Family of child with cerebral palsy in charity cash battle – STV News

The family of an eight-year-old girl with cerebral palsy is claiming a Cumbernauld charity has kept almost 2000 from them.

The money was raised to buy a specialist bike for Ava Alexis Rogan after various charity events, organised by Community Care Scotland, were held in Glasgow in 2017.

Nearly 2000 was raised but it took months for Ava to receive the bike she had been waiting for.

When it was finally presented to her - it wasn't what her family was expecting. Instead she was given a regular bike worth less than 100.

Ava's mum, Annmarie Craig, repeatedly asked the charity what happened to the cash, but more than two years on, she said she has still not received an explanation.

She told STV News: "My head and my heart and my gut were all telling me the same thing, Ava is never going to see any of the money these people have raised.

'My head and my heart and my gut were all telling me the same thing, Ava is never going to see any of the money these people have raised.'

"She's never going to see that bike, because they've already palmed you off with a cheap Halfords, get-out bike, and that's when I got in touch with OSCR, that's when I got in touch with the charity regulator and I raised my concerns with them."

This isn't the first family to have spoken out about this organisation, which is now run under a different name, Bumblebee Babies. In July STV News revealed a similar case.

A family from Buckie claim they never received a specialist car seat after the charity raised more than 1000 for it.

A total of 1200 was raised to buy a specialist car seat for nine-year-old Adam Smith, who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, in 2017.

However, Adam's dad, Kevin, claimed the family has yet to receive it.

Mrs Craig said: "When I watched the story with Kevin that night, I ended up crying, I got really, really upset because I felt stupid. I felt as if you should've known better."

STV News has contacted Bumblebee Babies but they have not responded.

Other charities have also raised concerns about how the organisation operates.

Jackie Johnston has worked in the sector for 15 years and is a member of the institute of fundraising.

Ms Johnston said: "Somebody from their organisation contacted me to say that they would like to work on our behalf to pick up collecting cans in the area and that they would take a percentage of the donations.

"I very quickly pointed out that no charity in the UK pays anybody to pick up cans, we have a volunteer network.

"For me something like this is just a slight on all the good that gets done and the volunteers that work tirelessly for organisations and it seems to me to be very wrong that something like this can happen without any real questioning."

All those who have spoken to STV News, have reported Bumblebee Babies to OSCR.

Mrs Craig was told there are no regulator concerns regarding the charity.

Martin Price, of OSCR, said: "We have looked at some of the recent concerns expressed, we've also been in touch with the Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel.

"We understand they have also been in touch with some of the people involved and with the charity to try and resolve some of those issues around fundraising and we will be working with the charity to make sure those recommendations that the fundraising panel has made are put into effect.

"We continue to engage with them. We want to make sure that where there are issues, where there are evidence of issues that those are resolved."

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Family of child with cerebral palsy in charity cash battle - STV News