Episode 23 X-Ray

Hello, I am Lucy Owens. And I am Rhodri Owen. You are watching X Ray.

Tonight: A Welsh Charity said his website was a safe place for

vulnerable children to make friends, but it took us a few minutes to

find their personal details. This family lost thousands of

pounds when their holiday chalet went up in flames. They cannot get

their money back. This man was to tackle the dog mess

problem on his local beach. We find Hello, tonight we are in Merthyr

Tydfil. Later we will be in Aberfan where the local council had taken

away the billet play equipment. But they had not reckoned on the local

grande mothers. They mounted a brilliant campaign and won the day

and we will be meeting them, they made people power work. First, we

gave away millions of pounds to charities every year. But we have

been looking into one Welsh charity which says it is helping young

people with learning disabilities fulfil their dreams. But there are

serious questions to answer about the way they spend their money.

When you make a donation to charity, do you ever wonder how much of that

money actually get spent on the good cause you are supporting? Well,

maybe we should be asking a few questions. Because a charity based

in Talbot Green has spent tens of thousands of pounds on a social

networking site which we have discovered has left vulnerable

users at risk of abuse. Special Friends Online is a bit like

Facebook for people with learning disabilities, their family and

friends. It has got more than 5000 users.

It was set up by this man, Martin Harris, from Cardiff. He is the

founder of a charity for people with learning disabilities, Follow

Your Dreams. It raises money at roadshows where they say they make

children's dreams come true. Martin Harris likes to take centre-stage.

Over the past three years more than �50,000 of its money has gone to

the private business which runs the special friends website. It turns

out that company is wholly owned by Martyn Harris who told BBC News

Channel why it's special friends was so special. I wanted to try and

create an international language that people could use without using

a keyboard. By people clicking on a smiley face icon, they can ask a

question to somebody in another country by clicking the icon.

sounds like a great idea. On the website Mr Harris tells potential

users this is as safe place to make new friends. We have moderators

working 24 hours a day from different countries and we have

still to us on the site like profanity filters. This makes it

without doubt one of the safest sites on the internet. Hywel Dance

is an expert in children's social networks and we have asked him to

test these claims. It did not take him long to set up an account using

a false identity and to start looking for friends. I click on

this and I choose under 16 and I choose a boy I am looking for and

who lives in Cardiff. There it is. In theory, who are you doing this?

When you register, what did you say? I am Clark Kent, 14 years old,

and I live in a fictitious address. That is worrying. Now you have an

option to ask him to be your friend. If he accepts that, you have a

direct line to him? Yes, absolutely. And you already know where he lives.

That is shocking. They claim they have a profanity fell to, and I

wrote some profanity on my wall and I cannot delete it. If we can do

this, anyone can. These vulnerable children could easily be targeted

by sexual predators. There is no process in place to check who you

are a. They can check, but even I as a 40 year-old man was able to

communicate with kids, so even if I am honest and say I am 40, I can

send messages to kids. He did not even need to befriend the children

to see details of their schools. He is an IT expert, but I am not and I

am keen to see how easy it is for me to set up a fake profile and

send messages to other users. The first thing I need to do is get a

fake e-mail account, which is easy. Within minutes I have set up an e-

mail account in the name of David Jones and I am 14. I make up an

address and then in a few clicks I have registered those details. I

have to wait and see if they will give me access to the details of

those children. Later in the programme we will be seeing how

Rachel gets on accessing that website. There are other concerns.

We have been investigating the charity's accounts and asking that

she executive how they are spending their money. Why have you not

looked into it? We have looked into it. You cannot have looked into it

if I am telling you that within hours I could look at this

information. I am going to go. on that later. We have spent years

reporting the antics of claims management companies. Their bread

and butter is personal protection insurance, but that is about to dry

up. So claims management companies are branching out and are now cold-

calling offering to claim back all kinds of things as David Jarvis

found out. Last month David got a call out of

the blue from a company offering to claim back cash he had paid in

sewage charges. They were saying if the surface water from our house

does not train into the sewers, then they were able to claim back

six years of overpayment from Dwr Cymru. That would be �270 and David

knew his rainwater did not go into the sewage system, but he was not

convinced by the company who said they were called It's your right

and based in Swansea. They declined to send me details and said if I

paid their fee of �35 first, then they would send be all the details.

