Captain Tom’s family ‘repeatedly benefitted’ from ‘mismanaged’ charity, inquiry finds

The household of the late Captain Tom Moore “repeatedly benefited” from the “mismanaged” charity arrange in his identify, an investigation has discovered. 

Right now, the Charity Fee revealed the findings of its statutory inquiry into the Captain Tom Basis following a three-year investigation. 

Its report finds “critical and repeated cases of misconduct and/or mismanagement” within the administration of the charity in regards to the conduct and actions of Hannah Ingram-Moore (Captain Tom’s daughter) and her husband Colin.

It notes that the charity was based through the Covid-19 pandemic amid “unprecedented nationwide and worldwide media curiosity in Captain Tom and his household”, which might have been “an especially demanding state of affairs which was solely compounded by the next demise of Captain Tom”. 

Nevertheless, it provides: “The fee has concluded that Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore’s misconduct and/or mismanagement wasn’t an remoted incident however a repeated sample of behaviour which continued previous the worst of the pandemic.” 

NCVO warned that the report may “dent public confidence in giving” however stated it “doesn’t mirror the laborious work of 1000’s of charities that abide by the ideas of moral decision-making”.

‘Repeated sample of behaviour’

The regulator opened a compliance case into the muse, arrange in June 2020 after Captain Tom raised over £38.9m for NHS Charities Collectively’s Covid-19 enchantment.

Its engagement with the Captain Tom Basis escalated to a full inquiry in June 2022 because of issues together with mental property and trademark points not being absolutely thought-about upon the charity’s institution.

Hannah Ingram-Moore was a trustee from February 2021 till her resignation in March 2021 and interim chief govt from August 2021 to April 2022. Colin Ingram-Moore was a trustee between February 2021 and June 2024.

Because of its investigation, the fee disqualified each Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore from being trustees or senior managers at any charity for 10 and eight years, respectively.

Its inquiry discovered Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore have been chargeable for a “sample of behaviour” which noticed them repeatedly benefitting personally from their involvement within the Captain Tom Basis. 

The report cites their hyperlink to one another and the charity’s connections to their non-public firms together with Membership Nook and CTV and repeated failures to handle conflicts of curiosity which led to “direct and oblique non-public profit for the household”. 

It additionally criticises the charity’s different “unconflicted” trustees Stephen Jones and Simon DeMaid (who resigned on 15 March 2021), each of whom it stated lacked enough oversight and administration management at occasions. 

Quite a few cases of misconduct and/or mismanagement

Among the many quite a few cases of misconduct and/or mismanagement by the Ingram-Moore household, the report highlights an envoy companies settlement with Virgin Media.

On 22 September 2021, Hannah Ingram-Moore signed an settlement with Virgin Media to guage and current the Virgin Media Captain Tom Basis Connector Awards.

The settlement outlined the ambassador as “Hannah Ingram-Moore on behalf of the Captain Tom Basis” who was personally paid £18,000 whereas Virgin Media donated £2,000 to the charity.

The fee’s report says the minutes of trustee conferences at the moment don’t report that Hannah Ingram-Moore had knowledgeable all trustees in regards to the particulars of the undertaking, together with her remuneration.

Whereas she claimed to have contracted with Virgin Media in a private capability, the inquiry “doesn’t agree” together with her assertion and finds “no proof to recommend that this work was completed exterior her contracted work hours, or that annual depart was booked to undertake the function”. 

The inquiry discovered that by personally receiving remuneration for the ambassador settlement, Mrs Ingram-Moore created a “battle of curiosity which the complete board of trustees ought to’ve been made conscious of in order that it may adequately be managed”.

Public misled on a number of events

The report says that the Ingram-Moore household misled the general public on a number of events, notably of their dealing with of public communications about publishing offers for books authored by Captain Tom and statements on Hannah Ingram-Moore’s wage.

On the books, Hannah Ingram-Moore signed a publishing settlement with Penguin Books and Membership Nook and a tripartite settlement between the charity and each companies. 

The household initially indicated that gross sales from the primary publishing settlement would help the charity and/or that it could donate to the charity straight.

Nevertheless, the report states that no funds have been transferred to the charity from the books’ gross sales, which as a substitute “turned out to be a purely industrial endeavour that benefited the Ingram-Moore’s firm Membership Nook”.

It says there was a transparent public expectation that by buying the books, funds can be acquired by the charity and that the Ingram-Moores didn’t search to right these expectations. 

“The inquiry considers each Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore’s conduct in respect of the primary publishing settlement and the place they’ve adopted in not in search of to rectify issues has or is prone to have broken public belief and confidence within the charity and charities usually.”

Findings ‘may dent public confidence in giving’

Fee chief govt David Holdsworth praised Captain Tom’s fundraising achievements for NHS Charities Collectively however stated the muse arrange in his identify had did not reside as much as his “legacy of others earlier than self, which is central to charity”.

“The general public – and the legislation – rightly anticipate these concerned in charities to make an unambiguous distinction between their private pursuits, and people of the charity and the beneficiaries they’re there to serve,” he stated. 

“This didn’t occur within the case of the Captain Tom Basis. 

“We discovered repeated cases of a blurring of boundaries between non-public and charitable pursuits, with Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore receiving vital private profit. Collectively, the failings quantity to misconduct and/or mismanagement.”

In response, NCVO’s govt director Saskia Konynenburg stated: “We all know this information may dent public confidence in giving, nevertheless it shouldn’t. 

“This case doesn’t mirror the laborious work of 1000’s of charities that abide by the ideas of moral decision-making, champion integrity and openness whereas additionally remodeling thousands and thousands of lives on daily basis.

“Charities want the help of the general public like by no means earlier than, as they’re going through rising demand and better prices to ship their companies, whereas funding continues to fall. 

“The circumstances of this case are very distinctive and the outcomes of the investigation are clear.”

In a press release, ACEVO stated the case “underscores the essential function of sturdy and efficient regulation in sustaining the well being and integrity of our sector”. 

“The belief that people and organisations place in charities have to be protected, and it’s important that regulators take proportionate motion when such uncommon but deeply damaging behaviours happen,” it stated. 

“This not solely safeguards the sector but additionally advantages all those that depend on its help.”