Public Meeting or Non Public Meeting - that is the question!

[bigbadbob]

I have been working at the NCCCT's The Hut this morning and some of the customers were talking about the meeting that has been promoted on Bayrak International Radio and in Cyprus today for H4P's at the Pia Blla, Girne tonight as being a public meeting and presentation and everyone is welcome.
Some of the ladies who are obviously members of this FB group were saying they had been told that this is not a public meeting!
I know that our local Charity always welcomes anyone to its AGM.
Just wondered which it is as we were thinking of popping down! and giving support.
BBB's other half.

[bigbadbob]

The secret is out!
My Ladies were right!
Why did it have to be kept such a secret from their loyal members?
Only a certain few will know but just lets ''Hope' it will be the street animals and any others who need help that will be the ones to benefit now there are two registered animal charities close to home.
It would be nice to think that the two could work together for the animals.
BBB's other half. (Still feeling puzzled though)

[sally4670]

Ohhhh ...why was it a secret ? Have they become a registered Charity or Society as I believe the 2 are not the same ? Do they have to have a committee (I have seen that they have named a list of founder members) but not any specific roles attributed to any one person - what is their mission statement ? I would have thought that all of that is what would have been decided and discussed at a PUBLIC meeting and reported/recorded.
All sounds a bit odd especially if their supporters weren't invited to the meeting. But maybe it is a case of ....in the TRNC !!!!!
Good luck anyway to everyone who helps the animals - would like more info though on how they are going to help and what the public can expect from them and who to call and when. Maybe it will all follow on - early days.

[huggiesbob]

Just seen this post, good luck trying to get through to anyone as a friend of a friend of a friend was going round in circles trying to get some poor woman to get information as to who were the admins,as donations wanted to be given,but A poor woman worked her socks off trying to find out who was admin and their answers were......round the houses and refused to name the people. B They informed people it was not a public meeting !!!!!! ...(Then why advertise it on radio) C. One so called head person did not even know it was announced on radio....why did they not know and why did they not want public there,maybe they thought there would be an argument over certain members expecting funds to be taken out for their OWN dogs travels back to uk, Who knows....but they certainly lost out on holiday makers donations, we just felt sorry for this person trying her best to find answers for them,in my eyes they don't deserve support if they lie about things and can't state Asmins names and be honest.

[Honey]

Huggiesbob- your particularly snide comment regarding someone involved with h4p needing help taking their dogs to the UK is both insensitive and cruel. Are we saying that someone who gives up their time free of charge to work for a cancer charity, who then becomes I'll with cancer, is not worthy of help? Have some humanity!

[huggiesbob]

The person mentioned does not have cancer or else I would not have posted it......the fact was someone tried to get hold of admins numbers for donations and was told it was a private meeting....read above no mention of cancer was made and was refused their names.......so no donations simple, well to some..

[tomsteel]

How, within six posts, has this got so far off track? Can not somebody involved in the H4P organisation please answer the original and subsequent queries in a sensible and logical manner?

[Mowgli597]

What's H4P?

Never mind. Might have guessed! More dogs and cats

[Honey]

Huggiebob- if you read my post carefully I did NOT say that the person you discussed had cancer. I put forward a parallel situation. Any volunteer for a charity is surely not precluded from receiving help from that charity, if they find themselves in need, whether that be a cancer charity, a dementia charity or an animal charity is surely irrelevant! Compassion rather than snide comments would seem more appropriate!

[tomsteel]

Honey, the question raised earlier (post 3) was, "is H4P a registered charity, or a society." The true answer has legal implications. I reiterate my query, why will somebody from H4P not answer the various questions posed? V

[Honey]

My apologies tomsteel. You are quite right these are questions that should be answered. However I believe that Ill informed, unpleasant comments on this forum should not go unchallenged!

[tomsteel]

Honey, I have no quarrel with your view on ill-informed or unpleasant posts not being challenged and all power to your elbow for doing so. You most definitely do not need to apologise for your responses.

