Rosie's Trust

What Rosie's Trust does

Rosie's Trust is a Northern Ireland-registered charity (Charity no. 102422) founded in 2015 by Bronagh O'Neill, a former Marie Curie nurse who observed that vulnerable patients were often forced to give up companion pets during illness. Headquartered in Bangor and operating exclusively within the four Health Trust areas of Northern Ireland, the charity is the only organization in the region dedicated to keeping companion pets with cancer patients, people receiving end-of-life care, and older people (65+) with mobility issues. As of December 2025 it supports 50 beneficiaries and 63 pets through 252 trained volunteers who collectively contributed 9,986 hours over the prior year. All services are provided free of charge, 365 days a year.

The service portfolio comprises Pet Support (dog walking, feeding, grooming, vet visits, medication administration), Foster Care (short- and long-term placement to keep pets out of kennels and catteries), Check-in and Phone Support for isolated beneficiaries, Pet Transport, Signposting to external services, and Rehoming upon owner request. The technology stack is intentionally lean: a Squarespace-hosted public website (rosiestrust.org), a branded merchandise online shop, and a volunteer portal (RT Connect) at volunteer.rosiestrust.org that also hosts the self- and third-party referral form. There is no proprietary software, no mobile application, and no AI or machine-learning components.

The business model is non-commercial. The charity generates no service fees and is funded entirely through individual donations (including a "Friend of Rosie's Trust" recurring programme), corporate sponsorships (Kingsbridge Healthcare Group funds the Development Officer role; Ulster Carpets has pledged a three-year grant; Action Renewables sponsored an electric van in 2026), community fundraising events (Rosie's Ramble walks, marathons, bake sales, afternoon teas), legacies and wills, sale of branded merchandise, and grants from trusts and foundations (e.g. £10,000 from the Anthony Cowdy Trust Fund in 2025). Customer acquisition is community-led and referral-driven, with healthcare professionals, partner charities (NICHS, TORC, Marie Curie), and celebrity ambassadors (James Nesbitt, Lisa McGee, Ibe Sesay, Julian Simmons) as primary acquisition channels. Total disclosed reserves stand at £58,200.

Name

Rosie's Trust

Legal name

Rosie's Trust

Website

https://rosiestrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rosie's Trust is a Northern Ireland charity that provides free pet care—including dog walking, fostering, and vet transport—to cancer patients, end-of-life recipients, and elderly people with mobility issues. 252 trained volunteers deliver services across four Health Trust areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal welfare social services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Needs & Senior In-Home Pet Sitting (HSANAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Animal welfare services
• Pet care support
• Community volunteer services
• Charity pet fostering
• Social care pets

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangor

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. The charity encourages regular giving through 'Friend of Rosie's Trust' monthly donation program.
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Funding and support from corporate partners including Action Renewables (vehicle sponsorship), Kingsbridge Healthcare Group (Development Officer salary funding), Ulster Carpets (three-year grant), and others.
3. Community Fundraising: Proceeds from events organized by supporters including Rosie Ramble walks, bake sales, quiz nights, marathon running, and sponsored activities.
4. Legacies and Wills: Charity receives bequests from supporters who leave donations in their Wills.
5. Online Shop Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including Christmas cards, pet bandanas, and pin badges.
6. Government and Trust Grants: Funding from foundations including John Atcheson Foundation, Anthony Cowdy Trust Fund (£10,000), and LFT Charitable Trust.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rosie's Trust provides free, volunteer-delivered pet care services to vulnerable people across Northern Ireland, including dog walking, feeding, grooming, litter-tray management, medication support, vet and grooming transport, short- and long-term fostering, social check-ins, signposting to other services, and rehoming assistance on request. Services are aimed at cancer patients, end-of-life care recipients, and older people (65+) with mobility issues, delivered 365 days a year with no time limit on support. A small branded merchandise shop (Christmas cards, pet bandanas, pin badges) supports fundraising.

