Charity Name Change 2019

Fairford Hospital is no longer a hospital but an Outpatients Clinic which we will continue to support strongly. However, the work we do and the money we spend is 95% focused on the people in our local community and not in the hospital itself.

The name change better reflects the work we do, is more appropriate and reduces the confusion created by maintaining a title containing ‘Fairford Hospital’. It also further endorses the fact that we operate in Fairford, Lechlade and the surrounding villages. Informally we propose to refer to the Charity as ‘The Community Friends.’

Absolutely not, there won't be any changes to the services and support we provide within the community and our aims and objectives will remain exactly the same.

The Constitution and structure of the Charity was established in 1991 based on a traditional hospital league of friends’ constitution that supported Fairford Hospital when it was still a hospital with inpatient beds. The Charity is now significantly different in its operations and responsibilities. The key differences being:

• Fairford Hospital is no longer a hospital but an Outpatients Clinic,
• 95% of our services are delivered within the local community with only 5% being delivered in the Outpatients Clinic,
• We enter into property contracts (e.g. our shop in Lechlade), employment contracts (e.g. the home nursing team), utility supplier contracts, etc.,
• We control significant assets.

The Charity Commission recognise that charities evolve over time and where they start to enter into contracts, and control significant assets, it recommends they change their structure to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). In order to change to a CIO the Charity Commission require us to set up a completely new charity with similar aims and objectives as the existing Charity. This means we have a new Charity registration number but remain regulated by the Charity Commission.

This will remain in place until such time as the Trustees are satisfied that it is no longer required. This is anticipated to be several years.

The League of Friends of Fairford Hospital account will remain for the foreseeable future, however it will help us greatly if you can change any standing orders and cheques to the bank account for the Friends of Fairford and Lechlade Communities.

The new bank account is ‘Friends of Fairford’ Sort code 30-90-89, Account number 40621760

Your Gift Aid declaration will be valid for the League of Friends of Fairford Hospital. However, if you donate under the Friends of Fairford & Lechlade Communities banner we will request that you complete a new declaration in order to comply with HMRC rules.