Captain Tom's daughter's controversies - illegal spa, charity probe, holiday row
Captain Sir Tom Moore became an overnight national treasure when he walked 100 laps around his garden to raise vital funds for the NHS.
His selfless act took hold during the coronavirus lockdown, when the health service was on its knees. The war veteran managed to raise millions for the NHS charities, and following his success, his family set up the charity The Captain Tom Foundation.
He died in February 2021 after a short battle with Covid-19 and pneumonia, and his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore stepped into the limelight, taking the reigns of his foundation and legacy. However in the past year, she has made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Hannah and her husband controversially erected a spa on land at their family home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, however today workers are on-site to demolish the U-shaped block after the development was ruled to be illegal. Meanwhile, at the end of last year, the daughter tearfully admitted to keeping £800,000 from the sales of her father's books. From charity probes to her controversial spa and that holiday to Barbados, we take a look back at the famous veteran's daughter's most eyebrow-raising moments...
£800K payout
Captain Tom's daughter admitted to keeping £800,000 from the sales of her father's books. In tears, Hannah said she kept money raised from three books her inspirational father had written. In a Talk interview with Piers Morgan, she explained he wanted his family to keep the money from the books in Club Nook Ltd rather than the Captain Tom Foundation charity.
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She told Piers: "These were my father's books, and it was honestly such a joy for him to write them, but they were his books. He had an agent and they worked on that deal, and his wishes were that that money would sit in Club Nook, and in the end . . . " "For you to keep?" Piers interjected as she clarified: "Yes. Specifically." The family told Piers that they believed that anyone buying the books had no reason to think they were donating to charity.
But, the prologue to Tom's autobiography Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day, appears to suggest it was raising money for the Captain Tom Foundation. Published in September 2020, it read: "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."
Barbados getaway controversy
Captain Tom fulfilled a lifelong dream shortly before Christmas 2020 when he went on a bucket list holiday to Barbados. But when he caught coronavirus and died just weeks after the trip, many questioned the decision-making behind the jaunt.
The Moore family flew out to the Caribbean Island on December 11, with the trip arranged by British Airways and Visit Barbados to thank Tom for his selfless achievement. There, Captain Tom posed for one of his final photos alongside singer Cliff Richard and comedian Russ Abbot.
Sir Tom got to meet singer Sir Cliff and comedian Russ Abbot (Facebook)Music legend Sir Cliff, 82, shared the picture on his Facebook page, writing: "How privileged, Russ Abbot and I were to meet this most wonderful man during his visit to Barbados! He was easy to be with and I understand why Sir Captain Tom was such an inspiration to all of us. Rest In Peace."
Sadly the 100-year-old World War Two veteran died two months later on February 2 at Bedford Hospital following a short battle with Covid-19 and pneumonia. Trolls blasted the family for taking Tom - who had been receiving treatment for prostate and skin cancer before his death - away at such a risky time.
But then Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan hit back at critics, defending the family and daughter Hannah. "You know Hannah [Tom's daughter] told me about how it hurt them. It hurt them at a time when at their darkest moment with their dad, their granddad. You just added a little bit more despair and misery and hurt onto what they were suffering as a family."
Charity set up in her dad's name
Sir Tom raised a staggering £38.9 million for the NHS, which was distributed through by NHS Charities Together. After he became a household name, his family set up a charity called The Captain Tom Foundation, with the aim of helping 'empower' older citizens.
However, the Charity Commission launched an investigation amid 'concerns' about its links to Hannah and her husband's private company, Club Nook Ltd. Hannah has defended setting up the charity in her father's name and said she would never hurt his legacy.
She has also denied claims that the Foundation had planned to appoint her as chief executive on a salary of £150,000. "The £150,000, it's absolutely not true," she said, speaking to This Morning. "What the trustees did was ask for a benchmarking, 'if we were to employ a CEO what's the highest, what's the lowest', the highest happened to be £150,000, the lowest was about £60,000, depending on the charity, so it's simply not true."
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When it came to addressing reports that the charity paid more than £50,000 to companies run by her and her husband, she admitted they had loaned money from her business to the charity and it was reimbursed.
Sir Tom Moore was knighted after becoming a national treasure (PA)"We published our first annual accounts and they are independently audited and in that first year of the charity, my business loaned the foundation some money because we didn't want to eat into the first donation we had ? which was £100,000 from a corporate donator," she said.
