- Captain Tom Foundation Halts Donations Amid Demolition Controversy
- Unapproved Home Spa Leads to Charity Commission Investigation
- Uncertainty Surrounds Future of Captain Tom Foundation during Statutory Inquiry
The Captain Tom Foundation was established in honor of Captain Sir Tom Moore, a 100-year-old veteran of World War I. Who raised nearly £33 million for NHS Charities Together in 2020 by walking 1,000 circuits around his garden.
The Captain Tom Foundation has ceased accepting donations after learning that his daughter must demolish an unapproved home spa.
It also coincides with an ongoing Charity Commission financial investigation.
Planning officials ordered the destruction of Captain Tom’s daughter’s unpermitted construction after a spa pool block was denied.
In 2021, Hannah Ingram-Moore and Colin applied for a Captain Tom Foundation Building in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
The site would be “about The Captain Tom Foundation and its charitable goals.”
The county of Central Bedfordshire adopted them. However, the authority denied a retroactive application for a larger building with a leisure pool in 2022.
The council spokesperson stated, “An enforcement notice mandating the demolition of the now-illegal structure has been issued, and the Planning Inspectorate is now considering an appeal.”
The Charity Commission is investigating the charity’s management and independence from the deceased veteran’s family.
A statement on the foundation’s website stated, “At this time, The Captain Tom Foundation is solely focused on cooperating completely with the Charity Commission’s ongoing Statutory Inquiry.
Therefore, The Captain Tom Foundation is not actively soliciting funding from donors at this time.
“Accordingly, we have decided to close all payment channels for the duration of the Statutory Inquiry.”
The charity stated that it would be in a “better position” to “decide its future” once it received the inquiry’s findings.
The charity was established in honor of Captain Sir Tom Moore, a 100-year-old veteran of World War I who raised £39 million for NHS Charities Together in April 2020 by walking 100 circuits around his garden.
In February 2021, national hero Captain Sir Tom died.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission stated that the agency would not comment while the investigation is ongoing.
A month after the veteran’s demise, the commission opened an investigation into the charity in March 2021 and expanded it into a statutory investigation in June of the previous year.
