Wick charity's £140,000 to go to local organisations, says judicial factor
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THE money in a Caithness charity's bank account – estimated to be around £140,000 – is to go to local organisations in the Wick area.
Eileen Blackburn, who was appointed as the judicial factor to manage the affairs of the Wick Academy Development Fund (WADF) after concerns were raised about how it was run, is now asking for local charities to apply for the cash.
Ms Blackburn, whose appointment was made by the Court of Session in Edinburgh – Scotland's top civil court – last year, has "secured all assets of the charity".
She said: "I am now inviting any registered charities within the Wick community, whose charitable objectives are aligned to those of WADF to register their interest in receiving funding with me. As part of my remit as judicial factor, I will consider applications received."
Interest has to be registered by the relevant bodies by Friday, May 21.
Regarding the legal costs, she stated: "All expenses in connection with the judicial factor appointment will be properly audited and authorised for payment in due course."
The decision did not please Wick Academy fan, Dan Mackay, who has long campaigned for the money to be given to the football club.
Mr Mackay, who has been pursuing the issue for almost eight years, said: "WADF has been dissolved and the money will go to local charities with the same objectives as the fund."
Although he is pleased the money will benefit organisations in the Wick area, he says Academy fans will feel "sorely let down".
"The money was invested in good faith over the years but the club will not get one penny," Mr Mackay said. "It is not possible, as the football club is not a charity, so it can't get any of the money.
"It feels like daylight robbery. I was hoping for a win-win solution with the money going to Academy and some of it being distributed to local charities, but that is not to be."
While Mr Mackay accepts Ms Blackburn's decision, he thinks OSCR – the Scottish charity regulator – needs to review its practices as he says it knew about the WADF concerns for several years before taking action.
"Lessons have to be learned from this," Mr Mackay added. "It is quite extraordinary that £140,000 was invested in the football club over many years and yet it will get not one penny. It has been a sorry and bitter saga but I think the Academy fans are right to feel cheated."
A petition started by Mr Mackay to try and get the money returned to Academy attracted 115 signatures in the week it ran.
The judicial factor was appointed following an investigation by OSCR after concerns were raised by John Mowatt, the vice-chairman of the fund. Mr Mowatt was unhappy that the £140,000 fund was lying in a bank account for nearly 12 years and said the money should be used to help local sports, leisure and recreational organisations in accordance with the fund's constitution.
The fund was registered as a charity in March 2002 but concerns were raised on a number of occasions about the way it was managed. OSCR, which first made inquiries about WADF in 2010, found it was not acting in "a manner consistent" with its stated aims.
As a result, a petition was lodged at the Court of Session in Edinburgh to appoint a judicial factor to manage the fund.
