Daughter of Sir Captain Tom Moore ordered to tear down home spa built in charity name as donations stopped

The Captain Tom Foundation says it has stopped taking donations after it emerged the daughter of the war hero will have to tear down an unapproved home spa. It comes amid an ongoing Charity Commission investigation into the charity’s finances.

The Captain Tom Foundation was set up in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore, a 100-year-old war veteran who raised almost £33m for NHS Charities Together by walking 1,000 laps of his garden during the Covid pandemic in 2020. Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband used the Captain Tom Foundation name on the first plans for the building, with later revised plans turned down.

Plans for the site said it would be used partly "in connection with The Captain Tom Foundation and its charitable objectives". Central Bedfordshire council accepted the plans, however, the authority refused a retrospective application in 2022, for a larger building, containing a spa pool.

A council spokesperson said: "An enforcement notice requiring the demolition of the now-unauthorised building was issued and this is now subject to an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate."

A statement on the foundation’s website confirmed it would be stopping donations. It said: "At this moment in time, the sole focus of The Captain Tom Foundation is to ensure that it cooperates fully with the ongoing Statutory Inquiry by the Charity Commission.

"As a result, The Captain Tom Foundation is not presently actively seeking any funding from donors. Accordingly, we have also taken the decision to close all payment channels whilst the Statutory Inquiry remains open.”