FALSE CHARITY CLAIM

Published: 23 July, 2008

By Jim Budd

James Hewitt Associates Ltd, a recently-formed claret investment company, claims to be a sponsor of The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE). This is a complete surprise to NCYPE. We have never heard of this company,' says Mike Carter, a fundraising officer for the charity. They do not have permission to use our logo or claim to be sponsors. We have only had contact with Andy Dunne of Liquid Acquisitions Ltd. Dunne came to visit the Centre and it was agreed that Liquid Acquisitions Ltd would be a sponsor and pay the charity 1 for every brochure that the company sent out.' Later, Dunne told the charity that Liquid Acquisitions was under investigation by the DTI. Carter adds: Dunne was told that Liquid Acquisitions' sponsorship arrangements would have to stop until their problem with the DTI was sorted out.' Part of the problem is that much of the text in James Hewitt Associates' brochure is identical to that sent out by Liquid Acquisitions, so the two companies appear to be closely linked. We are very unhappy that our logo has been used by a company we have never heard of,' said Carter. Last Friday, Natalie Hopkins, press spokeswoman for NCYPE, told Harpers: We have dissociated the charity from Andrew Dunne, Liquid Acquisitions Ltd and James Hewitt Associates Ltd.' The sole director of the new company is 23-year-old James Hewitt. Hewitt has refused to answer questions over the phone and has demanded that all questions are sent in writing to his registered office in Bromley.

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