The Hamish Ogston Foundation has said it will be changing its name in the next couple of weeks after allegations of human trafficking were made against its eponymous founder.
Hamish Ogston and his daughter have both resigned from its board, with three trustees appointed since the allegations arose.
Meanwhile, the National Trust has removed Ogston’s name from an apprenticeship scheme his foundation paid £6.2m to fund, although it is still reviewing whether to return the donated money.
The Charity Commission has opened a compliance case into the charity while the Metropolitan Police are investigating the allegations raised.
New trustees appointed
An investigation published by the Sunday Times earlier this month alleged that millionaire founder Hamish Ogston trafficked women for his private office or the charity.
Ogston retired as a trustee from the foundation earlier this month following the reports.
A new statement on the foundation’s website states that he no longer has a role in the governance or running of the charity.
His daughter, Isabella Ogston, has also retired as a trustee and member “to allow the Foundation to move forward with fresh leadership” despite having no connection to the allegations.
The foundation has appointed John Rutter and Paul Finch to join Robert Bargery on the board.
National Trust changes the name of its Ogston partnership
The foundation has pledged over £40m to charities since it was created four years ago, although grant recipients have rejected millions since the allegations were reported.
English Heritage rejected a £11.2m donation from the foundation, which would have been the largest donation the charity ever received.
The National Trust, which received a £6.2m donation from the foundation, used the funds to create an apprenticeship scheme it initially named after Hamish Ogston.
It has since removed his name so it is now the Heritage Crafts Apprenticeship programme.
The charity’s website reads: “This apprenticeship programme was originally in partnership with the Hamish Ogston Foundation. However, given the severity of the allegations published in the Sunday Times, we’ve suspended our work with them.”
A spokesperson for the National Trust said the charity is still reviewing whether to return any charitable funds.
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