RSPCA

The RSPCA — the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — is the world's oldest animal welfare organisation, founded in London in 1824. It was established by a group of reformers that included the MP Richard Martin ('Humanity Martin') and the social reformer William Wilberforce, who had campaigned for years for legal protection for animals. The society began as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals before Queen Victoria granted the 'Royal' prefix in 1840.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the RSPCA shaped British animal welfare law. It successfully campaigned for the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835, the Protection of Animals Act 1911, and — more recently — the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which remains the cornerstone of UK animal welfare legislation. Today, the RSPCA investigates over 100,000 complaints of animal cruelty and neglect each year, and its inspectors and volunteers rescue and rehome hundreds of thousands of animals annually.

The RSPCA operates over 170 charity shops across England and Wales — the RSPCA does not operate in Scotland (where the SSPCA is the equivalent organisation) or Northern Ireland (USPCA). The shops sell donated clothing, books, homeware, jewellery, and accessories, and many branches also stock pet-related items, books about animals, and RSPCA-branded products. Shops are well-regarded for their friendly volunteers and well-presented stock.

Every pound raised in an RSPCA shop funds the Society's core work: rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals, running prosecutions against animal abusers, operating hospitals and clinics, and providing veterinary care to animals whose owners cannot afford private treatment. Shopping at an RSPCA charity shop is a direct contribution to animal welfare in England and Wales.