Bedford’s Dr Who fans have reacted in shock after it was announced that Bedford Food Bank has ceased its relationship with Bedford Who Charity Con, and will no longer accept donations from the popular not-for-profit sci-fi event due to “logistical challenges”.
In a post on social media today (Thursday), a spokesperson for Bedford Who Charity Con, which was set up in 2015 to support Bedford Food Bank, wrote the charity’s board of trustees had ‘voted unanimously’ to refuse future donations from them/
‘This is all very, very sad,’ wrote the spokesperson emphasising that they simply wanted to inform their fans of this news, and were not seeking to ‘damage the food bank’s reputation’.
“It can’t be emphasised too much, though, that the overwhelming majority of volunteers and staff at the Foodbank are the nicest, most generous and compassionate people you could hope to meet,” they wrote, suggesting the trustees’ is counter to the efforts of those people,’ the added.
They continued, ‘[This] decision in no way characterises Bedford Foodbank as a whole. They’re feeding more than 2000 people a month in the Bedford area, and without their work, which is undertaken with enormous dedication and enthusiasm, a great many people would simply go hungry.
‘A third of their clients are children.
‘So, while we’re deeply saddened by all this, the reason for passing this news on is not in any way in order to damage the Foodbank’s reputation.’
Set up for the Foodbank
Over nine years, Bedford Who Charity Con say they have made £46,693 for the food bank, which has all come from donations made by convention guests and smaller activities run by the organisers.
Bedford Food Bank was the sole beneficiary for Who Charity Con 7 and was the biggest fundraising event of any kind in the Food Bank’s history, generating more than £10,000.
Bedford Who Charity Con was founded back in 2015 solely to raise money for Bedford Food Bank, while also creating a ‘nice day out’ for Doctor Who fans.
Shock and frustration
Fans of Bedford Who Charity Con have reacted with shock and frustration at the news.
Commenting on social media one wrote, ‘what you folks do is absolutely amazing. You’ve helped so many people out during difficult times, and you should always remain proud of that.
‘Bedford Foodbanks (sic) loss will be another equally deserving charity’s gain. Don’t let their poor decisions bring you down.’
Another wrote, ‘…Sadly, it’s the people who would usually benefit from the food bank that will suffer.’
Someone else added, ‘I wonder how the people of Bedford would feel should they find their food bank is turning down donations. I wonder how those people who rely on the charity would feel?’
Charity Commission regulations say a charity must begin from a position of accepting donations, but that it can refuse them on various grounds, with the Commission advising they
consider the risks involved in refusing or returning the donation, and how likely and serious these are. These include negative financial impact, ability to deliver services and ability to attract donations in future.
consider the risks involved in accepting or keeping the donation, and how likely and serious these are. These include the likelihood of reduced support or reputational harm, particularly among supporters or beneficiaries.
determine how any decision aligns with their charity’s purposes.
determine what steps they can take to mitigate the risks. These include negotiating the terms of a conditional donation with the donor or developing a public explanation for a decision.
The Charity Commission also warns trustees not to allow their personal views or any external pressures that do not relate to their charity’s purposes, to influence them to act in a way that is not in their charity’s best interests.
A spokesperson for Bedford Food Bank, said: “We are extremely grateful to Bedford Who Charity Con for the generous support that they have previously provided to us.
“Unfortunately, last year the convention took the decision to donate vouchers instead of money or food, which caused logistical challenges for our food bank.
“In anticipation of this happening again we reached out to the event co-ordinators to recommend, for future events, alternative organisations within the area who could better benefit from their generosity.
“Bedford Food Bank’s priority is to ensure that we are able to provide emergency support to people who are struggling to get by. The nature of last year’s donation from Bedford Who Charity Con limited our ability to do this.”
However, a spokesperson for Bedford Who Charity Con said that the format for last year’s donations was previously agreed and that they had offered to amend the format for future donations if necessary.
