The Charity Commission has appointed interim managers to an unregistered spiritualist charity as part of an ongoing statutory inquiry.
The regulator began investigating a registered charity called Trust Property Held in Connection with the London Spiritual Mission in December 2023.
In February last year, the commission broadened its inquiry to include the London Spiritual Mission, an unregistered charity which the commission considers ought to have been registered.
It is investigating concerns relating to the purported dissolution of London Spiritual Mission, which describes itself as an independent spiritualist church based in Notting Hill, and the transfer of its assets to a trust of which a private company limited by guarantee is the sole trustee.
In London Spiritual Mission’s accounts for the year to April 2025, it notes “£2,160 owed to the London Spiritual Mission Trust, for which the company acts as trustee”.
The regulator has now appointed Liz Brownsell and Jennifer Marley of law firm Birketts as interim managers of the London Spiritual Mission to manage the charity to the exclusion of any trustees.
Brownsell and Marley have been tasked with identifying the membership of the charity and exercising powers to admit or readmit members.
They will review the governance and legal structures of the London Spiritual Mission and implement a governance structure which ensures the charity is operating in line with charity law.
The interim managers will take steps to ensure any identified charitable assets left to the London Spiritual Mission are transferred to the charity or an appropriate charitable structure which shares the charity’s purposes, and meets legal and regulatory requirements.
They will aim to clarify the London Spiritual Mission’s relationship with the registered charity and oversee any process to recruit trustees to manage the charity or any successor charitable structure moving forward.
The interim managers will be consulting former members of the London Spiritual Mission, trustees of the registered charity, directors and members of the private company and any other relevant stakeholders as appropriate.
Brownsell said: “Appointments of this nature are relatively rare and reflect the significance of the circumstances facing a charity.
“Jen and I fully recognise the responsibilities entrusted to us and will discharge our duties independently, diligently and in accordance with the terms of our appointment.
“We will draw on our specialist experience to work constructively with all relevant parties to address the challenges facing the London Spiritual Mission.”
Interim managers have not been appointed to the registered charity.
The commission’s inquiry into both charities remains ongoing.
London Spiritual Mission and Trust Property Held in Connection with the London Spiritual Mission have been asked to comment.
