VOLUNTEERS have spoken of their relief after a former treasurer who defrauded a cancer charity out of more than £100,000 was sent to jail.

It was a morning of high emotion at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday as ten volunteers gathered in the public gallery to watch Ian Smith, the former treasurer at Relay for Life Clacton, receive a jail sentence of three years and four months.

Smith took a total of £106,575 and was pursued for more than a year by volunteers who worried why Cancer Research UK hadn’t received the money.

Sharon Wyatt, who was the event chair at Relay for Life Clacton and was involved in the charity since it started, said it was difficult for volunteers to come to terms with what was going on when money started going missing from the accounts.

She said: “We didn’t want to believe it – the good part of your nature doesn’t want to believe there’s bad in anybody, [but] for the families and those involved… it’s each person it’s had an effect on.

“It was that knock-on effect on how we go forward from that because that money didn’t go where it should have.

“There’s relief that it’s been dealt with now – at the end of the day, he’s still a person with a family, but volunteers are having to deal with [the fallout from] all this.”

Bob Cooper, one of the relay team leaders, described Smith as unassuming, even when he was treasurer.

“He was his wife’s shadow – he was quiet, in the background, doing what needed to be done.

“He wasn’t an attention seeking kind of guy – he was the complete opposite of his wife.”

On the return of the Relay for life, he said: “I think it might start again, but it’s too raw at the moment to even think about it.

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“My wife has had cancer and she’s been in hospital this morning – it’s hard.

“That’s why we do it, that’s what we do it for.

“I think it was the right sentence.”

Chris Winning, another long-term volunteer, said: “We want to move forward now so we can replace the trust in the charity that was lost.”

"Shocked and disappointed" – Cancer Research UK’s head of supporter-led fundraising reacts to treasurer's conviction of fraud by abuse of position

Trudy Stammer, Cancer Research UK’s head of supporter-led fundraising, said Ian Smith betrayed the trust of hundreds of volunteers, supporters, and colleagues when he defrauded Relay for Life Clacton out of more than £100,000.

In a full statement, she said: "We are shocked and disappointed by the actions of Ian Smith. We rely on the generosity and goodwill of the public in helping to raise money for our life-saving work. Mr Smith has betrayed our trust and let down both our supporters and colleagues.

"Relay For Life Clacton is a well-established and much-loved annual fundraising event which has been supported by the local community for over a decade, raising nearly £1m to help beat cancer sooner.

"The criminal actions of one individual must not be allowed to undermine the dedication, commitment and phenomenal support of organisers and supporters who have made an immense contribution to cancer research and have firmly cemented Relay For Life as a highlight of Clacton’s fundraising events calendar.

"There are no plans to stage Relay For Life Clacton in 2023 but it is hoped that the event will make a successful return in future years.

"We’ve had messages from dedicated local volunteer fundraisers who have stated their determination to continue to help us achieve our mission, which is encouraging and deeply humbling."