The Donkey Sanctuary Shortlisted for the Charity Awards 2025
By Charities Correspondent
The Donkey Sanctuary, with headquarters in Sidmouth, Devon, is delighted to announce that it has made the shortlist for this year’s Charity Awards, the longest-running and most prestigious awards scheme in the charity sector.
The Donkey Sanctuary has been shortlisted in the ‘Campaigning & Advocacy category’ for its Stop the Slaughter – end the donkey skin trade campaign.
Globally, at least 5.9 million donkeys are slaughtered for their skins every year to meet demand for a popular traditional Chinese medicine called ejiao, and donkeys suffer at every stage of the cruel and inhumane trade.
Following the collapse of China’s domestic donkey population, the industry is now looking elsewhere to meet demand, targeting donkeys in places where communities rely on them for their livelihoods.
Alongside a growing number of partners and allies, The Donkey Sanctuary leads a growing and global movement to protect these sensitive and intelligent animals as well as the communities who rely on them across Africa and the world.
The Charity Awards, which announced its shortlist last week, is the sector’s most highly-regarded excellence recognition scheme and is this year celebrating its 25th anniversary.
All 30 shortlisted charities this year have been judged by an independent panel of sector leaders as having demonstrated best practice in leadership and management, from which other organisations can learn.
The 10 category winners, plus the recipients of the Overall Award for Excellence and the Daniel Phelan Award for Outstanding Achievement, will be announced at a black-tie dinner on Thursday 3 July, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
The evening will be hosted by BBC news presenter Asad Ahmad, who will be joined on the night by a host of celebrities, representatives of the shortlisted charities, as well as leaders from Britain’s best known and best loved charities.
Janneke Merkx, The Donkey Sanctuary’s Skins Campaigns Manager said: “We could not be more proud that our campaign against the donkey skin trade has made it to the prestigious Charity Awards shortlist.
“The slaughter of nearly six million donkeys every year is a global animal welfare and humanitarian disaster. Donkeys are a lifeline to people living in some of the most challenging environments in the world, where the loss of a donkey can be the difference between modest survival and destitution.
“I am honoured to lead on this campaign, which is the biggest single donkey protection initiative undertaken by The Donkey Sanctuary since it was founded over fifty years ago.”
Matthew Nolan, chief executive of Civil Society Media which organises the Charity Awards, congratulated The Donkey Sanctuary on making the highly-coveted shortlist.
He said: “For a quarter of a century now, the Charity Awards has been showcasing and celebrating the terrific work of UK charities large and small.
“At a time when the sector is struggling with higher costs, shrinking donations and ever-increasing demand for its work, it is reassuring and inspiring to see the extent and quality of charitable activity that is still going on across the country.
“We offer our heartfelt congratulations to all the charities on this year’s shortlist; we know that times are tough and you should all be very proud of getting this far. We wish The Donkey Sanctuary the best of luck on the night.”
Peter Hugh Smith, chief executive at CCLA, Overall Partner of the Charity Awards, said: “Every year the Charity Awards serve as a moment for the sector to reflect and acknowledge the transformative power of compassion, determination and resilience. The awards amplify the voices of those making a difference, inspiring others to join in creating positive change.
“We're honoured to renew our role as the Charity Awards’ Overall Partner, championing the remarkable efforts of charities, large and small, right across the UK.”
The sanctuary is open 364 days a year and is free to visit. Parking is also free, and dogs on leads are welcome.
On 25 December, The Donkey Sanctuary's car park and walkways are open to visitors.
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