The BHWT team collecting their award in London.

The charity is recognised for its outstanding commitment to hen welfare

British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) has won the JustGiving Charity of the Year award at a ceremony in London on 20 November 2018.

The charity, which was established in 2005 by Jane Howorth MBE, positively campaigns to improve welfare standards for laying hens and to educate the public about ‘hidden’ caged egg products in processed foods.

BHWT also work hard to rehome hens at the end of their commercial laying lives. In the UK, approximately 16 million hens are kept in colony cages. To date, the charity has rehomed over 670,000 caged hens; all of which would have been destined for slaughter.

Howorth commented on her charity: “This is all in the name of hen welfare. To say we are re-homing 68,000 hens this year alone may sound monumental but, for me, it’s about the individual hens. That’s 68,000 little lives saved, and those girls are going to raise so much awareness to improve life for all the hens left behind.”

The prize, however, came as a great surprise to Howorth and her team: “Nobody’s jaw dropped further than mine when our name was read out as winner of the Charity of the Year award. To be recognised by the UK’s biggest fundraising platform, and to have received so many nominations from the public, is awesome in the truest sense of the word. It’s a testament to our staff, volunteers and supporters that we are achieving such greatness.”

JustGiving general manager, Keith Williams, said: “We are delighted and honoured to announce the British Hen Welfare Trust as the JustGiving Charity of the Year… The Awards not only symbolise the hope, courage and determination of the human spirit in the face of adversity; it also shows how technology is able to empower people to change the world by supporting the causes they care about.”

Find out how you can support hen welfare at: https://www.bhwt.org.uk/

Image © British Hen Welfare Trust