Linda Upson has actually stepped down as chair of Cats Protection stating she does not desire “recent news coverage to detract from the charity’s vital work”.
Last week the charity’s previous interim president likewise gave up, mentioning issues about governance and Upson’s a great deal of cats.
Today, Upson said that she thinks all her cats are “happy and healthy” and stressed her dedication to animal well-being.
Meanwhile, Cats Protection’s deputy chair stressed trustees’ dedication to the Charity Governance Code.
Cats Protection has actually likewise devoted to an external evaluation of its governance.
Former chair: ‘I have dedicated 20 years to cat welfare’
Last week Charles Darley, previous interim CEO of Cats Protection, said he had actually taken out of a 12-month agreement due to a “breakdown of trust”.
He said he was dissatisfied about how his issues about Upson keeping 18 cats in a three-bedroom house had actually been dealt with.
In a declaration today, Upson said: “I have today stepped down from my function as Cats Protection’s chair of trustees and my function as a trustee on the board due to the fact that I passionately support Cats Protection and do not want recent news protection to diminish the charity’s essential work assisting cats in requirement.
“For the past 20 years I have dedicated my time to cat welfare through my unpaid, voluntary role, leading a volunteer-run branch and serving on the charity’s advisory council before joining the board of trustees in 2012 and becoming chair in 2017.”
She said that the health and wellbeing of cats in her care had actually constantly been a concern.
“Cat welfare and wellbeing have always been a paramount concern for me and I have always ensured my own cats and foster cats receive the best possible care,” she said. “My cats are aged in between 9 and 19 years of ages.
“I believe they are happy and healthy as each has their own feeding bowl, litter tray and other resources. They are all fully vaccinated and regularly taken for veterinary consultations. I also have no foster cats at this time.”
Deputy chair: ‘Cats Protection takes governance seriously’
The deputy chair thanked Upson for her contribution and revealed that the charity has actually devoted to an external evaluation of its governance.
Angela Swarbrick, deputy chair of Cats Protection, said: “We want to thank Linda for her commitment to our organisation’s deal with cat well-being for the previous 20 years.
“We understand this has actually been a challenging time for Linda especially following her choice to go back from her tasks as chair in between mid-December 2021 and January 2022 to consider her position with the charity.
“Cats Protection takes governance seriously and our trustees follow the Charity Governance Code. The charity undertakes regular reviews and has committed to an external review of its governance procedures and processes to ensure that we are confident in delivering the next 10 years of our strategy so we can do the best for cats.”
Cats Protection’s yearly earnings is around £70m and it utilizes about 1,000 individuals. It runs through a network of around 250 branches.
Cats Protection is a an unincorporated charitable association, which was established in 1927. It has 8 trustees, omitting Upson. Three of its trustees should be external to the charity and 4 should been drawn from its volunteer base.
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