their pets.

• We continued to provide advice and support to help pet owners better understand dogs and cats and their needs.

• We identified and helped dogs and cats at risk of abandonment or becoming stray and helped those living in low welfare

environments to find improved conditions or loving homes.

• Our TheraPaws service made 40 therapeutic dog visits benefiting 553 people in 2022.

IN OUR VETERINARY CLINIC:

• Despite experiencing challenges with recruitment, which has been a UK-wide issue since Brexit, our teams were able to maintain treatment levels in line with 2021 and helped scores of dogs and cats and pet owners.

• We saw a slight dip in neutering numbers but overall there was an increase in the number of vaccinations, microchipping and other veterinary treatments.

OVERSEAS: IN KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

• Our field and clinic teams were back to working at full capacity following the change of government in 2021 and worked with dedication on our programmes in the capital, Kabul.

• Our annual dog population survey showed that our work had resulted in 69% of the population of roaming dogs being neutered.

• We reached the milestone of neutering 30,000 dogs in three years in August 2022.

• We completed the fourth cycle of the mass rabies vaccination programme in Kabul at the end of September 2022.

• We responded to the authorities’ request to extend our programmes to a further six districts on the outskirts of Kabul from October 2022 following a dog population survey in these areas.

IN TBILISI, GEORGIA

• Our team delivered pop-up neutering and vaccination clinics in chosen regions following dog population surveys to estimate the number of dogs to target. There was great success in Akhmeta, Kakheti, where following our interventions nearly 78% of the roaming dogs were neutered.

• In October, we opened the first solely not-forprofit veterinary clinic in Georgia in Tbilisi.

• We strengthened our collaborative work with Tbilisi authorities to provide help and advice to the municipal shelter, with particular focus on aiding them to successfully improve their infection control measures.

LOOKING AHEAD 2023

RISING TO MEET SOARING DEMAND FOR OUR VITAL WORK

VETERINARY INTERVENTIONS

We know our preventative veterinary care helps thousands of dogs and cats to avoid suffering and disease – we will work creatively, including by partnering with organisations with shared values, to find ways to reach more dogs and cats and improve their health and wellbeing.

LONDON:

• Given the continuing financial pressures on households, we will see a rise in demand from pet owners for our free preventative veterinary treatments for their dogs and cats and will increase the number of treatments we provide compared with 2022.

• We expect a rise in the need for microchipping of cats in the light of recent legislation.

• We will continue to treat animals rescued from low welfare environments and improve their health and wellbeing, ready for rehoming.

• We will reach more pet owners needing treatment for their dogs and cats through cross-referral from our other service offerings and via private veterinary clinics across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Ealing where pet owners may be forced to delay or avoid preventative treatments for their pets due to cost.

• We will look to relaunch our online Advice Hub to help pet owners have a better understanding of their pets and their pets’ needs.

• We will continue to offer veterinary training opportunities through our partnership with the University of Surrey.

Our work abroad to help manage the population of roaming animals within their communities and for dogs, cats and people to avoid disease has a lasting impact –we will build on our recent successes in 2022 and look to achieve a sustained impact by continuing to grow knowledge and expertise in the veterinary profession in those communities.

KABUL:

• We will conclude our dog population and disease control programmes by:

• neutering a further 10,000 dogs in Kabul, aiming to cross the threshold of 75% of the dog population neutered across the districts in which we work.

• completing two rounds of mass rabies vaccination in the outlying six districts of Kabul, creating a buffer zone around the city.

• We will explore opportunities to carry out further dog population surveys in neighbouring provinces to Kabul.

TBILISI:

• We will develop a clear, impact-led roadmap for our work in Georgia.

• In collaboration with the city authorities, we will carry out a dog population survey in Tbilisi to inform future dog population management.

• We will continue to provide free services from our clinic hub in Tbilisi and via pop-up clinics focusing on the Mtshketa-Tianeti region.

• We will continue to offer training opportunities for Georgian vet professionals within our clinic.

