OAK TREE ANIMALS' CHARITY
Registered charity 1169511 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ANIMALS' REFUGE, THE NATIONAL EQUINE (AND SMALLER ANIMALS) DEFENCE LEAGUE · also registered in Scotland as SC048389 (OSCR)
Oak Tree Animals' Charity is at the heart of the community. Helping hundreds of animals each year, we find loving new homes for cats, dogs and horses, promote responsible pet ownership through education and outreach activities and work with individuals who need our support.
Causes: Education/training · Animals · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure deficit of £406,217 for the year ended 31 December 2024, resulting in total unrestricted reserves of £2,341,790. The trustees identified a material uncertainty regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern due to a projected significant shortfall in cash reserves by January 2026, driven by a lack of secured medium to long-term funding.
Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Going concern: material uncertainty disclosed
“The Trustees recognise that these circumstances in respect of the uncertainty around additional funding and trading expectations represent a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt upon the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern” — page 9
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: The charitable company has taken advantage of the exemptions available under section 33 of FRS 102 which dispenses with the need to disclose related party transactions with wholly owned subsidiaries within the group.
“The charitable company has taken advantage of the exemptions available under section 33 of FRS 102 which dispenses with the need to disclose related party transactions with wholly owned subsidiaries within the group. There are no transactions with related parties outside of the group.” — page 53
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: OTAC Trading Limited
“The Charity has a wholly owned subsidiary trading company, OTAC Trading Limited, to promote retail and events from Oak Tree Farm and other Charity properties.” — page 11
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Armstrong Watson Audit Limited. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Year-over-year changes
- Going concern: no going-concern doubt (FY2023) → material uncertainty (FY2024).
Comparing this charity’s FY2023 and FY2024 accounts as analysed by this site.
Corporate structure
OTAC TRADING LTD — per its own Companies House accounts
- Profit before tax: £27k
- Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £89k
- Recharged staff costs of £776,469 and a creditor balance of £168,833 owed to the parent charity.
“Each year any taxable profits made by the company are donated to the parent Charity, Oak Tree Animals' Charity. Donations made during the year amounted to £89,037 (2023 - £68,465).”
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Oak Tree Animals' Charity (matched by registered charity number).
Funders the charity credits
Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).
- Sally Carter — “A special thank you goes to the Trusts, Foundations and Grant-Givers who so generously fund vital projects and ongoing core costs. Here is t…” (source page)
- Battersea Cats and Dogs Home — “We would also like to thank the following funders for support in previous years: Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, the Beryl Evetts and Robert L…” (source page)
Company officers (Companies House)
Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.
- WINDER, Robert — director, appointed 22/05/2025on trustee list
- GRIFFITHS, Rachel Louise — director, appointed 11/03/2025on trustee list
- LOWRY, Georgina Sheilagh — director, appointed 29/02/2024on trustee list
- SQUIRES, Martin Benjamin — director, appointed 25/09/2017on trustee list
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
5 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (5 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram · linkedin
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)
Cost of raising funds
£836k
Reported reserves equal ~9.2 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 32.1% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (19/11/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (19/11/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (04/09/2017) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Rachel Griffithschair
- Georgina Sheilagh Lowry
- Martin Squires
- Robert Winder
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Cumbria · Northumberland · Scotland
Income and spending
Common questions
Is OAK TREE ANIMALS' CHARITY financially healthy?
Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure deficit of £406,217 for the year ended 31 December 2024, resulting in total unrestricted reserves of £2,341,790. The trustees identified a material uncertainty regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern due to a projected significant shortfall in cash reserves by January 2026, driven by a lack of secured medium to long-term funding. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Armstrong Watson Audit Limited.
Who funds OAK TREE ANIMALS' CHARITY?
Funders whose own accounts filings name OAK TREE ANIMALS' CHARITY as a grant recipient include MRS D M FRANCE-HAYHURST FOUNDATION, THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED, PETPLAN CHARITABLE TRUST, THE BERYL EVETTS AND ROBERT LUFF ANIMAL WELFARE TRUST LIMITED, THE CATHERINE COOKSON CHARITABLE TRUST.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE OSTACCHINI FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.