Captain Tom Moore charity suspends collecting donations

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Theexwife

I am surprised at the number of people now saying they knew something was wrong, why didn't they do anything at the time?

What were we supposed to do other than talk amongst ourselves and decide not to donate?

I am surprised at the number of people now saying they knew something was wrong, why didn't they do anything at the time?

I’m confused. I understand that they used the charity name for the application process for the building. They then added a wing for personal use, so I can see the problem with both these matters. What I’m not clear on is whether they used any of the donated monies for the building work.

My heart sank when I read this in the press this morning. My first thought was, Doesn't anyone do something good for others these days without looking to gain financially themselves?
Until the investigation is complete I won't jump to conclusions but this seems to be a common theme of life today which incredibly sad.

Such a shame that this ongoing inquiry, regardless of the outcome, will inevitably cast a shadow on the memory of the late Captain Tom himself, whose heart was most certainly in the right place, and who selflessly achieved so much for charity. From the scant information that is available to the public, it appears that at best, his family have been badly advised as to how to run a charity. At worst.. I won't speculate on that.

I thought Captain Tom was a wonderful man, but have had doubts about his daughter and son-in-law from the very start.
Nothing about this latest news surprises me in the least!

GrannyGravy13

BlueBelle

Afraid I had bad feelings from the very start and wouldn’t play into it all
I also thought they were total idiots taking an unwell 100 year old to the West Indies

The West Indies was on Major Tom’s bucket list when we knew our Mum was terminally ill we took her wherever she wanted.

I think their hearts were/are in the right place, not sure they have had the correct advice regarding running a charity.

But I presume your mother wasn’t a 100 year old, unvaccinated gentleman who was in very poor health and subsequently contracted Covid while there and died?
I found the whole situation with him very disturbing.

I loved Captain Tom and I hope this doesn't spoil his tremendous legacy.

Yes I agree.. think the lines of what was the charity’s money and what was his daughters became blurred! Sure there is much angst within the extended family!!!

Chardy

I didn't understand why this made the headlines this week. There were 'concerns' about this charity ages ago (was it not long after he died in February 2021?)

I think this is a new allegation.

The stuff I read last year was that the daughter had appointed herself as head of the "charity" with a salary of over £100,000. This allegation relates to them applying for planning permission to build offices and a museum for the Captain Tom charity but that they added an extra wing with a swimming pool and spa for private use and then applied for retrospective planning permission. There is also issue of them using charity money to fund buildings on land that the daughter owns and (I think) leases to the charity.

For a small charity the co-mingling of charity and private funds is problematic and also has tax implications.

I didn't understand why this made the headlines this week. There were 'concerns' about this charity ages ago (was it not long after he died in February 2021?)

GrannyGravy13

BlueBelle

Afraid I had bad feelings from the very start and wouldn’t play into it all
I also thought they were total idiots taking an unwell 100 year old to the West Indies

The West Indies was on Major Tom’s bucket list when we knew our Mum was terminally ill we took her wherever she wanted.

I think their hearts were/are in the right place, not sure they have had the correct advice regarding running a charity.

Well I don't want to go to the West Indies but if I'm still here at 100 (which I very much doubt) I do have a bucket list.
Must let the DC have a copy 🙂

I'm afraid that is what happens with many of the small charities. People begin to see the money raised as being their own. The idea that the foundation needed a building in the grounds of their home with a spa pool and kitchen is ridiculous. At 31 May 2021 there were 3 trustees, one of whom is the son in law.

The accounts for the year ended 31 May 2022 have not been submitted to Companies House which means that they are overdue.

This doesn't look good: metro.co.uk/2023/07/04/captain-tom-moores-daughter-ordered-to-demolish-spa-built-using-charitys-name-19067713/?ito=socialmetrouktwitter

All the information available makes me feel very uneasy...but I still hold Captain Tom in my heart. Let's see what the outcome is, as we can only speculate at the moment. I just wonder why it has been over a year since the Charity Commission investigation launched with no findings...

AskAlice

"Page cannot be found" message when I follow the link, RosesandLilac

Sorry! I’ve cut and pasted.

The Captain Tom Foundation is no longer taking donations or making payments due to an ongoing inquiry into its finances.
The Charity Commission is looking into the foundation amid concerns his family may have profited from using his name.
Capt Sir Tom Moore's daughter and husband used the charity's name on a planning application for a building later used as a spa.
The foundation and Hannah Ingram-Moore have been contacted for comment.
The Army veteran walked 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden at the start of lockdown, raising £33m for NHS Charities Together.
Capt Sir Tom, who was born in Keighley in West Yorkshire and died in 2021 aged 100, carried out the fundraising walk at his home when Covid restrictions were first introduced in 2020.
Capt Sir Tom Moore
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Capt Sir Tom won the nation's hearts with his fundraising walk, which took in 100 laps of his garden
After he became a national figure, his family set up a separate charity in his name.
In a statement on the Captain Tom Foundation website, the charity said its "sole focus...is to ensure that it cooperates fully with the on-going 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 whilst the statutory inquiry remains open," it said.
Inquiry begins into Captain Tom Foundation
Watchdog to review Capt Sir Tom charity accounts
How Capt Sir Tom Moore became a nation's hero
The statement said when the inquiry concludes it "will be in a better position to make a decision in relation to its future".
When the inquiry was launched in June last year, the Charity Commission said "concerns have mounted" over the charity and independence from a business run by Capt Sir Tom's family.
Hannah Ingram-Moore
IMAGE SOURCE, PA MEDIA
Image caption,
Capt Sir Tom's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and her husband submitted the initial plans for the building in their name but said it would be used by the foundation
Hannah Ingram-Moore is the youngest of Capt Sir Tom's two daughters and lived with the Army veteran at the family home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
It has emerged the Ingram-Moores requested planning permission for a Captain Tom Moore Building, which was "for use by occupiers... and Captain Tom Foundation", according to documents submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council in August 2021.
The local authority granted permission for the single-storey structure to be built on the tennis courts at the Grade II listed home, as first reported in The Sun.
Then, in February 2022, the family submitted revised plans for the already partly constructed building, which called it the Captain Tom Moore Building.
The plans included a spa pool, toilets and a kitchen, which the Design & Access and Heritage Statement said was "for private use".
In November 2022, Central Bedfordshire Council refused the respective planning permission for the revised plans.
The Captain Tom Foundation did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on the planning application, but told The Sun the trustees were unaware and "would not have authorised" the plans had they known.
presentational grey line

BlueBelle

Afraid I had bad feelings from the very start and wouldn’t play into it all
I also thought they were total idiots taking an unwell 100 year old to the West Indies

The West Indies was on Major Tom’s bucket list when we knew our Mum was terminally ill we took her wherever she wanted.

I think their hearts were/are in the right place, not sure they have had the correct advice regarding running a charity.

Afraid I had bad feelings from the very start and wouldn’t play into it all
I also thought they were total idiots taking an unwell 100 year old to the West Indies

This

"Page cannot be found" message when I follow the link, RosesandLilac