AppealingSnax

Firstly, I would like to thank all of the customers who have supported the charity by hosting an AppealingSnax box at their business premises. Until the financial year 2107/2018 the charity had been receiving approximately £50,000 every year, half of this was transferred to the charity in September and again in March. These funds have enabled the charity to help many hundreds of children during the duration of the project.

In October 2006 Children's Hope Foundation signed a 'Commercial Participator' agreement with HLJ Foods Limited trading as 'AppealingSnax'. Under the agreement the charity would receive a proportion of the sale of every snack purchased. Whilst this started slowly it quickly grew over the subsequent years to the stage when in the year ending 31st March 2017 the charity received £53,811.

Sadly in September 2017 the amount received by the charity fell by 50% and when discussed with HLJ Foods, the charity were led to believe that the company were having financial difficulties made worse by a problem with recruiting and retaining merchandising staff and that the payment had been made from the personal account of the directors. The discussions did reveal that the directors may, if unable to turn the business around would have to consider liquidating the business. However, they also gave their assurance that the charity would receive all of the funds that were available.

In March 2018 no further payment was received and further discussions took place which revealed that the financial position had not improved and that in fact the company did not have any funds in the bank, hence no payment was made to the charity. It was also revealed that the directors were attempting to sell the business as a going concern to someone who could invest further funds to refinance the business. CHF were asked to bear with the company to allow time for discussions on the sale to take place as there were at least two interested parties. The charity felt that it should allow that time as, if successful, payment of funds to the charity would re-commence. The alternative for the charity was to immediately terminate the agreement and thus the possibility of receiving further funds would end.

In January 2019 the company was sold and the charity informed by telephone. A meeting with the new owner Julian Harveyson Edwards was soon arranged and took place in February 2019. During the meeting he informed the charity that in the previous year more than 2 million snack units had been sold. He also again stressed the financial difficulties of the company but gave the assurance that he could turn the business around and asked if the charity would accept monthly payments three months in arrears. This, he said, would allow him to resolve the debt problems, close the bakery (which he felt had contributed to the company's financial difficulties previously), re-motivate the staff and re-establish payments to the charity. The first payment for the January 2019 period, would then be due before the end of April 2019. No payment was received and this was followed by several "reasons!!" and promises from Julian Edwards and the charity kept interested by the payment of three small sums totalling £3,250. In the final conversation with Julian Edwards, he informed the charity that he was realising funds from his own assets and would settle all arrears by the end of July. When this did not happen, the charity had no further choice but to terminate the agreement and inform the charity commission under the 'Serious Incident' procedure.

The charity had during July researched records at Companies House and discovered that rather than the business having no funds in the bank at June 2018, the accounts showed that the company actually had more than £78,000 cash at bank which made clear that there had been no reason for withholding payment from the charity in March 2018 and again in September 2018. The search of companies house also revealed that Julian Edwards had registered a new company in April 2019 Appealingsnax Limited. We cannot comment on the reasons for registering a company with that name. Further research revealed that HLJ Foods Ltd had two county court judgements in April 2019. Staff and ex staff of HLJ Foods contacted the charity through its Facebook page explaining that they had either not been paid or had been continuously paid late some of which was confirmed by viewing the Indeed.co.uk review website. Suppliers to HLJ Foods also contacted the charity to reveal that they too had not been paid and were considering legal proceedings. As a result of the information obtained, the charity made a report to the Charity Fraud line with the hope that it would result in police action.

Since then, the charity has learned that HLJ Foods Limited has been sold yet again, this time to a Vijay Rooprai. More recently all social media has been taken down, the website has disappeared and the telephone number is no longer available. It must be assumed that the company is not trading and may be going into liquidation. Can we please ask that customers hold onto their boxes until or if a liquidator is appointed. We have though today been informed that a person is calling to collect the boxes and money stating that the company is in liquidation. Having checked with companies house and the insolvency service, the company is not in liquidation. Please email tomdoran@childrenshopefoundation.org.uk and Tom will keep you informed of any developments.

Friday 20th September 2019 - Update
As of today the company has not been liquidated nor are there any signs that the process has been started. For that reason, I have submitted a draft email to our solicitor for advice on the steps the charity can take to help customers decide on how to deal with the monies in the AppealingSnax boxes. If approved, I will be send this to all those customers with whom I have spoken.
I must also apologise if you have been having difficulty telephoning the charity. This is because of the volume of calls that are being received. However, having internet phones ensures that all missed numbers are notified to me and I will ensure I will call back to all those that have been missed.
Thank you for your understanding and your patience and I will continue to keep you updated. Best wishes, Tom

Monday 23rd September 2019 - Update
I have learned that the company will not be liquidated but, going forward it will not be trading and will certainly not be representing Children's Hope Foundation.

