The Charity Commission has signalled a new approach to public meetings with the announcement of an event to be held in Wales on 26 May.

‘Charities information: where lies the public interest?’ is the first of a series of events designed to be more engaging and participatory than the Commission’s open board meetings, which were scrapped last year having received insufficient interest.

The Commission plans to hold three such events each year in different locations around the country. These will sit alongside its annual public meeting, which is planned for September.

A spokeswoman for the Commission said the events were designed to allow members of the public to learn about the Commission’s work and to take part in debates about the Commission’s role and the sector more widely.

She added: “They will therefore be theme-based, and, where possible, will include external speakers.

“The event in May, for instance, will focus on charity information and the public interest, and will include a presentation by Chris Taggart from Open Charities.”

Also speaking at the event will be the Commission's chair and chief executive Dame Suzi Leather (pictured) and Sam Younger, while nfpSynergy's Joe Saxton is also listed on the programme as “TBC”.