The end of the beginning is nigh

Happy Staffie Rescue began life in mid-May when a group of friends got together to see what they could to help the Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed. On May 29 2009 the charity began its first fundraising activities. From this day forth we became a charity, only not a registered one. It is worth remembering that a charity does not have to be registered - in fact cannot be registered if it does not meet the minimum income requirements set by the Charity Commission. For that reason we wanted to ensure we were "regulated" as soon as possible. This influenced our decision to form a company limited by guarantee (as opposed to shares).

Happy Staffie Rescue was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 23 June 2009.

This was our chosen framework in which to operate the charity. There were three choices - unincorporated association, limited company or trust. The website gives a bit more information about the differences between the three. A trust was not suitable for us, so it was a straight choice between association or company. The latter was chosen because it enabled us to be regulated quickly (the registration of a charity can take weeks or even months).

The next stage would be to register as a charity. To do so the charity must be able to prove it has an income of £5,000 a year. The Commission does not accept forecasts or similar woolly estimations. It needs to see the income that has been generated or at the very least a guarantee from another source that such funding will come.