Did the captain Tom foundation charity really use the money to build their own spa pool??

[Terryer]

Just reading the paper this morning and see the family of Captain Tom have been ordered to pull down a building in their garden with a spa pool. I think it's a planning issue but the inference is that they used the money raised to build it. Did they really?

I think its incredibly crooked if true and drags her father's good name into the mud.

We don't know what he was like. Just because someone was a "war hero" (as were most of his generation) doesn't mean they were squeaky clean.

I would not be surprised.

Unfortunately for Tom himself, who seemed like a decent chap, this whole episode - the hysteria surrounding him - seems likely to be filed under "oh we got that wrong, how embarrassing". Along with much of the Covid response really.

All over Facebook -

'Captain Tom
He walked ...so his daughter could swim.'

Best joke I've seen is about the absolutely piss taking that will happen when the daughter is in jail and she's doing laps round the exercise yard...

Seriously though, this was another grift from those at the top of tree. The daughter had registered ' Captain Tom' as a trademark long before his ' walk' ever gained traction in the media.

So very cynical, a good news story of hope and adversity in a challenging time , with very little mention that the millions raised couldn't go to fund the parts of the NHS the public assumed it would.

This will not have a happy ending, but hopefully justice will be done.

Unfortunately, given what has happened on a couple of occasions and the Charity Commission having to be involved in both, I am now starting to think that the daughter and her husband may have orchestrated Tom's efforts from the very beginning, and generated media interest about him in a bid for their own financial gain. So very sad for Tom's legacy, this should not have been allowed to happen.

Lets hope tomorrow is a good day.

You’d be shocked and surprised at how many gullible people there are who take the news at face value and believe it without question. Few people dig deep or read the fine print, hence how these monumental scams and deceptions take place.

I’ve been chuckling to myself at you asking who this ‘Nation’ is that the BBC speaks of. I’d say it’s the ones watching and lapping up the Britishynessisms of anything with a Union Jack associated to it, play We’ll meet again or God Save The Queen King and they’re sold hook line and sinker- grab your brolly and a flag.

The News cycles and television in general could be argued as a hypnotic propaganda projector to ever so gently lull the masses into submission and belief. It’s a powerful tool but probably too conspiratorial to discuss on this thread… Sir Captain Tom was a big distraction to rally around.

My adult DCs and me were very sceptical. The daughter was so full on in her money making efforts and we have followed what has gone on since. Then they take him over to Barbados for cricket (not legal at the time I believe) where he catches covid and dies. (Not accusing them of doing this deliberately but it was a bonkers decision by the family)

I thought Sir Tom didn’t test positive for Covid until he was being released from hospital after a bout of Pneumonia.

They were the guests of British Airways so everything would have been covered by them.

@PollyThePixie I think I remember that he travelled to Barbados, came back and got pneumonia (travelling v tiring I guess aged 100) and got Covid from the hospital whilst being treated there. So, got Covid from hospital, not his trip although of course going on an aircraft in the middle of a Covid crisis probably would also have been quite risky. He was 100 and this wouldn't be an odd way to die (pneumonia and death shortly after).

I am now starting to think that the daughter and her husband may have orchestrated Tom's efforts from the very beginning, and generated media interest about him in a bid for their own financial gain. So very sad for Tom's legacy, this should not have been allowed to happen.

Why would you assume Tom was a naïve victim if it was for financial gain? He seemed pretty compos mentis to me.

That certainly took the shine off him for me. Just why would you write about it? It was a horrible thing to do.

As usual the daughter, a middle aged woman, is seen as the wicked witch by most. Her husband and Tom were up to their necks in this. A family of grifters!

I think there are several issues here. The £33 million that Captain Tom himself raised was handed over to the NHS. However the family also set up an ongoing Charity, the Captain Tom Foundation, for ongoing fundraising through donations, events and sales of products. It is the foundation that is under investigation.

