Greyhound Trust

What Greyhound Trust does

Greyhound Trust is a UK-registered charity (numbers 269668 and SC044047) founded in 1975 as the NGRC Retired Greyhound Trust and rebranded to its current name in 2017 to broaden public reach. Its core operation is finding permanent homes for retired racing greyhounds, delivering this through a network of more than 50 volunteer-led branches across England, Scotland, and Wales, supplemented by the flagship National Greyhound Centre in Horley, Surrey, which opened around 2020 with 30 kennels housing up to 60 greyhounds. The Trust consistently rehomes 3,800–4,000 greyhounds each year, capturing roughly 50% of the approximately 8,000 greyhounds that retire from racing annually, and has placed over 85,000 greyhounds since inception. Direct homing cost averaged £954 per greyhound in 2016.

The operating model is community-led and volunteer-intensive: a small Head Office team (CEO, Communications Manager, Fundraising Officer, Operations Manager, and Head of Finance & Resources) supports a network of around 1,000 volunteers who handle branch operations, home visits, matching, fundraising, and events. Revenue is diversified across donations, a monthly lottery launched in June 2019 with prizes up to £10,000, seasonal raffles, an online shop selling merchandise and accessories, a Homer Magazine published twice yearly to a readership of approximately 150,000, sponsored events including the Great Greyhound Gathering, gifts in wills, and marathon/cycle fundraisers.

Strategic positioning rests on structural relationships with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) — including representation on its Welfare Committee — corporate partnerships (notably Colossus Bets from 2019), membership in the All Party Parliamentary Group for Greyhounds, and engagement with UK and International Greyhound Forums. Leadership transitioned significantly in 2015 (Lisa Morris-Tomkins appointed CEO; Professor Steven Dean appointed Chair) and again in June 2026 with Dean's departure after nearly eleven years. No technology platform, AI capability, paid app, API, or proprietary software product is disclosed; the ANILOG back office system is the named operational tool.

Name

Greyhound Trust

Legal name

Greyhound Trust

Website

https://greyhoundtrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Greyhound Trust is a UK charity founded in 1975 that rehomes retired racing greyhounds through 50+ volunteer-led branches and the National Greyhound Centre in Horley, Surrey, placing around 4,000 greyhounds per year with individual adopters nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare / Pet Adoption Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Overnight Kennel Boarding (Dogs) (HSANADAA)

Keywords

• Animal welfare charity
• Greyhound adoption services
• Pet rehoming
• Charitable fundraising
• Volunteer-led branches

Headquarters

HQ city

Horley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The charity relies on donations from the public to fund its operations and greyhound homing activities.
2. Lottery: Monthly lottery draw launched in June 2019 with prizes up to £10,000. Players can win cash prizes while supporting the charity.
3. Raffles: Regular raffles including Perfect Match Raffle, New Life Raffle, Summer Raffle, Autumn Raffle, and New Year Raffle with various cash prizes.
4. Shop: Online shop selling greyhound merchandise, pet food, accessories, and Homer colouring/reading books.
5. Legacies and Wills: The Trust encourages supporters to leave gifts in their wills to support greyhound welfare.
6. Fundraising Events: Various fundraising activities including marathon runs, cycling events (RideLondon), and community fundraising.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Greyhound Trust is a registered UK charity that finds loving homes for retired racing greyhounds through a network of over 50 volunteer-led branches across England, Scotland, and Wales. The organisation rehomes approximately 3,800-4,000 greyhounds annually (out of roughly 8,000 retiring each year) and supplements its homing work with fundraising activities such as a monthly lottery, raffles, an online merchandise shop, legacy giving, sponsored events, and the National Greyhound Centre under development in Horley, Surrey.

