"Fulfilling the Wider Charitable Aim”….
Remember those words. They sound good. They sound worthy.
They are being used to justify the selling of Woodcot for millions of pounds. Because in doing so, Age Uk will raise more money to help more people, which is: Fulfilling the Wider Charitable Aim.
All very laudible.
Paul Farmer Age UK CEO says those words. A lot.
Let's take a closer look at what Age Uk’s 'Charitable Aim' involves:
Here's an example.. (it's interesting what you learn when you start a petition….)
Older and Bolder is a radio podcast all about retirement and ‘changing the way we think about aging’. Produced by ex-BBC journalists Mike Talbot and Louise Priest, it is entirely paid for by ….Age UK. Hmmmm.
More worrying than that…. Ofcom the media regulator doesn't require online radio services to have licenses. So you can pretty much say what you like. Handy that.
Episode 13 features an interview (with the man who pays Mike and Laura’s wages) Age Uk’s boss or CEO, Paul Farmer. The man selling Woodcot. To: ‘Fulfill Age Uk’s Wider Charitable Aim’.
Paul Farmer spends half an hour being ‘interviewed' by the two former journalists (whose wages he pays with other people's money), justifying his own existence - which is to make as much money for Age Uk as he can. That is the job of a CEO.
Paul Farmer likes Federated Networks (another word he uses a lot )which create hundreds of Age Uk Chief Execs who all need Chief Exec salaries. That's what your money goes for folks!
Understandably Mike and Louise don't bite the hand that feeds them by asking ask anything too probing of Mr Farmer. That would be, well a bit awks.
Questions which might cast a shadow of doubt on Age Uk’s charitable aims such as:-
“How is selling, for millions of pounds an Age Uk gifted home from underneath the elderly people who live there, part of "Fulfilling Age Uk’s Wider Charitable Aim?”
“How can paying expensive Age UK lawyers to overturn inconvenient covenants be "Fulfilling Age Uk’s Wider Charitable Aim?"
How do you justify the fact that AGE UK now has 110 Chief Executives! is that all part of Fulfilling Age Uk’s Wider Charitable Aim?
How do you justify having such a large Federal Network ( he likes those) when the volunteers who work in the charity shops don't get paid at all. Is that part of “Fulfilling the Wider Charitable Aim”.
How, for instance do you justify two separate bodies in the same county? Age Uk Norfolk and Age Uk Norwich? is that to make the operational costs look higher than they are? is that Fulfilling the Wider Charitable Aim ?
There's no denying that Age Uk do a lot of good work. But really - is everything to be justifed because it can be said to be Fulfilling the Wider Charitable Aim?
Let's be honest is running a radio podcast to blow your own trumpet really the proper use of charity funds?
Is selling Woodcot against it's donor's wishes really Fulfilling the Wider Charitable Aim?
Or is it just making Age Uk richer, so that they can spend more money building up Age Uk?
Anyone considering leaving a legacy to Age Uk might bear in mind what happens to their gift. It might just go to pay the salaries of two former journalists so that they can talk about being old, rather than going to help the old people themselves; or to pay the salaries of top lawyers to overturn any inconvenient condition attached to your legacy; or to pay the wages of another 110 Age UK Chief Execs.
But hey.. it's all Fulfilling Age Uk’s Wider Charitable Aim
https://www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-2b77n-134824f