Coronavirus guidance updated as lockdown eases

[IN APRIL the Fundraising Regulator and Chartered Institute of Fundraising published a series of updated guidance documents to support charities as they resume public fundraising activities. The updated guidance provides information in line with the latest government advice. Fundraising organisations are strongly advised to review and follow the updated guidance when planning their public fundraising activities.

On 12 April guidance was published regarding fundraising key principles and public fundraising. Their publication co-incided with the return to public fundraising.

The ‘fundraising key principles’ guidance highlights the issues charities should consider when adapting the way their organisation fundraises as lockdown measures are eased. In particular it provides advice on how to plan future fundraising, how to behave and interact safely and respectfully with the public, how to safeguard the public, staff and volunteers, and undertaking a risk assessment.

The ‘public fundraising’ guidance is meant to be read in conjunction with the overarching COVID-19 guidance and the key principles.

The following week, on 19 April, two further guidance documents were published covering events and community fundraising activities and cash collections. Each sets out a framework to aid good decision-making which should be applied to any charitable community and events fundraising activity.

The new guidance highlights relevant government regulations and identifies additional considerations that fundraising organisations should think about as they plan community fundraising activities – including social distancing requirements, conducting risk assessments, and capacity limits.

Charlotte Urwin, head of policy at the Fundraising Regulator, explained: “Our latest guidance on events and community fundraising and cash collections is an important addition to the existing suite of guidance we have published to support the safe and responsible return of public-facing fundraising activities. This guidance provides a framework that will help fundraisers make decisions about how to return to those activities as restrictions ease across the UK.

“Before applying the guidance, fundraisers must check the relevant guidelines in the area where their fundraising is being carried out to account for specific guidance from the devolved nations.”

Daniel Fluskey, head of policy and external affairs at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, added: “This guidance will help charities and fundraisers navigate the return to physical community and events fundraising activities in a safe and carefully considered way. We have provided key considerations and provided links to relevant guidance to help charities as they put together their plans for weeks and months ahead. We know that some charities and supporters are really keen to return to in-person events and hope that this provides reassurance for organisations as they put in place future plans.”

All the guidance documents can be accessed at the website www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/guidance/coronavirus q

Caring for chelonia

[THE BRITISH CHELONIA GROUP publishes six newsletters a year containing details of meetings, short articles, news items and veterinary notes. Their journal Testudo is published annually and contains original articles and reviews on all aspects of turtles, terrapins and tortoises – their biology, conservation, welfare, veterinary care and husbandry. The group also organises symposia.

As well as the yearly appeals in aid of specific international causes in chelonia research and survival, the BCG assists other worthy causes in support of its aims with grants. They invite grant applications from organisations and individuals engaged on the work of chelonia conservation – such as zoos, universities, zoologists and students in this country and overseas. q

The dream continues to offer sanctuary to abandoned animals

[THE YEAR IS 1983 and it is the coldest winter for 20 years. Many stories about horses and ponies being abandoned by their owners on Rainham Marshes in Essex were hitting the headlines.

Paula Clark, who was involved in raising money for a number of sanctuaries, was sitting at home in tears after reading the story of those poor horses. When her husband Ernie returned home from work, Paula showed him what was happening and they vowed to take action and help the animals that needed them.

Some of the horses were already dead and others were starving when the couple got to the marshes. They weren’t having their basic needs met; they had no water or food. Paula and Ernie took tanks of water to them and bales of hay and feed. They even got a vet to examine some of them. No-one was looking after the horses’ basic needs – let alone enriching their lives.

Paula and Ernie embarked on fulfilling their dream and the story of Hopefield Animal Sanctuary began. They began taking horses with the intention of fostering. They would bring them back to health and then find them nice homes.

The first horse they fostered out was Pye. Soon after they heard that the fosterers were trying to sell him, so Ernie took them to court at a cost of £4,000. Ernie finally got Pye back in a terrible state, so both Paula and Ernie promised they would never rehome again – the animals had a home for life.

As Paula and Ernie found fostering animals didn’t work out they decided to provide homes for life to their animals. One beneficiary is Juliette, a thoroughbred horse who arrived in a terrible condition.

Because of her home for life at Hopefield, and the daily care and attention she receives, she is now physically transformed.

Paula and Ernie have both now sadly passed away. Since their passing the work has been taken over by new trustees and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers look after the resident animals, old and new. Many animals arrive in a terrible condition and are completely transformed by living at the sanctuary.

The sanctuary has now been running for 35 years – it has over 50 regular volunteers, a huge amount of local and loyal support and over 20,000 followers on Facebook.

CEO Dave Schlaich explained: “We have continued to rescue horses and farm animals, but have found that over the years the type of animals we are having to help has greatly changed, with people getting more and more into exotic species through the pet trade.”

