Who is Captain Tom's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore?
Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter and her husband have been disqualified from being charity trustees amid an ongoing inquiry into the foundation set up in the war veteran’s name.
A statement from the Ingram-Moore family said Hannah and her husband Colin had been served an order of disqualification as trustees by the Charity Commission.
Despite the option to appeal, the family said they have made the “extremely difficult decision” not to do so, saying the “profound emotional upheaval and financial burden make such a course of action untenable”.
The Captain Tom Foundation was set up in May 2020 after Sir Tom’s fundraising efforts in the first COVID-19 lockdown.
The foundation has been the subject of an investigation by the charity watchdog, amid concerns about its management and independence from Sir Tom’s family.
The Charity Commission opened a case into the foundation shortly after the 100-year-old died in 2021, and launched its inquiry in June 2022.
The decision follows several controversies involving the daughter of COVID pandemic hero Sir Tom.
Who is Hannah Ingram-Moore?
Ingram-Moore became a public figure after her late father became a national hero during the COVID pandemic for raising millions for the NHS by walking laps of his garden during lockdown.
By the time of his 100th birthday, he had walked 200 laps of his garden and made £32,796,436 in donations – the most ever raised by a single person.
A total of £38.9m for NHS charities was raised once gift aid had been added on to the tally.
Following Sir Tom’s achievement, business owner Ingram-Moore helped set up the charity in her her father’s name.
She is married to Colin Ingram and the couple have two children, Benji and Georgia.
Read more: Captain Tom Moore's knighthood is 'icing on the cake', says daughter(Yahoo News, 3 min)
What is the Captain Tom Moore Foundation?
The charity set up in Sir Tom’s name was established in May 2020 and is funded entirely by donations from private individuals and businesses.
It was set up to provide grants and support for those who apply and work closely with NHS charities.
Figures from the Charity Commission show that the foundation earned over £1m in 2021, with nearly half (£400,000) spend on expenditures.
Read more: Sir Tom charity accounts under scrutiny as thousands paid to daughter's firm(Swindon Advertiser, 2 min)
What was the planning row over their spa about?
In 2021 Ingram-Moore and her husband applied for permission to build a Captain Tom Foundation Building in the grounds of their home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
The L-shaped building was given the green light, and in a design and access and heritage statement it was described as to be used partly “in connection with The Captain Tom Foundation and its charitable objectives”.
Watch: Drone shows scaffolding as workers prepare to tear down spa at Captain Tom's family's home
A subsequent retrospective application in 2022, for a larger C-shaped building containing a spa pool, was refused by the planning authority.
Central Bedfordshire Council said in July that an enforcement notice requiring the demolition of the “now-unauthorised building” was issued and was subject to an appeal to the planning inspectorate.
The family lost their appeal against the demolition on in November 2023.
Read more: Date set for hearing over demolition of spa at home of Sir Tom’s daughter(PA, 2 min)
Why is there an inquiry into the Captain Tom Moore Foundation?
Ingram-Moore was forced to deny allegations that she had taken money from the charity that was intended to be donated.
Accounts showed the charity incurred £240,000 in costs and gave £160,000 to good causes in its first year.
Around £240,000 of £400,000 in outgoings were spent on fundraising and administration, while it was claimed that Ingram-Moore tried to become CEO of the charity on a salary of £150,000 a year – something she denies.
However, in June 2022 the Charity Commission announced it was investigating the Foundation after it reimbursed more than £54,000 to companies run by Ingram-Moore and her husband, including their consultancy firm Maytrix.
Read more: NHS Charities Together distances itself from The Captain Tom Foundation(Sky News, 2 min)
Emotional TV interview
Ingram-Moore appeared on This Morning last year and fought back tears as she defended herself against a raft of allegations.
She insisted she and her husband were only reimbursed after they had loaned the charity money and said the £150,000 salary claims were “absolutely not true”.
Ingram-Moore said: “I think we’ve been incredibly naive but I don’t think that that means we’re bad. I think that we’re wholesome, good people and we run businesses we understand.
“But I think we stepped into this for love, for humanity, for allowing as many as people as possible access to his legacy.
“We never thought of the darkness – it never, never crossed our minds.”
She described accusations that she was “milking her father’s legacy” as “devastating”.
“My whole life I’ve wanted to be held accountable, that’s what my father taught me – stand up, be counted and be accountable,” she said, adding: “I am guarding my father’s legacy, we would never hurt it.
“But I would never be able to sit on here and tell you something that’s not true.”
Read more: Captain Tom’s daughter hits back over foundation claims: ‘we’re not hiding anything’(The Independent, 3 min)
Is the Captain Tom Moore Foundation still taking donations?
In July 2023, the charity announced it had stopped taking money from donors while the Charity Commission carried out an inquiry.
The foundation said: “At this moment in time, the sole focus of the Captain Tom Foundation is to ensure that it co-operates fully with the ongoing statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission.
“As a result, the Captain Tom Foundation is not presently actively seeking any funding from donors. Accordingly, we have also taken the decision to close all payment channels while the statutory inquiry remains open.”
The charity said it would “be in a better position to make a decision in relation to its future” once the findings of the inquiry were set out.
Read more: Captain Tom Foundation halts donations and payments amid charity watchdog probe(PA, 3 min)
