Charity

Charity shops have received a belated Christmas present, as new figures show that they have bounced back to beat pre-pandemic festive sales figures. Meanwhile, almost half of charities are planning to open new shops in the coming six months. The news comes in figures from the Charity Retail Association, which show a 9.1 per cent

Small charities today suffered another blow as support organisation the Foundation for Social Change announced its closure. The shock decision, revealed in a press release this morning, comes 12 months after the Small Charities Coalition closed down – and two weeks after the 360 Giving report revealed more than 1,000 infrastructure charities had closed since

Time is running out to apply to take part in Third Sector’s free C-Suite Summit next month.  The event, which will bring together senior leaders from charities of all sizes, will focus on the future of the voluntary sector.  It is free to attend for people who meet the criteria. Speakers already announced include Malcolm

A multimillion-pound charity that supports social entrepreneurs is making about 15 per cent of its staff redundant. Internal documents, seen by Third Sector, say the proposed cuts by UnLtd are necessary to tackle “unsustainable” rising costs. UnLtd confirmed that 10 employees have been made compulsorily redundant as part of a restructure that was first discussed

The registration deadline for free entry to the Third Sector Awards for small charities is rapidly approaching.  This year’s awards, which celebrate the work of voluntary sector organisations and the difference they make to society, includes 32 categories covering sector excellence, partnerships and talent.  The awards includes a scheme to spotlight the successes of small,

Ngozi Fulani has temporarily stepped aside as chief executive of the charity Sistah Space, which she founded, as the fallout from a Royal race row continues. She announced her decision yesterday, saying that the row over racism had affected both the charity, which supports African- and Caribbean-heritage women and girls affected by domestic violence and

A foundation that channels money to charities in areas with the greatest need has reversed its decision to close. Access – The Foundation for Social Investment was scheduled to shut down in 2026 at the end of a decade of work. But trustees have had a change of heart, largely due to the growth of

A woman is moving within the healthcare charity sector to take up her first chief executive role. Alex Holden will join Overcoming MS later this month after leaving her role as deputy chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer. She will take over from Stephen Richards, who has served as interim chief executive since April 2022

A church charity has been ordered to pay £11,000 to a former member of staff after the employment tribunal upheld his claim for unfair dismissal. A former operations manager at Holy Trinity Barnes in south-west London was treated in a manner “likely to seriously damage the underlying relationship of trust and confidence” between him and

Nine people have been arrested after fraudsters posed as charity workers to steal from older people across three counties. In February and March this year, the victims were randomly approached on streets and in their homes across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Essex, police said. The suspects stole money from them by pretending they were collecting for

Evidence shows that unrestricted funding can bring “a range of benefits” to charities, research has found. Analysis by IVAR, a charity research institute, says that funders should listen to “arguments for change” in how they back voluntary organisations at a time when many grants are still tied to specific projects. The recommendations are made in

Charities have made a pre-Budget plea to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as the energy price rises bite – “help us to become energy-efficient”. More than 30 organisations have written to Hunt ahead of his big speech on Wednesday 15 March. The government is limiting household energy bills to an average £2,500 a year, rising to £3,000

One of the UK’s biggest charities has banned Friday meetings and asked staff to limit their use of email in an attempt to reduce stress and anxiety. Disability charity Leonard Cheshire is rolling out the changes as part of a three-month pilot, according to an internal announcement seen by Third Sector. All staff apart from

Income at the Royal National Theatre rose by more than 40 per cent last year but still lags behind its financial performance before the outbreak of Covid-19. The charity’s income was £80.8m in the year to the end of March 2022, up from £56.3m in the preceding 12 months, when the theatre was closed under

An antisemitism charity has revealed it has been working with Roald Dahl organisations to help them to confront the writer’s controversial past.  The Antisemitism Policy Trust has been working with the Roald Dahl Museum and the Roald Dahl Story Company for several months, according to the charity’s chief executive, Danny Stone. In a letter to

