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spring summer newsletter 2012

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we are dedicated to the welfare and rescue of greyhounds especially those in spain information about us greyhounds in need registered charity in england and wales no 1069438 registered uk office 33 high street wraysbury middlesex tw19 5da uk tel 00 44 0 1784 483206 fax 00 44 0 1784 482501 email info@greyhoundsinneed.co.uk website www.greyhoundsinneed.co.uk founders anne and arthur finch patrons jilly cooper obe alexandra bastedo trustees carl boyde mrcvs terry dickens christine goodwin martin humphery treasurer/trustee geoffrey levy fca general manager carolyn davenport 01784 483206 bournemouth shop sue north 01202 513000 brighton shop christine page 01273 674100 homing uk 01784 483206 supporter/homing group cheshire and the north west carol cushnie 07872621524 sue phil white 0161 620 6094 membership secretary audrey darbyshire merchandise 01784 483206 sponsorship 01784 483206 webmaster leigh dworkin

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drawing by monica monti index introduction trustees pages treasurer s report education learn with ginny how you can help gin gift aid form membership bank mandate form homing uk happy homings uk and abroad events brighton shop news bournemouth shop news news from cheshire and the north west tributes english greyhounds andalucía to extremadura sponsorship form galgos for the uk 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 16 18 20 21 22 24 26 27 34 35

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dear friends it is hard to believe that it is time for another newsletter but there is much to tell of our work over the last few months a big thank you to everyone who kindly sent in donations for christmas treats for the galgos ­ over £600 was raised and the treats have been very well received in spain we started the year by bringing our first group of ten galgos into the uk the coats have arrived at without the need for them to go into villamartin cadiz quarantine in february they began to photo saskia leave the kennels to start their new lives we were pleased that eight of the ten had homes waiting for them when they left the kennels in gloucestershire where they had undergone their final veterinary checks please see some lovely photos on page 14 pat whipps a local volunteer retired as gin s homing officer earlier this year pat had kindly handled the rehoming of 128 galgos over the eight years that she did this very important job for gin although this is a nice job as you can follow the story of a rescued galgo in spain to a loving home here in the uk dealing with all the enquiries questionnaires organising home visits and being on the end of the phone to offer help and support takes a lot of time and even more so now that we hope to bring more galgos to the uk we would like to take this opportunity to thank pat very much for all her hard work thanks to her many galgos found loving homes here in the uk and the feedback we have received over the years from many of these homes thanks to pat has been wonderful pat will still be helping us with other gin work we are fortunate to have sandy a local lady who helped with the january galgos kindly helping us again with the new galgos arriving in april 4

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our next group of ten galgos will be arriving at the end of april -their photos and details can be found on pages 35 and 36 we have had a lot of enquiries about these dogs even before their photos went on the website it is good to know that there is a lot of interest in the galgos we are again organising a summer raffle the draw will be on 27th july and this year the top three prizes are ­ 1st prize portable tv/dvd 2nd prize digital camera 3rd prize digital radio we enclose herewith a book of tickets and hope you will again take part cheques payable to greyhounds in need and raffle stubs should be returned to us at 33 high street wraysbury middlesex tw19 5da by 20th july please if you would like more tickets please call us on 01784 483206 and we will put them in the post thanks to christine our new trustee salva maria and jamal we are now on facebook please visit our page you can add photos of your homed greyhounds and galgos and meet new friends here is the link www.facebook.com/greyhoundsinneed we are very grateful for all donations we receive financial and material and have always made it our policy to acknowledge these unfortunately postage costs have increased again and some supporters are asking us not to acknowledge receipt of their donations to save money we are happy to continue acknowledging your kind donations but if in future you do not wish us to acknowledge these we would be grateful if you would indicate this when you write to us thank you already the events are being booked up and we always need your support so please come along to the gin stalls at various events being held around the country ­ more details on pages 18 and 19 and on our website we are pleased to let you know that our merchandise will soon be able to be purchased on-line the delay has been mostly due to the changing of our bank account it just remains for me to say a big thank you to lynne and geraldine for all the help and support they give me in the office we are always busy but still find time for a giggle to help us get through all the work carolyn 5