ANIMAL WELFARE INTERVENTIONS

RESCUING AND REHOMING DOGS

• We will move away from taking in stray dogs by arrangement with local authorities to enable us to save more dogs whose owners can no longer care for them and who are waiting on our lists to come into our care, thereby preventing them from facing abandonment or becoming stray.

• We will rescue more dogs and rehome more dogs than in 2022.

• We will recruit a canine behaviourist to join our Kennel team and complement the expertise of our current Clinical Animal Behaviourist.

• We will increase capacity for recruitment of adopters and processing adoptions.

• We will recruit more dog foster carers to help increase our scale.

• We will make physical improvements to one of our kennel blocks and refurbish our internal dog run and dog sensory garden.

RESCUING AND REHOMING CATS

• We will rescue and rehome more cats than in 2022.

• We will conclude our feral cat population survey in Harlesden and take a decision about the future of our paused Trap Neuter Return (TNR) service.

• We will make further physical improvements to our Cattery and Kitten Block.

• We will further develop our working cat service.

PET REFUGE

• We will reach many more individuals who need temporary accommodation for their beloved dog or cat due to an unforeseen and temporary change in their personal circumstances.

Whether in London or abroad, we are unwavering in our commitment to reach many more dogs and cats who need us so we can help them to be healthy, help people and communities to love them, and support animals and people to live well together.

In 2023, we will further improve how we work, continuing to be intentional about preventative services and becoming even more impact-led in our approach so that we can broaden our reach and deepen our impact.

• We will recruit more volunteer foster carers to enable growth in this service.

• We will further publicise this service so that pet owners in our community are aware of the help we can provide and to avoid these animals being separated from their loving families.

COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS, LONDON

We know firsthand the help that communities in London need with animal welfare issues, especially as they grapple with social welfare issues in the current climate. We will work even harder to reach and support many more dogs, cats and people in our communities who need support.

• We will refine our current offering to help dogs and cats at risk of relinquishment, abandonment or becoming lost and/or living in low welfare conditions by:

• helping dogs and cats in need have access to our range of free of charge preventative veterinary care.

• moving dogs and cats in low welfare environments into our care or to improved conditions.

• helping dogs and cats and people in our communities avoid disease.

• working with pet owners to achieve improved emotional and physical wellbeing.

• providing pet owners with advice and support, helping them have a better understanding of their pets and their needs.

• At our shelter, we will launch regular drop-in surgeries for free essential pet supplies and advice and support for pet owners.

• We will continue to provide free animal care products to individuals, food banks and pet owners in need of support.

• We will recruit to our Community Animal Support team.

• We will grow our TheraPaws service, recruiting a full time TheraPaws Coordinator.

• We will proactively find ways to work more closely with local authorities to support their residents in response to cost-of-living pressures; attending local events and venues to support residents in the community and cross-referring them to our free-of-charge preventative services.

• We will improve our proposition to volunteers, recruiting even more individuals to help us deliver this crucial work.

IMPROVING OUR EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY

To realise our ambition to broaden our reach and deepen our impact at Mayhew in these challenging times, we need to develop our capability and capacity at pace.

• We will evolve our theory of change, supporting our efforts to become an even more impact-led charity and to demonstrate the difference we make.

• We will make further physical improvements to our premises in London, making it an even more comfortable, versatile and welcoming place to work and volunteer.

• We will develop and improve our offering to supporters, sharing the impact of their donations and stewarding their support more effectively.

• We will develop and reinvigorate our community events and participation opportunities.

• We will invest in our staff, developing their talent and skills with training in key subject areas and improving our key people policies.

• We will improve our offering and support to volunteers and volunteer foster carers, seeking to recruit many more to join the Mayhew family.

• We will improve how it feels to work for us by making real changes to ways of working, decision making, communication, transparency and accountability so everyone feels like they can shine and truly belong at Mayhew.

• We will improve a number of key business processes.