[bigbadbob]

I did not start this post with any malicious intentions and I am sorry that a few posts have been not as I would have liked them to be.
My question was in the first instance made out off curiosity from talk I heard in the charity shop but also because BBB and I care for any animal and I think most Kibkomers have probably got a little fed up with all our appeals for the animals we have rescued including a beautiful horse!
I still am unsure of what H4P's now is and maybe that is me not understanding the laws of the land here.
Directors for a registered charity I have not heard of before and because the majority of people named as being this are all Vets here I just don't know what to think.
A Charity , or a Society it does matter !
When you are asking for help and money to be given by the general public you must be crystal clear and roles within the charity of treasurer, accountant etc must be open to whoever.
If it is that the Vets have banded together under the flag of H4P's to work to get the government to act on the horrendous acts of cruelty and conditions that so many people here think is normal and change things for the good of the animals then I applaud them and will be behind them 150%.
I hope that is the reason.
Tonight I was sent a copy of a ''rant'' on someones FB page saying that basically myself and BBB were sad people and bitter for questioning what was going on.
I feel so sorry for this person!
I am at the Vets tomorrow ( for not me personally) and he is a name on the list of directors and I am going to ask him face to face why all the secrecy and how is this going to help all the poor innocent animals out there who are suffering every day.
I just hope he can look me in the eye and give me an honest answer because I really do like the man.
(Hope my bills don't go up either).
The way this has been done has been furtive in its approach and has given people to have suspicions rightly or wrongly.
Its a night night now from me and BBB. - Sleep tight - we will .

[ozankoys]

Good luck bbb I know you are genuine people & do your very best to help the disadvantaged animals here.

[Keithcaley]

Not that I know anything about the implications of either arrangement, but I did see a post on Facebook by Maria to say that Hope4Pets is now a Registered Charity, and I have sent them my congratulations. Maria did say that she had sent me a message, but I couldn't find it - I'm rubbish at Facebook!

I know nothing about the makeup of the organisation, but they should at least be able to save on KDV, leaving more to spend on the animals, which can only be good, can't it?

Anyway, whatever it means, I wish them well.

[bigbadbob]

What is KDV?

[Keithcaley]

Whats is KDV?

V.A.T. !!

It was only an assumption, as I believe that charities in the UK qualify for VAT exemption status.

[bigbadbob]

The UK and North Cyprus are two very different entities and really cannot be compared.
I applaud your loyalty and after tomorrow when my questions have been answered on behalf of so many others who care - I sincerely hope we will be saying CHEERS!
It would have helped as Tomsteele asked in previous posts that someone from H4P's just talked to us.
They are asking for our help and money after all as are all the other charities here in North Cyprus.
I am only too willing to explain why we do it, how we do it and where it goes to for the charity I believe in and work for.
Probably bore people to death!
A sleepy BBB's other half.

[Keithcaley]

Well, now you know as much as I do!

I have no connection to Hope4Pets except that I have corresponded on-and-off with Maria, and helped post photos on forums, as I do for many others.

I have always considered her to be as fanatical about animal welfare as you two

[lizzy275]

