Tri-Service
Watchdog Probes Forces Charity 'Support The Heroes'
A military charity that helps veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress has been put under investigation by the Charity Commission and ordered to suspend fundraising.
The regulator has said it started an inquiry into Support the Heroes on November 10 to investigate concerns raised by the public about the two-year-old charity.
The watchdog said there were concerns over the activities of a professional fundraiser and ordered that the charity's assets be frozen pending further investigation. A spokesman said:
"The commission has directed the charity to suspend fundraising activities until further notice... The decision to open the statutory inquiry follows on from the commission's recent preliminary investigation into the charity's activities."
The Mail on Sunday reported the charity pays a third of everything it collects to a professional fundraising company.
Published financial statements show that for the year ending in March 2016 Support the Heroes raised nearly £120,000 and donated two-thirds of that to charities.
Some of the charities that received donations included Combat Stress, Blind Veterans UK, Royal British Legion, British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association and Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association.
The charity claimed false accusations have been made in an attempt to discredit its fundraising activities and stressed it is a "real charity" and is "registered and compliant with the Charity Commission and its guidelines". It said on its website:
"It is not a 'fake charity'. It is not and never has been a 'fraud charity'. All contributions are accounted for, none are or ever have been misappropriated."
The Mail on Sunday quoted a trustee as denying that it had broken any charity rules.
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