PLEASE KEEP BATAID FROM CLOSING

[[Aj...]]

Hi All,

 

I’m not sure where to post this so perhaps a Moderator could move it if necessary.

 

As we all know there is very little help and support for any of us going through the hell of withdrawal.

 

In the UK there is a small charity that provides a helpline and some other support.

 

Unfortunately they are soon going to shut down if they can’t get some funding.

 

If you are in the UK or even if you aren’t but care about such services and can afford to please consider giving a donation to help keep this service open.

 

You can donate here :

 

https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/battleagainsttranquillisers/bat-group-funding

 

Thank you!

[[Aj...]]

Thanks!

 

I have corrected the link in my first post so it goes straight to the Just Giving page.

[[lo...]]

Thanks, that is great. I will delete my post about that.

[[Co...]]

Do you have details of their funding difficulties? I looked at their website a few days ago, but I could only locate oblique references to it.

[[Aj...]]

Hi Colin,

 

No I don’t. They just have a notice on the home page saying they have run out of funds.

 

I only know about it because Staz mentioned it. I think he knows more about it.

 

Thank you for all you do Colin.

 

 

[[Co...]]

The reason I ask is because the accounts ending March 2017 states that they had well over £600,000 (nearly $900,000 (US)) in their account. £109,000 of that was available in cash, and nearly all the rest was from debtors (I do not really understand why so much is owed to Bataid*). But the accounts also state that they had £641,000 available to them and only a little over £3,000 falling due to creditors within one year. I'm no accountant, but I am struggling to see the 'crisis'.

 

* Looking through the financial reports for 2016, I see they received a very large donation of £684,097 (I think this is the bulk of the money 'owed' to Bataid). I wonder if Bataid's usual sources of funding saw that huge donation and decided to cut their funding of the project. That's one of the problems with charities doing the work which properly should be the realm of (local) government - if someone is generous, bodies who usually fill the funding gaps might withdraw. So, it is the generous individual footing the bill instead of institutions, local authorities, and government - the donation does not actually make much difference to the charity. I don't know how to solve that problem.

 

Anyway. Some clarification of the situation would be very welcome. Maybe someone here can better explain the financial reports.

 

I've attached the two financial reports available from their website. The report from 2017 is upside down (you can reverse it in Acrobat). Only Part 2 of the report from 2016 is available. There may be more information available from the Charity Commission's website. [Read below]

 

Edit: Ah. I should have checked the Charity Commission earlier. Financial reports are available from 2013 through 2017. Bataid seems to have mostly outspent their income (nearly all of it going in salaries) in recent years, so the large donation in 2015 was probably very important to them.

 

As I said, I don't understand enough about accounting (or the charity) to properly assess the reports. It would be nice to have the nature of the recent funding problem spelled out to us.

 

http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1056508&SubsidiaryNumber=0

[[Aj...]]

I’ve only called them once so know nothing Colin.

 

I suppose you could call the office and ask.

 

I saw that their accounts looked healthy when I had a quick look a few days ago but am in no fit state to do anything. The fact that the document was upside down was enough to make me close it and give up...

[[Aj...]]

Hi Colin,

 

I spoke to a BatAid today and asked about the funding.

 

As far as I understand it they are no longer able to get core funding because small charities now have to be sub-contracted by a larger one doing similar work.

 

To get other funding they need to have a certain amount of reserves in their accounts.

 

She said they are not closing right now but they need to fund raise because they will start to eat in to their reserves quite quickly with no other funding coming in.

 

I hope that helps!

 

All good wishes.