"And that's all we had, and we didn't want to take that money for costs, so we loaned it on the basis that we were lending money from my business that was also suffering during the pandemic, so we need to have it reimbursed. So, very straightforward - when the charity had a bit more money, we were reimbursed those costs and that landed us a headline, that I had essentially paid myself £50,000 into my own business, which was absolutely not the case."
She continued: "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."
Hannah cheering in the royal box at Wimbledon last year (Daily Express)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 continued.
"We've never shied away from regulation. Hold me accountable, hold my feet to the flame. 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." She said that her 14-year-old daughter said to her, "mum, why do people hate you, after all that you've done?" and that the teenager 'doesn't understand'.
"I recognise we can't possibly make everybody happy," she continued. "We would love to think that we could but even my father got hated, remember. People were even trolling my father, we just never told him.
Hannah says she is 'guarding my father?s legacy' (PA)"We recognise this beacon of hope to the world can attract negativity. This has just been a shocking amount of negativity that's been really honed directly at me personally but this is not about me and actually you know what, it wasn't about the money, it was about humanity."
When the investigation was launched, Helen Stephenson, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said: "The late Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired the nation with his courage, tenacity and concern for others. It is vital that public trust in charity is protected, and that people continue to feel confident in supporting good causes.
"We do not take any decision to open an inquiry lightly but in this case our concerns have mounted. We consider it in the public interest to examine them through a formal investigation, which gives us access to the full range of our protective and enforcement powers."
Home spa demolished
A view of the home of Hannah Ingram-Moore (PA)In July 2023, Hannah was accused of using her late-father's name to build a spa facility at her £1.2million home in Bedfordshire. The 52-year-old and her husband were ordered to tear down the luxury outbuilding, which houses a pool and changing facilities, after it emerged it had been built without planning permission.
Under the name of the Captain Tom Foundation, the family erected the building in 2021 "in connection with the Captain Tom Foundation and its charitable objectives". But after building the complex and deviating from original plans, the husband and wife submitted a retrospective planning request, which was consequently rejected.
A spokesperson for Central Bedfordshire Council, the planning authority for the area, said at the time: "An enforcement notice requiring the demolition of the now-unauthorised building was issued and this is now subject to an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate."
Amid the news, the foundation released a statement saying it had paused seeking donations, and was closing all payment channels, 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. Once the findings of the statutory inquiry have been communicated, the Captain Tom Foundation will be in a better position to make a decision in relation to its future, but for now, our main priority is to assist the Charity Commission with its inquiry. In the meantime, on behalf of the trustees of the Captain Tom Foundation, we wish to extend a warm thank you to all our supporters who have enabled us to help charities that were close to Captain Sir Tom's heart."
Speaking about the spa in a recent interview with Piers Morgan last year, the TV host asked: "When I first walk in the first thing I see is a luxurious spa pool, that's got nothing to do with Captain Tom. Why are you reluctant to get rid of it? I've asked this a few times now... I'll give you one last chance." Grilling the family on their financial affairs in the interview airing on Thursday, the TalkTV host questioned: "Neither of you have ever made any money directly from the Foundation for personal gain?" To which Colin replies: "Not a penny."
The long awaited spa clear-out (Spartacus / SplashNews.com)On Tuesday, November 7, the couple were then told they had to tear down the facility for good after it was ruled that the outbuilding was constructed illegally. And on January 23, builders arrived at the property to commence the demolition.
Planning inspector Diane Fleming said the "scale and massing" of the building had "resulted in harm" to The Old Rectory - the Grade II listed family home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire. Neighbour Jill Bozdogan, 70, whose home is overlooked by the spa, said: “The sooner they tear it down the better.
"It doesn’t blend in with the two original buildings. For me it was something you can see from all my back windows - upstairs and downstairs. Every time I go into the garden it makes me so cross. It does nothing for the surroundings here. My mum is 99 and lives with me. She liked to go and sit in the garden, but she rarely does now because of that building.”
The complex must be demolished by Wednesday, February 7 and images today show rubbish being piled up as the work begins.
Smiling holiday snap amid row over spa
Hannah shared a smiling holiday snap with family after being slammed over spa complex
Captain Tom Moore pictured holding a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth II as he celebrated his 100th birthday (PA)Hannah was met with fury when she shared a smiling holiday snap amidst the spa row last year. She shared a picture of herself beaming for the camera alongside husband Colin and her family on her public Instagram account. Mrs Ingram-Moore, 52, posed with her family on a balcony in a BeReal shot shared to her 11.3k followers, only to be met with furious backlash over the pool scandal, with one calling her "shameful".
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