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Rescues

hurricanhoney

Wise Old Thumper
If you call yourself an animal rescue (with a name, etc) do you have to be regulated by any government body i.e. the Charities Commission or can you just set up and say you are a rescue?
 
as i understand it any one can call themselves a rescue ...but to be a charity , yes you have to register as a charity and be answerable to the charity commision . :)
 
You don't have to be a charity to be a rescue. Anyone can be a 'rescue', but I understand that in some cases you might need to have planning consent, dependent on access/accommodation.

Anyone can accept donations but if you are not a registered charity, this would be considered a personal 'gift' and subject to captial gains tax or income dependent on how it's given I guess.

As far as caring for animals in your back garden, and calling yourself a rescue, anyone can do this, many do, and are actually only animal collectors who don't have much intention of re-homing as a rescue should.

I have often thought about rescuing, but have decided against it for many reasons and would prefer to foster for an existing one.

Helen
 
The only reason I asked really because I have noticed there is a new rescue opened up near me asking for hutches but I can't find anything about it anywhere.
 
I think if turnover is under £5k a year registration is also optional.
 
I have a feeling that if turnover is more than £5k a year then it is actually mandatory to register as a charity. If it's under £5k then as Tamsin says, you can still register, but if you don't, you should still have separate accounts to keep your donations/rescue finances separated, and charity law still applies to an organisation which runs for charitable purposes (animal rescue is included in this definition).
 
We care looking into becoming a charity at the moment, although the laws in Scotland are different compared to England. We need to have a committee and a constution as well as fit into at least one of the categories on the list. We hope to apply soon, we have formed a committee of people we trust and are writing the constitution. A charity has been set up locally for wildlife rescue and given a number and they haven't even started rescuing yet, we have been running in varous guises for 6 years so hopefully we have a chance.:shock:
 
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