I guess they have to entertain guests during the organisational phase, and it would prove economical (in cost and time) to do this in-house rather than going out to hotels/restaurants - better for security, too.
That sounds very familiar.
We can spend a load of money on marketing and charitable donations, and if we do it through this lot, we can have a few slap up lunches and some entertainment thrown in. That's a good deal for us, and it's much more tax efficient than taking the PAYE & NI hit on the money and spending our own cash on lunches.
Let's just start a huge business, allegedly to make money for a charity, but spend almost all of the revenue on ourselves.
I wonder how much less, if any, would be collected by asking spotters to pay for limited access at the remaining airfields. All year round airshows, no manning costs and no traffic issues for the locals.
Are there 2,000 serious spotters in the UK? Including terrorists and foreign spies?
We could knock up an access area at each airfield. Like Waddo has but better, and sell annual memberships for £100 which allows you into any site.
Same money for the Charity, without the hangers on getting a nose in the trough.