David spoke to Dwr Cymru who said he could only claim that one year's

payment, not six years. He called the company back. The more that

they talked, the more suspicious I became of their motives. What is

the situation? The Consumer Council for Water as a David could claim

back one year's charges, a total of �45. We have not been able to speak

to the company, but David will not be taking up their offer. I would

have paid them �35 and received �45 back. I think he did the right same

turning down the offer. There are several companies offering this

kind of scheme, but it is usually easy and free to claim the money

back yourself. Next, Lucy is on the case of a dodgy fridge-freezer.

and Louise Lacey thought they were in safe hands when they went to

Comet, but their trust thought when the freezer packed in and the

company failed to repair it. old freezer lasted years, but the

new one has lasted 18 months. on the case. Reg and Louise are

both in their eighties and rely on frozen meals prepared by their

family. But now they have to cope without a freezer. Hello, red, good

to see you. Can I come in? Let's keep this house nice and warm. The

couple have been happily married for 62 years. She looked very nice

and she still does, believe me. I am still proud of her. But she is

not well at the moment. No, she is diabetic, she has low blood

pressure, which means she is very busy and I have to be alongside her

at all times otherwise she will fall. It is very rare that we leave

the house. They rely on frozen meals made by their family. It is

the only way we can get by. The regular frozen meals would keep

Louise going. They bought a new Freeserve from Comet, but 18 months

later it broke down. I wait -- went up one morning and found the meals

were not present any longer and they had gone quite soft and the

food inside was of no use. Comet told him they could repair it for a

�125. The first Engineer came along and the freezer was working. But

the following morning we were back to square one. The freesia kept

breaking down and they lost more food. Three months later, it said

it could not be fixed and agreed to refund half the repair costs.

thought that was very poor recompense for all that we had

experienced. 18 months is nothing for a freezer. Surely a working

freezer would be the answer. I am on the case. They are still without

a freezer. So, what are their rights? They certainly have a right

to expect their freezer to last more than 18 months and it seems,

it now agree. They say because the couple did not take out a warranty

they will not replace the freezer, but they have apologised and given

them �250, which covers the cost of the repair and leaves them with

�190 to buy a new freezer. Lucy, I want to thank you for all that you

have done on our behalf. Louise and diet are forever grateful and now

we can go out and buy a new freezer. That is another case closed!

lovely couple and a great result. It there is anything you would like

us to look into, please get in We all want and New Year's Eve to

remember and of one family Kong -- from Gilfach Goch decided to

celebrate with a trip to Pontin's, but it turned out to be memorable

for all the wrong reasons as water has been finding out. -- Roger.

Found it out in 1946 Pontin's is one of the oldest holiday companies

in the UK. For generations holidaymakers have flocked to the

camps. When Paul and Yvonne Davies decided to but a winter break for

all the family, where better to go and to Pontin's at Brean Sands in

Somerset. We thought it would be nice for the whole family to be

together. We did it some time ago, but we wanted to be together with

all the family. Yvonne booked three They packed their Christmas

presents, their smart clothes and the family festive beer and off

they went. But their dream weekend in Pontin's soon turned into a

nightmare. We got back to the chalet and decided to have a quiet

night and then we were woken at 2 o'clock with a fire. I could smell

the smoke and I could see the flames and I realised it was time

to get out. I could hear screaming from the kids next door and the

room was starting to fill with smoke. As soon as I opened the

doors, the whole room was engulfed with smoke and I was coughing and

the next thing was to get my mum and Dad out. The flames were

roaring down. The chalets were destroyed. 86 year-old Raymond was

treated for smoke inhalation and If we hadn't got out within minutes

we would not have got out at all. I could have lost everybody. It could

have been a whole generation of people gone.

Nothing was recovered from the RECs. Between them avant and her family

reckon that nearly �6,000 worth of possessions went up in smoke.

I lost my grandmother's eternity ring. After she passed away. That

was devastating. I lost a digital camera.

I lost a watch which my late brother bought me.

I lost my wallet with all my money in it. My teeth, my hearing aids,

and I felt down and depressed. But there was a small glimmer of

hope. The family say that Pontins promise to compensate them for

their losses but when they contacted the company again they

were shocked by the response. They said they did not find

themselves at fault or liable. How did you feel about that?

A gutted, angry, disappointed. They really have had a rougher ride.

Is there nothing they can do to get the value of their goods back? We

asked a lawyer. If you can show fault on the part

of the company then they would have to compensate for all the losses.

If something happens beyond their control, for instance, another

guest does something which causes a problem, there are likely to be

held responsible even though you might say morally should be.

But that does not satisfy. The least they could have done was

compensate us. They must have had insurance. We are now out of pocket.

What a traumatic experience. There could be good news after all.

Pontins say they never received a letter but will now consider making

a goodwill gesture. Fingers crossed. Over the last few weeks we have

looked at how a dog mess have been kicked affecting communities across

Wales. Lots of you have been in touch

including Gary, who has a novel way of dealing with the problem. He

sought this device which regenerates energy from dog mess.

He thinks it could work here and is having a meeting with the council

this week to discuss it. Good luck with that.

There are a lot of awards are you could use to describe Tywyn beach.

Unspoiled is not always one of them. Have you noticed that fouling is a

problem you? Yes. We noticed as we came here

today there is quite a lot. How do you feel about people who do

not clear up after their dogs? It is disgusting really.

When my child is digging in the sand I don't want them coming

across any. It is not nice. People want more patrols on the

beach. This businessman has a plan. Your idea was to have volunteer

wardens, what could they do? Or they would be patrolling the

beach to make people aware of what they can and cannot do. Initially

the would be advisory. But if necessary it would be possible for

the Council to issue them with powers to issue on-the-spot fines.

