Captain Tom's daughter

Looking back on this, to me it was all part of the flag waving bull around Brexit ( all around the same time) let’s big up an old school military guy with his medals etc , at a very confusing time, gullible public etc, the timing was ripe for an opportunistic bunch to cash in -whether or not he understood his families underlying ‘milk it ‘ motives , I’m not 100% sure. Problem is I still think large swathes of the public are still gullible or they would be far more wary of Farage etc, who I also think plays enormously on the rose tinted glasses crowd

Just to really stoke your ire ‘7 or 8 figure sums’ isn’t tens of thousands - that’s 5 figures. It’s millions.

Anyway I agree the whole thing with Captain Tom was disappointing and maybe even upsetting but ‘we couldn’t travel or see our family for two years’ is ridiculous hyperbole.

You’ve resurrected a zombie thread to complain about a 100 year old man having his last holiday that was paid for by British Airways and Visit Barbados? You must be so bored.

I just find it really sad it also really annoyed me when he went abroad on holiday with his family all paid for and he was bragging about eating steak on holiday when we couldnt see our families or travel for 2 years it was very unfair for that family to do something like that and to take money from the public. Not just a few thousand either but 7 8 figure sums tens of thousands. I've never donated to any chairty since I've lost trust in people like them all he did was walk around his garden he didnt do anything else it was con to start with

Yes and it bred a total cynicism which will never go. it finds it's way to hate and prejudice. Refugees in hotels are a handy target.

How awful. sad

An aside but don't we feel the Captian Tom affair epitomized what felt an era of people taking advantage of a pandemic? The PPE scandals downing street parties, trips to Bernard Castle, eloping health secrataries.

It just seems like the little people were being screwed.......

A possible benefit of the rise of AI is that it could render "celebrity culture" obsolete. The older I get, the more disgusted I become over the greed and hypocrisy, shown by these attention seeking narcissists. The era of celebrity worship needs to come to an end.

Yes, just like folk who want to open a cafe or a little shop - it sounds such a simple, straightforward premise, but it's absolutely not So many upfront costs and so much work before you can get anywhere near the actual job of selling coffee and scones or whatever.

In one respect, it's much easier for the massive charities, because they benefit from the economies of scale and centralisation; but because they're so big and have what may seem like unlimited millions sloshing around, they too can easily lose their focus (or just outright take advantage) and forget/ignore the simple idea of raising as much as you can, restricting your admin outgoings to only what you need to spend on legal/basic essentials and the most efficient/successful way of running it all, and then purposefully using the rest for the stated aims of the charity.

I think people who set up small charities often underestimate how much is costs in time and effort to run the charity.

They made a joke on The Now Show on Radio 4 about her having made sure that all financial donors were signed up for 'Grift Aid' - childish, I know, but I did giggle!

I recently had a similar experience- local charity, impeccable image and the whole thing is basically a massive grift, it's shocking.

Yes, exactly!

But it was in his opening remarks in the book that he was looking forward to it raising more charity money.

Ooh, isn’t she lucky that she clearly and unequivocally remembers him saying that... especially as he's no longer around to 'forget' it, retract his words and writings or change his mind...?

I’ve worked for many small to medium charities and I’ve also volunteered. I’d say most charities are continually evolving, and most are striving to be better.

If I was looking for another job now, I’d avoid charities that are run by their founder. That’s not to say there are not many great people doing amazing work through charities that they have set up themselves - I have met several and am in awe of what they do - but it can be very challenging working for a charity through the early days and equally challenging when a founder holds on as CEO when the charity needs someone new.

I heard them being interviewed, the daughter said it was her fathers wish that they kept the book money separate.
They didn't imply that to the public though who thought the book money was being part of the walking money.
I haven't heard they have handed any money back yet, looks like they are toughing it out until the story dies down.

I have worked for a couple of very big, household name charities, and have been a trustee at a tiny local one. The big ones were fine, but I just wanted to say that the small one was so incredibly careful about everything, right down to people who were trustees never getting any preferential treatment in the services the charity offered, no queue jumping at all let alone careless use of funds. So they do exist.

I currently work for a small wildlife conservation charity which is a complete scam. Does bugger all for wildlife however management are well rewarded. It has completely destroyed my faith in the charity sector as a whole. Heartbreaking really.

I currently work for a small wildlife conservation charity which is a complete scam. Does bugger all for wildlife however management are well rewarded. It has completely destroyed my faith in the charity sector as a whole. Heartbreaking really.

And how much are they personally giving to this initiative?

They have no shame.

Perhaps it’s guilt over all the trees felled to print their Captain Tom books.

@Owl55 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-56198140.amp

I saw the other day that his other daughter tried to set this up but it looks like nothing came of it as I imagine people don't want to align themselves with the family name and risk lining Hannah's pockets anymore.

I also wonder how things really are between them. Interesting that she hasn't put any kind of statement out in support of her poor beleaguered sibling who was being bullied by the nasty charity commission 🙄.

You don't think that the papers would have discovered that??

It's a vile thing to say with absolutely no evidence

I wonder what the other sister thinks of all this? I have never seen any sign of her being involved in this sad business or commenting on her sisters actions ? K