This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/uk/519290-afghanistan-charity-wasted-money/
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| UK military charity Afghan Heroes wound up over serious mismanagement after injured soldiers got just 3p out of every £1 raised | UK military charity Afghan Heroes wound up over serious mismanagement after injured soldiers got just 3p out of every £1 raised |
| (5 months later) | |
| A UK charity set up to help British soldiers injured in Afghanistan has been shut down after regulators found that only a small fraction of the millions raised actually went to wounded troops | A UK charity set up to help British soldiers injured in Afghanistan has been shut down after regulators found that only a small fraction of the millions raised actually went to wounded troops |
| Just 3 PENCE out of every £1 raised by Afghan Heroes went to injured veterans – the rest was squandered running a chain of pubs, an investigation by the UK’s Charity Commission found. It ordered the charity, founded by the parents of a soldier who was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2008, to be shut down. | Just 3 PENCE out of every £1 raised by Afghan Heroes went to injured veterans – the rest was squandered running a chain of pubs, an investigation by the UK’s Charity Commission found. It ordered the charity, founded by the parents of a soldier who was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2008, to be shut down. |
| The watchdog found, for example, that in 2012, Afghan Heroes received £548,440 ($755,700) in donations – but just £15,153 ($20,900) went towards helping injured soldiers and their families. | The watchdog found, for example, that in 2012, Afghan Heroes received £548,440 ($755,700) in donations – but just £15,153 ($20,900) went towards helping injured soldiers and their families. |
| Afghan Heroes was set up by Denise and Andrew Harris when their son, Corporal Lee Scott, was killed in Helmand province in 2009, one of more than 450 British soldiers killed in the country since 2001. | Afghan Heroes was set up by Denise and Andrew Harris when their son, Corporal Lee Scott, was killed in Helmand province in 2009, one of more than 450 British soldiers killed in the country since 2001. |
| The charity was supposed to collect money and send “Ammo Cans” – boxes filled with gifts and treats to soldiers still serving in Afghanistan and to injured veterans. | The charity was supposed to collect money and send “Ammo Cans” – boxes filled with gifts and treats to soldiers still serving in Afghanistan and to injured veterans. |
| More than 6,600 British soldiers had to be medevaced from Afghanistan over a two-decade involvement there. Some 300 of those are still classified as very seriously injured. | More than 6,600 British soldiers had to be medevaced from Afghanistan over a two-decade involvement there. Some 300 of those are still classified as very seriously injured. |
| But things quickly started to go wrong for Afghan Heroes. | But things quickly started to go wrong for Afghan Heroes. |
| The commission began to probe the charity in 2013 following complaints from the public and concerns being raised by some of the trustees about how the charity was being run. It had set up retreats for homeless veterans and had envisaged a business model whereby the purchase and running of a network of pubs would financially support services for veterans. | The commission began to probe the charity in 2013 following complaints from the public and concerns being raised by some of the trustees about how the charity was being run. It had set up retreats for homeless veterans and had envisaged a business model whereby the purchase and running of a network of pubs would financially support services for veterans. |
| Money raised went towards restoring a series of pubs supposedly as retreats, but they were never suitable for injured veterans. Out of one £3.5 million ($4.8 million) initiative, just 20% ended up in the charity’s coffers. The report says four former trustees collectively received around £348,000 ($479,000) in unauthorized payments. Companies also associated with the trustees received money. | Money raised went towards restoring a series of pubs supposedly as retreats, but they were never suitable for injured veterans. Out of one £3.5 million ($4.8 million) initiative, just 20% ended up in the charity’s coffers. The report says four former trustees collectively received around £348,000 ($479,000) in unauthorized payments. Companies also associated with the trustees received money. |
| “The public rightly expects charities to make a real positive difference for the people they help or the cause they pursue,” said Amy Spiller, head of investigations at the UK Charity Commission. | “The public rightly expects charities to make a real positive difference for the people they help or the cause they pursue,” said Amy Spiller, head of investigations at the UK Charity Commission. |
| The watchdog said the former trustees failed to take reasonable care in managing the charity and its finances, and benefitted from their involvement. | The watchdog said the former trustees failed to take reasonable care in managing the charity and its finances, and benefitted from their involvement. |
| The charity’s two founding trustees were removed from their positions in 2015 due to their responsibility for the charity’s failings, resulting in their permanent disqualification from trusteeship and senior management in any charity, the watchdog said. Both have since died. | The charity’s two founding trustees were removed from their positions in 2015 due to their responsibility for the charity’s failings, resulting in their permanent disqualification from trusteeship and senior management in any charity, the watchdog said. Both have since died. |
| Like this story? Share it with a friend! | Like this story? Share it with a friend! |
| Dear readers and commenters, | |
| We have implemented a new engine for our comment section. We hope the transition goes smoothly for all of you. Unfortunately, the comments made before the change have been lost due to a technical problem. We are working on restoring them, and hoping to see you fill up the comment section with new ones. You should still be able to log in to comment using your social-media profiles, but if you signed up under an RT profile before, you are invited to create a new profile with the new commenting system. | |
| Sorry for the inconvenience, and looking forward to your future comments, | |
| RT Team. |