Latest news with #BenMills
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Armed forces non-profit that was fined for splitting donations 50/50 with homeless veterans is spotted back on the streets AGAIN
A company which claims to raise funds for homeless veterans has been spotted still in operation across London after being fined for not having the required licences. We Are Blighty has collected tens of thousands of pounds from members of the public across busy streets including Oxford Street, Tower Hill and Waterloo since it was founded in September 2022. But the group, which is a community interest company (CIC), were brought before the City of London Magistrates' Court last month after a probe by the Fundraising Regulator over breaches of the Code of Fundraising Practice. Despite repeated written and in-person warnings from the City of London Corporation's Licensing Team, they continued to operate - soliciting donations and unlawful street trading between August 2024 and February 2025. We Are Blighty only donates 50 per cent of the money it collects from people on the street to veterans' support, with the rest going in the operator's pockets, the court heard. On June 4, the Community Interest Company (CIC) pleaded guilty to 14 offences of collecting money and street trading in London without licences. The company and its directors, Ben Mills and Danielle Vidler, were fined a total of £1,792 and ordered to pay £1,700 in costs to the City Corporation. Chairman of the City of London Corporation's licensing committee, John Fletcher, said: 'This prosecution sends a clear message: illegal street trading and unauthorised fundraising will not be tolerated in the City. We Are Blighty only donates 50 per cent of the money it collects from people on the street to veterans' support, with the rest going in the operator's pockets, the court heard 'The persistent unlawful nature of We R Blighty's money collection and sale of articles for private gain without the pre-requisite authorisations is totally unacceptable. 'Our enforcement protects the integrity of charitable fundraising and the public, as well as organisations that comply with the law. 'I thank our licensing team and our specialist legal team at Guildhall, and the City of London Police, for their advice, guidance, and fair and professional handling of this matter.' In a separate investigation towards the end of last year, Kent Police said they were looking into 'reports of financial irregularities' relating to the company. MailOnline has contacted the force for an update on their findings. Multiple images posted online since their court appearance last month show We Are Blighty workers stationed at various locations across the capital. One shows a man wearing the company's uniform and positioned next to a donation stand outside Highbury and Islington tube station in north London as he speaks to a police officer. Others show similar set ups with other employees asking for donations from people walking past. It is currently unknown whether or not they now have the correct licences. MailOnline has contacted the regulator regarding this. Multiple images posted online since their court appearance last month show We Are Blighty workers stationed at various locations across the capital The group has posts on its social media showing its members providing homeless veterans with aid including temporary housing in hotels, food, and blankets. We R Blighty is not registered with the Fundraising Regulator – not a legal requirement – but this does not stop the regulating body from launching an investigation if it feels there is potential for 'significant harm to be caused'. According to the fundraising code, anyone collecting money on the street for a charitable purpose, whether a charity or a CIC, is required to apply for licensing from the relevant authority, usually the local council or police force. Founder and head of operations at We R Blighty, Mr Mills, is a veteran who set up the company after years of fundraising for armed forces charities. It raised around £92,000 from donations in its first year alone. Last year when MailOnline revealed his company was being probed, he insisted they had not breached the fundraising code, stating that because We R Blighty is a registered company, they are able to fundraise without a licence. Speaking to MailOnline at the time, he said: 'We used to be able to get an exemption rule because we're a CIC. 'The charity collections page on the government website states there is an exemption if you are collecting on behalf of a business. 'We didn't need a permit, we couldn't get a permit. 'Now they've added the Police Factories Act to the government website, but even that doesn't make sense. 'It states on there that if you're collecting any money for a 'charitable purpose' you need a permit. 'I'm not classed as a charity, and if I went around saying I was a charity I'd be absolutely crucified. 'So therefore, they can't put me in the category of being for a "charitable purpose" either because that would mean I would need to be of a charitable status. 'We R Blighty is still operating and assisting veterans regardless of any investigations that may or may not be taking place for whatever reasons.' At the time, the group also said they were covered by the 'Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 by exposing newspapers and periodicals in public places', as they distribute armed forces magazines while accepting one-off donations from the public. A CIC is not a registered charity, but is a 'special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders', according to the government website. CICs have for long been a 'tricky area' for regulators, as they have a more 'light touch approach' and are subject to less stringent regulations than charities, yet there is concern the public are often not aware of the differences between the two when donating. The laws around street collections date back to 1916 and so campaigners are working to review and update legislation to make it more robust. It is also often unclear with CICs how much of each donation goes towards the cause, and how much is kept as commission by staff.
