November 21st 2024.
Captain Sir Tom Moore, a hero and inspiration to many, passed away three years ago but his legacy continues to live on. The British public unanimously agrees that he was truly one of the best among us. At the age of 99, Captain Tom took on the challenge of walking 100 laps around his back garden during the first lockdown in 2020. His goal was to raise money for the National Health Service (NHS) and he ended up raising an incredible £38.9 million.
However, as time has passed since his death, Captain Tom's remarkable deeds have been overshadowed by the actions of others, including those whom he trusted to carry on his legacy. Unfortunately, the Captain Tom Foundation, which promised to do great things in his name, has now been closed down. It was revealed that £800,000, which was supposed to go towards the charity, was instead taken by his own daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore. A damning report from the Charity Commission concluded that the family had gained "significant personal benefit" from their involvement with the charity.
The family's downfall has been further highlighted by the demolition of a spa they built without planning permission at their Grade II listed family home. They had tried to pass it off as a facility for the benefit of local elderly people, but the truth was that it was for their own personal use. It's a sad turn of events for a family that was once held in such high regard.
Let's take a closer look at what has happened since Captain Tom's passing and how it has affected his family's reputation. The Captain Tom Foundation was established in June 2020 with the goal of raising money for organizations supporting the elderly in the UK. Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin became trustees of the charity in February 2021, around the time of her father's death. However, she resigned from her position just a month later.
In July 2021, the Charity Commission intervened to prevent Ms. Ingram-Moore from being appointed as the foundation's chief executive and receiving a salary of £100,000, deeming it "neither reasonable nor justifiable." Despite this, a month later she was appointed as chief executive on a nine-month contract worth £85,000 a year. Once her contract expired, an experienced charity sector manager, Jack Gilbert, was appointed as the new chief executive.
In February 2022, it was revealed that the Ingram-Moores had paid themselves £50,000 in expenses related to Captain Tom's publicity tours. The Charity Commission later deemed these expenses as legitimate. However, there have been concerns raised about missing money from the foundation. During an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Ms. Ingram-Moore admitted to keeping £800,000 from the sale of her father's books, despite the prologue stating that the profits would go to charity. She claimed that her father wanted them to keep the money, as the books were his.
In January 2022, Ms. Ingram-Moore was paid £18,000 for judging a charity award in Bristol, but the foundation only received £2,000 from this event. It's clear that there have been financial irregularities within the foundation, which led to an investigation by the Charity Commission in June 2022. It was discovered that members of the Ingram-Moore family had potentially profited from the charity, which was set up in Captain Tom's name. The Commission launched a formal inquiry after new evidence of misconduct emerged. As a result, the foundation stopped taking money from donors and is currently under investigation.
The foundation also faced backlash for trademarking the "Captain Tom" brand without the approval of the foundation. In response, the couple claimed that they had trademarked the name before the foundation was even formed. The Ingram-Moores also applied for permission to build a Captain Tom Foundation building on their property, which was initially approved. But when they submitted a part-retrospective planning application to increase the size of the building and add a spa pool, it was refused. The couple appealed this decision, but their appeal was denied and they were ordered to demolish the building by February 7, 2023.
The Charity Commission's investigation concluded that the Ingram-Moores had made "repeated failures" in their role as trustees and that they had "blurred boundaries" between their private and charitable interests. They were found to have received "significant personal benefit" from their involvement with the foundation. CEO David Holdsworth stated that while Captain Tom's fundraising efforts had brought hope to many during the pandemic, the foundation had failed to uphold his legacy of "others before self." It's a sad end to a once-promising charity that was meant to honor the memory of a true hero.
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