The AHT marked the start of its 75th anniversary year with a celebration event.

Supporters gather for celebration event

Leading animal science and care charity the Animal Health Trust (AHT) has launched its biggest ever appeal to replace one of its most essential pieces of equipment - an MRI scanner.

On Tuesday (28 March), some of the charity’s most passionate supporters and grateful clients gathered at the Trust’s headquarters in Kentford, Newmarket, to celebrate the organisation’s 75th anniversary.

Following a warm welcome by the AHT’s CEO Dr Mark Vaudin, guests heard presentations on the AHT’s mission and history - including some of its major achievements.

Over lunch, fundraisers spoke about how training was going for events such as the London Marathon, whilst clients chatted to the vets that helped their pets return to good health. This was followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the small animal and equine clinics, where visitors got to see where and how their animals were cared for.

“We’re so excited about our 75th year,” says Dr Vaudin. “We’re often the unsung hero when it comes to animal health, so we hope our ambassadors here today will help us spread the word about all the amazing things we’ve achieved - and hope to - throughout the rest of the year.”

“Seeing some of our patients return today with wagging tails is a testament to our science providing real life animal benefits. “I’m sure it was a nice change for these patients to be visiting the charity without needing to go for a check-up! Fingers crossed 2017 will be another historic year for the AHT.”

Throughout 2017, the AHT is running a full calendar of events to raise funds and awareness of its work. These include its annual charity race day at Newmarket (10 June) and the UK Equestrian Awards (31 October).  Through the support of its fundraisers, the charity has set itself the ambitious target of £75,000 which will go towards a much-needed MRI machine and the expansion of its small animal clinic.

Founded in 1942, the AHT treats thousands of animals every year and benefits millions more through its research. Some of its key achievements to date include pioneering the use of MRI scans in veterinary medicine, advising the London 2012 Equestrian Committee on their arena designs, and developing a new blood test for strangles.

In 2016, the AHT launched the Give a Dog a Genome Project, which aims to create the UK's largest canine genome bank, containing 2.4 billion letters of DNA from 75 different breeds. So far, half of the genomes have been sequenced and researchers are now in the lengthy process of analysing them.

To find out more about the AHT and to lend your support to its campaign, visit www.aht75.org.uk.