The Orchard Centre.  Brian and Jeanie Ashworth

 

On 25th of March 2004 Brian Ashworth sent an e-mail to us saying amongst other things that he was retiring.  This was in response to a letter we had sent to Brian  explaining  that because of  certain circumstances that had come to light, we could no longer recommend  his services to our members. Due to legalities we are unable to say what these circumstances are.  We printed in the Newsletter that Brian was retiring and asked anyone to contact us especially if they had or were having problems with the Orchard Centre concerning their benefit appeals.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                            

                                                                                                           Norma and Denis Turner

 

The following extracts are taken from statement 9 Posted on the internet

By Suzy Chapman and Ciaran Farrell who are collating the evidence against the

Orchard Centre The full statement has also been sent  -:

To charity officials at AfME, AYME, the MEA and Jane Colby, 25% Group, Invest in ME, BRAME, DIAL, Worcester. Posted on several internet Forums and Message boards

 

In April 2004, Mr Ashworth told a number of former clients, as well as ourselves, in writing,

that he would shortly be closing down all operations provided by The Orchard Centre.

However, Mr Ashworth continued to operate his advocacy and representation services carried

out under the name of "The Orchard Centre" and various other names, and he continued to take on new clients.

 

In December 2004, Mr Ashworth stated on the Youreable Benefits internet forum that far from having closed down his operation he was, in fact, opening an "office and clinic" on 9 January, 2005. He also sent out notices to some clients, in late December 2004, informing them of his

 imminent relocation to a new "office and clinic" called "The Orchard Fatigue Centre", though oddly he gave no street address or landline telephone number for the premises he was about to move into - only the PO Box number that he had been using for several years.

In fact, the Ashworths failed to move into new premises but did not advise their clients that they were continuing to operate from their local authority rented domestic accommodation in Oxford Road, Bilston. As a result, clients who had been desperately trying to get Mr Ashworth to return crucial paperwork to them in order that they might continue their unresolved and by now very complex cases with alternative representatives, had no idea where their files and documents

were currently being stored, since it was not at all clear exactly where the Ashworths were now operating from.

 

We were advised that both the Fraud Squad and Norfolk Trading Standards office had been called in during 1998/99 to look into a number of specific issues in separate parts of the country. Several contacts had been obliged to consult solicitors.

 

We now hold a considerable body of material on file in the form of documentary evidence, first hand accounts and information from our own researches . Accounts were related to us of

questionable schemes he had proposed to local ME/CFS groups and of other problems he had caused their committees. As a result, some local groups had broken off all association with him and had stripped him of the title of "Patron".