Charity

A cancer charity is being investigated by the regulator over “serious” concerns about financial controls and “unauthorised trustee benefit”, it has been revealed today. The Charity Commission has launched a statutory inquiry into Melanoma UK – Incorporating Factor 50, eight months after it began to engage with the organisation. The charity was set up in

The Women’s Royal Naval Service Benevolent Trust is set to become a subsidiary of The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, following a unanimous vote. The charities announced on Monday that the WRNSBT would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RNRMC as part of its strategy to reduce running costs.  The WRNSBT said the decision

A major charity has apologised after one of its children’s homes was shut down by regulators. Action for Children said it was “deeply sorry” and admitted that services at the home had “not met our usual high standards”. Ofsted suspended services at the home after an inspection in March found it was “inadequate”. The charity

The number of complaints made against adverts published by non-commercial organisations fell by more than 40 per cent last year, latest figures show. The annual report from the Advertising Standards Authority, the UK advertising industry’s self-regulatory body, shows the number of complaints lodged about ads by non-commercial organisations was 2,654 in 2022, down from 4,545

World Vision UK’s government funding almost halved last year, according to the charity’s latest accounts. It received £4.6m from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in 2021/22, down from £8.2m in the preceding 12 months. World Vision UK’s FCDO funding has dropped by about three-quarters since 2019/20, when it was worth £16.7m. The charity previously

Lack of engagement from trustees and a fear of leaks contributed to the £6.6m scandal that engulfed Christ Church College in Oxford, an independent review has found. The review found that some academics on Christ Church’s governing board, who automatically also become trustees of the charity, lacked “the appropriate basic skills” required for the role.

Rising income from student fees drove a 9 per cent increase in funds at the Girls’ Day School Trust last year. GDST, which runs a network of 23 independent schools and two academy schools, describes itself as “the global leader in girls’ education” in its latest accounts. The charity’s income was £286m in 2021/22, up

The Vagina Museum has accused Twitter of censoring its attempts to raise money the charity needs to stay open. It criticised the social media platform after Twitter attached sensitivity warnings to messages about the museum’s work. It comes in the same week that the museum warned it will have to close in June unless it

Girlguiding plans to sell its five activity centres in an attempt to save millions of pounds. The charity said the move would help secure its financial future and admitted that the centres had been losing money for “some years”. Girlguiding said it would cost more than £20m to restore the sites, adding: “We cannot afford

Work to dissolve the Small Charities Coalition has been suspended after Companies House received an objection. This may mean that a creditor has produced evidence that the SCC still owes them money, according to government guidance, although Third Sector has not been able to confirm details with the charity.  Information about the SCC’s assets when

The regulator has moved swiftly to rule out action against a charity accused of carrying out an “obscene” fundraising campaign. The Charity Commission received “several complaints” when UP – The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement posted cards containing 42p to the 822 members of the House of Lords, at a total cost of £345.24. UP sent

Ten jobs are at risk after the Vagina Museum announced it will close within weeks unless it raises enough money to secure a new venue. The charity, which has been without a permanent home since January, said it needs a “substantial cash injection” to avoid shutting next month. The museum has found potential new premises

Charitable spending is getting “thinner each year” in the poorest parts of the UK, a think tank has warned. Analysis by NPC found that charitable spending per head had fallen faster in recent years in areas targeted for government help than in wealthier parts of the UK. This is despite government promises to promote civil

A former Conservative special adviser has been named as the next boss of the BBC’s international development charity. Simon Bishop will become chief executive of BBC Media Action next month. He succeeds Caroline Nursey, who is retiring this year after leading the charity for 14 years. Bishop is leaving the charity The Power of Nutrition

The number of sick days taken in the charity sector have increased by 30 per cent in the past year, a new report indicates. The Sick Leave Report 2023, published by the HR systems specialist Access People HR, also found the voluntary sector experienced 56 per cent more days lost in the past year due