I am one of Hope 4 pets UK charity Trustees, Liz Stowell I am also admin on Hope 4 Pets Facebook page, and an administrator on H4P UK Charity, but because I live in the UK, I am not allowed to be a founder member of the H4P TRNC charity. I have not been on Kimkom in at least 2 years or more and after this post I do not intend to be again.
Before we answer all your questions, let me point out 2 things, as a newly formed charity in the TRNC we have NO general members, an AGM is an Annual General Meeting by definition. To hold an AGM you have to inform the people who are required to attend giving 2 weeks’ notice of the time and place, you then have to send out an agenda to the people attending, so they have an idea what the AGM is about. So they are the two legal requirements of an AGM. The AGM had to be announced in the paper because this is a legal requirement of gaining charity status. As a charity the only people required to attend are the founding board members, and any members who are listed as members of the H4P TRNC Charity, of which there are NONE, as this was the first AGM held. The public in general are not invited to AGM’s, they have no purpose, they cannot vote or pass comment, or influence the founder members in anyway, the only thing discussed at an AGM is what is listed on the agenda.
1. As a brand new charity in the TRNC this is a massive learning curve for us, the rules that apply to the UK charity, do not apply to the TRNC charity. So we have been advised by solicitors from the beginning of the application to the end. We are a CHARITY ASSOCIATION, it does say this with our charity number on the announcement.
2. The post in the paper was a legal requirement and had to be posted publically, it was placed on our behalf, the wording of which was incorrect, H4P contacted their solicitors to ask if we could place a retraction, we were informed that this may affect our charity status, if one was posted before we announced on the 3rd. One of the stipulations is that a charity cannot announce or discuss anything to do with the charity status until the official announcement which was on Sunday 3th Sept, we do not make these rules these are the Rules of the Government of the TRNC.
3. Once we realised that the announcement which was placed in Cyprus Today had the wrong information, we asked people to remove posts from Facebook as they were spreading misinformation, again, we could not tell people why, a few of these people did not remove the post and thought it prudent to spread gossip and innuendo, without actually knowing any facts.
4. The Radio announcements, we had no idea they were being broadcast and were definitely not authorised by H4P. Possibly picked up from the announcement in Cyprus Today, we don’t know.
5. AGM as said above is what it says an Annual General Meeting of either a company or Charity. This was the Hope 4 Pets first AGM and was simply to appoint from the founder members, positions within the Charity, i.e., Chairman, Secretary etc., nothing else was on the agenda. This positions cannot be filled by the public as stated in one of the post above. The chairman etc. have to be from the founder members as that is the law. We have no directors. The founder members are well respected individuals who have worked with H4P group over many years, and we all will be working as a team, as we have done over the last 3+ years, the rules that apply to H4P apply to any other charity in the TRNC, all charities are governed by their own constitution and the laws governing the TRNC.
6. The posts above state that no one could be contacted from Admin, a friend of a friend of friend, I would assume was the general public, so as previously stated we could not discuss anything with them until after 3rd September that is the law!
7. I think there are people commenting on here who have a whole different agenda, nothing to do with the charity or helping the animals of North Cyprus, ancient history with admin of the Facebook group, I suggest you don’t bad mouth a charity that only wants to help the animals for your own personal ends, it is counterproductive, and most certainly does not help the animals of the TRNC.
8. One of the posts brings up a certain member expecting funds for their own dogs to be available to get them to the UK, again, miss-information, this member has never asked for any funds from H4P. H4P to their knowledge have only given donations, which were specified for this lady to her. However, I personally am giving my own money to help this poor lady get her dogs to the UK, that is my choice and my money. If I had not come forward with help, this member would have been treated exactly the same as any other person asking for our help and would have been given it according to their circumstances, help is given as needed, we will not be bullied by members of our Facebook page who obviously do not like this person, the welfare of the animals is our priority, we will never judge anyone coming to us for help on a personal level, they will be judged on their animals welfare needs and this alone.
9. Personally I don’t think I have had the pleasure of meeting any of the people commenting on this thread, some seem ill informed, and full of gossip and innuendo, and downright rubbish, If any of you have any questions, now is the time to ask them. H4P can now speak openly about the H4P charity status as the official announcement has been made, and we will try and answer any queries as fully as possible. You can contact any of H4P admin by PM on Facebook or by e-mail or phone they are all on the website. If there is anything that I have not covered or have failed to explain, then please get in touch so I can personally answer your questions, if I do not know the answer I will find out for you. I do not intend to have any further discussion on Kibkom.
10. An apology will be placed in the paper from H4P now that we are allowed, for the incorrect wording in the original post in Cyprus Today. Together with a list of founder members elected to positions on the governing body of H4P TRNC Charity at the AGM.