Mike did not want to set up the scheme without some kind of

official backing. So he went to Gwynedd Council. What did they say?

It was disappointing. They kicked it into the long grass.

They had health and safety concerns, didn't they? What if wardens were

attacked? You could say that with practically

everything. If you have a fear of confronting people are committing a

crime because they might get aggressive then we would have crime

are rife. He isn't really passionate about

this and extremely frustrated by the problems.

If but Gwynedd Council say they are working to tackle the problem.

say they have put a new saints and pens. They even as you penalty

notices. But they're not keen on the warden

idea. They say that training and assured us would be needed.

So people are struggling. But here in Aberfan they have had success.

Until a fortnight ago there was a play area here.

If but the council felt that the equipment was no longer safe.

they took it down. And there were no plans to replace it. But they

did not bank on grandmothers like Susan here putting their foot down.

How did you feel when the equipment was taken down?

I thought they were putting a new park back because this has been run

down over the years. But when I was talking to them they said, no, they

did not have the money. We felt that something had to be done. I

said, let's get a petition going. I put it on Facebook. I have had such

a response. If how many signatures?

Eight or 900. How do you feel about the campaign. It is a great pity.

Knowing that the park was donated by people for the children of

Aberfan. After the campaign the council

changed their minds. Equipment will be replaced within six weeks. A

great result. How do you feel? For marvellous.

You must be thrilled that they listen to you?

Absolutely. Brilliant news. Now we have been

following the charity, Follow Your Dreams. 11 the programme we looked

at a Web site funded by the charity which claims to be a safe place for

vulnerable children to make friends. We try to sign up using a fake

identity. It took just a few minutes to set up an e-mail address

in a false name and apply to join the website. I have been accepted.

As far as they're concerned I am a 14-year-old boy locking in. Let's

have a look around. I just find it shocking. The website talks about

how safe it is yet there am I pretending to be 14-year-old boy

and I am in a position in the out to message a 10 to 15-year-old boy.

We took our findings to a leading The absolutely terrifying that that

does not appear to be a proper safeguards in place if people can

just log on and immediately start talking to people with disabilities.

There has to be some kind of . The website is funded by the

charity follow your dreams. But the row which was a controversial.

We feel uncomfortable about the idea. People with learning

disabilities performing in public and money being collected which is

not necessarily going to them. It is going somewhere else.

Where is the money going? We have investigated the finances. It turns

out that over �160,000 were paid out to private businesses owned and

run by its founder, Martin Harris. And expelled looked at the accounts.

The majority of the money is going through contractual relations with

private organisations. Mr Harris is involved in those also.

Is that normal? Quite unusual in my experience.

There are lots of organisations involved and it is unclear if the

money is going to the charity for the purposes set out.

We have also looked into the history of Follow Your Dreams. It

was are ritually called the Greg Silvester Trust, named after this

young man, who Martin Harris claimed was his inspiration for

setting up the charity. I met a young man with Down's

syndrome who changed my life. We became companions and close friends.

We contacted Greg and his family who said they had no idea the

charity had been registered as the Greg Silvester Trust al though

Martin Harris insists they knew the facts. Follow Your Dreams is being

investigated by the Charity Commission. Martin Harris says he

earns �15,000 per year running the roadshows and that thousands of

children have benefited. He said that one business to got over

�100,000 from the charity was a trading arm of which are funded

awareness projects. He is investigating the security issues

that we have highlighted. This person to go over as chief

executive last year. She agreed to speak and started by reading a

statement. Martin is a wonderful man who would

do anything for anybody full stops he cares so much for people with

learning disabilities. If you look at his businesses there will to

help people with disabilities. But what about the safety of the

website? We sponsor of the website because

it is wonderful. It says it is one of the safest

websites and the internet. I was able to register with a false name

as a 14-year-old boy and that incorrect address details.

I will definitely look into that. Well you question whether Follow

Your Dreams continues to fund the site.

Of course I will. Why did you not look into it?

We did look into it. I am going to go, sorry.

Eventually she agreed to stay. What about the money that the

charity pays to Martyn Harris's companies?

A we pay to a trading arm colt Follow Your Dreams GB.

accountant we were using at the time advised us that we cannot

trade as a charity, we have to set up a trading arm. That is what

Martin did. When we look at the account, it is

not transparent, it is not clear to people where the money...

I North. But of this leg cannot comment because I was not employed

again. But I can assure you now that the charity is being run as it

should be. We're talking about �160,000 over

three years. One man. There are lots of other people that

help us and do things. Hand on heart can you happily say

that the majority of money the charity receives goes to fulfilling

dreams? Yes, it does. Yes.

Since that interview we have heard more. The charity says that Special

Friends have carried out a thorough investigation. It has been up to

users to protect their privacy but Special Friends will look to change

that. Once security is improved then they walked the charity will

. Shocking revelations there. We passed on our concerns to the