A 77-year-old widow who donated the proceeds of the sale of her house to a youth charity has welcomed inquiries into its running.
Joan Woolard, of Fleet Hargate, gave £200,000 to Kids Company in 2013, believing it would help feed thousands of under-nourished children.
An audit ordered by the government, which funds the charity with milliions of pounds each year, uncovered concerns about management of its cashflow.
It has come as no surprise to Mrs Woolard who became suspicious over the use of her money. Anger and disillusionment followed a work placement at its London premises in August last year.
She only ever received an acknowledgment for the massive donation when she prompted chief executive Camila Batmanghelidjh.
Last week the government said it would only continue funding the charity if Ms Batmanghelidjh stepped down from day-to-day running.
And the Charity Commission has confirmed that it will be “assessing” Kids Company and its future.
Mrs Woolard, who was widowed in 2011 when her husband Duncan – who received an MBE for his services to the disabled – lost his fight with cancer, said the use of her money by the charity has left a bad taste.
“Camila Batmanghelidjh could not produce me a single receipt to show me where the money had been spent,” she said. “It’s taught me not to trust people, however convincing they may be.”
Mrs Woolard first became aware of Kids Company after hearing Ms Batmanghelidjh in a radio interview.
“She claimed 17,000 children were going to bed hungry in this country, a number I found unbelievable,” said Mrs Woolard. “Some phone calls and a visit to her in Blackfriars Road convinced me the claim was true.
“I had to act on thinking of children going to bed hungry. Money doesn’t really mean that much to me.”
Mrs Woolard sold her home in Eastgate and moved to a supported housing scheme in nearby Hocklesgate.
She said on Monday (July 6): “I feel very, very well duped.
“She mentioned this fantasy that she’s feeding 3,000 children a week. When I saw this place where she allegedly feeds them I thought ‘well, there’s only room for about 60 children’.
“Asking for my money back produced blunt emails and a suggestion that my mind is unbalanced.”
Kids Company also operates in Bristol and Liverpool.
