A COUPLE have been told to repay £10,000 of lost cash to a gymnastics club – after saying the money was stolen in a burglary at their home.

The manager and a trustee of City of Worcester Gymnastics Club said they lost the cash, which they had taken home, in a burglary at their property, back in 2011.

They have so far failed to reimburse the charity for the money which was stolen from their property.

The Charity Commission has now agreed a plan for the manager Peter Fletcher and trustee Philippa Morgan to repay the cash.

A report release yesterday raised concerns about their relationship and the governance of the club based in Willow Street, Worcester.

Tracy Howarth, head of regulatory compliance at the Charity Commission, said: “Our intervention with this charity has ensured a repayment plan is in place to recover the £10,000 that was lost.

“Charities of all shapes and sizes should pay attention to their actions and how the public views them.

“We are assured that the trustees have learned from this experience and continue to address our concerns around its governance and conflicts of interest so that the charity can move forward confidently in providing valuable services for the people of Worcester.”

The report said the money was stolen from the home of the general manager and a trustee in 2011.

Although the document does not give their names, the charity's annual accounts for 2016 showed that 'P Fletcher' was the partner of one of the trustees.

Previous annual reports reveal transactions between a trustee, called 'Miss P Morgan', and 'Mr P Fletcher', who is described as a connected party and under a contract of employment.

The club's website lists Philippa Morgan as head coach of the organisation and Peter Fletcher as the club manager.

The Charity Commission's investigation report added: "The charity confirmed that a named trustee had resigned upon taking up a paid role as the general manager.

"The individual was connected to another trustee by virtue of a long term relationship.

"The charity did not have a conflicts of interest policy in place, and had failed to report the loss of £10,000 in cash in 2011.

"We established that a burglary at the home of the general manager and connected trustee had resulted in the loss of the £10,000 after cash had been taken home.

"A formal repayment plan must be put in place to allow the conflicted trustee and general manager to make good the £10,000 losses incurred as a consequence of their actions.

"In this case the charity did not have sufficiently robust policies on controlling its resources and failed to exercise due care. It has now taken steps to improve this."

The report also found that the 'conflicted trustee' had been involved in deciding on the appointment and pay of the general manager.

The Charity Commission further questioned whether the club needed a £44,000 vehicle, which it bought through a lease agreement.

The organisation investigated the club after it was made aware of concerns about governance and financial mismanagement in early 2016.

The Worcester News approached Miss Morgan but she declined to comment.

Mr Fletcher also declined to comment.