The Links Group 25th Anniversary Conference will be held in Coin Street, London, SE1 9NH, on 25 November 2026.
The location and the date are fitting for so many reasons.
25th November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and begins the annual international campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence which runs until Human Rights Day on the 10th December.
The origins of The Links Group go back to another conference held just over a mile away in London on 22nd November 2001. This event, called “Forging The Link”, was arranged by Intervet UK Ltd. (now MSD Animal Health UK) and the NSPCC, to promote understanding of the link between animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence, together with the benefits of an inter-agency approach to breaking the cycle of violence.
Veterinary surgeon Freda Scott-Park was at that time the Public Relations Officer for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and attended the “Forging The Link” conference on behalf of the association. In Freda’s own words, “the natural question from the veterinary surgeons, including me, was: “link to what”?”.
At this conference the findings of a series of four research papers, the UK “battered pets” series of papers by Helen Munro and Mike Thrusfield, published between May and August 2001 in the BSAVA’s Journal of Small Animal Practice, were highlighted. Freda went on to become a founding member of The Links Group, and the charity has continued to receive tremendous support from the BSAVA over the years.
It is also fitting that the links with the NSPCC continue, with CEO Chris Sherwood (previously of the RSPCA) a speaker on the day, joined by NSPCC colleagues in attendance with literature and resources on Childline, the NSPCC Helpline, NSPCC Sport and more. The NSPCC kindly support The Links Veterinary Training Initiative by providing speakers for these UK-wide multi-agency training days, made possible due to the backing of the BSAVA and now in its second series.
We also owe a huge thanks to MSD Animal Health UK, who have continued to support work around ‘The Link’ in the UK for 25 years, including our veterinary undergraduate training scheme, which has been in existence for over 20 years. On top of this, MSD are a key partner enabling us to deliver this conference, alongside Dogs Trust and Cats Protection.
We are thrilled with the response to our conference so far from the veterinary, animal welfare and safeguarding sectors. With the venue strictly limited by capacity and a waiting list of already over 100, we know that not everyone who would like to attend will be able to join us on this occasion, but there will be other ways to catch up on the proceedings.
The team at The Links Group look forward to sharing more news of speakers, supporters and the agenda over the coming weeks, both on our website and through our social media channels, so check back soon.
