[cma-l] charity status

Sat Feb 5 10:20:00 GMT 2011

Hi All
Excellent response Trevor!
Reading Community Radio became a Registered Charity some 4 years ago with surprisingly little trouble. We did get valuable assistance from Reading Voluntary Action and our application was based on the work we are doing in the community.
Quite a few Grant makers are for Charities only. We are also a Limited Liability Company – required if applying for a full-time CR Licence.

On another, but linked, track, I would support what Ian Hickling is always preaching – Register for VAT! This allows you to reclaim VAT at the cost of a quarterly return.

Eddie

Eddie Winship
Chair, Reading Community Radio, Reg Charity No. 1119557
Streaming 24/7 as Reading4u on www.reading4u.co.uk 
Walford Hall, Carey Street, Reading RG1 7JS
Tel: 0118 327 9774

From: trevor at felixstoweradio.co.uk 
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2011 10:51 PM
To: Julie at rwsfm.co.uk ; Office - ccr-fm 
Cc: CMA-L 
Subject: Re: [cma-l] charity status

Julie

For Suffolk and to make a small start I've registered Media Fish Suffolk with HMRC, to gain charitable status, which allows us to accept under £5,000 pa without registering. It's early days but remember that your station may spawn and support activities that can be regarded as charities - I'll not provide an exhaustive list here.

A community station could have several legal entities. I prefer Community Interest Company, by guarantee or shares and I started a Ning group, http://cicassoc.ning.com that now has over 1,000 members - and influence with the CIC Regulator and other agencies. Your station could also have a trading arm as a private limited company, by guarantee or with shares, and it could be a simple association with a constitution. Or it could be all of these, and there are other options.

As a charity it may be possible to attract more funds - the CIC Regulator is supporting claims for equality - we shall see. A registered charity does require an additional commitment, and more administration - and so serious consideration must be given.

I'll not enter the murky world of trust funds, legacies and gambling (lotteries... perhaps).

As voluntary groups we face enormous challenges - and penalties if we get it wrong. Don't be dismayed by the bureaucracy, don't believe that charitable status is always worthwhile.

There's a useful guide for trustees at http://trusteelearning.org/

Keep going.

Trevor

----- Original Message -----

From: Julie at rwsfm.co.uk

Sent: 04/02/11 09:23 PM

To: Office - ccr-fm

Subject: Re: [cma-l] charity status

Guys 

We were a registered charity when we were hospital radio, I then spent  
9 months arguing the toss with the Charity Commission on how we were  
just branching out in to the community. The response from the CC was  
that not everything community radio does is of a "charitable nature"  
unlike hospital radio which releaves the sick. 

You are correct in saying that the CC have no category for radio, and  
as far as I am aware have no intention of changing that anytime soon. 

My advice, don't waste your time and energy unless the CMA are  
prepared to take it up with Charity Commission, however, I did bring  
this up with Jacqui last year. 

Julie MacLeod 
Station Manager 

Quoting Office - ccr-fm <office at ccr-fm.co.uk>: 

> Dear All 
> 
> 
> 
> Just a quick enquiry ....... Does anyone know how many Community Radio 
> Stations in our fraturnity/brotherhood are actually charities ??     I know 
> that we looked into it 7 years ago but the process was a complete nightmare. 
> Also, in 2004 I clearly remember that the Charities commision simply had NO 
> category for radio ... it was almost as if they didn't understand it >?>? 
> I think the key to it and the crux of the matter was that we were 
> technically ''all over the place'' in what we were providing ... in 
> otherwords, providing a lot, but nothing specific ! 
> almost          ''a jack of all trades but master of none'' 
> 
> 
> 
> Have any of you guys had a similar experience ?                       I seem 
> to recall that there is a station on the south coast as a charity ?? 
> plus         Regen (near to us) in South Manchester who do run Wythenshawe 
> FM and ALL FM ...... outside of that, I'm a bit clueless to be honest ... 
> Any ideas ? 
> 
> 
> 
> What about Sheffield and of course the CMA ? 
> 
> 
> 
> Many thanks 
> 
> 
> 
> Regards 
> 
> 
> 
> Nick 
> 
> 

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Trevor Lockwood
Chairman Felixstowe Radio
Vice Chairman Suffolk Association Voluntary Organisations
Director Community Media Association
Trustee Media Fish Suffolk 

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