A report has found that the family of pandemic fundraiser Captain Tom Moore damaged public trust in charities by refusing to donate any of the £1.4 million received from his book deal.
The charity commission says that Captain Tom Moore’s daughter and son in law, Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore displayed a pattern of behaviour” to allow them to benefit from the foundation set up in Captain Tom’s name.
Captain Tom rose to fame during the Covid-19 pandemic when he walked 100 laps of his garden to raise money for NHS charities ahead of his 100th birthday. He raised over £33 million, all of which was donated to charity.
His subsequent fame, which saw him knighted by the Queen, allowed him to continue his fundraising efforts which the Charity Commission says “misled” the public.
The Ingram-Moore’s dispute the report’s findings and believe that they have been treated “unfairly.”
In a statement they said: “A credible regulatory body would provide the full truth, rather than misrepresenting, and conflating facts and timelines that align with a predetermined agenda. True accountability demands transparency, not selective storytelling.”
Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth: “The charity set up in his name has not lived up to that legacy of others before self.
“The public – and the law – rightly expect those involved in charities to make an unambiguous distinction between their personal interests, and those of the charity and the beneficiaries they are there to serve.
Mr Holdsworth claimed that there were repeated incidents of a “blurring of boundaries between private and charitable interests” which benefitted the pair significantly.
One such bone of contention was Captain Tom’s subsequent book deal which saw a £1.4 million advance paid to the private company set up by the Ingram-Moores with their children as shareholders. The couple have yet to address claims that the money should be repaid.
Literary agent Bev James, who represented Captain Tom, told the inquiry that her “understanding” was that the Ingram-Moores “were very clear that they did not want the money from the books to go to charity, but they would make a donation when the Captain Tom Foundation was set up”.
The report said it “appears that Captain Tom himself believed or intended that (his book) Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day would in some way financially support the charity”.
It references the book’s prologue, which is attributed to Captain Tom, and reads: “Astonishingly at my age, with the offer to write this memoir I have also been given the chance to raise even more money for the charitable foundation now established in my name.”
The report’s authors say: “The inquiry cannot see how the first sentence in the above quote from Captain Tom can be interpreted as anything other than funds provided to Captain Tom for writing his memoir would flow to the charity to continue his charitable work.”
The report found Mrs Ingram-Moores asked the charity to pay her a figure in the region of £150,000 per annum and personally received £18,000 to appear as a judge on Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Awards where the charity’s logo was used.
Earlier this year, the couple were forced to demolish a spa complex beside their home after referencing the charity’s name and number “numerous times” in the planning application.
The finished building, which contained a cinema room, was described by a council enforcement officer as “wholly inappropriate”.
The Ingram-Moores told the inquiry that the inclusion of the charity’s name was an error and the building was never intended to be used for charitable purposes.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Captain Tom Foundation said it was “pleased with the Charity Commission’s unequivocal findings regarding the Ingram-Moores’ misconduct”.
“We join The Charity Commission in imploring the Ingram-Moores to rectify matters by returning the funds due to the Foundation, so that they can be donated to well-deserving charities as intended by the late Captain Sir Tom Moore.
