Two of Jimmy Savile's charities are set to close amid concerns that they could "damage" their causes over their association with the disgraced former TV presenter, who is at the centre of an "unprecedented" sex abuse scandal.
The trustees of the Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust and Jimmy Savile Stoke Mandeville Hospital Trust said that while they had considered changing their name, they felt they would "always be linked in the public's mind with the late Jimmy Savile".
Just over a year after Savile's death, allegations of widespread abuse emerged with the Met saying the former BBC presenter could have abused 200 victims.
Two of Jimmy Savile's charities are set to close
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children described him as "one of the most prolific sex offenders" ever.
But during his life, Savile was known for his work and TV and high-profile support for charity. It is thought he raised up to £40m for various causes.
In the wake of the decision to disband the trusts, the solicitor for the trustees Jo Summers has said they will give their existing money away: "The trustees are eternally grateful to all those people for their support in the past, so we don't want it to be seen as just Jimmy's money."
Summers added that they were shocked by the allegations of abuse by Savile.
"They knew Jimmy for many years, volunteered to be his charity trustees. They can't recognise the person they are reading about in the papers."
The trustees of the charities said in a statement they were "concerned that the continued press attention into the twoS avile charities is potentially damaging to the charitable beneficiaries and thevital work they do."
In addition to the charities closing, a Leeds-based venue named after Savile will close after bosses decided his name was "toxic."
Savile’s Hall will now become New Dock Hall, with Managing Director James Vincent saying: “The sheer volume and nature of these allegations has made the [Savile] name toxic."
Earlier this month Jimmy Savile's gravestone was removed and broken up to put in landfill at his family's request "out of respect for public opinion"."
BBC boss George Entwistle will be quizzed about the corporation's handling of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal by a committee of MPs later on Tuesday.
The full statement from the trustee of Jimmy Savile charities:
The trustees’ primary concern is to protect the charitable causes that theysupport. They are concerned that the continued press attention into the two Savile charities is potentially damaging to the charitable beneficiaries and the vital work they do. The trustees have given much consideration to a possible change of name.
However the trustees feel that, whatever new name they may adopt, the charities will always be linked in the public’s mind with the late Jimmy Savile. The trustees cannot see a future for either charity.
The trustees have, with great sadness, therefore decided to take steps to bring both charities to an end. They will be talking to the charitable beneficiaries that they have committed to support, as well as to the Charity Commission, to ensure that this is done in the most sensitive and appropriate way.
The trustees have already chosen how to distribute the funds in each charity and have decided not to publicly announce who the recipients will be. It will be for each charitable organisation to decide whether to publicise any donation received. No future requests for funding will be considered.