A director of the Captain Tom Foundation attracted ‘concern’ from auditors after two of his companies accrued losses of more than £5million, it has been revealed.
Colin Ingram-Moore, the husband of Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter Hannah, is also a director at Stone Pit Restoration Ltd and Stonepit Ltd.
In their 2020 accounts, auditors Spencer Gardner Dickins said there was ‘material uncertainty’ and ‘significant doubt’ whether Stone Pit Restoration could continue without going bust.
The revelations come after the Charity Commission announced this week it was investigation the Captain Tom Foundation after accounts showed it paid £54,000 to companies belonging to the family.
The charity also allegedly tried to appoint Hannah as its CEO on a salary in the region of £150,000 before the move was blocked by the Charity Commission.
The fundraiser named after Captain Sir Tom Moore (above), who raised £39.3million for the NHS during the pandemic, was set up to celebrate the older generation and contribute to organisations who support them in June
Colin Ingram-Moore (left), the husband of Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter Hannah (second right), is one of the foundation’s three directors
Ingram-Moore, 64, has been a director of 51 firms including Stone Pit Restoration, which filled in chalk quarries before selling them to developers.
Accounts seen by The Times show the company made losses of £5.3million in the year ending in September 2020.
The year before, the company had been given a £12million loan for ‘infrastructure works’ but all but £200,000 had been used up by September 2020.
Auditors raised red flags over the finances and made a similar warning about the holding company Stonepit Ltd, which invested £18million in shares into Stone Pit Restoration.
Pratik Dattani, director of charity rating organisation Charity Clarity urged Ingram-Moore to step aside from the Captain Tom Foundation.
He said: ‘Trustees need to be qualified, understand their governance responsibilities and ensure they are accountable to donors, especially when large sums of money are involved.’
A source close to the two firms said the accounts were normal, while Ingram-Moore, one of three trustees of the Captain Tom Foundation, declined to comment to The Times.
It follows claims that the Captain Tom Foundation attempted to pay Hannah Ingram-Moore, above, a salary in the region of £150,000 before a watchdog intervened
Amid the revelations about the foundation, Captain Tom Day has been postponed while the watchdog probes its accounts after it allegedly tried to appoint his daughter as chief executive on a six-figure salary.
The fundraiser named after Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised £39.3million for the NHS during the pandemic, was set up to celebrate the older generation and contribute to organisations who support them in June.
But Dame Esther Rantzen, one of the event’s organisers, said the war hero’s daughter is putting the day on hold amid inquiries from the Charity Commission.
It follows claims that the Captain Tom Foundation attempted to pay Hannah Ingram-Moore a salary in the region of £150,000 before the watchdog intervened.
On whether she would want to be linked to the charity if the watchdog came across issues, Dame Esther also said: ‘I’ve got to protect my own reputation, absolutely’, reported The Independent.
A description for the event on the charity’s website reads: ‘This will be a day devoted to those who have given us so much, a day to inspire and empower people who have often felt dismissed.
‘This will be a day to remind us all of the positive impact gained by working together across generations, promoting a sense of pride and purpose to many who have felt they had been left behind.
‘You will be encouraged to fundraise, share stories and events, and to recognise projects and organisations who are supporting our ageing population. We will also be offering an award for innovation as part of the event.’
The latest comments come after the late war veteran’s family, the Ingram-Moores, were granted planning permission in 2021 for a new house in the grounds of their current home, The Sun reported.
It will include a kitchen, toilet and outside patio and will be 15x6m.
Captain Sir Tom Moore’s family (pictured on the day the war veteran was knighted) are on their way to building an extension at their home set with a toilet, kitchen and patio that will ‘mostly’ be used for charity purposes
Planning documents claimed it will ‘be used in part for private use but mostly in connection with The Captain Tom Foundation’.
The Matrix Group, which has offices on the property already, made the planning application.
The new house ‘is funded entirely by family money’, Hannah Ingram-Moore said.
It is understood that the proposal to hand Ms Ingram-Moore the role as CEO was made by trustees, while the reported salary represented around ten per cent of the charity’s total first-year income from May 2020 to April 2021.
The charity said that during trustees’ talks with the regulator, Ms Ingram-Moore ‘took the decision that the CEO role was not something she wished to pursue’ as she wanted to focus on other commitments.
The Charity Commission said its ‘engagement’ with the charity’s trustees is ongoing.
Captain Sir Tom Moore, then aged 99, first came to the nation’s attention at the height of the Covid pandemic in April 2020 when he launched a fundraising drive for his 100th birthday.
Supported by a zimmer-frame, the Second World War veteran set a challenge to walk 100 lengths of his garden at his home in Bedfordshire.
At the time, he planned to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together and aimed to finish the challenge on his 100th birthday.
But his story captured the nation’s heart and his donations eventually topped more than £32million.
The amazing fundraising effort propelled Sir Captain Tom to superstardom. He received a special BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and achieved a UK number one with a cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone – making him the oldest person to record a UK number one.
The accolades didn’t stop there. He was made an honorary colonel and was later knighted by the Queen at Windsor Castle.
But he would eventually fall victim to the Covid pandemic that had sparked his walking challenge. He was admitted to hospital with pneumonia in January last year and, after testing positive for Covid, died in Bedford Hospital on February 2, 2021.
Through the charity, his family say they hope to continue his legacy.
