The Scottish charity regulator has removed a suspension it placed on the founder of a Glasgow-based cycling charity following an investigation.
Norman Armstrong, founder of Free Wheel North, was suspended from acting as a trustee for six months after OSCR found he was “responsible for and contributed to the misconduct in the administration of the charity”.
However, the regulator has now posted an update to its inquiry report stating that now that Armstrong is not a trustee of the charity and the charity has a new board, the suspension is no longer necessary.
It added that if Armstrong were still involved with the charity, the suspension would not have been lifted.
According to reports in TFN, Armstrong is seeking an apology from OSCR and is “exploring” legal action despite his ban being lifted, as he denies any wrongdoing at the charity.
However, OSCR has said it stands by the reasons for his initial suspension, which included an inappropriate use of charity funds; ongoing disputes with other charity trustees, and a decision to proceed with an AGM in May 2025.
‘Continued suspension was no longer necessary’
An OSCR spokesperson said: “On 27 October 2025, Norman Armstrong requested a review of OSCR’s decision to suspend him as a charity trustee for a period of six months from 21 October 2025.
“The review was conducted by an internal review officer who was not involved in the original decision.
“Mr Armstrong is no longer a trustee of Free Wheel North and the charity has a new board in place, as a result the review officer decided that his continued suspension was no longer necessary.
“In light of this change in circumstances, OSCR has removed the official suspension previously placed on Mr Armstrong.
“The review officer did find that had Mr Armstrong still been a trustee of Free Wheel North the suspension would have remained in place.”
The regulator had previously ordered the charity to hold an extraordinary general meeting “for the sole purpose of electing a new board” after a “severe breakdown” in relations between three trustees, including Armstrong.
In a separate statement published at the end of last month, OSCR added that it was now “satisfied” that the charity had complied with its directions.