Product overview

Rosie's Trust is a charitable organization offering a coordinated suite of support services for vulnerable pet owners in Northern Ireland. The core service portfolio centers on Pet Support (dog walking, feeding, grooming, vet visits), Foster Care (temporary and long-term pet placement), Check-in/Phone Support, Pet Transport, Signposting, and Rehoming services. These services are provided free of charge, 365 days a year, to cancer patients, end-of-life care recipients, and older people (65+) with mobility issues. The organization also operates an online shop selling branded merchandise (Christmas cards, pet bandanas, pin badges), manages a volunteer portal (RT Connect), and runs community fundraising events called Rosie's Ramble. All services are coordinated through a volunteer network of over 200 trained individuals and delivered across the four Health Trust areas of Northern Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pet Support Service Trained volunteers deliver in-home dog walking, feeding, play, grooming, and transport of pets to vet and grooming appointments for vulnerable beneficiaries who can no longer provide these themselves.
• Foster Care Service Short-term and long-term fostering of pets within the trained volunteer network, so pets are not placed in commercial kennels or catteries while their owner is hospitalised or unable to care for them.
• Check-in and Phone Support Service Social check-ins and a phone support line for isolated beneficiaries, providing companionship and an early-warning route into other health and social services.
• Pet Transport Service Volunteer transport of pets to vets, groomers and foster carers, plus delivery of pet food and equipment to housebound clients, supported operationally by an electric van sponsored by Action Renewables.
• Signposting Service Linking beneficiaries with other charity and statutory partners for additional support and resources beyond pet care.
• Rehoming Service Arranging adoption of pets, at the request of the beneficiary, when owners are no longer able to care for them or have passed away.
• Rosie's Trust Online Shop Direct-to-supporter online shop selling branded merchandise including Christmas cards, pet bandanas and pin badges, used to generate fundraising income for the charity.
• Rosie's Ramble Community Fundraising Events Community dog walking and step-challenge events that double as flexible fundraising activities for participants and teams, including 10k step challenges for the 10th anniversary.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,986 volunteer hours given in one year (2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2025Six-month pilot programme extending Rosie’s Trust eligibility to adults 18+ with chest, heart or stroke conditions in South Eastern Trust area. NICHS staff can now refer affected families to Rosie’s Trust services. Jointly addressing whole-family needs including four-legged members.
• Hastings HotelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost fundraising events at Europa Hotel and Stormont Hotel including Christmas party fundraisers and afternoon teas. Provided prize voucher for Spot-the-Van competition. Ongoing support for charity events.
• CitySightseeing BelfastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting the charity through promotional and visibility opportunities.
• Co-ownership Housing AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting the work of Rosie’s Trust through community fund.
• Trauma & Orthopaedics Research Charity (TORC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering to support older people with mobility issues keep their pets by their side.
• Give as you LiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShop-and-give platform allowing supporters to donate to Rosie’s Trust at no extra cost when shopping online. Retailers donate percentage of spend directly.
• Easy FundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSimilar to Give as you Live, enabling supporters to raise free donations when shopping online at participating retailers.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cats Protection: UK's leading feline welfare charity providing cat rehoming, neutering, and welfare education. Cats Protection is a national-scale cat welfare organization relevant to Rosie's Trust's cat care and rehoming services but operates a fundamentally different shelter-based model.
• Dogs Trust: Largest UK dog welfare charity operating rehoming centres and welfare services across the UK. Comparable on the dog welfare/rehoming service line, but operates at vastly larger scale and with a different mission focus than Rosie's Trust's in-home pet care model.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK charity supporting people living with cancer, addressing the same beneficiary population as Rosie's Trust's cancer patient segment. While not focused on pet care, Macmillan serves a comparable beneficiary cohort and could be a referral partner or adjacent service provider.
• PDSA: The UK's leading veterinary charity providing free veterinary care to pets of owners in need. Adjacent peer given the veterinary transport and welfare support Rosie's Trust coordinates for beneficiaries, though PDSA operates clinical services Rosie's Trust does not.
• Blue Cross: UK pet welfare charity offering rehoming, veterinary services, and pet bereavement support. Overlaps with Rosie's Trust on pet welfare mission and rehoming services but operates national-scale paid veterinary infrastructure.
• Age UK: UK's largest charity for older people providing advice, services, and campaigns. Shares the elderly mobility-issues beneficiary population with Rosie's Trust but operates as a broad aging-services organization rather than pet-specific support.

Emerging players

• Pets As Therapy: UK charity providing animal-assisted therapy visits to hospitals, hospices, and care homes. While operating a different service model (visits vs. in-home pet care), it shares the human-animal bond mission in healthcare settings and the volunteer-driven delivery model.

Direct peers

• Cinnamon Trust: The UK's largest specialist charity dedicated to helping older people and those with life-limiting illnesses keep their pets, operating a near-identical volunteer-based model of dog walking, pet care, and fostering. Cinnamon Trust is the most directly comparable peer, operating at national UK scale versus Rosie's Trust's Northern Ireland focus.

Regional players

• Marie Curie: UK charity providing end-of-life care and support, and the organization where Rosie's Trust's founder originally volunteered before founding the charity. Marie Curie is a direct referral source for Rosie's Trust end-of-life beneficiaries and shares the palliative care beneficiary population.
• Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS): Northern Ireland health charity partnering with Rosie's Trust on a 2025 pilot extending services to chest/heart/stroke patients. Strong referral partnership and overlapping beneficiary population of mobility-impaired adults in NI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RosiesTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rosies-trust
• Facebookfacebook.com/rosiestrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Rosie's Trust