A CONTROVERSIAL horse sanctuary has been investigated and cleared by the Charity Commission.
Cawthorne based Albert’s Horse Sanctuary, which has a charity shop in Holmfirth, was investigated following complaints about its finances. The charity, which recently made an appeal for £15,000 to pay for animal food for its 42 animals, has still not filed its accounts for 2010 – 240 days late.
A spokeswoman for the Charity Commission said they were not pursuing a recent complaint as they had completed an eight-month-long investigation into the charity in August.
She said: “In December 2010 the Charity Commission opened a regulatory compliance case into Albert’s Horse Sanctuary following complaints about the charity related to the charity’s financial management and conflicts of interest in the trustee body.
“We requested and considered further information from the charity and were informed that it was currently experiencing financial difficulties.
“We provided the trustees with advice and guidance on a number of issues, including recruitment of new trustees and internal financial controls.
“We also reminded the trustees of their duty to file their annual return with the Commission, as well as their accounts should the charity’s income exceed £25,000,” she added.
