Vetlife

Registered charity 224776 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as VETERINARY BENEVOLENT FUND, VICTORIA VETERINARY BENEVOLENT FUND

Provides financial assistance to deserving veterinary surgeons, RVNs and their dependants; provides a helpline and website for veterinary surgeons, students and nurses; provides for the relief of mental and physical illness, associated with compulsive behaviour or stress or depression, which may or may not result from alcohol or drug addiction or other forms of dependence.

Causes: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£1.0m

Latest spending

£1.0m

Registered

1963

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £40,679 for the year, resulting in a total fund balance of £9.8 million. Per the trustees' report, the charity remains financially stable with reserves exceeding its stated policy target, despite a slight shortfall against budget.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: 33% of annual expenditure (held: £9.6m)

“The Board aims to maintain a reserve capital sum ensuring at least 33% of annual expenditure is covered. For 2024, this equates to £343K, with actual reserves exceeding this target.” — page 25

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Buzzacott LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Vetlife (matched by registered charity number).

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Total income

£1.0m

Total spending

£1.0m

Cost of raising funds

£208k

Reserves (reported)

£9.8m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~113.4 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (72% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 20.1% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Dr ELIZABETH ANNE BARTON
Dr John Rogers Chitty · trustee of 2 other charities
Dr Kelly Blacklock
Dr Lynne Gaskarth
Dr Mark Moreton
Emma Margaret Callaghan
Hannah Jane Sampson
James Simon Russell
Josephine Ann Oakden
Paul Graham Horwood
Robyn Jane Lowe
Susan Jane Little

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2024	£1.0m	£1.0m
31/12/2023	£1.2m	£977k
31/12/2022	£915k	£927k
31/12/2021	£777k	£725k
31/12/2020	£531k	£691k

Common questions

Is Vetlife financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £40,679 for the year, resulting in a total fund balance of £9.8 million. Per the trustees' report, the charity remains financially stable with reserves exceeding its stated policy target, despite a slight shortfall against budget. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Buzzacott LLP.

Who funds Vetlife?

Funders whose own accounts filings name Vetlife as a grant recipient include THE DASHLIGHT FOUNDATION, THE RATCLIFF FOUNDATION.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount
THE DASHLIGHT FOUNDATION	FY2025	£20k
THE DASHLIGHT FOUNDATION	FY2022	£20k
THE RATCLIFF FOUNDATION	FY2022	£4k
THE DASHLIGHT FOUNDATION	FY2023	—

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
Army Benevolent Fund	2	£745k
THE ORR MACKINTOSH FOUNDATION LIMITED	2	£70k
THE PETS AT HOME FOUNDATION	2	£31k
MARJORIE COOTE ANIMAL CHARITY TRUST	2	£11k
LORD BARNBY'S FOUNDATION	2	£5k
MRS D M FRANCE-HAYHURST FOUNDATION	2	£5k
THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION	1	£3.4m
THE MICHAEL UREN FOUNDATION	1	£1.8m

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with VETERANS WITH DOGS.

VETERANS WITH DOGS income £380k
STREETVET income £1.1m
STABLE LIVES income £207k
WORLDWIDE VETERINARY SERVICE income £9.3m
COMBAT STRESS income £14.3m
BRITISH VETERINARY ORTHOPAEDIC ASSOCIATION income £270k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
Vetlife	£1.0m	—	0	above	—	no doubt
VETERANS WITH DOGS FY2025	£380k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
STREETVET FY2025	£1.1m	—	—	within	—	no doubt
STABLE LIVES FY2025	£207k	—	0	within	—	no doubt
WORLDWIDE VETERINARY SERVICE FY2024	£9.3m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
COMBAT STRESS FY2026	£14.3m	£120,001 - £130,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.