Meet our Founder
About Trevor Williams
We're all familiar with rock musicians setting up animal sanctuaries or supporting animal charities, but how many know that our very own founder led the way back in 1991?
In his youth, Trevor played the accordion with his first band, 'The Cyclones,' but later settled on the bass guitar, which became his instrument of choice for his professional career as a rock musician. He turned semi-professional in 1964 with a group called 'The Soundsmen,' and in 1969, he joined forces with other professional musicians to form 'Audience.'
The Music Industry
Audience played many popular UK venues in the late '60s and, like the Beatles and many other groups, toured Europe, Canada, and the USA, either headlining or supporting well-known acts like Led Zeppelin, Fairport Convention, Rod Stewart & the Small Faces, Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzie, and Genesis.
You may be surprised to learn that they once topped the bill with Queen as their support act! The band made their TV debut in 1970 on Top of the Pops. Although Audience split in 1972, they reformed in 2004 and played their farewell gig in 2013.
Sabbing the 'old' way - Dressed like the opposition and no masks
Trevor had long held strong views on animal welfare and animal rights and in 1975, he joined the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) as a committee member responsible for fundraising. For the next five years, he regularly sabotaged hunts across the country, forming lifelong friendships through a shared sense of collective endeavour and compassion.
Making A Difference
In 1978, Trevor teamed up with Phil Windeatt to form Vegetarians Against the Nazis, a group supporting the Anti-Nazi League’s fight against the far-right resurgence, with major demonstrations taking place in London. They also opposed hunting in all its forms.
In 1979, Trevor joined the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS), first as a committee member and later as an employee in the sales department, eventually becoming Promotions Manager. He coordinated investigations into the dangerous world of dog fighting, a high-risk endeavor even then.
Volunteering
In his spare time, Trevor volunteered at Foal Farm Animal Rescue at Biggin Hill, Hydestile Wildlife Hospital in Godalming and the RSPCA, which gave him insight into the workings of rescue and rehabilitation organisations.
Trevor also became a member of the Wild Animal Protection Society, a South London group that, in 1978, began a campaign to persuade local councils to stop trapping and shooting foxes as a way of resolving household fox problems. At the time, specialist fox knowledge was lacking among most council Environmental Health Officers. Trevor and a few others developed a free humane deterrence call-out service in their spare time, and by the mid-'80s, the targeted councils had abandoned the cruel practice of trapping.
Congratulations
In 1988, Trevor married Sue, and in January 1991, with £400 in the bank, he set up The Fox Project. His aim was to focus on a pro-fox agenda, promoting humane deterrence nationally and countering press stories that reflected ignorance about foxes.
The hunting fraternity was thought to be the most knowledgeable about foxes, leading to a great deal of myths, misinformation, and general ignorance circulating in the
media.
The Fox Project extended its humane deterrence efforts across the country until councils nationwide finally moved away from lethal ‘pest’ control towards humane methods. Thousands of foxes have been saved from being trapped and shot, and many more cubs have been spared the cruel and unjust fate of losing their mothers.
Not all heroes wear caps
In 1992, following a major oil spill off Shetland, a call went out for help with the consequential impact on wildlife. Trevor joined others from all over the UK to assist in the coordinated efforts to rescue birds and mammals from the oil-affected waters.
And so it begins...
The Fox Project began to receive calls about sick and injured foxes. Although it wasn’t originally a rescue service, Trevor felt compelled to help, which led to the establishment of an ambulance service. Operating hours of 9 am to 9 pm, seven days a week, were set, and despite some very tough times, this has rarely changed.
Money was always tight – hospital premises consisted of a garden shed, the spare bedroom doubled as an office, and the ambulance vehicle was an elderly Ford Escort Estate. A handful of volunteer rescuers/fosterers were recruited and Trevor worked every day, often dealing with rescues or humane deterrence call-outs. He and Sue raised funds by making pin badges for other animal groups, running bric-a-brac stalls at local fetes, and giving talks to charities and groups, but it wasn’t enough to push the charity forward. Trevor wanted to apply for funding grants, but the Fox Project was often rejected as it wasn’t registered as a charity. After some struggle, in 1995, the Charity Commission finally accepted the application.
Over the decades, hundreds of caring members of the public have become volunteers for The Fox Project, contributing their time in various ways – as rescuers, fosterers, rehabilitators, and assisting in the hospital with cleaning and feeding, or sharing their trade skills. Many others have supported The Fox Project by donating their hard-earned cash, holding fundraising events, or leaving a legacy in their Will. Without them all, The Fox Project would not be what it is today, and to all those people, we owe a huge debt of gratitude.
An inspiration to us all
In 1992, The Fox Project rescued just three foxes. In 2024, it rescued over 1,400!
Trevor has transformed the lives of thousands of animals in need. Trevor continues to work to this day.