Irish Independent
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Kerry cricketers win through to All-Ireland National Cup semi-final
The match between Kerry and the visitors from Glendermott from Derry city was a fitting drama for a National Cup quarter-final. Varun Ghorpade (25) and Alam Morshed (61) combined in a superb opening partnership of 97 for Kerry. But then in the space of 8 balls, the momentum completely switched as bowlers Ross and Mills sent four batters back to the pavilion while Kerry added just a single run; Kerry and their supporters, suddenly subdued. Qassim (16) and Khurram (21) set about rebuilding and the Kerry tail started to wag. Yaqoob Ali compiled an impressive 41 including four huge 6s. It was more gritty than pretty, but Kerry's determination was rewarded by posting a challenging total of 235. Ben Mills was the standout bowler for Glendermott: 8-0-38-5. As Glendermott's opening batters set about the chase, Kerry captain, Braden Warnke opened his bowling account with two consecutive maiden overs and made the first breakthrough in his fourth. He clean bowled Ben Mills (29) who'd played some classy shots (five 4s and a six), and looked as though he might win the match single-handed. Each time a new batter came to the crease for the visitors, they established a promising partnership, nevertheless, Kerry kept finding a way to break the batter's momentum. When Yaqoob removed Ryan Nolan who made a dogged 22, the score was 179 for 8 and at that point the Derry men's resistance collapsed; batters 10 and 11 failed to add to that score. So, with six overs to spare Kerry secured a place in the All-Ireland National Cup semi-finals. County Kerry CC 1st XI: 235/9, beat Glendermott 1st XI: 179 a.o. by 56 runs MCU Division 1 Kerry's second XI were unable to turn the tide on their poor season on Saturday. Cork County dominated proceedings at The Marydyke. Choosing to bat first, the home squad posted 336 for 4 off their 45 overs. Rob Duggan again showed his quality just missing out on a century dismissed for 99 off as many balls, while Ritesh Sah top-scored with a scintillating, 128n.o., smashing four 4s and two 6s. Kerry in reply were bowled out for 187 in 31 overs, Qassim Mohammed top scored with a defiant 70, but a margin of 149 runs makes it another heavy loss for Kerry 2nd XI. Cork County 2nd XI: 336 for 4, beat Kerry 2nd XI: 187 a.o. by 149 runs MCU Minor Cup In a free scoring match at Midleton in Sunday, Kerry's third squad posted an impressive 264 off their 40 overs, Zadran's 82 (seven 4s and four 6s) came off only 48 balls and Adil Rahil(46) was unlucky to miss out on a half century. But openers Muhammed (80) and Dhiver (30) responded with a top class century partnership, posting 119 in 17 overs to provide Midleton with the best possible platform, Adeel Ahmed also hit 57 off 44 balls, and though Kerry bowlers made them work hard, Midleton completed their chase with 4 balls to spare in the final over. County Kerry CC 3rd XI: 264 for 9, lost to Midleton CC 2nd XI: 265 for 7 by 3 wickets.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Auto Trader's AI-powered Co-Driver tools adopted by nearly 10,000 retailer sites
Auto Trader has reported that nearly 10,000 retailer sites have utilised its AI-powered Co-Driver tools since their launch to enhance performance. Designed to optimise vehicle listings, the tools are accessible via Auto Trader Portal accounts or Auto Trader Connect, which integrates seamlessly with retailers' preferred systems. Co-Driver was introduced in November 2024 with Smart Image Management, the first of several AI innovations powered by Auto Trader Intelligence. The platform draws on more than 80 million cross-platform visits, approximately 619 million combined search minutes a month, and around 1.6 million daily vehicle observations. Smart Image Management automatically arranges images in the optimal sequence based on buyer preferences, reordering nearly nine million images across over 290,000 adverts since its launch. Auto Trader chief product officer Karolina Edwards-Smajda said: 'As with all of our tools and solutions, we didn't rush Co-Driver. It's the pinnacle of a decade of AI investment, as well as close collaboration with our partners to ensure it meets their needs, particularly within today's challenging market. 'We're delighted, therefore, that these combined tools have been embraced so quickly, and retailers are seeing such immediate benefits. We've long been committed to giving our partners access to our data and technology to drive business performance, and these initial Co-Driver tools mark an important milestone in what will be a long pipeline of AI-powered innovations.' In February, Auto Trader expanded Co-Driver with two additional tools, namely AI Generated Descriptions and Vehicle Highlights. AI Generated Descriptions uses Auto Trader's data to create detailed and engaging vehicle descriptions, incorporating VIN specification details from major manufacturers. Since its introduction, the tool has generated more than 285,000 descriptions, with retailers accepting the first proposed description 96% of the time. Vehicle Highlights employs Auto Trader Intelligence to identify and showcase features most valued by buyers, based on consumer insights. Auto Trader claims that the tool has proven effective, with car and van buyers interacting with its summaries over 33 million times. Ben Mills, digital marketing specialist at FOW Car Supermarket, said: 'Co-Driver's AI retailing tools are game-changing for us. Through optimised workflows, we've revolutionised our digital forecourt to present a highly engaging solution for our customers. "With Co Driver, we're leveraging over 80 million data points to curate accurate and engaging vehicle descriptions alongside Smart Image Management tools.' "Auto Trader's AI-powered Co-Driver tools adopted by nearly 10,000 retailer sites" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
