Stars
shun RSPCA's search for new envoys
The RSPCA has failed
in its attempt to attract showbusiness celebrities to act as ambassadors for
the charity.
Geri Halliwell did
not bother to reply to the invitation. Sir Elton John said that he was involved
in too many other charities and Sir Cliff Richard said that he was scaling
down his commitments to spend more time abroad. Even leading broadcasters
such as Sir David Attenborough, the naturalist, and John Humphrys, of BBC
Radio 4’s Today, although flattered to be asked, said that they were
involved with other charities.
Instead the charity
has recruited vice-presidents from the arts, theatre, newspapers, academe and
the Church. They include the actor, Simon Callow, the columnist, Nigel Dempster,
the astronomer, Sir Patrick Moore, the Bishop of Reading, the Right Rev Dominic
Walker, and Sir Roy Strong, former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Some RSPCA members believe
the charity has failed to attract the celebrities it wanted because of the publicity
given to the way the RSPCA handled its internal changes, including stripping
longstanding officials of their powers to accommodate the new ambassadors.
The Times reported last
November that the RSPCA director-general, Peter Davies, had warned the society’s
council members that the publicity could lose the support of those invited to
be vice-presidents. He was not available for comment yesterday.
Under the new rules
the society’s three longstanding vice-presidents, Bill Jordan, Angela Cope
and Dame Janet Fookes, are banned from attending or speaking at the RSPCA’s
council meetings. They can attend functions but are not expected to participate
in policy debates or discussions about the running of the organisation.
Mrs Cope, 85, who works
at the RSPCA’s Putney Animal Hospital in Southwest London, said yesterday:
“I am very upset about all of this. I have worked as a volunteer and fundraiser
for the RSPCA for 56 years. You can imagine my feelings and I am very hurt.
I have not even been told who the new vice-presidents are and am now out on
a limb.
“Frankly I can’t
understand what these new people are going to do. I want to know what they think
of our policies. Do they know them? What are their attitudes?” Dr Jordan,
a veterinary scientist, has been critical of RSPCA policies on animal experiments
and treatment of circus animals. Dame Janet has accepted the change, however.
Other public figures
who have agreed to champion the RSPCA include Audrey Eyton, author of The F
Plan Diet, Julian Richer, the entrepreneur who set up the Richer Sound hi-fi
shops and Peter Singer, a leading animal rights philosopher.
The new vice-presidents
have been asked to use their influence to promote the work of the charity, which
raises between £60 million and £80 million a year. They will also
be invited to attend events for new campaigns.
A spokeswoman for the
RSPCA said that it was delighted with the new recruits. They would be expected
to join in any new campaign to persuade the Government to ban hunting with dogs,
she said.