Press release: Commission appoints interim manager to education charity

The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to Grove Mountain (1162684) due to continued concerns over the management of the charity.

Interim managers are appointed to take over the running of a charity where the Commission has identified misconduct and/or mismanagement, or there is a need to protect the charity’s property.

The Commission opened a statutory inquiry into Grove Mountain on 11 August 2017 to examine regulatory concerns including the financial management at the charity, specifically whether: the charity has been operating for exclusively charitable purposes, adequate financial controls have been applied and if the trustees have complied with their legal duties to ensure that the charity is administered, governed and managed appropriately.

The Commission is concerned that two of the trustees, who have been in office since the inquiry was opened, were responsible for the misconduct and/or mismanagement and exposed the charity’s property to undue risk. They also failed to comply with directions issued during the course of the inquiry.

The Commission has therefore made an order under Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act 2011 to appoint Adam Stephens of Smith & Williamson LLP to the role of interim manager. The appointment was made on 19 October 2018.

The interim manager takes on full control of the administration and management of the charity to the exclusion of the trustees until the Commission makes a further order. His duties include taking any steps necessary to secure the property of the charity and considering the future viability of the charity.

The Commission’s inquiry continues.

Ends

Notes to Editors

  1. This appointment is a temporary and protective power that will be reviewed at regular intervals. It will continue until the Commission makes a further Order for its variation or discharge.
  2. It is the Charity Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.
  3. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. For more information see the about us page on GOV.UK.

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Press release: Commission appoints interim manager to education charity

The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to Grove Mountain (1162684) due to continued concerns over the management of the charity.

Interim managers are appointed to take over the running of a charity where the Commission has identified misconduct and/or mismanagement, or there is a need to protect the charity’s property.

The Commission opened a statutory inquiry into Grove Mountain on 11 August 2017 to examine regulatory concerns including the financial management at the charity, specifically whether: the charity has been operating for exclusively charitable purposes, adequate financial controls have been applied and if the trustees have complied with their legal duties to ensure that the charity is administered, governed and managed appropriately.

The Commission is concerned that two of the trustees, who have been in office since the inquiry was opened, were responsible for the misconduct and/or mismanagement and exposed the charity’s property to undue risk. They also failed to comply with directions issued during the course of the inquiry.

The Commission has therefore made an order under Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act 2011 to appoint Adam Stephens of Smith & Williamson LLP to the role of interim manager. The appointment was made on 19 October 2018.

The interim manager takes on full control of the administration and management of the charity to the exclusion of the trustees until the Commission makes a further order. His duties include taking any steps necessary to secure the property of the charity and considering the future viability of the charity.

The Commission’s inquiry continues.

Ends

Notes to Editors

  1. This appointment is a temporary and protective power that will be reviewed at regular intervals. It will continue until the Commission makes a further Order for its variation or discharge.
  2. It is the Charity Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.
  3. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. For more information see the about us page on GOV.UK.


News story: Angler rescued from cliff face and aggressive seals

The man, who had been angling in the area, was walking along the beach when he came across approximately 50 grey seals and their young pups, who quickly became agitated and turned aggressive.

In order to avoid them he scrambled up the cliff face and became trapped about three quarters of the way up.

Realising his predicament, the man did exactly the right thing and called the emergency services using his mobile.

Four Coastguard Rescue Teams from Dunbar, Berwick, North Berwick and Eyemouth and Eyemouth RNLI all weather lifeboat were sent to the location, alongside police Scotland.

They quickly located the man, and using their rope rescue techniques, they were able to lower a coastguard rescue officer 75ft to safely extract the casualty from the cliff face and onto the waiting lifeboat below. The RNLI lifeboat quickly nipped in amid the seals and put onboard the angler and the cliff technician before taking them to Eyemouth harbour.

Thankfully, despite the man’s ordeal, he is uninjured and only suffering from minor cold exposure.

Senior coastguard operations officer Jonathan Mustard said: “Anyone who encounters a seal or a colony of seals on the beach or coastline is advised to move away at the first sign of agitation. Aggressive seals are not a common occurrence and in this case they may have been protecting or defending their natural habitat and their young. Remember to take a fully charged mobile when walking on the coast and call 999 and ask for the coastguard if you get into difficulty.’



Press release: Foreign Secretary commits to action in UN Security Council on Yemen

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced today (Monday 5 November) that the UK is discussing with UN Security Council partners what more the Council can do to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and step up support for the work of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.

The Foreign Secretary discussed this step with the UN Special Envoy and they agreed that the time was right for the Council to act to bolster the UN led process.

As the Minister for the Middle East, Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister made clear last week, a nationwide ceasefire will only have an effect on the ground if it is underpinned by a political deal between the conflict parties. The action the UK takes forward at the UN Security Council will help towards that goal, ensuring that a full ceasefire, when it comes, is fully implemented.

Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said:

For too long in the Yemen conflict both sides have believed a military solution is possible with catastrophic consequences for the people. Now for the first time there appears to be a window in which both sides can be encouraged to come to the table, stop the killing and find a political solution that is the only long term way out of disaster.

The UK will use all its influence to push for such an approach. I met UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths on Tuesday, and there is a small but real chance that a cessation of hostilities could alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. This must be the first priority as we seek to put in place a longer term solution.

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Press release: Foreign Secretary commits to action in UN Security Council on Yemen

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Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced today (Monday 5 November) that the UK is discussing with UN Security Council partners what more the Council can do to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and step up support for the work of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.

The Foreign Secretary discussed this step with the UN Special Envoy and they agreed that the time was right for the Council to act to bolster the UN led process.

As the Minister for the Middle East, Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister made clear last week, a nationwide ceasefire will only have an effect on the ground if it is underpinned by a political deal between the conflict parties. The action the UK takes forward at the UN Security Council will help towards that goal, ensuring that a full ceasefire, when it comes, is fully implemented.

Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said:

For too long in the Yemen conflict both sides have believed a military solution is possible with catastrophic consequences for the people. Now for the first time there appears to be a window in which both sides can be encouraged to come to the table, stop the killing and find a political solution that is the only long term way out of disaster.

The UK will use all its influence to push for such an approach. I met UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths on Tuesday, and there is a small but real chance that a cessation of hostilities could alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. This must be the first priority as we seek to put in place a longer term solution.

Further information

Published 5 November 2018