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Rabbit Awareness Week goes virtual
Rabbit Awareness Week 2020 aims to educate owners about the five key welfare needs.

Organisers have announced a packed programme of digital events.
 
Organisers behind Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) have announced an exciting line up of digital events to improve the health and welfare of rabbits in the UK.

The annual RAW campaign aims to reach, educate and inform rabbit owners about the five key welfare needs of rabbits and encourage them to join in the conversation.

Normally organisations and individuals host physical events which, due to COVID-19, will not be possible this year. Instead, the RAW team is putting together a packed programme of digital workshops, live Q&As, virtual tours and educational videos – all of which will be shared online.

This year's campaign takes place over two weeks (10 – 23 August), and rabbit owners, animal lovers and anyone else interested in learning more about rabbit welfare is encouraged to get involved in the campaign via the official website and social media pages.

Campaign organiser Holly Ackroyd said: “Vets have always played an active, and absolutely vital, part of Rabbit Awareness Week but the coronavirus pandemic means we’ve had to get a bit more creative to make sure we can drive and facilitate their involvement this year’s campaign. We’re delighted that the RAW partners and our supporting vets will once again be lending their support to the campaign by delivering online content that promises to both entertain and educate UK owners, and ‘would-be’ owners of these amazing animals.
 
“Despite the current challenges, we’re confident this year’s campaign will build on previous years to be our biggest RAW campaign yet. As one of the UK’s most misunderstood pets, it’s so important that we continue to raise awareness about the welfare needs of rabbits. We’ve invested significantly into the creation of new content and collateral on all of these needs and have extended the length of the campaign to ensure that we comprehensively shine a light of them all.”

More details about RAW 2020 are expected in the coming weeks.

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.