Gymnastics club under investigation over payments

Flic-Flac Gymnastics Club, in Chorley, was set up in 2006 to encourage young people to take part in gymnastics (stock image)

A gymnastics club is being investigated over concerns about payments made to trustees.

Flic-Flac Gymnastics Club, based at the former Camelot theme park site in Chorley, was set up in 2006 to encourage young people to take part in gymnastics.

The Charity Commission said the club was already being investigated after being "persistently late in filing its accounting information", which it regards as "mismanagement and/or misconduct in the administration of the charity".

The regulator said a separate inquiry was opened in July after "further regulatory concerns emerged".

Overdue accounts

The Commission said it has identified concerns about payments to trustees that "may be unauthorised" by the charity’s governing document.

It also said it had identified concerns "around managing conflicts of interest in relation to any trustee payments".

The charity's accounts from last year are overdue by 216 days and the 2020 accounts were nearly two years late.

It is also currently operating with an insufficient number of trustees, the regulator said.

The inquiry will examine whether the trustees are complying with their legal duties, with particular regard to their accounting and reporting responsibilities; their compliance with the charity’s governing document; and the extent of any unauthorised trustee personal benefit.

Flic-Flac Gymnastics Club has been approached for comment.