The Aspinall Foundation, the wildlife charity that employs Carrie Johnson, is facing fresh scrutiny over its finances after accounts revealed it paid more than £150,000 in ‘interior design services’ to the chairman’s wife last year.
The charity, which is under investigation by the Charity Commission, paid £150,158 to Victoria Aspinall, wife of trustee chairman Damian Aspinall, in 2020. This sum equates to roughly 10% of the £1.5 million in donations received that year, and is a significant increase from the £12,500 paid to her in 2019.
The payment predates Carrie Johnson’s appointment as head of communications in January 2021, and there is no suggestion she is implicated in the probe. The charity said the fees were ‘at arm’s length’ and subject to a rigorous benchmarking exercise to ensure value for money.
Other financial details include £124,231 paid for accountancy work to Alvarium, a company linked to trustee Charles Filmer, and a £2 million coronavirus business interruption loan secured in 2020, which was passed as a loan to the sister charity Howletts Wild Animal Trust. The 30-room Howletts mansion was rented to Damian Aspinall for £10,000 a month, up from £2,500 the previous year, after an independent valuation.
The Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the Aspinall Foundation in March over potential financial mismanagement. A spokesperson for the charity stated it remains committed to its duties and will work transparently with the commission.
