29th September 2008, 05:18 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by kevin wooldridge
[quote/]... the remit of a company that is part of a larger charity surely cannot be 'archaeology', it is surely education or some worthy cause.
Here is the stated aim of one archaeological charity taken from the Charity Commissioners website (I have 'replaced' a single word):
A) TO PROMOTE THE ADVANCEMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE SUBJECT OF ARCHAEOLOGY. (B) TO INITIATE AND CARRY OUT AND PUBLISH A COMPREHENSIVE AND SYSTEMATIC PROGRAMME OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE CITY OF THE COUNTY OF BORSETSHIRE THE SURROUNDING AREA AND ANY OTHER AREA IN ENGLAND RELATED THERETO AND TO ARRANGE FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS, SURVEYS, REPORTS AND ADVICE AND FOR ANY CONSEQUENT OR SIMILAR ACTIVITIES. © TO ARRANGE FOR PUBLICATION WHERE APPROPRIATE OF THE RESULTS OF SUCH WORK. (SEE MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES FOR FULL DETAILS)
It would be wrong to believe that an archaeological undertaking cannot be registered as a charity.
Again I urge anyone interested in this subject to check the Charity Commissioners website. Every archaeological charity organisation is included there with the stated aims and intentions behind their charitable status. Some mention education as a primary aim, but not in every case. Many have a wider brief (as in the Borstetshire example)
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Indeed, I'm not having a go at companies that are charities, honestly. What I would say, which is what has already been said, is that such mems and arts were written before the PPGs even existed and so it is questionable how easily they can be applied. Also the notion that a company operating out of 'Borsetshire' for the benefit of Borsetshire can tweak its mems and arts to then include anywhere else seems a bit cheeky. The point still remains - aim A is education, and yet this arguably in some cases takes a back seat to serious commerce.
My concern has been and remains the difficultly of comparing like with like when organisations operate in very different ways. Does it make a difference? Is it better or worse with one type or another? Are there advantages/disadvantages in operating one way over another and does this damage competition and development etc?