Two charities have decided to keep millions of pounds granted to them by a grantmaker whose founder recently faced allegations of human trafficking.

In October, The Sunday Times newspaper published a spate of claims against the multimillionaire Hamish Ogston, including allegations of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and drug offences.

At the time, Ogston told the newspaper that he did not recognise the claims against him.

Ogston and his daughter retired as trustees after the allegations surfaced and the Hamish Ogston Foundation appointed a new board and rebranded itself as The Vinehill Trust.

Police previously said they were investigating historic allegations of exploitation and drugs offences, but Ogston has not been charged.

In the wake of the allegations, some charities cut their ties to the grantmaker and returned its donated funds, including English Heritage, which pledged to return a £667,000 donation to the funder.

Historic England also distanced itself from the charity, returning a £50,000 donation that had been made for the expansion of its heritage skills programme.

But the National Trust, which was pledged a £6.2m donation by the grantmaker for its Heritage Craft Skills apprenticeship programme, has confirmed that it plans to keep the funds it has received to date.

The charity said it would retain the nearly £2m in funds it had already received from the Vinehill Trust to allow its apprentices to continue their training. 

But the charity has paused receipt of any further funds from the full pledged amount, which it said would allow it to work with the Vinehill Trust to reshape the programme.

A spokesperson for the National Trust said: “The board of trustees has carefully considered the matter and decided that the money received to date from Vinehill Trust (formerly known as the Hamish Ogston Foundation) be retained so that the apprentices already recruited onto the Heritage Craft Skills apprentice programme can continue with their training.

“Following discussions with the grantmaker, the trustees have also decided to pause receipt of further funds for the programme. However, the National Trust remains committed to supporting craft heritage skills into the future.”

The Commonwealth Heritage Forum, a heritage charity that was pledged a total of nearly £12.3m by the grantmaker in 2023, has decided to retain the funds it has already received and continue with the programme, its accounts show.

The charity’s accounts for the year ending March 2023, filed last month, show the then-Hamish Ogston Foundation pledged the funds for a five-year programme called The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Commonwealth Heritage Skills Training Programme.

The accounts say: “VT’s legal advisers have provided written assurance to the CHF that the funding that VT has committed to provide to the CHF up to 2027 is both secure and irrevocable.”

The accounts add: “During the year the forum received grants from The Vinehill Trust and expects to receive substantial further funding in the coming years.”

The Commonwealth Heritage Forum has not responded to Third Sector’s request for comment.