Tolkien Trust closes down..then re-opens
 

This is interesting. The Tolkien Trust originally opened in 1977 & over the years has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to various humanitarian charities worldwide. This year it shut down - search charity no 273615 on this page http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/find-charities/ Because its closed there are no records relating to it, or details of any donations.

Then this year it was re-registered http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk...idiaryNumber=0 but because its newly registered there are no financial details.

Anyone know what's going on?

Found this http://opencharities.org/charities/273615 which shows that the Trust's income back in 2009 was £24 million - as a result of the victory in the court case against New Line Cinema over the Trust's share of movie profits.

This year, however, they began legal action against Warner Bros over LotR slot machines & Warner Bros counter sued http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/f...-machines.html

?

I noticed that I couldnt get at the accounts. The reference to directors rather than trustees makes mewonder if it has been transferred into the new CIO format..Charitable Incorporated Organisation, loosely the charitable equivalent of a limited company. Given the large influx of cas, continuing litigation and the advanced years of Christpher and Priscilla, it wluld make sense. It gives the charity a legal identity in its own right. I might be wrong. I have worked for charities but this is a very new option, but given that the charity has never been more solvent it seems likely. Especially since the form ia being phased in and atarted in Jan for NEW bodies but existing ones couldn't convert for a while longer.

Looking at he trust website, it has a company number as well as the new charity one and its own address when I think it was care of the solicitors before.
The company was incorporated in January with Christopher, Priscilla, Michael George and Baillie Tolkien as directors.