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TV school guru 'took kids' cash then flew off to meet religious cult'
Last updated at 11:07am on 21.08.07A TV education guru took thousands of pounds from deprived schoolchildren for a trip to the Caribbean - then cancelled it at the last minute and instead flew to a religious cult conference, it has been revealed.
The teenagers, from London, who each paid £1,000 for the educational holiday to Trinidad and Tobago are yet to get a refund.
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The missing TV guru: Parents who paid Yolande Beckles £1,000 for an educational trip have heard nothing more from her
Twelve children signed up for the trip, set to start on 10 July. But that day, organiser Yolande Beckles - star of BBC2 show Don't Mess With Miss Beckles - called the trip off, claiming one of her children was gravely ill.
But it is understood that air tickets were never purchased.
Angry: Funmi Wood and her son Gbenga fear the trip to the West Indies they were sold by Yolande Beckles will never happen
Five days later, Ms Beckles is believed to have travelled with her family to South Korea for meetings arranged by religious cult the Universal Peace Federation - the Moonies.
Miss Beckles claimed she had rearranged the Caribbean trip for 23 August - this Thursday. But despite repeated calls, parents have heard nothing more.
Civil servant Funmi Wood, 40, from Neasden, whose 16-year-old son Gbenga had been due to go on the trip, said today: "She appears to have absconded and I have not got my money back."
Miss Beckles was unavailable for comment today.
She was previously sacked from a charity for allegedly misusing a credit card and overpaying her mother. At least one of her businesses has failed, leaving debts of £125,000.
Reader views (7)
Phew, What a waste of talent. She sure can organise, motivate and raise funds for a good cause. But... fraudulently behaviour and wanton disregard for establised order all conspire to bring down this otherwise good Madam. And there are all this stories that simply will not go away...
- Mugi Douglas, London, UK, 23/01/2009 13:36
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I know students on Miss Beckles course and the trip to Trinidad was offered to them as well. I know many people that have paid for the trip and haven't heard a single word from her since the day before the trip. Most of the payments were in cash, how do the parents claim their money back? This is disgusting., This was sopposed to help young black children but all it has done has dishearten them.
- J Reeves, Stoke Newington, London, 06/09/2007 09:57
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I feel that Miss Beckles deserves everything that happens to her and I hope that justice is paid .As she has abused her position, and her trust to all parents and children. She as a parent should be setting a good example, as she has children of her own, how ever how would she feel if she was in their position. Clearly she has abused her power, and should not be aloud to get away with what she has done. They say what goes around comes around.
- Caroline.T, Woolwich London, 22/08/2007 16:45
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We aren’t deprived... that's not what the program was about... it was just to help motivate young people... help us do better in school.
But I'd like to thank you for your concern on that particular section of the article, when clearly there are bigger issues here.
Many of my friends were promised a holiday and paid for that holiday, they aren’t deprived but it's not easy for everyone to make £1000 appear.
I don’t understand what Yolanda has done but the first thing she should do is give back that money.
- Ronae .F, Hackney, London, 22/08/2007 14:33
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I'm afraid there's worse to come, including an arrest warrant issued in Trinidad and other allegations of financial irregularities in the UK. I'd make that a very wide berth...
- Mike G, London, 22/08/2007 11:09
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Pat from Lanark asks a good question. The kids and their parents are not rich, but they are certainly not 'impoverished' as the Standard wrote yesterday. Living in Hackney & Brent, the choice of state education is not the best and they are beset with the same problems that face most urban areas in London. This does not make every household in Hackney or Brent 'deprived'. Clearly Miss Beckles has exploited the anxiety of black families in urban London and as for newspapers, they seem too to have few labels for blacks, like 'deprived' and 'impoverished'. My heart goes out to these parents who obviously wanted to do their best for their children.
- S Adebayo, Hackney, London, 22/08/2007 08:07
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Might be in everyone's financial interests to give Miss Beckles a wide berth!
- Steve R, London, UK, 21/08/2007 12:20
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