Local authorities and public sector organisations in London have received special honours from the RSPCA as part of the animal welfare charity’s prestigious PawPrints Awards.
Public services in the county have been showing they are “for every kind” by working in close partnership with the RSPCA to improve their animal welfare standards throughout the year – and now those who have excelled have been recognised and celebrated as community heroes as part of the RSPCA’s one-of-a-kind PawPrints Awards scheme, which first launched in 2008.
PawPrints works with councils, emergency services, vets and other public-sector individuals, teams and organisations to recognise and celebrate those who surpass legal standards and raise the bar in animal welfare.
More than 100 awards were handed out as part of the trailblazing scheme, with around 30 presented at a glittering awards ceremony in Leeds last week (13 Nov), where public bodies came together to share their achievements and discuss how to go even further for animals.
The awards span three categories: Core Awards, recognising councils and public bodies delivering key frontline services such as stray dog provision, licensing, housing, emergency planning and kennelling; Hero Awards, spotlighting organisations and individuals tackling specific animal welfare challenges; and Special Awards, celebrating individuals, teams, and partnerships whose exceptional work goes above and beyond.
In total, 109 awards were awarded across all three categories. Within the Core Awards, 99 awards were presented to 66 organisations. This includes 46 Platinum-level awards, given to those achieving Gold for five or more consecutive years, and a further 36 Gold-level awards.
Lee Gingell, RSPCA Public Affairs Manager, said: “It’s really important to highlight the incredible efforts we know so many go to for animals and we are thrilled to recognise so many outstanding organisations in London for their pioneering work. It’s vital to celebrate the fantastic efforts being made to improve the lives of animals wherever possible.
“Despite challenging circumstances, councils, housing providers, emergency planners and other public bodies are finding innovative ways to protect, promote and improve animal welfare in their communities. Their commitment not only delivers real benefits for animals and people, but also serves as an inspiration to others.
“Seeing so many people who love animals come together in one room, to celebrate their achievements but also to talk about what more we can do to protect animals in the future, made for such a special event and the RSPCA is so proud to help champion their incredible work.”
This year also saw the launch of five Hero Award categories – Care Act Hero, Public Awareness Hero, Mental Wellbeing Hero, Fireworks Action Hero and Responsible Ownership Hero – shining a light on organisations and individuals tackling some of the most pressing animal welfare challenges. Tara Boswell, dog warden at Croydon Council, was celebrated as a Responsible Ownership Hero for her tireless commitment to promoting responsible dog ownership and protecting animal welfare across Croydon.
As the lead for the council’s dog warden services, she impressed judges with the way she has strengthened frontline practice, built strong partnerships and driven proactive engagement with owners to prevent issues before they arise. Through her dedication, creativity and hands-on leadership, Tara has improved welfare standards, supported communities to better understand their responsibilities, and ensured stray dogs receive the care and protection they need. Her work embodies the impact that determined, compassionate local leadership can have on animals and the people who care for them.
Tara said: “I’m absolutely delighted that I’ve been recognised in the RSPCA PawPrints awards, winning the Responsible Ownership Hero award this year for resilience, creativity and collaboration in advancing animal welfare for work in my role as a dog warden.
“It’s my seventh year in a row achieving recognition in the Stray Dogs category – and as the only dog warden at the council, running the entire service alone, I’m especially proud of this.
“So to have this work recognised by the RSPCA is an honour, and I’m grateful for the support of everyone who champions rescue and responsible ownership. Now I want to continue the fight for better welfare standards and giving stray dogs the second chances they deserve.”
Croydon Council also scooped a Platinum award for Stray Dogs, while the Royal Borough of Greenwich took home a Gold award for Licensing and the London Borough of Wandsworth won Platinum awards for Housing and Stray Dogs.
The Special Awards honour exceptional dedication, innovation, and advocacy in animal welfare – and this year, Georgia O’Brien from the London Borough of Hounslow was Highly Commended in the Special Recognition Award for the way she has transformed enrichment for strays, created community roadshows, tackled XL Bully cases, executed complex Care Act interventions and built partnerships across London – despite only being in her role for a year.
Georgia said: “It’s a great privilege to be recognised for my own work having an early-career impact in animal welfare, and to stand beside officers with 20 plus years’ experience being awarded at the same time. Events like this really champion people who are in that role, driving innovation in that sector full of people that really dedicate their lives to animal welfare. For us to come here tonight, talk to people in the industry and celebrate what we’ve all done together means a lot for us.”
Andy Newnham, Georgia’s colleague at the council who took part in a panel discussion ahead of the ceremony, added: “To anyone thinking of entering the PawPrints Awards next year, you definitely should – it’s a great way of recognising and celebrating the work that animal welfare teams carry out 365 days a year within your councils that otherwise goes unnoticed.”
It was a bumper night for the London Borough of Hounslow, who also won multiple Core awards – a Platinum award for Kennelling, and Gold for Housing, Stray Dogs and Licensing.
This year’s awards were sponsored by Animal Friends Insurance, Pet Insurer of the Year 2024/25, and a multi-award-winning company that provides exceptional pet insurance as well as championing animal welfare, to create a better life for every animal.
Richard Mills, CEO at Animal Friends Insurance, said: “We were truly honoured to be the
headline sponsor for this year’s PawPrints Awards. It’s so aligned with who we are, recognising people who are doing real work at the sharp end of the pet world and really making life better for every animal, and that’s what we’re here for as well – Animal Friends was created to bring more kindness and compassion into the lives of all animals, no matter their size, species or home.
“Supporting positive change in animal welfare and conservation is at the very heart of what we do, so it feels incredibly meaningful to champion the only awards scheme devoted to celebrating the extraordinary dedication of local public sector organisations and individuals who give so much for animal welfare. What I love about the PawPrints Awards is it gives people recognition in jobs that you might not think would receive that recognition – it really sets a standard for people to aspire to and excel in and the ones that benefit most from that are animals – what’s not to love about that?
“It was truly a pleasure to have worked with the RSPCA on these awards, to meet so many talented people at the event and hear so many success stories.”
Charlotte Ashburner, CMO at Animal Friends Insurance, added: “It means so much to be a part of the PawPrints Awards – it’s so important to recognise and say thank you to people who work tirelessly to help animal welfare.
“I loved being in a room with so many animal-crazy people – we’re all on the same page, all excited and inspired by the same things – together we’re stronger, and we can achieve more for animals when we support each other.”
PawPrints is endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Local Government Animal Welfare Group, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, the Institute of Licensing and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare.
Lee added: “The public sector plays a vital role in improving animal welfare standards – and year on year, we’re so proud of the part the PawPrints scheme plays in inspiring the improvement of standards. This commitment from public bodies has changed the lives of countless pets, wildlife, livestock and other animals, and yet this vital work often goes unheard – which is why we’re so thrilled to celebrate it.”
