The other night, I was stunned to see someone tweet a reference to 'The McCann Charity' and actually attempt to argue his point. It's hard to believe that people are still under the impression that the fund is a registered charity. It isn't... I think this point really should be laid to rest, it's so old it's growing a beard.
It all started after Madeleine's disappearance in May 2007. With an apparent flood of donations, the decision was made to channel the money in a way that could benefit the McCanns and the search for Madeleine. I believe that the money donated by the general public was intended to help find Madeleine... I know my donation was.
Plans were set in motion and a meeting with the Charity Commission was arranged to enquire if the fund could achieve charitable status. After this meeting, it was widely reported in the British media that the fund was refused charitable status because the money raised did not "represent the good of all" and was not for "the wider public good".
The Charity Commission were compelled to issue a statement in response to these reports in the media, claiming they had been "misreported" and a spokeswoman was quoted in the Charity News Alert as saying...
"We were first approached for our advice about the possibility of a fund to assist the parents’ search on Monday 14 May. We held discussions with the family’s lawyers and in the end they decided not to pursue that route."
http://thepottingshedder.blogspot.com/2011/06/other-night-i-was-stunned-to-see.html?spref=tw
