The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Charitable Trust is the charity partner of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom. Established in 1844 by Royal Charter, its statutory duties are laid out in the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act.-Role:...

. It was established in 1958 and is registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales (number 230886).

Role

The RCVS Trust was set up to help vets to provide the best possible care for animals. On its website, the trust states that its purpose is:

“to drive innovation and improvements to veterinary care and treatment, knowledge and understanding”

Grants

The Trust runs a number of different grant programmes designed to support the work of vets and veterinary nurses and to invest in cutting edge research. From 2005 - 2010 the Trust invested over £2.7 million in vital veterinary research and education, driving improvements across animal health and welfare, both in the UK and in developing countries.

Library

The Trust runs a specialist library which has a range of print and electronic materials in all disciplines of veterinary medicine. They include some 25,000 books, journals, conference proceedings and reports, including a large collection of annual veterinary publications from commonwealth countries. The library is based in Belgravia House on Horseferry Road in London and is open to the public. It runs a membership scheme for people wishing to borrow items and access electronic resources off-site.

Historical collection and archive

The Trust maintains and curates the RCVS archives, which offer a unique insight into the history of the British veterinary profession. It also looks after a collection of historical publications, which contains around 3,000 books and journals published before 1900. They cover all aspects of the art and science of veterinary medicine and other works of general interest relating to animal health and country matters.