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trustees pages i am glad to report that despite the current economic difficulties gin goes from strength to strength supporters will see from geoffrey s treasurer s report in this issue that we have a strong financial position from which we have been able in the financial year just ended to widen our work in spain baasgalgo shelter cordoba this has been achieved by drawing on our reserves supporters will see that our income has fallen significantly and we still need your support to enable us to continue our work into the future we have been able to provide substantial help to our dedicated spanish friends who run rescue centres usually with minimal resources their work is being made more difficult by spain s serious recession which often results in the withdrawal of what government support they have had we also report elsewhere the exciting progress which we are making with our education programme this is in its infancy but we are delighted with the very positive response it has received from teachers and children we are determined to build on this initial success we have recently made a flying visit to spain upon which carolyn reports in this issue every time i go to visit our spanish colleagues i learn something new and make new friends there really is no substitute for personal contact and it is heartening to find how enthusiastically the help which you all make possible is received of course the year s big news is the ending last december of the uk quarantine requirements this will not only save us money but will enable us to 6

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bring more galgos to our everexpanding number of eager adopters we remain worried by the fact that all health requirements save for rabies have been swept away as we know only too well dogs from southern europe are vulnerable to several other serious endemic infections we will continue to apply rigourous checks to the galgos we import and can only hope that others will do the same however there seems to be no way of ensuring this in the face of a possible rush to import by individuals unaware of the dangers while on the subject of uk homing i must join my colleagues in acknowledging the huge debt we all owe to pat whipps who has been such a dedicated volunteer homing officer pat has had to step down for health reasons but i know that her vast store of experience will still be available to us you will see some changes in our board of trustees it s farewell to founding trustee liz mason thank you liz for your support over the years and hello to christine goodwin at last we have a fluent spanish speaker and to our hard-working treasurer geoffrey levy with the summer coming on ­ all you happy stay-at-home holidaymakers don t forget to stock up at our shops in brighton and bournemouth do yourself a favour and help the galgos at the same time veronica from recal in almendralejo she will be coming to the uk at the end of april martin chairmanoftrustees@greyhoundsinneed.co.uk 7

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treasurer s report gin enjoyed in financial terms a mixed year in 2011 income from supporters was £85000 down by £15000 from 2010 consequently our net income from all regular sources fell by £17000 these falls are clearly due to the strain on supporters income caused by the current hard times in uk however gin spent £13000 more on boarding and vet costs for greyhounds than in 2010 and additionally helped build a much needed paddock for dogs at almendralejo and invested a further £20000 in our education project for spanish school-children so a lot of money was spent furthering our cause legacies contributed £59000 but gin had to draw £42000 from its reserves to fund the outgoings our reserves are still very strong thanks mainly to some generous legacies received over the last few years we are coping well with a recent change in the laws relating to charities which spend funds outside uk we have all read grim stories of funds raised in uk to help overseas people affected by major disasters where most of the funds have failed to reach the needy a full audit trail is now needed for all monies spent by gin outside uk and with the help of the european groups which gin assists we are confident we have got well on top of the new requirements every payment we make needs supporting paperwork then an accompanying letter and the recipient must send back an acknowledgement-already the files are getting thick our financial transactions are complex as we raise funds mainly in uk and spent much of it in many european countries we were pleased to be offered free banking so have moved to new bankers over the last few months again a mass of forms every trustee and officer must supply a load of personal data and keep signing form after form 8

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a few years ago it was believed that computers would reduce paperwork but certainly this isn t the case when opening charity bank accounts then when all the forms were signed and checked-the bankers need to see us with our passports and a rates bill-in case gin is actually a money-laundering scam a major issue on the change of bankers has been the need to redo all the monthly standing orders from our supporters to ensure their money goes to the new bankers we wrote to all supporters affected explaining the position this income is vital to gin and we hope those who have not yet completed the change form will fill it in and send it back to carolyn as soon as possible if that lot isn t enough to give me even more grey hairs the tax authorities have just revised and expanded the gift aid declaration you will see the new version on page 12 of this newsletter it s more complex than before and fortunately we believe that we won t have to get everyone who has filled in an earlier version to fill in a replacement the government keeps saying that it will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy-but continues to pile on essential paperwork-on the financial side of medium sized charities-i can think of the new overseas payments regulations new gift aid formalities paye money laundering national insurance and pension matters and the charity commission s own expanded requirements of course colleagues in gin also cope with health and safety regulations insurance problems and the raft of rules covering the operating of our shops add on all the discrimination legislation we need to know and it s a miracle that we find any time to rescue and home greyhounds on the positive side quarantine has finished so it s not all bad news and we have high hopes that 2012 will be a great year for gin and greyhounds geoffrey treasurer@greyhoundsinneed.co.uk 9

