Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter has emotionally denied claims the charity set up in the British war hero’s name tried to appoint her as chief executive on a six-figure salary.
Hannah Ingram-Moore told ITV’s This Morning that ‘we’re not hiding anything’ and accused the media of ‘damaging’ her late father’s legacy.
Captain Tom has become a national icon after raising nearly £40m for the NHS during the coronavirus crisis by walking laps of his garden to mark his 100th birthday during the first lockdown.
A charity named after the World War II veteran, who died after testing positive for the virus last year, has been set up to celebrate the older generation and contribute to organizations that support them.
However, a Captain Tom Day proposal in June was postponed following allegations that his family defrauded NHS fundraising money.
Captain Tom Foundation accounts showed that only £162,000 was awarded in its first year, while around £240,000 of £400,000 of expenditure was spent on fundraising and administration.
They showed the foundation reimbursed £50,000 in expenses to businesses run by Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin, including their consultancy firm Maytrix. The Charity Commission said its ‘engagement’ with the charity’s trustees was ongoing.
Speaking to This Morning’s Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, Ms Ingram-Moore denied any wrongdoing, insisting the accounts were ‘a snapshot in time during the charity’s first year’ .
Hannah Ingram-Moore told ITV This Morning that ‘we’re not hiding anything’ and accused the media of ‘damaging’ her late father’s legacy
Captain Tom has become a national icon after raising nearly £40million for the NHS during the coronavirus crisis by walking laps of his garden to mark his 100th birthday
Speaking to This Morning’s Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, Ms Ingram-Moore denied any wrongdoing, insisting the accounts were “a snapshot in time”.
Claiming the accounts were ‘independently verified’, she added: ‘We couldn’t have made up any of those numbers.
“But the £150,000 is absolutely not true. What the directors did was ask for benchmarking: “Please tell us if we were to employ a CEO, what would the benchmarking be? What is the highest, what is the lowest? “. The highest was £150,000.
Captain Tom’s daughter held back tears as she said, “We are not hiding anything. There’s nothing wrong, we haven’t done anything wrong, and I sincerely think, however, that the vast majority of people think that.”
Ms Ingram-Moore admitted the family were ‘naive’ but ‘not bad’ in setting up a charity in her father’s name.
“I think we’ve been incredibly naive, but I don’t think we’re bad. We stepped in out of love, for humanity, to allow as many people as possible access to his legacy,’ she said.
‘We never thought about darkness, ever. It never crossed our minds. She added: “Ultimately, my father taught us about resilience and humanity. “Ultimately, our ambition on his behalf is a world without ageism.
“Every day I see the hate, or the fake titles, or the desire to find a hole in me.”
In an interview with The Mirror, Ms Ingram-Moore said: ‘People think the foundation got £38.9m raised by my dad. All the money went to NHS Charities Together, who were responsible for distributing it.
‘Reading things like ‘Captain Sir Tom’s daughter pumps tens of thousands of pounds into her own businesses’ has been heartbreaking because it’s simply not true.
Captain Sir Tom pictured with his family after receiving a knighthood from the Queen
It follows that the Captain Tom Foundation tried to pay Hannah Ingram-Moore, above, a salary of around £150,000 before a watchdog intervened
“The first year, Colin and I weren’t paid a penny. I entered a paid role in the second year. But to suggest that I used this for financial gain is utterly ridiculous.
“All the administrators did was go to the agencies and ask what the benchmark salary was for the position. The top salary was £150,000 and the bottom salary was £65,000. They never offered me £150,000. In fact, it’s much closer to the lower end.
Amid allegations over the charity’s accounts, Captain Tom Day has been deferred while the watchdog investigates.
Dame Esther Rantzen, one of the organizers of the event, said the war hero’s daughter was suspending the day.
On whether she would want to be linked to the charity if the watchdog ran into trouble, Dame Esther also said: ‘I absolutely have to protect my own reputation,’ The Independent reported.
A description of the event on the charity’s website reads: ‘It will be a day for those who have given us so much, a day to inspire and empower those who have often felt rejected.
“It will be a day to remind us all of the positive impact achieved by working together across generations, promoting a sense of pride and purpose for many who have felt they have been left behind.
“You will be encouraged to raise funds, share stories and events, and recognize projects and organizations that support our aging population. We will also be offering an innovation award as part of the event.
It comes after the late-war veteran’s family secured planning permission in 2021 for a new home on the grounds of their current home, The Sun reported.
It will include a kitchen, toilets and an outdoor patio and will measure 15x6m. Planning documents claimed that it “would be used partly for private purposes, but primarily in connection with the Captain Tom Foundation.”
The Matrix Group, which already has offices on the property, made the planning request.
Ms Ingram-Moore said the new home “is fully funded by family money”.
