By Danny Fullbrook & PA Media, BBC News, Bedfordshire
Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin have been disqualified from being charity trustees by the Charity Commission.
The Captain Tom Foundation was registered as a grant-making charity in 2020 to continue the late veteran’s NHS fundraising work after he raised £38.9m doing a sponsored walk at his home in Marston Mortaine, Bedfordshire.
Sir Tom died aged 100 in 2021 and the Charity Commission opened an inquiry in 2022 amid concerns about the foundation’s management and independence from Sir Tom’s family.
A statement from the family said they would not appeal against the decision but they “fundamentally disagree with the conclusions reached by the Charity Commission”.
Ms Ingram-Moore has been disqualified for 10 years, while her husband has been disqualified for eight, the Charity Commission confirmed.
The family’s statement said: “The disqualification has been imposed without the conclusion of the statutory inquiry into The Captain Tom Foundation.
“The commission’s failure to conclude the inquiry prolongs our deep distress and hinders our ability to move on with our lives, extending the pain and impact on our family and our father/grandfather’s legacy.”
According to the family they were given a deadline of 25 June to appeal against the decision to disqualify them.
They described the investigation as a “harrowing and debilitating ordeal” and they would not appeal.
In the statement, they added: “The profound emotional upheaval and financial burden make such a course of action untenable.
“It is widely recognised that the funds raised in April 2020 were directed entirely to NHS Charities Together.
“Public donations were managed by JustGiving and transferred directly to NHS Charities Together, without any involvement from our family in the distribution process.”
The commission’s chief executive David Holdsworth said: “As a fair, independent and evidence-led regulator we only disqualify someone from serving as a trustee or a senior manager in a charity when the evidence gathered means it is proportionate and lawful to do so.
“The evidence in this investigation meant that the level of misconduct and/or mismanagement was serious enough to warrant this action.
“People generously support good causes with the clear expectation that trustees will act in the best interests of their charities.
“As an independent regulator, it is vital that we uphold and protect this trust, including by taking robust regulatory action where appropriate, based on firm evidence.”
The regulator said it would not disclose the findings of their inquiry until it had concluded.
Starmer: 'I won't repeat past failures on building'published at 08:32 British Summer Time08:32 BSTYou talked of policy “trade-offs” in your speech, Robinson
Named player of the tournament at Euro 2024 as he helped Spain lift the trophy, Rodri played a key role in helping City win a fourth consecutive Premier League
Reading have pulled their under-21s out of a newly-created competition by the Premier League in another alarming development at
The UK’s most successful writing competition for children, BBC 500 Words, opens today (Tuesday 24 September). The competition, which is supported by BBC Teach