The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a medical charity which raised funds for sick children, after receiving complaints over late and as-yet unpaid medical bills.
The Darren Wright Foundation, a Bristol-based charity, raises money to fund treatment for people with life-limiting conditions, particularly children. The Commission is investigating complaints that families of beneficiaries could not communicate with the charity or access funds raised on their behalf.
The charity was founded by Scott Wright, whose brother Darren has cerebral palsy, to raise money for other families facing large medical bills. Local newspapers report that Wright has now stepped down and the charity has apologised for failing families.
A statement reported to be from the charity said: "The Darren Wright Foundation would like to apologise to the families involved by our delay in dealing with the matter in hand. We are aware of our shortcomings as a charity and are working hard on resolving this both with changes in administrative processes and staffing.”
According to reports in local news sources, the Commission stepped in after receiving a complaint from the family of Ezzy Hodge, a three-year-old with cerebral palsy. An operation in the United States to allow her to walk was reportedly almost cancelled after the foundation failed to make promised payments.
In a statement released today the Charity Commission said: “The Commission engaged with the charity in August 2017 following the receipt of complaints from members of the public. These complainants, who included the families of beneficiaries of the charity, raised concerns about difficulties they had faced in communicating with the charity and accessing funds that had been raised on behalf of their family members.
“The Commission has also experienced difficulties in communicating with the charity and has therefore been unable to adequately address a number of regulatory concerns identified through the public complaints and by way of the Commission’s own scrutiny.
The inquiry will look into whether weaknesses at the charity are down to misconduct or mismanagement by trustees, and whether the charity is meeting its public benefit requirements.
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