The sanctuary is now open the public from Friday to Monday each week. It has become a visitor attraction with a small tea room. All activities generate funds that go directly to the animals, making the future more secure.

Said David: “You can support us by becoming a regular donor, visit us, sponsor an animal or leave us a legacy in your will, knowing that your donation goes towards providing a home for life for one of our animals.” q

If you Will, we will

[LEGACIES MEAN SO much to the team at Last Chance Animal Rescue. These wonderful gifts have helped them to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home so many abandoned, abused and unwanted dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, rabbits and guinea pigs who otherwise would have had no future.

The charity understand the wishes of its kind benefactors who have considered them in their Wills. A spokesperson said: “We know they want their generous gift to us to be used directly to save lives, provide the very best of care and to find loving homes.

“Legacies really do provide the gift of life and Last Chance Animal Rescue can now, after much planning and prudent use of funds, offer our life saving services to so many more needy pets. We are delighted to announce we now have a second rescue and re-homing centre in Kent, giving hope and a true A new friend for Alan last chance to so many.

“Sadly we cannot thank those who have enabled this wonderful achievement but are extremely grateful to all those who are currently considering helping us now and in the future to continue our work.” q

Re-homing is their mission

[THE MISSION of Three Counties Dog Rescue is to accept, care for and find homes for unwanted, lost and stray dogs and cats and to ensure their wellbeing afterwards. The charity was founded in 1971 and since then they have improved the lives of over 7,000 dogs and cats.

Before rehoming, all animals are vet checked, neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and kept in suitable conditions. Rehabilitation costs are a major part of the charity’s annual expenditure of over £200,000.

Healthy animals are never put down. As part of that non-destruction policy, several elderly dogs are kept in long term foster care. However, this means that the charity can incur large veterinary costs to maintain a dog’s health while they await a new permanent home.

Every penny raised goes to improving the lives of dogs and cats. Three Counties Dog Rescue is run entirely by voluntary and unpaid helpers, who also meet their own expenses. q

Saving lives one sniff at a time

[HYPO HOUNDS provide a viable health care alternative for children and their families by training a Diabetic Alert Dog to detect the subtle changes in the child’s blood sugar levels.

The dogs are trained to alert parents when the child’s sugar levels drop dangerously low or rise too high. This not only impacts on the child but also on the family’s ability to function as a unit, with the registered carer becoming the dog.

Hypo Hounds work is becoming nationally recognised and is literally saving the lives of children – one sniff at a time. q

Until clefts are preventable, help is available worldwide

[TODAY, ONE IN 700 BABIES in the UK are born with a cleft lip and palate, the most common form of birth defect.

The impact on a child’s life as they grow is profound. It may affect not only the way they look, but also their speech, hearing and dental development. And it can leave deep psychological scars.

In the developing world, patients with clefts are frequently not operated on until later in life, if at all. As a result, they may be malnourished and unable to talk well or hear properly. Often, they will be social outcasts.

At CLEFT, our vision is of a future where clefts are preventable. Until we get there, we want to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate – in the UK and in poorer countries around the world.

Join the research effort

By funding research, we continue to make headway into understanding why clefts occur and to deliver pioneering new treatments that deliver kinder, more effective and more efficient care for children with cleft lip and palate.

By supporting the development of cleft centres in low and middleincome countries we aim to give children born with clefts in these poorer countries the same opportunities available to children in the UK. Each donation takes us a step closer to reaching our goal. All gifts could have a direct impact on changing the lives of many hundreds of thousands of babies and children around the world.

Please join us and help us prevent clefts for future generations. q

How you can make surgery their legacy

[CHOOSING TO LEAVE the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) a legacy in your will can have a direct impact on the future of surgery and on the patients who receive it. Legacies have enabled the college to purchase essential equipment and support a wide range of projects in surgical education and research.

A one-year research fellowship costs in the region of £65,000 and a recent bequest funded a urology surgeon who is looking at determining the genetic drivers of bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer affects approximately 10,000 people each year in the UK and is more common in older adults and men. The research aims to help sufferers of bladder cancer by looking into the genes which play an important role in driving the cancers, and their responses to treatments.

In the short term the project hopes to discover new ways to diagnose bladder cancer and predict patients’ responses to treatments, and in the longer term will aim to identify treatments that are more effective.

Since the RCSEng’s surgical fellowship scheme was founded in 1993 the number of high-calibre applications has doubled, and the college is unable to support 80% of applicants.

The college are always in need of more funding to enable projects that address the health challenges of modern society, supporting the development of pioneering ideas across the NHS. With each small success, the Royal College of Surgeons of England takes another step towards the next big breakthrough. q