2 ANNUAL REVIEW 2022
STRATEGY AT A GLANCE
Many of us will not forget 2022, with
the sad death of Her Majesty the Queen
marking the end of a defining era in
our history. Queen Elizabeth II had a
lifelong passion for animals and served
as our patron during her reign. I was
deeply honoured to attend her state
funeral on behalf of the RSPCA. We
thank Queen Elizabeth for everything
she did, and will always remember her
many years of support for the RSPCA.
The year saw multiple disruptions and
storms at home and abroad - including
the outbreak of war in Ukraine, political upheaval
in the UK and the start of an ongoing cost-of-living
crisis. As is often the case, these human events had
significant impacts on animals. There was also the
catastrophic avian flu epidemic. Thankfully, we
were and are in a very strong position to anticipate
and meet such risks to animal welfare head-on.
In this review, you'll read about some of the many
thousands of animals we rescued, cared for and
rehomed or released back into the wild. You'll see
the sheer breadth of our work, the expertise, care
and patience we bring to meeting each animal's
needs, and how we step up for animals whenever
a crisis strikes. There's also our
work to change attitudes, laws and
behaviours. The year's highlights
included successfully campaigning
for the Westminster Government to
agree to an Animal Sentience
Committee that will oversee the
impacts of policy decisions on
animals, and securing the first ever
animal resolution at a United Nations
(UN) conference, which we hope
to build on to achieve recognition
of animal protection at the UN.
As we head towards our 200th anniversary in
2024, it's humbling to reflect on everything our
volunteers, supporters, partners and staff have
achieved over two centuries. Our people today still
have that immense resilience and determination to
protect animals' lives, come what may.
Everything in this review is thanks to them.
Chris Sherwood
Chris Sherwood
RSPCA Chief Executive
I'm delighted
to share with
you your
annual review
for 2022.
From the
Chief Executive