Calor Gas admit that their decision to grant LACS with funding was "oversight" & "non-compliant"

Following a campaign by the Countryside Alliance that lasted less than 24 hours, gas giant Calor have admitted that their decision to grant funding to the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) was both an "oversight" and "non compliant".

The CA, which has over 100,000 members nationally, called on its members and the wider rural community to denounce Calor's recent decision to award the League Against Cruel Sports with £5k from part of their Rural Community Fund Initiative. The money will apparently go towards the creation of a new 'education hub' at the group's wildlife sanctuary in Baronsdown.

The e-letter, which remains live, attracted thousands of responses in less than a day.

In response to the Countryside Alliance online, Calor admitted in a statement that " on further review by Calor it has become evident that it was non-compliant with the Calor Rural Community Fund Scheme rules. As such, Calor has inadvertently committed an oversight by incorrectly applying the scheme rules on this occasion" in relation to the decision to grant the LACS with funding.

The Barons Down Wildlife centre has found itself at the centre of controversy for years.

In 2002, dozens of deer were found to be dying of starvation and disease on the sanctuary owned by the League Against Cruel Sports because the anti-hunting group refuses to allow any form of culling.

In 2018, the Charity Commission launched an investigation into the League (LACS) over claims that it sought to hack into the computer of the leader of the Countryside Alliance.

The e-letter, which was spearheaded by the Countryside Alliance, was sent to Calor's CEO, Matthew Hickin. It stated: " Not only does LACS cause suffering amongst the local deer population, but it also runs vindictive campaigns against the local community.

For instance in 2015 a prosecution by LACS against six local people in Devon collapsed when it was found that a key witness had lied about his relationship with the LACS employee quoted in your press release. For years that employee has made criminal allegations about local people in Devon and Somerset which have left a trail of failed prosecutions and distrust in the local community. Attaching Calor's name to such behaviour is a serious mistake."

" Most worryingly is the idea that LACS should be educating anyone when its management has led to appalling suffering amongst the Exmoor red deer herd. Its own employee blew the whistle on the death through disease and starvation of 107 deer at Baronsdown in a 12 month period, and the suffering caused by its scandalous mismanagement which has continued to be reported on a regular basis over many years.

"LACS itself has an appalling history of governance and has regularly breached Charity Commission guidelines. It has twice been censured for party political campaigning and last year was investigated after revelations that it was attempting to hack computers."

Responding to Calor, Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance said " The Countryside Alliance welcomes the decision to admit publicly that is was an ill-informed judgement call by Calor to grant this controversial and divisive group with funding. We sincerely hope that as the rules have not been complied with by their own admission, that the funding is either withdrawn or, if too late, returned and awarded to legitimate rural community projects. The League Against Cruel sports is riddled by mismanagement, cruelty and community division and evidently not a group that organisations such as Calor should be funding or associating with."

The CA will continue the campaign to raise awareness about this decision among its members, local people and the wider UK population until assurances have been given that the funding is not granted or has been returned.

Of those responding online to the original decision, many claimed to be customers threatening to boycott the company.