Charity

Blood Cancer UK has named Helen Rowntree as its permanent chief executive. She has been interim chief executive since November and has secured the role on a permanent basis following an external recruitment process involving trustees, staff and people affected by blood cancer. Rowntree has been with Blood Cancer UK since 2019 as director of

The charity sector could do more to recognise the role of faith in philanthropy, according to a new report. The British Muslim Civil Society report, released yesterday by Mercy Mission UK, said the sector would benefit from the greater inclusion of faith and minority groups in conversations about philanthropy and government partnerships. The report said

Press Release Back in December 2022 Orange Genie continued their tradition of support for their local community by distributing Christmas gifts to some elderly residents. United Kingdom, January 2023 – Back in December 2022, Orange Genie delivered boxes of Christmas gifts to residents in their home town of Aylesbury. Their intention was to support their

The Charity Commission is today accused of trying to “neuter civil society” with controversial guidance about how charity staff behave on their personal social media accounts. The regulator is warning that charities’ reputations could be damaged by the way their staff behave on their own accounts. The commission launched a consultation today on how charities handle

A refugee charity says it has “no regrets whatsoever” about publishing a video in which a Holocaust survivor criticises the Home Secretary, amid a growing row with the government. Freedom From Torture told Third Sector it has no plans to remove the footage, despite a request from the Home Office. It posted the 60-second clip

Entries for the Third Sector Awards, which celebrate the work of charities and the difference they make to society, have opened for 2023. There are 32 categories this year, covering sector excellence, partnerships and talent, including an award for Best Service Delivery Innovation that will recognise outstanding work to help people facing the cost-of-living crisis.

A bid to set up a select committee to look at reforming the charitable and tax status of independent schools and redistributing money to the state sector has been defeated at the end of a caustic Commons debate. Labour’s shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, tabled a motion calling for the establishment of the Fair Taxation

Criminal justice campaigner Christopher Stacey has been named as the next chief executive of Prisoners Abroad. He will make the move in May, taking over from Pauline Crowe. Stacey has been director of support and development at the justice charity Clinks since 2021, and before that worked for 12 years at Unlock, the charity which

The boss of a small charity has revealed how the “logistical nightmare” of having 35 different funders is costing vital funds and giving her sleepless nights. Emma Pears, chief executive and founder of the children’s charity Selfa, called for an urgent overhaul of the funding system, to end the constant round of applying and re-applying

Parkrun Global is under growing pressure from hundreds of its own volunteers to remove David Dinsmore, former editor of The Sun, from its board. By this morning nearly 500 people had signed a letter protesting about Dinsmore’s appointment, including regular runners, event marshals and event directors. But he seems determined to stay on as a

Two trustees and a chief executive have been disqualified after a homelessness charity spent thousands of pounds on iPhones, Apple watches, silk sheets and bugging equipment. A Charity Commission inquiry into the Ashley Foundation found that it used the tracking system to conduct surveillance on a rival company. Meanwhile, its former boss said the watches

Charity Commission staff members have voted to take part in a day of strike action, it has been announced.  Public and Commercial Services Union members who work at the Charity Commission will strike on 1 February, alongside employees across government, over pay and employment conditions.  According to PCS, 131 Charity Commission employees voted in support

The National Union of Students has been urged to rethink its relationship with its charitable arm as it responds to antisemitism claims. An independent inquiry into allegations about antisemitism at the NUS, published today, said the organisation should explore “alternative models” for managing its subsidiary, the NUS Charity. This could include stripping the NUS chair

The pay dispute between Shelter and hundreds of its employees has ended after workers accepted an improved offer of a 7 per cent increase for 2022. Over 600 members of Unite took strike action last December over pay. Unite balloted its members in November over what it called an “insulting” 3 per cent offer with

One of the Queen’s portrait painters has been banned from running a business for seven years for unlawfully claiming £50,000 in Covid-19 loans for a charity started in memory of his sister. Darren Baker, who was director and chair of trustees at the Leanne Baker Trust, exaggerated its income by nearly 1,000 per cent, according

