What is a Community Interest Company?
Does Community mean where you live?
Do you get paid for working for Pups and Pups Prevention C.I.C?
What's the difference between a C.I.C. and a registered charity?

When out and about across the South-West of England we find ourselves needing to address just these kind of sensible and important questions. So that members of the public can have confidence in the integrity of our organisation.

Firstly, Pups and Paws Prevention C.I.C. is a not for profit limited company. This means that the primary focus of the company is upon benefitting the community it serves, rather than making a profit for shareholders. 100 % of all our surplus profits 📈 are donated to our animal-welfare charity partners. 

Secondly, the term 'Community' is an abstract one. It can mean a range of different things. It could refer to your local community where you live, or it could be the community as a whole i.e. the general population. It can also mean the overseas community. Or a combination! The important issue is that the 'community' you serve needs to share a common characteristic. In our case we serve the animal welfare community at home and abroad. We hope by funding key preventative work such as spaying/neutering we are benefitting communities in more ways that one. By reducing territorial aggression and the financial burden on families when unwanted litters are born for instance. Therefore supporting humans and animals alike. 

Thirdly, everyone involved with Pups and Paws Prevention C.I.C. does so on an entirely voluntary basis. We are not paid for our roles. We give up our time freely, in order to make a difference as we are passionate about animal welfare and community engagement. Volunteers can claim for the following expenses to ensure they are not personally out of pocket and risking their own financial burden:

- Fuel costs for travelling to events (currently 20 % of the recommended mileage amount set by HMRC).

- Parking charges (we park for free and legally wherever possible).

​​- £30 contribution per night to food and accommodation costs if attending events away from home.

​- Website costs

​- Charges for stall pitches by event organisers

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And finally a registered charity like Pennypaws Rescue is a non-profit organisation. This means they rely upon funding, donations and grants. 
We sell merchandise in order to raise profits to provide to such charities to assist with their funding. Whilst we can accept donations to support our causes we cannot claim gift aid like a registered charity. In order to register as a C.I.C you must identify a registered charity for your asset lock. This means if our company was to close unexpectedly and we held remaining profits or assets. These would be transferred to Pennypaws Rescue and not benefit any individual.

We hope this answers all your questions. There is also plenty of guidance available on the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-regulator-of-community-interest-companies
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​What are our community objectives - locally, nationally and internationally?
Pups and Paws main activities will provide benefit to local communities both in the UK and abroad via sales of our merchandise, for example, which have an eco-conscious theme and aim to promote the vital message of reducing plastic waste. We also hold interactive discussions at festivals, events and markets to engage the community in discussion regarding the 'One Health' concept. The idea that our LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH is inextricably linked to that of animal health and the health of the natural world.
In particular the company will benefit communities by:
1. Educating the public about the importance of spaying/neutering dogs to reduce overpopulation of strays and the positive impact this can have upon communities in terms of reducing territorial aggression, reducing the financial burden of multiple litters, improving neighbourhood relations, reducing prevalence of untreated parasites and disease such as Rabies.
2. Providing interactive talks that improve the safety and welfare of dogs and their human handlers. Helping to keep communities safe. Recognising the link between affective empathy and children. If we encourage empathy for animals at a young age we are helping to build the neural pathways for empathy which will benefit relationships more generally in the community. (Research evidence relating to affective empathy, animal abuse and domestic violence).
3. Encouraging people in local communities to give proper consideration to pet ownership and respecting those members of communities who may be fearful, anxious or wary.
4. Improving the conditions of stray and abandoned dogs both in UK communities and abroad.
By selling merchandise at fetes, fairs, festivals and events with an animal-based or environmental or spiritual theme we aim to raise funds for sterilisation, shelter and veterinary costs associated with their care. As we diversify this could mean a variety of different animals. Including vulnerable seabirds affected by pollution and human activity through the Mousehole Wild Bird Sanctuary, Cornwall.
The community will benefit by the purchase of high quality, sustainable, reusable and eco-friendly items. Plastic pollution is of particular concern in community coastal areas such as Cornwall, UK and The Gunjur Region of The Gambia where plastic can wash up on beaches and cause harm to wildlife. Plastic in the oceans can also affect human health in a number of ways. Microplastics can be found in human placentas, blood and in food and drinks, They can damage cells in the body. Plastics can contain some toxic chemicals which we may then consume through eating fish. Pathogens and hormonal function are also cited as linked to plastic pollution. We have endeavoured to reduce the need for plastic in every area of our company. There remain some more challenging areas of the business. Such as preserving organic dog products for dog gift bags. Which need to be wrapped hygienically. We will continue to work with our partners to seek solutions. However, we urge members of the public to recylce soft plastics at home. Much like glass and cardboard and hard plastic recycling - we can easily and readily recycle soft plastics at participating supermarkets. By adopting a simple commitment to adjusting our routines, we can collect, store and take our soft plastics on our next grocery shop and recycle at the store. Tescos, Asdas and the Co-op are just a few of the major retailers participating.










The community will benefit by having the opportunity to discuss any animal-welfare concerns and seek information and signposting.
Through direct interaction at events we are contributing to a reduction in social isolation and loneliness through personal contact and connection with the public. This is of particular importance in communities where banks have closed and shopping has moved online. Traditional markets and festivals continue to provide an essential opportunity for socialisation. Social isolation and loneliness has been proven to be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day in terms of health and mortality.
We also provide volunteering opportunities locally on a direct level - attending markets and fetes. Volunteering has been proven to be an effective strategy for addressing mild to moderate reactive depression. By focussing on the external world rather than the internal and offering help and support to others, we can improve our own sense of meaning and purpose and self-esteem (Research The Nine Emotional Health needs - Human Givens Technique).
We also provide volunteering opportunities and partnership working nationally. Facilitating participation for those with geographical, health or disability constraints for instance, to participate through art, creativity and design for social media and the website etc. Or to produce craft items for sale.
As we grow and develop, our activities will naturally evolve as we aim to address the intertwined animal, human and natural health of our global community.


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