Two animal rehoming charities in the South West have merged in a bid to sustain operations amid a tough economic environment.
Bath Cats and Dogs Home and RSPCA Brent Knoll Animal Centre announced this week they have joined forces after more than 20 years of the latter charity operating independently.
The larger charity, the cats and dogs home, cited “serious financial pressures” behind the need to merge and said Brent Knoll needed “significant annual funding” to stay open.
Charity mergers increased by a third (31%) last year, according to the Good Merger Index, which recorded the highest number in its 12-year history.
RSPCA Brent Knoll had a total income of £591,235 in the year to 31 December 2024, below its expenditure of £804,256.
Bath Cats and Dogs Home, now listed as the RSPCA Animals Bath and District Branch, reported an income of £.5.08m in the year to 31 December 2024.
This was above its total expenditure that financial year of £3.26m.
The statement announcing the merger said Brent Knoll’s location, close to the M5 near Burnham-on-Sea, “makes it a crucial part of the RSPCA network, particularly at a time when cruelty, abandonment and neglect continue to place pressure on rescue services”.
It added that its priority is to protect the Brent Knoll Animal Centre and its staff, cautioning that “the challenge is far from over” in terms of ensuring the facility stays open.
“We will be asking local people, businesses and partners to stand with us as we work to secure Brent Knoll’s long-term future,” the charity said.
“From there, we want to expand our impact across North Somerset and the wider South West.”
Community support and hospice charities unify
Separately, St Michael’s Hospice in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and Harrogate District and Community Action (HADCA) in the same town have merged amid financial strain.
Helen Bourner, HADCA chair, said: “Our responsibility is to ensure that this work has the strongest possible future.
"We have carefully considered HADCA’s financial outlook and [...] believe joining Saint Michael’s offers the best opportunity to protect and develop our work for the long term."
Addressing the move on its website, HADCA said: “Like many smaller voluntary organisations, HADCA faces a long-term challenge around financial sustainability.
“The board believes it is important to act now, rather than wait until financial pressures begin to put services and support at risk.”
HADCA, which has operated for more than 40 years, said its work would continue under the same staff team and that a transition date has yet to be confirmed.
Its most recent annual report describes it as a “multi-purpose charity working in partnership with a wide range of voluntary, public and private sector organisations, connecting and collaborating to support local community and social action”.
St Michael’s Hospice, the larger charity with an income of £8.86m in the year to 31 March 2025, has previously worked with HADCA.
Tony Collins, St Michael's Hospice chief executive, said: “We believe HADCA’s work is too valuable not to have a strong future.
"By bringing our organisations together, we have the opportunity to combine HADCA’s local knowledge, trusted relationships and voluntary sector expertise with the resources, infrastructure and experience of Saint Michael’s."
Its expenditure in its most recent financial year was £8.57m, marginally below its income, the first time in three years income had outstripped spending.