Jewish Women’s Aid has appointed Alison Rosen as its new chief executive.  Rosen will replace Naomi Dickson, who spent more than 16 years with the organisation, including eight years as chief executive. Dickson is now chief executive of the Jewish charity Norwood.  Before joining JWA, Rosen spent four years as chief executive of the healthcare

The sight loss charities Fight for Sight and Vision Foundation will merge this year, it has been announced. The two organisations boards of trustees’ have unanimously voted for the merger to come into effect from 1 April. The merged charity will become the only UK grant-maker that funds both scientific research and services, the organisations

Income at the disability charity Scope rose by £10m last year after a “surge of support” from people using its charity shops. The charity raised £44.2m in total in the year to the end of March 2022, up from £34.1m in 2020/21. This includes £21.3m from Scope’s network of 200 charity shops, compared with £8.8m

The new scheme, which will run until the end of March 2024, will be capped at £5.5bn – less than a third of the current £18bn cut-off. The announcement will help businesses locked into contracts signed before recent substantial falls in the wholesale price manage their costs. It will also provide security against the risk of

Press Release Orange Genie have surpassed their target to raise £10,000 for mental health charity Mind. United Kingdom, January 2023 – Orange Genie are delighted to announce that they have surpassed their fund-raising target of £10,000 for mental health charity Mind. Orange Genie have a long history of support for good causes, and in 2019

Charities running community buildings face a fresh financial crunch in March when their energy deals change, research has warned. About half of community groups running village halls and other local buildings will have to renew their energy tariffs in two months’ time, the analysis says. But they still do not know what support will be

The sight and hearing loss charity Deafblind UK has appointed Nikki Morris as its new chief executive. Morris will be replacing Steve Conway, who retired at the end of 2022 after leading the charity since 2018. Prior to joining the organisation, Morris worked as deputy chief executive and director of operations at Big C Cancer

A conservation group could be evicted from its home over a row about taking children walking over a frozen lake. Forestry England said it would not renew the Rewild Project’s licence to work on its land after the community interest company organised the walk in December. The licence expired at the end of 2022. The

A second charity has turned down a £10,000 donation from funds raised to support an alleged victim of gang rape who has since been convicted of inventing the ordeal. Women’s Community Matters, a charity that helps victims of sexual and domestic violence in Barrow, was one of two organisations due to share £20,000 raised for

King Charles’s charity has been urged to perform “proper due diligence” if it continues work on a major property development in Bahrain despite the country’s human rights violations. Amnesty International UK said that the Prince’s Foundation has a responsibility to “avoid complicity in human rights violations”, after the Daily Mail reported that the charity would

A children’s home run by the country’s biggest autism charity has been barred temporarily from taking in any more young people after a highly critical Ofsted inspection. Inspectors warned that children are “at risk of serious harm” in the home, which is run by the National Autistic Society, and issued a “notice restricting accommodation”. The

One of the country’s largest social care charities has named its new chief executive. Jim Kane took over the top job at Community Integrated Care yesterday. Kane, who has been the charity’s chief financial officer since 2019, will succeed Mark Adams, who stepped down last September.  CIC supports about 3,500 people a year across England

The Charity Commission has opened a regulatory compliance case into the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God over potential safeguarding issues.  This follows claims by former members of the church’s youth group that they were shown pictures of dead bodies “as a warning of what happens to those who leave the church”, the Guardian

The Charity Commission has opened a compliance case into the Campaign Against Antisemitism. The commission confirmed that it was “assessing concerns” about the charity, but did not go into further detail about the allegations made. This is the second time the regulator has opened a compliance case into the CAA.  In 2018, the commission intervened

The Trussell Trust posted a £16.4m deficit last year as it handed out £28m to help food banks cope with surging demand, its accounts show. The value of grants made by the Trussell Trust increased almost seven-fold between 2021 and 2022, and were shared between 400 food banks across the UK. Food banks have been