Capt Tom's family benefitted from charity - inquiry

The household of renowned pandemic fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore damaged nationalist spot successful charities by refusing to donate immoderate of the £1.4m received from his publication deal, a long-awaited study has found.

The Charity Commission said his girl and son-in-law displayed a "pattern of behaviour" successful which they benefitted personally from the Captain Tom Foundation and radical "would understandably consciousness misled".

The World War Two seasoned became a household sanction during the archetypal Covid-19 lockdown, by walking up and down his driveway successful Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.

The £38.9m raised by Capt Sir Tom for NHS Charities Together, arsenic a effect of his efforts, did not signifier portion of the commission's inquiry, and each of that sum went to NHS charities.

"The foundation acceptable up successful his sanction has not lived up to that bequest of others earlier self," said Charity Commission main enforcement David Holdsworth.

"The nationalist – and the instrumentality – rightly expect those progressive successful charities to marque an unambiguous favoritism betwixt their idiosyncratic interests, and those of the foundation and the beneficiaries they are determination to serve."

Mr Holdsworth said determination were repeated instances of a "blurring of boundaries betwixt backstage and charitable interests" and that Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore benefitted significantly.

"Together the failings magnitude to misconduct and-or mismanagement," helium said.

He added its study had recovered "repeated failures of governance and integrity", and that its enquiry had been fair, balanced and independent.

In July 2023, the Captain Tom Foundation announced it was not actively seeking donations oregon making payments, but the instauration has not been closed down.

The Captain Tom Foundation was registered arsenic a grant-making foundation 2 months aft the veteran's locomotion began, and celebrities including Sir David Beckham and Dame Judy Dench aboriginal helped to beforehand its assorted fundraisers.

The father-of-two died aged 100 successful February 2021, with coronavirus.

His son-in-law Mr Ingram-Moore became a trustee of the instauration that aforesaid month, and Sir Capt Tom's girl - Mrs Ingram-Moore - became interim main enforcement aboriginal that year.

The couple’s roles came into question successful June 2022, erstwhile the committee launched a statutory inquiry to find if they had benefitted privately astatine the charity’s expense.

The regulator’s findings showed that Club Nook, a backstage steadfast acceptable up by the Ingram-Moores successful April 2020, was paid an beforehand of £1.47m for Sir Capt Tom’s 3 books, including his best-selling autobiography, Tomorrow Will beryllium a Good Day.

The steadfast Penguin, and promoter Carver PR, said the household gave repeated assurances that portion of the beforehand would beryllium utilized to acceptable up and money the foundation.

In addition, a property release, assorted selling materials and the prologue of Sir Capt Sir Tom’s memoir, each stated that the books would beryllium utilized to enactment oregon rise wealth for the foundation.

However, to day the foundation has not received immoderate wealth from the publishing agreement.

In 2022, the committee said the enquiry doubly asked Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore to "rectify matters by making a donation to charity" but "on some occasions they declined".

The publications were "a purely commercialized endeavour" and "had damaged nationalist trust" successful charities, the study concluded.

Between 2020 and 2021, Capt Sir Tom acted arsenic a justice for the Virgin Media Local Legends Awards and was personally paid £10,000.

The pursuing year, his girl was approached to beryllium a justice and signed an ambassador statement with Virgin Media O2 portion main enforcement of the Captain Tom Foundation, for which she was paid £18,000.

The consequent Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Awards included the charity's logo connected its awards plaque.

She had already been made interim main enforcement astatine the charity, connected an yearly wage of £85,000.

However, the study said determination was nary grounds that she informed the foundation trustees erstwhile she entered into the fiscal statement with Virgin Media.

The committee said it did not hold with Mrs Ingram-Moore’s assertion the enactment was undertaken successful a idiosyncratic capacity.

It recovered this created a struggle of interest, and her nonaccomplishment to debar oregon negociate this concern "amounted to misconduct and-or mismanagement", adding this besides meant the outgo she received was an "unauthorised benefit" to her husband, who was a trustee astatine the time.

In 2021, the Ingram-Moores received support from the assembly to physique a Captain Tom Foundation gathering beside their home, aft referencing the charity’s sanction and fig "numerous times" successful the readying application.

However, the resulting building, which contained a spa excavation and location cinema, was described by assembly enforcement serviceman Richard Proctor arsenic "wholly unauthorised" and the household was forced to demolish it successful February.

The Charity Commission recovered the mates failed to consult the trustees astir the spa complex, which suggested "they were utilizing the foundation and its sanction inappropriately for their backstage benefit".

The Ingram-Moores told the enquiry the inclusion of the charity’s sanction successful the archetypal readying exertion was an error, claiming they were engaged with "global media work" astatine the time, but they did mean to usage the gathering for charitable purposes.

Other findings contained successful the study showed:

• Mrs Ingram-Moore was "very overmuch progressive successful discussions astir mounting her salary" and said to trustee Stephen Jones that "her expectations were successful the portion of £150,000 per annum". Her assertion that she was not offered a six-figure wage was described arsenic "disingenuous" by the inquiry
• She "purposely" removed the conflicts of involvement clause from her employment declaration with the charity, telling Mr Jones: "This is not a ineligible requirement... I volition not beryllium doing thing to struggle with each my roles but I cannot beryllium successful a presumption to petition authorization astatine each turn, my beingness would grind to a halt."
• Since the Ingram-Moores' company, Club Nook, owned the Sir Capt Tom trademarks, trustees had to consult with them erstwhile it wanted to usage his sanction for foundation purposes, including by asking for support to merchantability printed mugs

In July, Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore were disqualified from being a trustee oregon holding a elder absorption presumption successful charities for a play of 8 and 10 years respectively.

A period earlier, they had described the enquiry arsenic a "harrowing ordeal" and a "relentless pursuit".

Mr Holdsworth urged the Ingram-Moores to "follow done connected the committedness that was made and donate a important magnitude to the charity".

He said it was up to the remaining trustee whether to instrumentality ineligible enactment and the Commission "stood acceptable to supply proposal arsenic they considered that".

The Ingram-Moores were approached for further remark and the BBC attempted to interaction the remaining trustee, Mr Jones.