PetSavers 50th Anniversary logo
BSAVA PetSavers Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary
3 months ago 
369 views
2024 sees the 50th anniversary of BSAVA PetSavers. PetSavers was originally set up in 1974 by BSAVA members as the Clinical Studies Trust Fund, to fill an unmet need for a charity that would fund studies into the many unsolved companion animal surgical and medical problems.
Over the past 50 years, BSAVA PetSavers has grown and evolved, making significant improvements to small animal veterinary medicine by extending the veterinary knowledge base to advance clinical practice. It has also enabled young researchers to become established in veterinary clinical research by funding residencies, master’s degrees, and PhDs.
In this time, over 300 research projects have been funded, totalling around £2.7 million; however, vital clinical research into companion animal diseases is still needed, so there are several fundraising initiatives that you can take part in this year!
PetSavers Gold Stars
Join in with the PetSavers Gold Star fundraising challenge by choosing to do one thing from a list of 50 ways to support BSAVA PetSavers. Perhaps challenge yourself to do something a bit different, arrange your own event, and fundraise with family and friends, there’s plenty of options to choose from.
Walking the Malverns
Join the BSAVA PetSavers team on Saturday 11th May for an incredible guided walking challenge on one of the best ridges in the UK. Partnering with Elite Adventures, experienced mountain activity leaders, this trail will follow the top of the Malvern Ridge from Chase End in the south to North Hill, taking in all the main summits, with a minibus ready to take you back to the start.
There are two options for registration. You can either pay a registration fee of £10, with a sponsorship commitment of £150, or pay a registration fee of £55, with no sponsorship commitment. If you can’t take part in the walk yourself, please consider supporting someone else who can. You can find all the information you need, including how to set up a sponsorship page, on the BSAVA website.
PetSavers at BSAVA Congress 2024
Visit the BSAVA PetSavers stand (D502) at BSAVA Congress 2024 to take part in an eco-bike pedal power challenge to raise money, as well as be in with a chance to win a spa day and afternoon tea. BSAVA Congress takes place 21-23 March at Manchester Central.
BSAVA staff will also be taking part in several initiatives at Woodrow House, including a ‘Swap Shop’ selling unwanted books, seeds, plants, clothes, and DVD/records to raise money for BSAVA PetSavers. On September 19th, BSAVA staff, volunteers, and supporters of BSAVA PetSavers will come together for a 50th anniversary presentation and celebration of all that has been achieved.
Sarah Williams, Grant Awarding and Fundraising Manager for BSAVA PetSavers said: “We’re enormously grateful to our alumni and supporters, without whom we would not be able to fund or carry out vital research into veterinary diseases to improve pet health and wellbeing. So, it’s very fitting that we get together and celebrate our 50th anniversary milestone with them and look forward to the next 50 years of BSAVA PetSavers.”
To find out more about the 50th anniversary of BSAVA PetSavers, visit the BSAVA website: https://bsava.com/petsavers/50th-anniversary/.
BSAVA PetSavers is the grant awarding arm of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. It is funded solely by charitable donations and has invested more than £2.7 million in vital clinical research and training programmes over the past 50 years to advance clinical investigations into pet animal medicine and surgery. For further information visit: http://www.bsava.com/petsavers.
More from BSAVA
- BSAVA publishes new Guide to Procedures in Small Animal Practice
- BSAVA Bourgelat Award winner Nick Jeffery to discuss why veterinary medicine is a playground of uncertainty
- BSAVA PetSavers Launch Grant for Border Terrier Research
- BSAVA Launches its 2023 Awards
- Comparing vet-calibrated portable blood glucose monitors for dogs