CAPTAIN Sir Tom Moore’s daughter has said she’s sorry if people “feel misled” over the charity set up in the Covid hero’s name.
World War Two veteran Captain Tom inspired the nation by raising £38.9million for the NHS during the pandemic lockdown in 2020.
Hannah Ingram-Moore speaking to the BBC today[/caption]
Hannah alongside Captain Tom prior to his death[/caption]
The late Captain Tom Moore with a copy of his autobiography[/caption]
He walked laps of his garden in Bedfordshire before passing away the following year aged 100 from the virus itself.
His family went on to set up the Captain Tom Foundation to support “causes close to [his] heart”.
It was directed by his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, 54, and her husband Colin Ingram-Moore, 67.
It comes as reported by The Sun earlier this week, disgraced Mrs Ingram-Moore plans to release a new book about coping with death.
The charity came under scrutiny after a damning report by the Charity Commission last November.
It revealed the couple had pocketed around £1.5million and benefited “significantly” through association to the foundation.
The watchdog found there were misleading suggestions the proceeds from a £1.4million book deal would be made to the charity.
This included Captain Tom’s autobiography Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day.
It also said the couple had twice been invited to “rectify matters” by donating money to the charity “in line with their original intentions as understood by those involved” but had “declined to do so”.
Speaking out for the first time since the inquiry, Mrs Ingram-Moore told the BBC “there was never any intent to mislead”, adding: “If there was any misleading it wasn’t our doing.”
She said her dad was of “very sound mind” and had wanted to ensure his loved ones “lived well” after his death with the pandemic having but pressure on their business.
Mrs Ingram-Moore went on to explain the family took £800,000 from the book deal, though most of this was eaten up in legal costs.
However, publisher Penguin and promoter Carver PR told the BBC the family said part of the autobiography’s advance would be used to finance the foundation.
A press release about the memoir also stated money would be going to the charity.
Mrs Ingram-Moore said they have already made a donation but declined to reveal the exact amount.
“Do you know what I don’t think that’s the right thing to do,” she said.
“I don’t think its helpful now for me to put another number out because that is the number everyone will talk about.
“There is nothing dishonest about what happened. The book said it would support the launch and it did,” she added.
The Charity Commission report found the foundation had given grants amounting to £160,000 to four charities and spent over £162,000 on management fees during the same period.
It also raised concerns about deals with Virgin Media worth £28,000.
It found a “repeated pattern of behaviour” relating to the couple’s private gains.
Mrs Ingram-Moore said it would’ve cost too much money to challenge the report’s findings.
The Commission had already banned her from being a trustee or holding a senior management role in any charity in England or Wales for a decade, and Mr Ingram-Moore was struck off for eight years.
The couple were also ordered to demolish a luxury spa that had built in their grounds using the Captain Tom Foundation charity name.
Charity Commission’s findings into Hannah Ingram-Moores
LAST month, a 30-page report was published, following a two-year inquiry.
It found the Ingram-Moores carried out repeated instances of misconduct.
These included:
- “disingenuous” statements from Mrs Ingram-Moore about not being offered a six-figure sum to become the charity’s CEO
- a misleading implication that donations from book sales would be made to the foundation
- no evidence to support Mrs Ingram-Moore’s claims she attended an awards ceremony in a personal capacity, for which she was paid £18,000
- The couple used the foundation’s name in an initial planning application for an illegal spa pool block at their home
Hannah and her husband Colin[/caption]
The pair were previously ordered to demolish an unauthorised spa that had been built under Captain Tom’s name[/caption]
The spa was knocked down last year[/caption]
Captain Tom rose to fame in 2020 for walking 100 laps of his garden[/caption]