Product overview

Greyhound Trust operates as a charitable organization offering a unified service focused on finding homes for retired racing greyhounds. The core offering is greyhound homing services, supported by a network of over 50 volunteer-led branches across Britain. Additional services include the Greyhound Trust Lottery (monthly fundraising draw), an online shop selling merchandise and books, sponsorship programmes, legacy giving options, and Homer Magazine (biannual publication). The Trust also operates the National Greyhound Centre in Horley, Surrey (under development) as a flagship homing facility. Fundraising activities include raffles, events like the Great Greyhound Gathering, and volunteering opportunities with approximately 1,000 volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Greyhound Homing Services Core service that finds loving homes for retired racing greyhounds via a network of over 50 volunteer-led branches across England, Scotland, and Wales. Includes home checks, matching of greyhounds to families, and ongoing post-adoption support. Approximately 3,800-4,000 greyhounds are rehomed each year.
• National Greyhound Centre Flagship homing centre being built in Horley, Surrey, providing 30 kennels (capacity for 60 greyhounds), 'real-life' transition rooms, meet-and-greet areas, and staff offices to centralise and expand the Trust's homing capacity.
• Greyhound Trust Lottery Monthly subscription-based fundraising lottery with cash prizes up to £10,000. Players enter on a recurring basis to support the Trust while having the chance to win cash prizes.
• Greyhound Trust Shop Online store selling greyhound merchandise including toys, accessories, food, and Homer the Greyhound colouring and reading books, generating product sales revenue for the charity.
• Sponsor a Greyhound Sponsorship programme enabling supporters to make recurring contributions towards the care of named individual greyhounds awaiting adoption.
• Gifts in Wills (Legacy Giving) Legacy giving programme that allows supporters to leave bequests to the Trust in their wills, providing long-term funding for greyhound welfare and homing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 85,000 greyhounds rehomed since 1975
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018GBGB is the regulatory body for licensed greyhound racing in England, Scotland and Wales. The Greyhound Trust works with GBGB on welfare projects including a behavioural assessment project and injury recovery scheme. GBGB also pledged financial contribution towards the Greyhound Trust's flagship National Greyhound Centre. The Trust is represented on the GBGB Welfare Committee.
• ACD ProjectsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018ACD Projects (Alex Darvill) is a highly regarded animal centre specialist who worked with the Trust through 2017 to identify a suitable location and secure planning permission for the National Greyhound Centre build in Horley, Surrey.
• All Party Parliamentary Group for GreyhoundscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Greyhound Trust is an active member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Greyhounds, alongside industry regulatory bodies and other animal welfare charities. Andrew Rosindell MP is Chair and Vice-President of the Greyhound Trust. Ian Lavery MP is also Vice President.
• UK Greyhound Forum and International Greyhound ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Greyhound Trust is an active member of both the UK Greyhound Forum and International Greyhound Forum, working with partners and stakeholders to improve greyhound welfare in wider society.
• Great Greyhound Gathering Event SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsors include: Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Services Ltd, Petplan, Coral, Cozies, Demontfort Delights, Dodson & Horrell, GRA ltd, Greyhound Breeders Forum, Kinsley Greyhound Stadium, Ladbrokes, Nottingham Greyhound Stadium, Orchard Vets, Peterborough Greyhound Stadium, Yarmouth Greyhound Stadium.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Blue Cross: UK pet charity operating rehoming centres, veterinary services, and pet bereavement support. Comparable donation- and legacy-funded model and pet-focused mission, but with a broader species and service footprint.
• Dogs Trust: Largest UK dog welfare charity, rehoming thousands of dogs annually through a national branch network. Highly comparable volunteer-led, donation-funded, branch-based rehoming model, but operates across all breeds rather than specialising in greyhounds.
• RSPCA: UK's largest animal welfare charity, providing rescue, rehoming, and enforcement services nationwide. Comparable fundraising scale and animal-welfare mission; materially broader in scope than the greyhound-specific Greyhound Trust.
• The Kennel Club: UK's national kennel club and recognised dog welfare body, overlapping with the Greyhound Trust via the former Chair (Prof. Steven Dean) and shared welfare committees. Comparable governance profile and policy advocacy remit within the UK dog world.
• Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: Major UK animal welfare charity operating flagship rehoming centres and a strong fundraising/legacy engine. Overlaps with the Greyhound Trust on volunteer-driven rehoming and donor base, though Battersea's scope spans dogs and cats nationally.

Direct peers

• Greyhound Welfare UK: Welsh-based greyhound rescue and rehoming charity with fostering and adoption programmes. Closely comparable breed-specific mission and volunteer-driven operating model within the UK.
• Greyhound Gap: Small UK charity focused on rescuing and rehoming Spanish and Irish greyhounds (galgos and ex-racing). Closely comparable niche rehoming mission and volunteer-driven model, though smaller scale and reliant on overseas supply pipelines.
• Friends of Greyhounds South (FOGS): South of England greyhound rescue and rehoming charity. Directly comparable regional greyhound-only mission, branch-style volunteer network, and adoption-focused service model.
• Forever Hounds Trust: UK charity dedicated to rescuing and rehoming greyhounds and lurchers, operating a fostering-based homing model. Directly comparable greyhound-specific rehoming mission and donor demographic, with a national but non-branch-network operating model.

Regional players

• Irish Retired Greyhound Trust: Irish counterpart focused on rehoming retired racing greyhounds in Ireland. Near-identical mission and racing-pipeline origins to the Greyhound Trust, but operates in a different (Republic of Ireland / Northern Ireland) geography with its own branch and volunteer structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/greyhoundtrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/greyhoundtrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/greyhoundtrust_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retired-greyhound-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greyhound Trust