OUR PEOPLE

GEORGINA COSTI, HEAD OF CATTERY:

“2022 was a year of change for the cattery team, with our old Head of Cattery moving onto pastures new and myself stepping up into the post, after seven years as Cat Welfare Coordinator. With changes to our operations, we were able to help a lot more people who were unable to continue to care for their pet cats and we had a very successful year with adoptions. We were able to help rehome some of our longer stays, like Sylvester and Tonka who were with us over nine months, which was particularly heart-warming.”

CHLOE WATKINSON, KENNEL CARER, ADOPTION OFFICER & FOSTERING COORDINATOR:

“2022 was a busy year for Kennels. The cost-of-living crisis, amongst other issues, showed itself in the fact we received far more strays than usual. Luckily, we were able to reunite most of these with their owners and rehome some of the rest to lovely homes. A bright spot of the year was when one of our long stayers, Mickey, was happily rehomed after six long months with us!”

CAROLINE BASMA, VOLUNTEER RECEPTIONIST AND THERAPAWS COORDINATOR:

“It has been so exciting getting these amazing dogs and gorgeous volunteers back to their venues. My first goal was to get four volunteers back up and running and we achieved 11 volunteers and 13 dogs, who visit a variety of locations including primary schools, hospitals, care homes, adolescent mental health and eating disorder clinics.

“I love hearing how the visits are going and the benefits they bring - from the children learning to read, to teenagers with eating disorders and the elderly having improved wellbeing. If nothing else, it is a great start to a conversation and the volunteers often hear stories about childhood dogs and happy memories.

“There are too many highlights to single out and would not want to mention any in isolation. It really has been wonderful to meet the volunteers and work alongside the Mayhew team to get this unique programme restarted. I have learned so much.

“I really look forward to our new TheraPaws Coordinator joining and assisting them to get TheraPaws further established.”

In 2023, we will further improve how we work, continuing to be intentional about what we do and becoming even more impact-led in our approach.

We are proud and honoured to have staff members who have dedicated many years of their lives to our work for dogs and cats. In 2022, these team members reached milestone work anniversaries: thank you for all you do.

5 YEARS:

Chloe Watkinson – Kennel Carer, Adoption Officer & Fostering Co-ordinator

Emma Robinson - Veterinary Surgeon

10 YEARS:

Matt Pearson - Cat Adoptions Officer

Joy Cox - Donor Development and Database Officer

20 YEARS:

Sue Barrett – Receptionist

Dr Mo – Country Director, Afghanistan

25 YEARS:

Lisa Guiney - Head of Operations & Acting Head of Clinic

THANK YOU

Without the wider Mayhew community of volunteers, foster carers, supporters and donors, we are powerless to do our work –thank you!

In 2022 we were supported financially and in kind by individuals, trusts, foundations and companies who have made a lasting difference to dogs and cats in need, here in the UK and abroad - our sincere thanks for your support.

Animal Defence Trust

Association of Dogs and Cats Homes

Brigitte Bardot Foundation

Diana Mary Symon Charitable Trust

Dogs Trust Worldwide

Edgard and Cooper Foundation

Edith Murphy Foundation

Lily’s Kitchen

MARS

MSD Animal Health Trust

Pets at Home Foundation

Rose Foundation

Souter Charitable Trust

Sylvanus Trust

The Arthur Camp Foundation

SENIOR MANAGEMENT (AS AT YEAR END DATE)

Chief Executive Sherine Wheeler

Head of Operations & Acting Head of Clinic

Lisa Guiney

Head of Marketing & Communications & Acting Head of Fundraising

Natassja Yoxall

Head of Finance, Facilities & Technology

Fiona MacCarthy

Head of People

Scott Weir

Head of International Projects & Relations

Caroline Yates

The Barry Green Memorial Fund

The Chelsea Square 1994 Trust

The Dominic Trust

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

The Edgard & Cooper Foundation

The Goldcrest Charitable Trust

The Ivo Trust

The South Square Trust

The Walker 597 Animal Trust

Together for Animals

We are fortunate to benefit from gifts left in wills. Legacies make up more than half our income and help us give a second chance to thousands of dogs and cats who need us. This is a wonderful way for our supporters to celebrate their love of animals and to be remembered. We commemorate the contribution of the many supporters who enabled our work in this powerful way in 2022.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

n the face of an unfolding economic downturn, in 2022 Mayhew donors continued to generously fund our work. As a charity which is dependent almost entirely on voluntary income, with no government funding, such generosity makes it possible for us to continue to deliver our preventative veterinary and animal welfare services. Despite the challenges for fundraising across the charity sector in 2022, we maintained and even slightly increased donation levels by 6% on 2021, but this was in part attributable to a significant increase in investment in fundraising by 7% on the prior year. This investment builds on the Board’s decision to commit to invest further in raising funds and awareness in 2021.

