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Captain Tom Foundation under investigation after accounts raise concerns

Founded in June 2020 by the army veteran’s family, accounts show the foundation has spent vast amounts on "consultancy fees", "management" and "advertising and marketing"

The Hoot - 10th February 2022

An investigation has been launched into the accounts of the Captain Tom Foundation, founded by the army veteran's family in June 2020, after concerns were raised about the management of its accounts.

Now the Charity Commission, which is independent but run by the government, has confirmed that it has opened a case to assess the recently submitted accounts

The commission has already been working closely with the trustees since March last year after issues surrounding its governance arose in 2021.

The Captain Tom Foundation was founded in June 2020 by the beloved army veteran’s family after he became a household name by walking 100 laps of his garden to raise money for NHS Charities Together at a time when there was a huge shortage of PPE.

The foundation aims to support the older generation and promote social inclusion, but following the publication of the charity’s accounts on Friday the charity watchdog has confirmed it will now look closely at its regulatory compliance.

According to the published accounts – which cover the charity’s first year from 5 May 2020 to 31 May 2021 – The Captain Tom Foundation accumulated £1.1 million in donations and paid out grants to four charities worth £40,000 each (£160,000 in total).

However, it then spent £209,433 on support costs – including £162,336 on “management”.

Of these named management costs, £126,424 was spent on “fundraising consultancy fees”, and £20,884 was used in “advertising and marketing expenditure”.

The financial statement also showed reimbursement costs of £16,097 paid to Club Nook Limited – a company which is run by Captain Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore – and these costs were for said to be for accommodation, security,and transport relating to Captain Tom “travelling around the UK to promote the charitable company”.

Speaking on the investigation, a spokesperson for The Charity Commission said: “We have been in ongoing contact with the trustees of the Captain Tom Foundation on its set-up and governance arrangements and as part of this work will now assess the charity’s recently submitted accounts.”

It said it had an open regulatory compliance case into the charity, but that did not mean it had made any finding of wrongdoing.

In response, Stephen Jones – Chair of Trustees for The Captain Tom Foundation – said: “As a young charity, we have been working closely with the Charity Commission since we launched, and we welcome their input following the publication of our recent audited annual accounts.”

Captain Tom – who was born in Keighley in Yorkshire, and sadly passed away back in February 2021 at aged 100 after testing positive for COVID-19 – captured the hearts of the nation in April 2020 after he raised over £39 million for NHS Charities Together before becoming a centenarian.

After first receiving the title of honorary colonel, Sir Tom was then knighted by the Queen during a unique open-air ceremony at Windsor Castle in July 2020.

He died from coronavirus in February 2021.

Featured Image – Captain Tom Moore