The Charity Commission have been investigating the Foundation for over a year owing to the rather opaque relationship between the Charity's money and the daughter/family's money.

• there was an issue with the daughter appointing herself as the Charity's CEO with a salary of £100,000 which is a lot for a small charity
• the charity applied for planning permission to build offices that were "urgently" needed in the grounds of Captain Tom's house, now owned by his daughter, which is also in a conservation area where planning permission is restricted. I think the plan was that the Charity would pay rent on the offices to the daughter/CEO as she owned the land. Planning permission was granted for an openplan office block with 2 open plan areas plus kitchen and toilet.
• However, after the new building was built with an extra wing containing a pool, showers and 2 toilets. The family then applied for retroactive planning permission for the private spa that was denied. It is unclear how the spa extension was financed

There are several areas that the Charity Commission will need to consider in relation to the Charity and family
Were the family overpaying themselves salaries out of charitable funds?
Were the original building and rental agreement reasonable given that the family were benefiting from the increased value to their private property of a building that was for the charity?
How did the spa come to be built? How was the funding divided? Problems of combining charity and private use and funds.
Planning issues - the planning permission was for charitable use office space. Who decided to add the spa.

NeedToThinkOfOne · Today 08:04
Isn’t it more of a planning permission story that has been spun by the Daily Fail, in order to make the dim reader believe that the money he raised was spent on a home spa for the family?

Agreed. There are several things going on here.
The NHS money all went to the NHS however the family then set up a Captain Tom Foundation which was supposed to raise more money for various project. Fair enough but the family then also set up their own company for themselves and they sold all the rights for the Captain Tom Gin, hats, socks, etc etc etc. they also sold the film rights for his life. They made 500k from selling those rights and that is absolutely not ok because they gave the impression to the public that everything was for charity, when it was not. This is what the CC are investigating already and it now looks like they’ll be investigating the use of the Foundations name to get planning permission, without the knowledge of the trustees.

Just look at the grandson’s insta how the whole family have been milking it and loving the limelight and freebies. No shame

Pretty much all the charities are scams,dont get the british obsession with them.

There is no alternative.

Actually it is not easy to see where the money goes. I'm keeping an eye on a local charity because it seems that the people "raising" money seem to be doing interesting things but looking at the accounts I can't see they have ever given a penny out. Yet they are readily available on the charity commission website. Also their expenses seem to be about 25-30%.
, They are not clear at all taught economics a at college level

There is another daughter and she had absolutely nothing to do with all of this.

Don't go and look at Hannah Ingram-Moore's business webpage, it will make you feel a bit nauseous!

As for her blog... we have such gems as
'Bouncing back - how resilience will transform your life'
'How to challenge yourself to find greater success' money
'Seven simple steps for a positive and productive week ahead--
'Dealing with negativity' (ooops!)

All very apt.
Loads of Captain Tom stuff on there too 😲

But it was retrospective planning permission wasn't it... when they were caught out.

They applied for an annexe called 'Captain Tom Building' or some such nonsense, to house cups and medals and memorabilia or something. It was approved. The charity didn't know it had been applied for in the charity's name.
Then they added on a gym/spa complex and now they have been directed to knock it down. Neighbours were peeved too, and they probably dobbed her in, as it was not in the original plans.

@Roussette wow this website is quite something! Thanks for the laughs

I suspect the neighbor's know more about them than we do and they’ve just been waiting for a chance to draw attention to a couple who’s charitable dealings should be scrutinized.

I’m sure there’s a way they can. The NICU at a local hospital was paid for by the Dyson Foundation ( or several million was paid towards it even if it didn’t cover complete cost) A work colleague was invited to the opening and there was a big plaque in the photos. And weren’t there scanner appeals years ago?

@nancy2022 yes you can. Many local NHS hospitals have appeals out, my local one had one for NICU equipment and cancer scanners etc. most NHS hospitals have their own charities so you don’t donate to the “NHS” but to the individual hospital/trust