Our direct and indirect expenditure on animal welfare in the UK increased by 9% in 2022. Our community and clinicbased staff continued to carry out their important work despite fluctuations in staffing levels and at times, a high number of vacancies during the year.

In 2022, non-legacy donations made up 37% of our overall income (32% in 2021). This includes grants from trusts and foundations supporting our specific projects at home and abroad, which meant we were able to continue and expand those programmes during the year.

Income from legacies decreased by 7% from 2021 to £1.86m (£1.99m in 2021); we are truly grateful to all those who celebrate their love of animals by remembering Mayhew in their wills or by donating in memory of those they loved. At the end of the year, our total income did not cover our total expenditure by £0.32m (in 2021 we showed a surplus of £0.43m).

This deficit in 2022 impacted upon our level of reserves, meaning we entered 2023 with a 16% lower level of free reserves in our General Fund than the prior year. Free

TOTAL INCOME: £3,256,007

2021: £3,406,113

reserves, or general funds, excluding the net book value of the charity’s tangible fixed assets which are essential to its smooth operation and other designated funds, amounted to £1.60m (2021: £1.91m). As a proportion of unrestricted expenditure (excluding depreciation) this is broadly equivalent to six months of unrestricted expenditure. This is in line with the reserves policy reviewed by trustees during 2022.

Our current reliance on legacy income as a proportion of overall income, especially in the post pandemic world, has increasingly resulted in a divergence at any given point in time between income recognised and cash realised. Legacies take time and effort, sometimes over years, to be processed and received, and charities have seen an increase in the lead time to receipt of cash from legacies following the pandemic due to delays in issuing and processing of probates. The impact of this is clearly reflected on our balance sheet, where debtors rose to £1.85m in 2022 from £1.01m in 2021 and cash at bank and in hand decreased to £1.06m as compared with £2.06m in the prior year. Total current assets, being the sum of debtors and cash at bank and in hand, remained almost identical year-on-year at £2.91m in 2022 and £3.07m in 2021.

The aim of the trustees and management is to prudently manage cash flows while driving the throughput of receipts from debtors to the extent possible whilst also seeking to diversify our pool of income so as to lessen reliance on legacy income for day-to-day operations. Lowering reliance on legacy income is being achieved through investment in other areas of fundraising and will help us to build our free reserves position back up over the next few years. The current reserves level is in line with our reserves policy and is expected to be sufficient to deliver the charity’s current strategic and operating plans.

TOTAL EXPENDITURE: £3,571,052

2021: £2,975,986

Legacies: £1,865,552 (57% of total income)

2021: £1,998,019 (59%)

Donations: £1,199,973 (36%)

2021: £1,127,346 (33%)

Fundraising events: £1,374 (0%)

2021: £7,235 (0%)

Trading income: £45,660 (1%)

2021: £61,845 (2%)

Vet clinic and rehoming fees: £94,437 (3%)

2021: £105,948 (3%)

Investment and other income: £49,011 (3%)

2021: £105,720 (3%)

Animal welfare: £1,999,269 (69% of total expenditure)

2021: £1,936,602 (65%)

International grants for animal welfare: £0 (0%)

2021: £0 (0%)

Animal welfare in Afghanistan and Georgia: £613,164 (17%)

2021: £464,855 (16%)

Raising funds and awareness: £958,619 (27%)

2021: £574,529 (19%)

Based on the income and expenditure figures included in our audited Annual Report and Accounts 2022 Expenditure includes applicable support costs.