Month: July 2024

Alice Langley has been named chief executive of Tynedale Hospice at Home. Langley joined this month as the permanent successor to Mike Thornicroft, who left the end-of-life charity in February after five years at its helm to become chief executive of Teesside Hospice. Deputy chief executive Charlotte Pearson led Tynedale Hospice in the interim period. 

A trust has been launched in memory of the late philanthropist Julia Rausing, which will donate £100m to UK charities working in arts and heritage, health and welfare and education in its first year.  Julia Rausing, who set up the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust with her husband in 2014, died in April at the

Serious safeguarding weaknesses at a religious charitable trust exposed children to appalling sexual abuse over decades, the Charity Commission said today. The regulator opened an inquiry into the Ampleforth Abbey Trust in November 2016 following allegations of sexual abuse and the inquiry was later extended to the St Laurence Education Trust. SLET runs Ampleforth College,

The Charity Commission has closed its compliance case into a Lincolnshire-based medical charity after allegations of toxic workplace culture were raised with the media. Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service, which provides medical aid to people across the county, previously defended itself against allegations of bullying and toxic culture after the BBC reported claims by 26

More than two-thirds of charities say finances are the biggest barrier they face when it comes to moving forward digitally, new research shows. The seventh annual Charity Digital Skills Report, published today, says 68 per cent of charities cited organisational finances as the biggest barriers to making progress digitally, up from 27 per cent last

The decision by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to press ahead with halving a £3.6m charity grant scheme “threatens the sustainability” of sector organisations, the chief of a children’s charity has said.  The Core Grant Funding Scheme was opened in October 2022 and the Department of Health said it financially supports organisations “which

Mark Gifford is to step down as chief executive of the body that runs the National Citizen Service.  Gifford, who joined the NCS Trust in March 2020 after 20 years at the retailer the John Lewis Partnership, said he was taking up a role closer to his home in north-west England.  He will leave in

The chief executive of a membership body that represents cancer charities is set to retire after nine years in the role. Jane Lyons will step down from her role at Cancer52, which represents 115 charities to promote people affected by less common cancers. She joined the charity in February 2015 and will retire on 15

An adult education charity has received a £1.3m grant reprieve for the next 12 months, saving more than 70 jobs. The Workers Educational Association provides a wide range of adult education courses and was set to lose its grant funding in north-east England. The charity originally received funding from the now defunct North of Tyne

A former charity worker has been jailed after she stole £30,000 she made from selling donated Alton Towers and Legoland tickets intended for children with cancer. Heidi Bucknall, 32, of Tyburn Close, Bestwood, Nottinghamshire, started working for the Parents Association for Seriously Ill Children in 2012. The charity supports families of children with cancer across

Lisa Nandy, a former charity worker and who previously served as the shadow minister for civil society, will lead the government department that contains the charities brief.  Nandy was appointed culture secretary in Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which swept to power with a huge majority last week.  Her new department contains responsibility for a

The RSPCA, Alzheimer’s Society and Medical Aid for Palestinians are among the charities shortlisted for recognition at the 2024 Third Sector Awards.  The awards, which mark their 20th year in 2024, recognise the achievements of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises in 31 categories, including Communications Campaign of the Year and Small Charity Big Achiever. 

An animal welfare charity has announced its closure citing a “very difficult financial situation” and ill-health of its trustees. North Devon Animal Ambulance has operated for 23 years and describes itself as specialising in rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming domestic animals. In a statement on social media, the charity said it would close its doors “with

Harpreet Kondel has been named as the next chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.  Kondel, who has had a 30-year career in charity fundraising, was announced as the chair-designate at the CIoF’s annual convention in London yesterday.  She will succeed Nadine Campbell, who is coming to the end of a three-year stint in the

The fundraising profession must recognise that it is often accepting of behaviours and environments that can leave fundraisers at risk of harassment, experts have warned. Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s annual convention yesterday as part of a panel session titled “Dismantling Patriarchal Structures in Fundraising”, Becky Slack, co-director of the consultancy Agenda, said

A number of charity leaders have been elected MPs in yesterday’s general election.  Laura Kyrke-Smith, former UK executive director of the International Rescue Committee, has become the first Labour MP for Aylesbury, while Kirsty McNeill, former executive director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at Save the Children UK, was elected the Labour MP for Midlothian. 

Voluntary sector leaders have called for the new Labour government to ensure charities are involved in policy discussions at all levels if they are to work in partnership together.  After the Labour Party’s landslide victory in the general election overnight, charity leaders have urged Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour colleagues to make good on

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has announced its recently appointed interim chief executive has resigned before starting the role. Last week, the nursing regulator announced Dawn Brodrick, chief people officer and lead director at the Crown Prosecution Service, would be taking over as interim chief executive and registrar from Andrea Sutcliffe, who has stepped down

Cancer Research UK is the charity that is recognised by the highest proportion of people, new research has found.  The latest edition of Third Sector’s Charity Brand Index is based on research conducted with a representative sample of 4,000 people in April and May. Participants were asked if they recognised a selection of more than

The daughter and son-in-law of the record-breaking fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore have been banned from being charity trustees for up to 10 years.  The regulator said today it had disqualified Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband, Colin, for 10 and eight years, respectively, as part of its ongoing statutory inquiry into the Captain Tom Foundation. 

A former senior Treasury minister has called for a potential Labour government to set up a dedicated department to harness philanthropy and social investors to deliver its policy objectives.  Writing in City A.M. newspaper, Stephen Timms, the Labour candidate for East Ham who was chief secretary to the Treasury from 2006 to 2007, said if

An HIV and Aids support charity has announced its closure after 37 years because of difficulty in securing funding amid rising costs. NAM Aidsmap, which provides information and resources on HIV and Aids, had eight employees and an income of £764,449 in 2022, according to its latest accounts on the Charity Commission’s online register. It

A former manager of a Scottish social care charity has been imprisoned for 12 months after admitting to embezzling about £40,000 from the charity’s vulnerable residents. Violet Connor, 67, of Fife, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on 27 June and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment after admitting stealing £40,060 from residents of Sense Scotland,

A Muslim charity has been ordered to pay an ex-employee more than £16,000 for unfair dismissal, an employment tribunal revealed. Zubair Valimulla was employed by the Al-Khair Foundation as a masjid liaison officer (MLO) at the charity’s Bolton branch from February 2018 until he was made redundant at the end of October 2020. Valimulla, who

The Charity Governance Code should be made simpler, finance leaders have been told.  Speaking at the Charity Finance Group conference last week, the consultant Pesh Framjee, a special adviser to the CFG, said the code, which is voluntary, could be tailored to reach more charities.  Framjee said he was “surprised at the number of charities