A Year of Compassion, Care and Commitment

Our 2024–2025 Annual Review

In a year filled with both challenges and opportunities, the Anthony V. Martin Charitable Foundation is proud to reflect on a year of powerful impact, heartfelt connections, and life-changing support. Over the past twelve months, we donated a total of £321,189 to 23 carefully chosen charities in the UK and overseas.

These grants supported everything from emergency veterinary care and sanctuary upgrades, to international advocacy campaigns and educational outreach programmes. We remain steadfast in our mission: to fund compassionate, practical projects that create lasting change for animals — and the people who dedicate their lives to protecting them.

Spring 2024: Healing Begins with Hope

We started the year by supporting a range of charities that embody grassroots action and resilience in the face of adversity.

  • Flori’s Friends Rescue works tirelessly across the UK and Romania to rescue, treat, and rehome dogs that have been abandoned, abused or left to suffer. Our grant helped them offer urgent medical care, transforming despair into second chances.

  • Our Special Friends received support for their Animal Welfare Support Fund — a lifeline for people facing hardship, ensuring beloved pets can stay with their families through illness, bereavement or financial difficulty.

  • Team Poundie, a small UK-based group, was funded to help neuter dogs rescued from pounds — tackling the root causes of overpopulation and reducing the future burden on rescue centres.

  • Angels for Animals, operating in the UK and Turkey, continued their tireless rescue work, transporting animals from danger to safety, and providing food, shelter and veterinary care.

  • In Alicante, Spain, APROP expanded their rescue cattery — creating safe, comfortable spaces for vulnerable cats, many of whom arrive with injuries, trauma or from hoarding situations.

  • Voice of Animals Nepal received funding for their large-scale neutering programme in Kathmandu, improving conditions for street dogs and helping reduce disease and suffering through humane population control.

Early Summer 2024: Practical Support for People and Animals

As the summer began, so did a new wave of support:

  • Yorkshire Cat Rescue was assisted with the costs of veterinary care and daily welfare — from the smallest kittens to elderly cats in their final days, each animal received love and dignity.

  • The Mayhew, working in Georgia, continued their ambitious plan to neuter and vaccinate 1,000 stray dogs in Tbilisi — a powerful combination of care, prevention and community engagement.

  • At home, we supported Support Our Military Veterans, helping former service personnel access mental health services and counselling — a reminder that our commitment to care extends to people, too.

  • A smaller but no less meaningful grant went to sponsor Jackie Box, a long-time supporter raising funds for Glass Door Homeless Charity through a Sleep Out event in London.

  • In Sri Lanka, WECare Worldwide used our grant to produce an educational video about responsible animal care and hire a Community Engagement Officer — investing in long-term behaviour change as well as immediate medical care.

Mid-Year Support: Infrastructure, Innovation and Emergency Aid

Our July and August donations focused on strengthening operations and supporting urgent needs:

  • Rifugio Jill Phipps, a rescue centre in Italy, received emergency funding to purchase a mini excavator to move heavy feed and bedding — making life easier for staff and safer for animals. Later in the year, we funded a replacement tractor, helping the centre operate more efficiently in difficult conditions.

  • We were proud to continue supporting the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, funding a bold online advertising campaign aimed at keeping public pressure on policymakers. Our second grant in early 2025 reinforced the campaign’s visibility and influence at a key political moment.

Autumn 2024: Feeding Wildlife and Defending the Voiceless

As the year progressed, we funded both rapid-response grants and long-term legislative efforts:

  • The Turgwe Hippo Trust in Zimbabwe faced severe drought along the River Turgwe. Our emergency support helped them feed wild hippos and other animals who would otherwise face starvation. A further grant early in 2025 supported ongoing care, including a staff bonus after team members apprehended a poacher threatening local wildlife.

  • The Humane League continued their legal advocacy work, supported by our funding, to challenge DEFRA’s stance on intensive factory farming. While their court case faced a technical hurdle, their vital work continues to confront animal suffering at scale.

Winter 2024–25: Clinics, Campaigns and Compassionate Care

In the final months of the financial year, our grants spanned continents and causes:

  • Jai Dog Rescue in Thailand were able to acquire an essential x-ray machine for their new hospital — a transformative addition that allows them to diagnose and treat hundreds more animals each year.

  • We expanded our support for Animals Asia, helping drive their campaign to end the dog meat trade in Vietnam. This builds on the extraordinary success of their China campaign, which helped lead to the declassification of dogs and cats as “livestock” — a vital shift in legal and cultural perceptions.

  • At PDSA’s Cardiff Animal Hospital, our funding contributed to the national equipment upgrade programme across 119 hospitals — improving diagnostic tools for thousands of pets from low-income families.

  • Care4Cats in Ibiza used our support to purchase a much-needed van, enabling volunteers to transport feral cats for neutering and treatment. The van — now a regular sight on the island — proudly displays our logo.

  • Moorland Mousie Trust produced a series of accessible, online training videos to promote the ethical care of Exmoor ponies — safeguarding a native breed and educating future generations.

  • Eden Animal Rescue in Cumbria completed essential infrastructure upgrades, including a new sewage treatment plant to support their expanded kennels.

  • In Rajasthan, India, Tree of Life for Animals received funding to purchase a new x-ray machine, enhancing the capabilities of their animal hospital and ongoing vaccination and sterilisation campaigns.

  • Finally, we made a commitment to consistent support: Salima’s Animal Rescue in Tangier, Morocco (formerly SFT Morocco), received ongoing monthly funding to help feed over 600 dogs in their care — a powerful example of how steady support can transform overwhelmed shelters into sanctuaries of hope.

Behind the Scenes: Strengthening Our Foundation

Alongside funding, we’ve also strengthened the way we work:

  • Our eligibility and application criteria have been refined to ensure a fair, open and effective process.

  • We launched a new resources section on our website, offering digital fundraising ideas to help charities grow their reach and resilience.

  • We also completed our Governing Document, creating a solid and transparent framework for the Foundation's future — a vital step in safeguarding our mission for the long term.

A Legacy That Lives On

None of this would be possible without the extraordinary vision of Anthony V. Martin CBE.

His belief in action, his kindness, and his lifelong commitment to improving the lives of animals remain the driving force behind everything we do.

To Tony, to our Trustees, and to every supporter and partner: thank you. This work is a tribute to your dedication, your compassion, and your belief that the world can be better — kinder, fairer, and more hopeful.

If your charity is seeking funding to support animal welfare, we’d love to hear from you.

Together, we can continue building a kinder, fairer world for animals everywhere.