Charity Annual return deadline imminent

Annual return deadline imminent

Less than 28 days to go before charities with financial years ending 31 March 2017 must submit their annual return

From:

The Charity Commission

Charities with financial years ending on 31 March 2017 have less than four weeks to go before the final deadline to file their annual return.

By law, these charities must submit a return by 31 January 2018, no later than 10 months after the end of their financial year.

Thousands of charities have already filed their returns but there are still many that have not.

They run the risk of trying to file nearer to deadline day without the correct documentation or, crucially, the password they need to access the online service and then going into default.

To avoid the possibility of this happening, please either file your annual return for 2017 now, if you know what you need to submit, have a current working password, know your charity number and have kept your charities details, such as email and contact address and current trustees up to date.

Alternatively, please make sure you know where your password is, or apply for a new one (please note this will take at least 24 hours and can only be sent to the email address we have on file). Then update your charity's detailsbefore reading our detailed guide into how to prepare your annual return, including what you need to submit, based on your charity's chosen structure.

File your 2017 annual return now

Bogus caller pretends to be from Isle of Wight charity

Help spread the word to ensure your friends, family and neighbours are not caught out by these bogus cold callers.

Be the first to add your thoughts in the comments section ↓

Ben shares this latest news on behalf of Age UK Isle of Wight. Ed

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Age UK Isle of Wight has been informed of a bogus caller who has been knocking on doors and purporting to be from the charity. This person is not employed by, or affiliated with Age UK Isle of Wight in any way.

We are asking the Island community to be aware of this person(s). Do not let them in your house, do not give them any personal information and do not give them any money.

Spread the word
Please spread this message to friends, family and neighbours in your community who may be more vulnerable to scams.

Jo Dare, CEO of Age UK Isle of Wight, commented:

“I would like to reassure island residents that Age UK Isle of Wight will never turn up at your door without prior arrangement, or cold call on you. Our staff and volunteers will always tell you in advance that they are coming to see you, and will always carry identification.

“If you are ever in any doubt whether to let someone into your home, no matter which organisation they say they are from, always call the organisation’s reception / office to check.Each year, we work with thousands of older people and their families / carers.

“For many of them this was a lifeline to prevent, or respond to crisis, and to help make later life better, so we are naturally distressed to hear that someone claiming to work for Age UK Isle of Wight is acting in this way and we are working with all relevant authorities to stop this practice.”

Please report any suspicious visits to Age UK Isle of Wight on (01983) 525282 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, or the Police on 101 if outside of these hours.

New charity investigation: Grove Mountain

Charity Commission investigates Grove Mountain over financial concerns

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a new statutory inquiry into Grove Mountain, registered charity number 1162684, and has frozen the charity’s bank accounts. The investigation was opened on 11 August 2017.

The charity provides books to the Caribbean for educational purposes.

After concerns regarding the charity’s finances were raised with the Commission by a third party, the Commission examined the charity’s accounts for the financial year ending 1 April 2016. The Commission found that the majority of the charity’s income for the year was withdrawn in cash and that there was a pattern of large cash withdrawals being made shortly after donations or identical amounts had been deposited.

This raises regulatory concerns for the Commission regarding the charity’s financial controls and whether the cash withdrawals have been spent on meeting the charity’s objects. A statutory inquiry has therefore been opened to examine whether:

• the charity has been operating for exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit in furtherance of its charitable objects
• the financial controls of the charity are adequate and its funds have been properly expended
• the trustees have complied with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity

It is the 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 by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

The charity’s details can be viewed on the Commission’s online charity search tool.

From:

The Charity Commission

Published:

23 November 2017

Grenfell Tower fire response: what charitable grants are available

Information about charitable grants for individuals and families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

A considerable amount of funds have been donated to help people that have been affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. Information can be found here about the Grenfell charitable financial support (PDF, 439KB, 2 pages) that is available for those affected, along with how it can be accessed.

We have also published transparency information about the total funds that have been raised and how much has been spent so far. This information is being updated on a regular basis.

From:

The Charity Commission

Part of:

Grenfell Tower

Published:

10 August 2017

Last updated:

27 November 2017, see all updates

DVLA staff hand over £50,000 to mental health charity

The grand total was raised for the mental health charity throughout 2017 as part of a year of fundraising by DVLA staff. 








Staff chose Mind as the agency’s annual charity of choice and have been raising money through a number of activities including half marathons, Three Peaks Challenge, skydiving and a ‘Music for Mind’ charity concert. Over the year staff also ran raffles, sweepstakes and cake sales, with every opportunity raising funds for the good cause.

Along with representatives from the charity, Swansea City Football Club Ambassador Lee Trundle showed his support by attending the presentation of the cheque to Mind at the DVLA in Morriston today, during the agency’s annual Christmas fayre.

Lorna Killin, Senior Corporate Account Manager for Mind, said:

We are absolutely thrilled that DVLA chose us as their charity of choice and for all their fantastic fundraising support. The money raised will be split between Swansea Mind, which provides support locally, and the Mind Infoline which provides support and advice for anyone experiencing mental health problems. The money raised by DVLA will help Mind ensure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.

Published 6 December 2017
Last updated 7 December 2017 — see all updates

From:

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Plastic Bag usage down by 83 percent

Since its introduction, the 5p plastic bag charge has reduced use by over nine billion bags – enough to wrap around the world more than 100 times. 

Money raised from the charge has generated £95 million for good causes.

Samantha Harding, litter programme director at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), reflected on the latest statistics:

“It is fantastic to see that the huge reduction in bag use has been sustained since the scheme was introduced over 18 months ago. Over time, it will have a positive effect on the disastrous plastic pollution in our seas and countryside, and it proves that the public support environmental incentives.”

From:

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP

Part of:

Environmental quality, Waste and recycling, and Marine environment

Published:

21 July 2017