Investigation launched into Portsmouth charity Forgotten Veterans UK as accounts show tens of thousands of pounds 'without' supporting records

Documents relating to Forgotten Veterans’ financial accounts, for the year ending November 2021, were published on The Charity Commission website earlier this month. Available online to the public, the independent examiner’s report shows there are ‘concerns’ regarding financial record-keeping at the Fort Cumberland-based organisation.

A Charity Commission spokesperson told The News: ‘We have opened a regulatory compliance case to assess concerns raised with us about Forgotten Veterans.’

The accounts were filed 279 days late.

The report by independent examiner Helena Wilkinson of Price Bailey LLP chartered accountants said Forgotten Veterans’ receipts and payments accounts show it received £150,903, but ‘no records have been provided to match the record of the donations received to the deposits made of cash deposited, and cash balances may have been retained and not deposited at the CIO’s [Charitable incorporated organisation’s] bank account’.

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‘The only written record provided is an agreement for a restricted grant for £45,000’, she added. The report said the majority of the expenditure was made from the bank account which was authorised and paid for by CEO Gary Weaving, who is no longer a trustee.

The accounts also state ‘repayments were made of £4,200 (2020: £8,600), which relate to a loan from former Trustee G Weaving, which relate to repairs and maintenance of the casemates at the Fort’.

‘The amount outstanding at the year end was £2,300 (2020: £6,500),’ the document added.

The independent examiner said ‘limited receipts were provided to me as independent examiner’. ‘Total expenditure amounted to £143,284, with receipts for only £54,332, leaving £88,952 of payments without any supporting records,’ she added.

‘In addition it is not possible to ascertain whether expenditure relating to the restricted grant funding was incurred in accordance with the funding agreement requirements due to the lack of evidence available to support the transactions made.’ The report said there was ‘no explanation’ for ‘the opening bank balance position per the receipts and payment for 2020’ being different to the bank statements by £1,241.

Ms Bailey also pointed out that: ‘Finally none of the minutes of the CIO were minuted prior to the meeting in December 2022 and therefore there is no evidence to support the decision making of the Trustees.’

Forgotten Veterans runs camps for veterans at Fort Cumberland to help give them back a sense of purpose. It also acts as a support service to all veterans who need help, and if it cannot help it directs veterans to the best place to get assistance. It has received high-profile backing from figures such as General Lord Richard Dannatt, former head of the army.

Anthony Reid, chair of the trustees at Forgotten Veterans – who rejoined earlier this year – said The Charity Commission report was out of date. He said: ‘When I re-joined the trustees, the accounts were a mess.

‘Over the past few months, we’ve resubmitted our accounts and sent The Charity Commission more documentation. The documents were not given to the accountants in time before they were submitted.

‘They now have all the details on the transactions. We’re now not concerned about those accounts.’

Mr Reid said the trustees are meeting The Charity Commission this summer. He added that work on the next set of accounts is taking place and the deadline is at the end of this summer.

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‘The accounts were filed ridiculously late previously and they were not actioned upon effectively,’ Mr Reid said. ‘The Charity Commission will be inspecting our facilities.

‘It has been tough. When I went back to my position this year after leaving in 2019, my initial thought was to shut it down, but I realised that we had a lot of beneficiaries to look after. That wouldn’t have been fair on them.

‘We know the charity has turned people’s lives around.’

The Charity Commission case remains ongoing.