[bigbadbob]

Thank you so much for your reply on behalf of H4P's,
Some of it I understood perfectly and both BBB and I wish anyone all the best who is working to help the animals here.
There still seems to be a bit of confusion for you all in that whoever made the first announcement printed the directors of your board and named them. There are 10 in total. and this is what many of us could not understand.
When you are asking for help and hard earned money from the general public things needs to be in black and white and open to questions. If it was just your own money then it is your business full stop.
As some of your members know BBB and I have always tried to help your appeals either by picking up animals off the streets, transporting them to Vets and paying for their treatment as so many of us do here but not only for you. We also help KAR and some of the other local groups even by fostering.
It is a never ending battle here and honestly I personally think it is getting worse not better maybe since the Beledeyises stopped KAR doing their good work on the streets.
As your name says 'Hopefully'' with the changes within your group and the new ''directors'' on board you will be able to make a huge impact for the welfare of the poor street animals here in North Cyprus.
We wish you luck
BBB's other half and Cheers to you all

[Mowgli597]

Why is it necessary to have two animal welfare charities? Or two of any sort of charities with similar aims.
Or is it like the old Irish tradition: the first item on the agenda of the first meeting is The Split?

[bigbadbob]

Brilliant .
It would be nice if they could work together
BBB's other half.

[JoandJelly]

Why is it necessary to have two animal welfare charities? Or two of any sort of charities with similar aims.
Or is it like the old Irish tradition: the first item on the agenda of the first meeting is The Split?

My opinion is that it is because KAR can only cover a specific area (through no fault of their own I believe). I personally live in an area not covered by KAR but unfortunately the poor abandoned and injured animals are not aware of that so they still need help as do the very kind people in the UK and other parts or Europe that offer to re-home these animals. H4P (and many other groups) have been fund raising and doing just that for many years now but not under the status of a legal charity.

[MoBry]

I have donated to Hope4Pets many times and my donations have always been used for the purpose requested. I have also fostered a dog with the support of Hope4Pets and found them absolutely trustworthy and working their hearts out for the good of animals in North Cyprus. As for remarks about a certain member, she has lost her husband, had to leave North Cyprus as a result, has done her best to care for her dogs, and doesn't deserve gossip about who helps her financially or not, leave her out of it. I don't think snide comments about how Hope4Pets handle money are helpful at all. We don't need another Negative Nick on this forum.

[bigbadbob]

Sorry but the person who I think you are talking about has not left North Cyprus.
Please everyone read this post from start to finish and make your own minds up if I have personally made any comments about individuals within the group.The only comment I made was that I felt sorry for someone after I had been told I had been verbally attacked by this individual.
Another poster commented and hinted on some things as they thought fit , I did not agree with this post! That was not me! I am straight 'John Bull' .
I have been working today because I believe in what I do and really enjoy it and have been thanked by customers for asking the original question on the H4P's meeting - Public or Not? A lot of people were confused members and non members and that is the fault of whoever was in charge of it. Not us Joe public!
I have asked my Vet who is one of the named directors what role he is going to be playing within the charity hoping that maybe he and the rest of the board could challenge the government and make them recognize that changes have to be made for the good of so many poor souls suffering cruelty,neglect and abuse.
The board of directors are not going to play any active part - it was just their signatures that were needed to fulfill the law. This is what I have been told!
Since I made my original post I have been advised I have become a target of abuse where I am an evil and sick person and more ! I have not personally seen this but the people who have told me this is happening I trust and believe.
Please everyone make your own minds up!
All I did initially was to put in writing a question that many wanted to know the answer too!
I have the greatest respect for many of the members of H4P's and hopefully they will feel the same as me that we are friends and they know that I will help any animal in anyway I can.

Its a night night from me now and hopefully like me this will be put to bed! Sleep tight!

Good luck in the future for Hope4 Pets, KAR, Helping Animals, The Silent Ones, Stepping Stones, and all the wonderful groups of people who are doing their best every day to care for the animals in need.
BBB's other half.