An investment banker has been given a two year suspended prison sentence after he admitted stealing £232,000 from the Dinam Charity, which had been set up by his grandfather.

Johnathan Davies, 65, used the money to fund purchases of wine, golf club memberships and private school fees for one of his daughters. Davies, the £37,000 a year secretary and a trustee of the charity wrote cheques out to himself over a 14-year period until other trustees noticed that the charity’s debts had increased by 7,500% and called in the police.

The cruel and un-necessary branding of wild Exmoor ponies with a red hot iron has been in the news recently.

The pony welfare group, People 4 Ponies have called the practice “grotesque”, and the RSPCA have called it “unacceptable”

Those who support it describe it as “a necessary hardship”

Royston Hospital, part of the East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust, have rejected a donation of home-made cakes for their elderly patients, on grounds of health and safety.

The gift is part of a donation to the hospital that has been made by the Royston Runners for the last 24 years. Those wanting to participate in the annual 10 kilometre fun run have to provide cakes as entry fees, and some of these are auctioned off with a share of the proceeds going to the hospital, along with any unsold cakes. This year, due to the rejection, the Runners have given the cakes, along with a cash donation, to an appreciative local care home.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph the hospital’s management have since apologised, and reversed their decision, following the negative publicity.

Everyone should be aware of the following scam, becoming more widespread as Christmas approaches.

A card through the door indicates that a delivery service was unable to deliver a parcel and gives a contact number. This is actually a premium rate number originating in Belize and anyone calling it is billed at least £15 by their telecoms provider, which takes a cut of the money made from the scam, or the proceeds of crime as it is called.

Unfortunately our UK telecoms providers claim they are powerless to stop the scam, from which they profit, so it’s down to their customers to look after themselves. Pass it on.

The British Liver Trust (BLT) have warned that the “meal for two and bottle of wine” offers from supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are sending out the message that it is perfectly normal for a person to drink half a bottle of wine at one sitting. The Trust is concerned that the wine, the most profitable part of the offer for the retailer, is being marketed as a staple part of people’s diets and encouraging them to drink this amount on a regular basis.

A half bottle of wine delivers around five units of alcohol. The recommended daily consumption is two to three units for women and three to four units for men. Continue reading →

Charity Diabetes UK has warned that 7 million people in the UK are pre-diabetic, with the likelihood that they have high blood sugar, high blood pressure, are overweight and have a family member with type-2 diabetes.

The treatment for pre-diabetes is some simple lifestyle changes involving weight loss, a healthier diet and increased activity levels. For those, however, who go on to join the 2.6 million with full blown diabetes there is the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and a need for amputation.

The Department for Transport (DFT) has rejected calls from a charity to limit the number of planes flying over national park areas and spoiling the peace and tranquillity that attracts visitors.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), which works for “a beautiful, tranquil and diverse countryside that everyone can value and enjoy” has commissioned research which shows that “tranquillity” is a major reason for city dwellers to visit national parks, and has asked for support from the DFT. However the DFT say that tranquillity is an indefinable and subjective concept which can mean different things to different people, suggesting that some prefer their tranquillity with planes screaming overhead.

Another woman has been in Lincoln Magistrates Court for an involvement in dog-fighting.

Jane Adamson, 38, of Yarm, Cleveland admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a dog and received a ten year ban from keeping a dog, and an 18-month community order.

(See DOG FIGHTERS JAILED, Charity Matters Issue 26, October 2009.)

A combination of live music and social networking has been used by Cancer Research UK to raise awareness of skin cancer among 16-24 year olds. (LIVE UK)

A competition was run inviting people to build the biggest potential guest list of friends signing up for a live music event. The winner got 780 to sign up of which just over 600 attended the London-based concert in August.