Oxfam income falls in ‘tough’ year; Archbishop Announces Independent Inquiry into the Church’s handling of reports of alleged sexual abuse
Oxfam income falls in ‘tough’ year
Oxfam’s income fell £17.6m to £367.9m in the year to 31 March with its two main sources of money, shops and fundraising, down on the previous year.
The charity’s annual report, published on Wednesday, shows that the shops’ net income fell 9.9% to £20.1m, while fundraising fell 5.6% to £267.8m.
Oxfam blamed the fall on tough economic times, and said many shops had reported a decline in donations.
Chief executive Mark Goldring said Oxfam had a “tough year financially”.
He said the fall in income came at a time when the demand on the charity’s resources increased. Problems in Syria, Yemen and West Africa had put an “unprecedented stretch on Oxfam”.
Total spending on charitable activities, at £290m, was a slight increase on last year. But Oxfam spent an extra £3.6m responding to humanitarian emergencies.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23422538
Archbishop Announces Independent Inquiry
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, yesterday announced the appointment of Her Honour Judge Sally Cahill QC to be Chair of an independent Inquiry into the Church’s handling of reports of alleged sexual abuse by the late Robert Waddington, formerly Dean of Manchester.
The Inquiry will report to the Archbishop of York with recommendations by the end of October 2013. The findings of the Inquiry will be made public.
Her Honour Judge Sally Cahill QC will be assisted in the Inquiry by Joe Cocker, an Independent Social Work Consultant. The Secretary to the Inquiry is to be Mrs Nicola Harding, Solicitor, and Registrar of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds.
The Inquiry will seek to establish what information suggesting that Robert Waddington had committed sexual abuse was made known to whom in the Church of England and when;
It will focus upon an examination of the way in which the relevant Child Protection Policies were or were not applied between the years 1999 and 2005 in the handling, (a) by the Diocese of Manchester and (b) by the then Archbishop of York Lord Hope, of the information provided to them suggesting that sexual abuse had been committed by the late Robert Waddington;
It will further consider whether and if so to what extent the handling of that information might have been dealt with differently if the current safeguarding Policies of the Church of England as set out in ‘Protecting all God’s Children’ (2010) and in ‘Responding Well’ (2011) had been in place.
Individuals who may have information relevant to the Inquiry are invited to contact the Secretary, Mrs Nicola Harding at Tunnard & Co Solicitors, Cathedral Chambers, 4 Kirkgate, Ripon HG4 1PA, email: njh@tunnardsolicitors.com
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu said:
‘I am very thankful to the Lord Chief Justice for commending Her Honour Judge Sally Cahill to serve as Chair of the Inquiry. Anyone who may have information relevant to the Inquiry should contact the Secretary, Mrs Nicola Harding. In setting up this Inquiry I want to make it crystal clear that the Church is ready to hear what really happened, face the facts, and acknowledge any failure of its systems to protect children from sexual abuse. The Church’s policies have been much improved since these things took place – but there is no room for complacency.
Whilst this Inquiry is necessarily limited in its scope, focusing on the reports of alleged crimes committed by the late Robert Waddington, when the Inquiry reports by the end of October the Church must hear its recommendations and assess what further measures need be taken nationally to address survivors concerns and to ensure today’s child protection policies are robust and effective.’
– See more at: http://www.archbishopofyork.org/articles.php/2948/archbishop-announces-independent-inquiry#sthash.a1IBiO5J.dpuf