RESEARCH CHARITY REBRANDS TO REPLACE MORE ANIMALS IN LABORATORIES

 

On Monday 3 April, at 3:00 pm, Dr Hadwen Trust becomes Animal Free Research UK, launching a new name, brand and website.

 

The charity undertook extensive research with over 1,000 supporters and key stakeholders to launch a name which immediately reflects the mission of the charity. Animal Free Research UK provides funding to scientists, universities and institutes to produce robust, and ethical scientific research that replaces the use of animals in the lab.

 

The new name does ‘what it says on the tin’ and will support the charity in its long term strategy to be able to fund over £10 million worth of animal free research each year, saving the lives of both humans and animals.

 

With over 40 years of funding innovative research as the Dr Hadwen Trust, the charity realised that their name had become a barrier to new supporters understanding the work that they do.  In a crowded space, people needed to understand quickly what they did and the new name ensures this.

 

Every minute, of every day, 7 animals are used in medical research in the UK. Animal Free Research UK is at the forefront of driving change to end this practice and fund evidence led replacement techniques.

 

Emma Wrafter, Development Director and Co-CEO at the charity said: “We are a hugely ambitious charity punching above our weight, delivering innovative and ground breaking research - we needed a brand and name that reflected who we are. We now have it. We believe that using animals in medical research is not the key to delivering human relevant cures. As Animal Free Research UK, we are driving new techniques and replacement models that will significantly change the research landscape and save more animals from the lab.”  

 

Branding agency, Spencer Du Bois generously provided significant pro-bono support to develop the new brand, and a grant for a new website has meant that costs have been kept to a minimum.

 

Claire Biscard, Creative Director at Spencer du Bois said ‘It's a privilege to create a brand we absolutely believe in – something that has the potential to help stop animal testing forever. It needed to speak with complex and often opposed audiences – the scientific community and ethically driven consumers. So we created a brand that quite literally takes animals out of the equation and campaigns for Animal Free UK's revolutionary approach.”  

 

“The bright, positive brand captures the essence of an organisation that doesn’t just disagree with the status quo, but wants to change it - permanently.”

 

 

 

 

4 million animals are used every year in scientific research in the UK alone (Home Office statistics 2015).

Animal Free Research UK is the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity. Since 1971 the charity has awarded grants to over 200 animal free medical research projects including: cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, heart and liver disease and diabetes.

Over the last 5 years alone, Animal Free Research UK has committed to over £4.8 million worth of animal free research projects across the UK at student, PhD and post-doctoral level.

In December 2016 the charity launched the Animal Replacement Centre of Excellence (The ARC) at the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London – a £1m investment over 5 years to fund a programme of research into skin, breast & prostate cancer.

In July 2016 they announced further funding of £311,409 to allow Professor Graeme Houston at the University of Dundee to continue his research into the testing of cardiovascular devices in specially embalmed human cadavers. ‘Thiel’ embalming keeps bodies and their organs pliable and is vastly superior for surgeons, rather than using pigs, traditionally used in this area of research.

Animal Free Research UK opened their first charity shop in August, 2015, in Hitchin. In a first for a national charity, it is a vegan charity shop. They opened their second shop last month in Hove.