28 January 2023 , 20:39
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A music charity whose junior orchestra appeared on Britain's Got Talent was awarded £2.1million of public cash, despite bullying claims against its founder.
The Arts Council is funding Chineke! Foundation, months after receiving an email detailing misconduct allegations against boss Chi-chi Nwanoku.
Ex-colleagues claimed they were left in tears, humiliated or insulted.
ITV viewers saw Ms Nwanoku, 66, beam with pride as her junior group made the 2020 semi-finals of hit ITV show Britain’s Got Talent.
But the Sunday Mirror has seen a complaint emailed to the Arts Council last spring by an ex-worker at Chineke!
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Allegations of bullying have been levelled at Nwanoku (BristolLive)
Chi-Chi Nwanoku runs Chineke! (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Sky)They claimed: “Myself and colleagues made multiple complaints of bullying and offensive behaviour by Ms Nwanoku but these have been ignored and passed off as ‘this is just Chi-chi’… when we started sharing our experiences of bullying we realised... we had all experienced bullying nearly every day…”
The Mirror spoke to two ex-workers and a conductor who alleged bullying.
The conductor said they were left in tears after their first rehearsal – and accused Ms Nwanoku of “undermining me in front of the orchestra…it was most definitely bullying”.
Another ex-worker said: “I would dread interacting with her… she would not hesitate to criticise including instances of public humiliation, both on email and in-person.”
Five trustees resigned from Chineke! last September. In November it was announced Chineke! will get £700,000 a year until 2026.
Ms Nwanoku is a director and trustee and plays double bass in the adult orchestra. She was paid £91,000 in 2021-22.
The Arts Council said: “We expect organisations to make sure employees experience a safe environment.”
The Charity Commission said: “We are assessing the matter.”
Ms Nwanoku was contacted for comment. In a statement, the charity’s trustees said: “The Chineke! Board of Trustees takes allegations of inappropriate behaviour very seriously and are investigating these claims thoroughly.”