The Dr Hadwen Trust gets straight to the heart of the controversial subject of using animals for medical research. What I like about the Trust is that it has moved the argument to a much higher level from the usual debate between the rights and wrongs of animal testing for the advancement of medical research. What the Dr Hadwen Trust has done, for many years, is to directly fund medical research, which is so very important for the Nation’s Health, by encouraging scientists to discover alternative testing models without the use of animals. This is a quantum leap and an even greater bonus for us humans because the results of research without using a single animal have proven, and continue to confirm, that these alternative methods produce more statistically sound models, are more robust and are totally relevant to humans. This is because, fundamentally, humans and animals do not have the same physiology, full stop! The ground-breaking models including computer-based 3D models developed by the scientists who have been totally funded by the Dr Hadwen Trust use only human tissue. This human tissue does not come at a high cost as the tissue is usually an unwanted by-product of, for example, as part of a routine operation on a person to remove cancerous tissue. I truly hope that the Dr Hadwen Trust is recognised for what it has done in the past and what it can do for us and animal welfare in the future. It is unbelievable that it continues to fund important medical research without any Government, European or other external funding. The Trust is a very small organisation – a team of 6 people including the CEO - which delivers BIG! Everything it achieves emanates from its team and Trustees. None of the fantastic achievements and advancement in medical research without using animals would have happened without income and legacies from its loyal supporters and volunteers. Every penny that it spends is carefully thought through as to how it can gain a maximum return on investment. It does not have large budgets to spend on advertising and television commercials and that is why many people in the UK have not heard of the Dr Hadwen Trust. Should the Dr Hadwen Trust win this accolade of The Best Local Business, then this would go a very long way to helping it increase public awareness of its achievements and future aims. Surely, that would be a good thing for all of us! Cynthia Rich