A company raising money to support homeless veterans could have misled members of the public and used fundraisers who behaved aggressively and unprofessionally, a watchdog has found.

We R Blighty, a community interest company based in Broadstairs, Kent, was found to have breached standards set by the Fundraising Regulator following an investigation into its fundraising activities.

The organisation, which operates across London and the South East, was also found to have carried out street fundraising without the correct permissions.

The Fundraising Regulator said it was “more than likely” that members of the public could have been misled by some of the company’s fundraising materials.

Concerns included material which appeared to suggest links with a well-known national veterans’ charity, despite We R Blighty confirming it did not work with that organisation.

The watchdog also raised concerns over the behaviour of some collectors, finding that fundraisers had allegedly acted in an aggressive and unprofessional manner towards potential donors and public officials.

Fundraising offences admitted in court

We R Blighty previously admitted three counts of unauthorised street trading and three counts of collecting money or selling articles without the required permit at City of London Magistrates’ Court in June.

Gerald Oppenheim, chief executive of the Fundraising Regulator, said its investigation had uncovered serious breaches of fundraising rules.

He said these included inappropriate behaviour by fundraisers, an inadequate system for dealing with complaints and concerns about members of the public being misled.

We R Blighty has accepted the regulator’s findings and is implementing a series of recommendations.

These include reviewing the training provided to fundraisers and introducing a complaints procedure.

Company changes fundraising operation

Ben Mills, head of operations at We R Blighty, said the organisation had now changed the way it raises money.

Instead of asking members of the public for donations, the company is now selling its own magazine.

A spokesperson questioned allegations that collectors had behaved aggressively but apologised to anybody who may have encountered such behaviour.

The company said it had introduced a renewed focus on ethical and transparent fundraising.

Mr Mills said We R Blighty would ensure it met the Fundraising Regulator’s requirements and complied with the relevant codes of conduct.