Gin sold to raise funds for Captain Tom Foundation is AXED after claiming it ‘broke charity law’

A gin sold to raise money for the Captain Tom Foundation has been taken down for claiming to have ‘broken the Charities Act’.

Bottles of Captain Sir Tom branded liquor were launched with the Otterbeck Distillery in his native Yorkshire in November 2020.

The gin has since been offered on the distillery’s website for £100 since April last year, with the promise that “all proceeds” will go to the Captain Tom Foundation.

But limited edition 50cl barrel-aged bottles were being sold to customers without details of the amount going to the charity – in breach of the law.

A spokesperson for the distillery and the foundation told The Times that “around £30” of each sale is donated to charity “after customs and production costs”.

They added: “For the avoidance of doubt, Otterbeck expects that, after customs duties and production costs, approximately £30 of each bottle sold will go to the Captain Tom Foundation.”

But they did not say whether the gin had been removed from the website over the concerns, instead insisting the bottles were “for short production only”.

However, not all 100 bottles were sold.

The branding on the bottle features the iconic image of Captain Tom using his walker to raise millions for the NHS

When launched in 2020, the gin was described as a “delicate and herbal London dry with sweet notes of citrus, rosemary and thyme”. Fresh and aromatic reminiscent of an English summer garden.

A 70cl bottle of gin is priced at £35.95 with the promise that £1 from every sale will go to the foundation.

Captain Tom has become a national icon after raising nearly £40million for the NHS during the Covid crisis by walking laps of his garden to mark his 100th birthday during the first lockdown.

The charity named after the Second World War veteran, who died after testing positive for the virus last year, was set up to celebrate the older generation and contribute to organizations that support them.

However, it has since been mired in controversy and is the subject of a Charity Commission compliance case.

The incredible fundraising effort propelled Sir Captain Tom to superstardom. He was made an honorary colonel and was later knighted by the Queen (pictured) at Windsor Castle

Pictured: Captain Sir Tom Moore receives a knighthood with his family, Benjie Ingram-Moore, Hannah Ingram-Moore and Georgia Ingram-Moore at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire

It comes after the foundation reportedly tried to pay daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore a salary of £150,000, but the move was blocked by the Charity Commission.

It came after it emerged payments had been made to two companies run by her daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband, who claimed they were refunds.

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.

The charity also reportedly tried to pay Ingram-Moore a salary of £150,000.

But the watchdog, who has been in touch with the charity since March last year about its set-up and governance arrangements, withheld the salary last summer after a request for permission .

The couple deny any wrongdoing.

She stepped down as chief executive last month, while investigations by the fundraising regulator are ongoing.

He said: ‘We are currently carrying out regulatory inquiries with the charity and are therefore unable to comment further on this matter.

“We continue to work with the Charity Commission to resolve issues related to the charity.”