Naomi House launches campaign for return of charity cash (From Daily Echo)

Naomi House launches campaign for return of charity cash

6:00am Monday 1st December 2008

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NAOMI House will today spearhead a group set up to lobby the government to retrieve £40 million frozen in a failed Icelandic bank.

Save Our Savings, (SOS), has been formed to represent charities that have deposits at risk with Icelandic bank Kauthpthing, Singer and Freelander Limited.

More than 25 charities are members of SOS, which is campaigning to secure the return of the millions that the charities have invested in the bank.

Professor Khalid Aziz, chairman of Naomi House, will be acting as spokesperson for the group, together with Peter Hepburn, the chief executive fo Cats Protection.

Last week Naomi House Children’s Hospice, based at Sutton Scotney, had to suspend its outreach service as they waited for news about recovering the £5.7 million, a third of the charity’s cash, they have trapped in the bank.

The suspended service involves hospice staff visiting people’s homes across Hampshire to provide emergency respite care for families.

They will be meeting with the bank’s creditors tomorrow in a desperate effort to try to recover their millions, frozen when the bank went into administration.

Professor Aziz said: “Naomi House has been campaigning for the safe return of our funds since October, and we are not giving up until they are returned in full.

“The £5.7million we have at risk has been donated by our supporters in the local communities we serve.

"We owe it to them and the families who use Naomi House to keep up the pressure on the administrators and the Government to ensure that this is done as soon as possible.

"The team at Naomi House has been working with Cats Protection to secure a place on the Creditors Committee; success will give the hospice a voice during the administration process.

"Forming the action group, Save Our Savings, will help to achieve this, and by working together, we increase our chances of representation."

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