Established in 1986, The Queen Mother Hospital for Animals sees over 8,000 small animals each year. Veterinary practices from across the country refer patients for specialist treatments, emergency and critical care, rehabilitation and behavioural problems. The hospital is world renowned in leading the way forward in specialist surgery – it is the only centre in Europe to offer cutting edge surgical heart treatments such as heart valve replacement and widening of narrow valves. As well as providing the best specialist veterinary clinical services in a range of disciplines; the hospital is also the largest veterinary teaching hospital in the UK. It provides a committed teaching environment and clinical experience for the College’s 1700 undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary students. The students learn from the hospital’s specialists, gaining first hand experience that is vital for their veterinary career. As the College develops its teaching portfolio, there is a need for more space and cases for the students to observe first hand. Due to this increase in student numbers, the rapid growth in patients needing specialist care and the need to update and improve the technologies that are used, the hospital has to expand and update its facilities. The new development will provide state-of-the-art facilities and enable the treatment of more animals and wider specialist cases. It will have 142 rooms and will be able to accommodate 183 in-patients, allowing the hospital to take on additional clinical cases. It will give the students more exposure to clinical activities, allowing them to gain greater veterinary knowledge for when they are qualified and practicing in the world of veterinary medicine and animal welfare. We are building a modern environment for teaching students as well as improved surroundings for the patients in our care and their owners. The investment in this hospital will also continue the College’s commitment to improving animal health, welfare, and care. The whole project is costing £8 million. The College has provided £3 million and the Animal Care Trust is raising the balance of £5 million through the hospital's clients, trusts and foundations, corporate and individual giving, and legacies. Thanks to many generous donors we have already received over £4.2 million in gifts and pledges. Parts of the new building have now been opened and are fully operational. We are now concentrating on redeveloping the old building and finishing the new diagnostic imaging unit. But...we still need to raise significant funds to fully pay for the new building and to equip it.