Charity Commission - Whitby Historic Lifeboat Trust

Charities are part of British life ranging from small groups meeting local needs with few resources to the well known major charities with budgets of millions. Whatever their size or purpose, however an essential requirement of all charities is that they operate for the public benefit and independently of government or commercial interests. The Charity Commission registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. The commission is responsible for making sure all charities meet all their legal requirements and to work with charity trustees to put things right when they go wrong.

The Charity Commission comprehensive website allows people to search for information held on any of the genuine / registered charities. The Whitby Historic Lifeboat Trust is obligated to comply with the criteria set down by the Charity Commission like all charities and has the the following registration number 1111707 with the commission

A simple search on its website for the William Riley trustees reveals the following information about the charity.

MR PETER THOMSON
THE AVENUE
RUSWARP
WHITBY
YO21 1NG
Tel: 01947 606079
Website: www.whlt.co.uk (note the website has been offline for sometime?)

1) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE PRESERVATION, OPERATION AND EXHIBITION OF HISTORIC LIFEBOATS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TOWN OF WHITBY AND ITS ENVIRONS.

2) TO PRESERVE HISTORIC LIFEBOATS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TOWN OF WHITBY AND ITS ENVIRONS AND ENSURE THEY ARE OF EDUCATIONAL INTEREST, CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS YOUNG PEOPLE'S KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIFEBOAT SERVICES IN GENERAL.

3) TO PROMOTE ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSE OR PURPOSES WITHIN WHITBY AND THE SURROUNDING AREA AND WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE CHARITABLE WORK OF THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTE.

Financial Summary

Financial Year End (FYE)	Income	Spending	Accounts Received	Annual Return / Annual Update Received
31 Dec 2009	£5,577	£5,878	Not Required	01 Jan 2010
31 Dec 2008	£20,336	£20,668	19 Aug 2009	01 Jan 2010 62 days late)
31 Dec 2007	£1,729	£21,884	29 Sep 2008	22 Sep 2008
31 Dec 2007	£1,729	£21,884	29 Sep 2008	22 Sep 2008
31 Dec 2006			30 Apr 2007	Not Received 1223 days overdue)

As charities receive support from society in many ways the public have the right to expect charities to be open and accountable. You can find out how the commission regulate charities, sets out its approach as a proportionate risk based regulator, what its powers are and how and when they use them using the search facility located at the top of each page.