Creditors including charities have lost tens of thousands of pounds after a mental health support organisation was finally dissolved nearly five years after it went bust. CoolTan Arts owed £70,000 when it ceased trading in 2018 but liquidators have not been able to return cash to any of its creditors, according to documents filed with

Five members of staff at the International Medical Corps (UK) were placed on the humanitarian aid charity’s internal watchlist last year because of safeguarding concerns. Three of those employees were “separated from the charity” after it received complaints and two left the organisation while under investigation, IMC (UK) said. The figures relate to the year

Two more policy areas have been added to the minister for civil society’s portfolio, leading to concerns that he may have less time to focus on charities. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that Stuart Andrew is now responsible for lotteries and gambling policy.  This is in addition to his existing roles

More than 500 staff at the homelessness charity St Mungo’s are being balloted on strike action. Unite the Union is balloting members after the charity “refused to budge” on a 1.75 per cent pay offer made in 2021/22. It comes less than two years after some St Mungo’s employees ended a separate three-month strike over

A charity has announced it will be providing free breakfast and lunch to its employees to alleviate cost-of-living pressure. Teens+, a charitable service of the Edinburgh-based non-profit organisation Capella, which also operates Sleep Scotland, said it would be providing free meals to all its 125 employees. Simon Pearce-Madge, head of Teens+ said that the initiative

Hundreds of charities and social enterprises are among those to receive a share of the latest tranche of hundreds of millions of pounds tied up in forgotten accounts. The government today announced how £76m of the next £800m of dormant assets will be distributed. Of the £76m, £31m will go to charities and social enterprises

An employment tribunal has ordered a charity to almost £13,000 to the former boss of its trading subsidiary. A judge found that Next Steps Development, which helps people with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties, owed Sarah Poyser money to cover unauthorised deductions from her wages and outstanding holiday pay. Poyser was made director of

A man with senior management experience at Greene King and Starbucks has today been named as the chief executive of Help for Heroes. James Needham will head the armed forces support organisation on a permanent basis after stepping in as interim chief executive following the departure of Melanie Waters in October 2022. Needham joined the

An LGBT+ charity says it is in a “secure financial position” to continue to provide services – despite allegations that it sought money from a controversial platform used by pornographers. Opening Doors, which supports older gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, said it had reviewed its finances and was a “going concern” after reports in

The Fundraising Regulator’s income from its charity levy rose by 5 per cent last year. The number of charities registered with the regulator also rose, from 4,980 to 5,700, while income from registration fees went up from £245,000 to £278,000. The levy – a voluntary payment by large charities to help fund the regulator –

A charity linked to the National Union of Students has admitted that the antisemitism scandal at the NUS could affect its future finances. A highly critical investigation into allegations of antisemitism at the NUS, published in January, found that “for at least a decade, Jewish students have not felt welcome or included in NUS spaces

Complaints by a former charity boss against The Sun newspaper have been rejected by the media watchdog. The Independent Press Standards Organisation did not uphold any of the complaints brought by Wilson Chowdhry in response to a story published in the tabloid last year. Chowdhry, who was director of the British Pakistani Christian Association until

The Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal to help victims of earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has passed £100m. The DEC said its appeal has raised “an incredible” £101.5m since it was launched on 9 February. The funds are providing urgent relief after the earthquakes killed more than 44,000 people, injured more than 100,000 and displaced hundreds

Skills and expertise “embedded in charities” can help the Labour Party deliver its policy pledges, sector leaders said today. Speaking in Manchester this morning, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promised his party would deliver a “mission-driven government” if it wins the next general election. Starmer outlined five major commitments, on the economy, the NHS, crime,

Donations from Comic Relief’s trading subsidiary fell by £1m last year, financial documents show. Comic Relief Ltd, which manages the charity’s events, intellectual property and corporate support, donated £4.4m to Comic Relief in 2021/22, down from £5.4m the previous year. Comic Relief Ltd donates its taxable profits to the charity each year. The figure is