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The Charity Commission has found that the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised £38.9 million for NHS charities during the first Covid-19 lockdown, damaged public trust in charities by refusing to donate any of the £1.4 million received from his book deal. The Commission claimed that Colin and Hannah Ingram-Moore – Captain Sir Tom’s son-in-law and daughter – demonstrated a “pattern of behaviour” that benefitted them personally and misled the public, saying that “the charity set up in his name has not lived up to that legacy of others before self.” The couple was accused of benefiting significantly in areas of repeated failures of governance and integrity. The £38.9m raised for NHS Charities Together did not form part of the inquiry, and all of that sum went to NHS charities. The Captain Tom Foundation announced in July 2023 that it did not actively seek donations or payments.
The Charity Commission found Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore guilty of “misconduct and mismanagement.” David Holdsworth, the charity commission CEO, stated that there were instances of private and charitable interests blurring and repeated failures of governance and integrity. Virgin Media O2 was accused of creating a conflict of interest when it paid Hannah Ingram-Moore £18,000 for her work as a connector judge at an awards ceremony held in honor of Captain Sir Tom. The commission did not agree with Mrs. Ingram-Moore’s assertion that the work was undertaken in a personal capacity.
The report also stated that the publication of Captain Sir Tom Moore’s three books had constituted a purely commercial endeavor, which damaged public trust in charities. Sir Capt Tom’s family’s private company was paid £1.47m as an advance for the books, with the publishing house and promoter informed that they’d use the funds to set up and finance the foundation. However, the charity has yet to receive money from the publishing agreement. The inquiry twice asked Colin and Hannah Ingram-Moore “to rectify matters by making a donation to charity,” but “on both occasions, they declined.”
The Charity Commission found that the construction of the Captain Tom Foundation building next to the Ingram-Moores’ home, which had a spa pool and home cinema, was “wholly unauthorized.” According to the Council enforcement officer Richard Proctor, Captain Sir Tom’s family did not consult the foundation’s trustees about the spa complex. Moreover, the report suggested that they were using the charity and its name inappropriately for their private benefit. Other findings found that Mrs. Ingram-Moore was “very much involved in discussions around setting her salary” and purposely removed the conflicts of interest clause from her employment contract with the charity.
A statement from the Ingram-Moores denied that they had taken any money from public donations and accused the Charity Commission of “unfairly and unjustly” treating them in the report. The statement read, “True accountability demands transparency, not selective storytelling,” adding the charities watchdog had a predetermined agenda. They further stated that the inquiry had taken a “serious toll” on the family’s health, unfairly tarnishing their name
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