The People’s Postcode Lottery Dream Fund has awarded £5m to two major dementia charities. Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK will use the funds to deliver their joint project, which aims to enable the introduction of a simple blood test in the NHS that will help diagnose dementia.   The award is the biggest in the

A charity worker was awarded £25,000 for wrongful dismissal amid claims she was “set up” by a group of her colleagues. Hastings and Rother Voluntary Association for the Blind, a social care charity, was told to pay enhanced compensation to Tracy Britcher, a former manager, in January. The employment tribunal published further details about the

An urgent appeal to support NHS charities during the Covid-19 pandemic raised £160m, research shows. The umbrella body NHS Charities Together said the appeal, launched during the early days of the pandemic in March 2020, became a focus for the public as people looked for ways to support the NHS during the crisis. The overwhelming

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into an anti-poverty charity after uncovering unexplained payments to private companies linked to some of its trustees.  The regulator said today it started engaging with the Asia Pacific Children’s Fund, which funds an orphanage in Bangladesh, in 2021 because of concerns about international cash couriering.  This led

The Charity Commission has appointed interim managers to a charitable think tank amid concerns about possible unauthorised benefits to trustees.  The regulator said it had opened a statutory inquiry into the Centre for Global Studies in August because of regulatory concerns including potential conflicts of interest and the handling of expenses.  It said it had

Legacy income is set to remain stable at about £3.9bn a year despite ongoing economic challenges, new figures show.  Data from the charity legacy consortium Legacy Foresight shows that legacy giving in the UK reached £3.85bn in 2022 and is expected to remain stable over the next few years. The quarterly analysis, called Legacy Market

The proportion of wills that include a gift to charity has increased by 50 per cent since 2014, new figures show.  The 2022 Savanta Will-Writing Tracking Study, published today, shows 24 per cent of wills written by solicitors and professional will-writers include a charitable gift, up from 16 per cent in 2014.  The study, which

The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to run a Muslim charity after it was issued an official warning. The regulator opened a statutory inquiry into the Islamic Centre of England last year amid serious governance concerns, the commission said. “Due to the trustees’ failure to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities and

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics has appointed Frances Longley as its new chief executive. Longley succeeds Mary Ann Lumsden, who has been leading FIGO since 2020. Lumsden will be retiring this year to focus on academic and personal endeavours. Prior to her appointment, Longley served as ActionAid UK’s first female chief executive as

Tributes have been paid to one of the founders of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance following death at the age of 54. John Bullough was a former army officer and the chairman of SCAA, which he helped launch in 2013. He passed away “suddenly” last Thursday, according to a statement published yesterday by SCAA. On Twitter,

A charity plans to remove a member of its advisory board and report itself to the regulator after learning that the man had previously been investigated over sexual harassment. A 2012 investigation into Daniel Wright, an advisor to the British False Memory Society, found that his behaviour towards women “rises to the level of harassment”,

An employment judge has criticised a faith charity for failing to declare income tax or national insurance payments in the wages and offerings paid to one of its priests. In a long and scathing report at the end of a tribunal, Judge John Crosfill said Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which operates a temple (mandir) in Ilford,

Nearly 40,000 volunteering events will take place on Monday to mark King Charles III’s coronation, it has been announced. The events will be held as part of the Big Help Out, a nationwide day of volunteering organised to coincide with the coronation and long bank holiday. Organisers claim that around 6 million people already plan

An employee who was sacked by a charity for giving two paracetamol tablets and a hot water bottle to a woman with dementia has been awarded more than £17,000 for unfair dismissal. Rebecca Tarlow, a house manager for Jewish Blind and Physically Disabled Society, gave the items to the elderly woman who was in pain

A major charity has apologised to some of its supporters after they lost access to online memorials to loved ones. Guide Dogs was among dozens of charities which used the services of The Online Book Company, which produced virtual books of remembrance for supporters and fundraisers.  But the firm faced a formal winding-up order in