The Cinnamon Trust – Charity Organisations

About The Cinnamon Trust

As mentioned earlier, the Cinnamon Trust is a specialised national charity that tends to the elderly, the terminally ill and their pets. Its goal is to save such people and their non-human companions from falling prey to tragedies and preventing suffering for the animals.

The Trust was founded in 1985 by Mrs. Averil Jarvis around which time her pet Corgi, Cinnamon, had passed away. Mrs. Jarvis felt it appropriate to name the Trust after her beloved companion in her memory.

Primarily, the Cinnamon Trust aims to create strong friendships with those who seek help from it. The Trust then introduces such pet owners to volunteers who help in tending to their pets when the task seems difficult. A pet’s life means the world to older people, as well as to those who are terminally sick, after all.

Over the years, the Cinnamon Trust has extended its reach sufficiently to help over 150,000 pet owners every year. They do so through two home-from-home sanctuaries, with volunteers and supporters providing their assistance through it all.

Services Offered By The Cinnamon Trust

Volunteers of the Cinnamon Trust believe in working with pet owners to help them create a strong bond with their pets and provide loving care. Their goal is to provide practical support for pet owners who can’t perform the physical tasks needed to take care of their pets.

As such, their services include walking a dog for housebound owners, fostering pets for owners who need hospital care, fetching pet food, and so on. And should the owners’ treatment in the hospital extend for any reason, the volunteers may bring the pets to their own homes. 

Until the owner is discharged from the hospital and is ready to be reunited with their pets, volunteers will provide their pet with loving care. Through it all, the owner is informed about their pets by the volunteers through visits, pictures or letters.

Some pet owners may even have concerns about their pet’s well-being in the event of their passing or having to move to a nursing home. Should the pet owner deem it necessary, the Trust can take care of the pet for long-term care. This requires the owner to make arrangements with the Trust in advance so that they can be assured of their pet’s safety and well-being. 

Known as Pet Profiling, this service promises that the pet owner’s companions remain safe and happy for the duration of their care.

The Cinnamon Trust Memberships

The Cinnamon Trust operates on donations and fundraising without charging any amount for its services. Moreover, the volunteers offer their support at no cost.

Those who wish to support the Cinnamon Trust may do so by becoming a member or through donations. There are five distinct levels that range from 5 pounds to 100 pounds, varying in the number of years the membership remains active. These include:

• The Cinnamon Trust Over 65s: £5.00 (1 Year Only)
• The Cinnamon Trust: £10.00 (1 Year Only)
• The Cinnamon Trust Over 65s: £5.00 per year
• The Cinnamon Trust (Recurring): £10.00 per year
• Life Membership: £100.00 (One-Time Payment)

Criteria For Help

The Cinnamon Trust extends its help to everyone who meets the following criteria:

• The pet owner is of age 65 or over or suffers from a terminal illness
• The prior point applies to the entire household
• The pet owner cannot exercise their pets on their own

If a pet owner meets these criteria, they can complete the contact form on the website or call the service number. A member of the Trust will talk directly to them to provide them with reassurance while learning the necessary details of the pet.

Volunteers And Reach

The Cinnamon Trust has built a network of 18,000 registered volunteers over the years who offer its services to the elderly and the ill. This national charity covers the entirety of the United Kingdom through this network, including remote locations.

Volunteers enable the charity to offer short-term pet fostering in the event of the owner facing a hospital admission. This requires the owners to offer detailed information about the pet and their needs so that the volunteer may take proper care of their companion.

That said, service availability depends on the required task, the distance the volunteer needs to travel and whether their schedule allows for it or not. This may limit the help a pet owner may receive, should they live in a remote location.

Final Words

The very presence of a pet can mean the world to an old and sick pet owner. They represent the hopes and happiness of their owner, and the reassurance they provide is invaluable.

As such, any assistance that these people receive for taking care of their pets can provide them with some much-needed relief. After all, the thought of their pet passing away or being left alone after their death can be quite crippling in more ways than one.

The services offered by the Cinnamon Trust are extremely critical to the wellness of these people. Its mission to preserve the sense of purpose of an elderly or terminally ill pet parent is noble. And their success is a commendable feat, to say the least.