Dogs Trust has completely the sale of its £9.25m-valued London headquarters Clarissa Baldwin House, named after its former chief executive.
The charity, which is undergoing a restructure affecting over 300 roles, said it no longer needed the site as many of its staff have moved to hybrid working since the Covid-19 pandemic.
It plans to renovate its other London offices at Edward House, situated opposite Clarissa Baldwin House, using some money from the sale.
A spokesperson for the charity told Civil Society: “Selling Clarissa Baldwin House and renovating Edward House to become our main London base is the most financially viable and straightforward way to adapt our London office space to suit our needs, and we are excited about the opportunities this will give everyone.
“We received the market value from the sale of Clarissa Baldwin House, and a small proportion of the funds is being used to renovate Edward House to become a flexible, fit-for-purpose, and exciting new workspace for our London teams.
“After taking the time to carefully consider the views, feedback, and priorities of our staff and volunteers, our consultation process has now come to a close, and we are ready to move forward.
“Dogs Trust must adapt the way we operate in response to the challenges of today’s environment.
“These changes are essential to increase our reach and impact, helping more dogs both in the UK and internationally.”
£4.6m deficit
Dogs Trust announced earlier this year that 307 roles at the charity were at risk of redundancy but that there would be at least 290 redeployment opportunities.
The charity plans to turn several of its rehoming centres into dog fostering homes and change the services it delivers as part of its aim to ensure its financial sustainability and help more dogs.
Dogs Trust’s recently published accounts, for the 2024 calendar year, show that the charity recorded a £4.61m deficit, which it said was planned in order to use reserves for developing new services.
Almost all of the charity’s income, which rose from £136m year-on-year to £143m in 2024, came from donations and legacy gifts.
The increase was mainly due to a rise in legacies from £54.7m in 2023 to £61.0m last year.
Meanwhile, the Dog’s Trust’s expenditure rose by around £12m to £151m in 2024, which it attributed to “investment in our core activities, and building foundations for the future of the charity”.