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education learn with ginny our education resource has been well received in spain the cd-roms were completed and sent to spain at the end of last year and mada charlotte and cristina have been busy visiting their local schools to promote this cristina of galgos sin fronteras visits her local school in madrid she was allowed to take her galga dulcinea with her to meet the children mada of recal with one of the classes she has visited in almendralejo photo mada photo cristina charlotte giving a presentation at a school in malaga photo charlotte photo saskia 10

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how you can help gin gin s supporters can help in a number of ways fundraising at shows and local events organising local dog walks and street collections sponsoring galgos for homing in the uk joining gin s membership scheme buying our merchandise or visiting our shops leaving a legacy to gin in your will sending a book of stamps recycling old ink cartridges making dog coats for spain making donations making donations towards veterinary costs initial testing for the mediterranean diseases 40-60 vaccinations treatment for fleas and worms 40 sterilisations 80-130 donations can also be made on-line by visiting our website and clicking on one of these buttons donating other items needed for spain ­ collars leads and muzzles feeding and water bowls antiparasitics like frontline and drontal wound sprays bandages full details of all the above are on the gin website www.greyhoundsinneed.co.uk or can be obtained by phoning or writing to our wraysbury office 01784 483206 email info@greyhoundsinneed.co.uk 11

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greyhounds in need gift aid declaration for past present future donations please treat as gift aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made today in the past 4 years in the future please tick all boxes you wish to apply i confirm i have paid or will pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax for each tax year 6 april to 5 april that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or community amateur sports clubs cascs that i donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year i understand that other taxes such as vat and council tax do not qualify i understand gin will reclaim 28p of tax on every £1 that i gave up to 5 april 2008 and will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that i give on or after 6 april 2008 donor s details title first name or initials surname full home address postcode date signature please notify gin if you want to cancel this declaration change your name or home address no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains if you pay income tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you you must include all your gift aid donations on your self assessment tax return or ask hm revenue and customs to adjust your tax code 12

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to membership secretary greyhounds in need 33 high street wraysbury middlesex tw19 5da i should like to become a member of greyhounds in need and i enclose my cheque/postal order/other for the annual fee of £12 £6 minimum for nonwage earners to cover the period 1st january 2012 to 31st december 2012 if you are a uk tax payer please complete the form on page 12 so that we can claim gift aid on your membership new member renewal from:title name block capitals please address postcode tel no email address bank standing order mandate full name address postcode email i would like to help greyhounds in need with an annual quarterly monthly gift of £ name of your bank address of your bank postcode bank sort code account number bank instruction please pay the stated amount on the same day each year quarter month starting on signature date 13

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ten more lucky galgos started their new lives in the uk in february wenda positively shone on her way home with elaine to kent hada gracie was beautiful on her way to berkshire with marcia and david micky was very content to motor home with chris to hampshire espinete harvey and luzy georgie found their dream home with debi in conwy popeye pepe took a ride to sussex for a good life with janet and ian blanco found himself a lovely foster home in berkshire with catherine and peter pelos below right went home with sue in berkshire who also took rambo left to foster mozart decided to wait for clint and liz to drive him home to lancashire 14

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jake i didn t really want you i wasn t really sure and i ll admit i had my doubts when you came through that door not small or cute or fluffy with big soft puppy eyes but tall and thin and bony with bald pink bulging thighs you weren t the kind i had in mind not in any way perhaps it would be better if i took you back today before we know each other it really won t be kind to keep you here for one more day and then to change my mind but against my better judgement i decided you could stay and quickly i discovered you were kind in every way your gentleness and patience they really stole the show why these dogs are wonderful i must let others know for you re my gentle giant who just needed the chance to show us all what you could be to wipe away that history and dispel our preconceptions which put us all to shame and so we come to know and love what lies beneath that frame and now i ve come to understand what i missed right at the start that greyhounds need that big deep chest to house their generous heart denise dubarbier written for my own greyhound boy who so impressed me with his loving and gentle nature that i wanted to share this discovery with everyone 15

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