Tuesday 24th September 2019 - Update
It is becoming increasingly clear that Children's Hope Foundation are unlikely to receive funds from AppealingSnax. For that reason I have been researching how AppealingSnax customers can continue to support the charity, if you choose to, in a more effective and efficient way ensuring that the charity does receive more of your donation. If you would like more information, please email me at tomdoran@childrenshopefoundation.org.uk Thank you, Tom

Monday 30th September - Update
I have been informed that the owner of HLJ Foods Limited has sold the database of 'AppealingSnax' customers to another snack company (Sweet Causes) along with the authority to collect the boxes and the monies they contain and replace them with boxes for another charity. I understand that Children's Hope Foundation are to receive 10% of the revenue from these boxes but only after the cost of purchasing the database has been taken off. I believe it highly unlikely that the charity will receive any funds from HLJ Foods Limited from the proceeds of that sale. Thank you to all customers and best wishes, Tom

Tuesday 12th November 2019 - Update
As of today, I have not received a response to the complaint raised with Charity Fraud Line in addition to which Action Fraud would not take the complaint as they did not consider that a fraud had occurred. Several of the staff of HLJ Foods Ltd t/a AppealingSnax, who have not been paid, have contacted the press but this has not resulted in an investigation. Having checked at Companies House, I found that an objection has been raised to the striking off of the company HLJ Foods Ltd. As a result of these experiences I have now raised a complaint with the Insolvency Service who have the power to investigate the activities of the directors of the company. I will of course keep this statement updated as things develop.

Friday 29th November 2019 - Update
I have learned that three former staff of HLJ Foods Ltd. have issued a petition at the high court for the compulsory winding up of the company. The staff who have issued the petition have not been paid and are unable to claim redundancy as the company has not been liquidated. On reading the petition, there are numerous debts owed by the company including a large amount due to HMRC.
I should also advise that those official bodies to which this matter has been reported have in one case has not responded to the charity whilst the others have advised that they will be taking no action. It is now the case that having tried every avenue to obtain some form of recompense or at the very least, an apology has not been successful.
Thank you to all those customers who have paid the funds from the AppealingSnax boxes to Children's Hope Foundation and thank you again to all customers for your wonderful support over the years. Very best wishes, Tom

In the Office

We currently have offices in London and Craigavon where there are clerical or administrative opportunities. At our head office in London we currently have a great need for a part-time book-keeper who can perhaps work 5 to 10 hours per week maintaining the charity's computerised accounts.

Fundraising

The most difficult task for any charity is to ensure that sufficient funds are always coming in to fulfill all of the requests that are received daily. Fundraising can be fun and can also be a great way of getting out and meeting new people or just keeping up with old friends. Click here for a fundraising pack. From our offices in London and Sunderland we have opportunities for people to volunteer directly with us collecting funds at pre-organised venues. If you would like details of these opportunities, or if you would like to set up a local branch, please ring Tom on 020 7700 6855.

Holding Events

Holding an event can be a great opportunity to have a fun day with friends, neighbours, club members or work colleagues and is a fantastc way to raise funds for Childrens Hope Foundation. Click here for a fundraising pack. If, however, you have a specific idea in mind please call us and we will help in every way we can to ensure you have a fun and successful event.

Taking part in a Challenge

In association with timeoutdoors.com there are a huge number of events which you can take part in, both in the UK and overseas. This can range from running in the British 10K London run to taking part in the Inca Challenge or the Canadian Rockies Cycle Adventure. There is something for everyone and includes running, cycling, walking, climbing, paddling, adventure and du/triathlon. Whatever your sport, there will be something for you to take part in.

At your Place of Work

Ask your Employer to:- make us their "Charity of the Year"

or to hold a fundraising event,
or to support by adding our name to their web-site
or to start a ‘Give as you earn’ scheme.

(£1 a week from all staff and managers makes a wonderful donation to give at the end of a year)

Dress Down Day

Get your colleagues to pay for the privilege of wearing jeans or fancy dress. To raise more money, you could also fine those who don't take part!

Sports

Take your colleagues canoeing, abseiling, go-karting, a day/night at the races and charge people extra for taking part. Softball, football, etc... Get sponsored to walk to work for a month. Get sponsored for doing something silly such as having half a beard shaved off, leg waxing for men, wearing wellies full of jelly.

Other ways to get Involved

Swear box
Fine everyone who swears. Managers pay double, of course...

For hire
You might have a meeting room, a video conferencing suite or a minibus which you could hire out. You could even sell the services of the design department for a day.

Recycle
Make money by recycling paper, drink cans and even photocopier cartridges. Are there any other waste products produced by your company that could be turned into cash?

Raffle
Organise a raffle. It's a great way to raise money. The most important thing is to get good prizes, especially the first prize. Local companies could give you weekend breaks, hair cuts, meals, electrical goods, bikes, supermarket vouchers, signed football shirts, car hire. Childrens Hope Foundation has some handy hints for organising a raffle.

Sweepstakes
For the Grand National, Wimbledon, the British Open, football competitions etc. You can hold separate sweepstakes for the winning team, time of the first goal, number of goals scored etc. Charge less for multiple entries.

Promise Auction
You can auction promises in your department e.g. doing someone's filing for one week.

Party
Organise a 'social' and charge people to attend. Organise a wine tasting evening - ask for a donation of wine from your local off licence and charge your colleagues to guess which wine is which! What about raising money at the Christmas Party?

Sports
Take your colleagues canoeing, abseiling, go-karting, a day/night at the races and charge people extra for taking part. Softball, football, etc... Get sponsored to walk to work for a month. Get sponsored for doing something silly such as having half a beard shaved off, leg waxing for men, wearing wellies full of jelly.

Collection box
Walk a collection box around the office or leave it at reception.

Suppliers and customers
They could sponsor you or reward an excellent piece of client support by you with a donation towards your fundraising for Childrens Hope Foundation. They can also be a good source of gifts in kind for raffles.

Inter-department challenge
Make any of the above a competition to see which department can raise the most money for Childrens Hope Foundation.

Matched donations: don't forget that whatever you do, your employer could be happy to match at least some of the money you have raised. You don't know if you don't ask!