Smear Alert – Looks like its our turn in the barrel again!
The Lantern Project web site received the following email this morning (1 December 2016) from someone calling themselves Larry Hazel:
From: Lahazablog <lahaza.blog@iname.com>
Subject:
Phone Number: 0000000000000000
Address Line 1: Na
Address Line 2: NA
Postcode: NAA
“Dear Mr Wilmer,
we intend to blog about Lantern. Could you please answer the following, so we don’t make mistakes or “undermine” you by accident. The Lantern Project has transferred £438,850 to the Lantern CIC in the past 5 years. What has this money been used for? Have the Wilmer family, including relatives residing in the UK and abroad benefited from this CIC money? IE: Have they been given salaries, loans which have been repaid or written off from the CIC. Has the money from the CIC been transferred to any third countries, if so, which countries. In your accounts, donations appear to have increased impressively since 2014. How was this money raised? Was it raised as a result of Lantern fund raising? Or did Lantern benefit from any third party fund raising/subsidiary fund raising? If it was as a result of third party/subsidiary, what were the entities called?
Thanks.”
We responded thus:
From: “Graham Wilmer” <lanternproject@yahoo.co.uk> To: Lahazablog <lahaza.blog@iname.com> Cc: “Lantern Project” <lanternproject@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: your request for answers.
“Dear who ever you are. We would be very happy to answer your questions and to explain what we do. We will introduce you to our trustees and to some of the many victims and survivors we support, who will also answer any questions. When would you like to come and meet with us? You know where we are located.
Kind regards
Graham Wilmer MBE Director – The Lantern Project – Supporting Survivors of Sexual Abuse
Registered Charity # 1097265”
Their reply came swiftly:
On 1 Dec 2016, at 08:29, larry hazel <lahaza.blog@iname.com> wrote:
“Mr Wilmer, as I’m sure you can understand, not all of us reside in the UK or one of us would happily visit your project. Your accounts don’t make that information clear, which is why we have given you the chance to explain where the CIC funding goes – since some if not all of it in the past few years has come from the public purse. I’ve offered you this opportunity before even drafting a blog, due to your sensitivities and previous attacks by the MSM/others. We do not intend to undermine you or anyone else, contrary to your smear on us.If you don’t wish to answer those questions, that’s fine. Have a good day.”
We responded again:
“The invitation stands, so please ask one of your team who does reside in the U.K. to come and visit us. Also, you should talk to the Charity Commission, the CIC regulator at Companies House and the Home Office, all of whom have carried out due diligence inquiries on us in response to the false allegations that have been made about myself, the Lantern Project and survivors we support. Each agency in turn has come back to us, having reviewed the information they looked at, and told us that they have ‘no concerns’.
Best wishes
Graham.”
So, let’s see what nonsense they publish this time on their anonymous blog, meanwhile, we will get on supporting victims and survivors who need our help.
