Captain Sir Tom Moore: Neighbours criticise 'eyesore' home spa

The spa (the C-shaped building to the right of the pond) is at the home where Capt Sir Tom Moore walked 100 laps of the garden in 2020, raising £33m for NHS Charities Together

Residents overlooked by an unauthorised home spa built by the late Capt Sir Tom Moore's family say it is an "eyesore".

The veteran fundraiser's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband used the Captain Tom Foundation name on the first plans for the building, with revised plans then turned down.

Central Bedfordshire Council ordered that the structure in Marston Moretaine be demolished, subject to an appeal.

Ms Ingram-Moore and the foundation have been contacted for comment.

Capt Sir Tom won the nation's hearts with his fundraising effort, made with the aid of his walking frame on wheels

The Captain Tom Foundation charity was set up after the Army veteran's death in 2021, which came a year after he raised £33m for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his garden at the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

The charity is also no longer taking donations or making payments due to an ongoing inquiry into its finances.

Jilly Bozdogan, whose garden backs up against Capt Sir Tom's former home, said: "When we saw it [the home spa], I was appalled.

"It obviously didn't adhere to the planning application they submitted and, to be honest, it's an eyesore."

Jilly Bozdogan said the spa, which is on the other side of the fence at the bottom of her garden, was an "eyesore"

Mrs Bozdogan, who lives with her 99-year-old retired mother, said trees had been taken down to accommodate the controversial building and spoilt her mother's enjoyment of their garden because they were now overlooked.

Vanessa Fraser, who lives nearby, said: "I think it's a shame for Capt Sir Tom Moore's legacy that it's brought the village into disrepute a little bit. He'd done such great work for charity.

"We can see it [the home spa building] from the road. But I don't think anyone would have objected if they'd gone through the correct channels."

Jilly Bozdogan said the home she shared with her 99-year-old mother now gave them a view of the spa, rather than just trees

Capt Sir Tom, who was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, died in 2021 aged 100.

• Inquiry begins into Captain Tom Foundation

• Watchdog to review Capt Sir Tom charity accounts

• How Capt Sir Tom Moore became a nation's hero

Ms Ingram-Moore is the younger of Capt Sir Tom's two daughters and lived with him at the family home.

It has emerged the Ingram-Moores requested planning permission for a "Captain Tom Foundation Building", which was "for use by occupiers... and Captain Tom Foundation", according to documents submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council in August 2021.

Capt Sir Tom's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, set up a charity following the veteran's death

The local authority granted permission for the single-storey structure to be built on the tennis courts in the grounds of the Grade II listed home.

Then, in February 2022, the family submitted revised plans for the already partly-constructed building, which called it the "Captain Tom Building".

The project included a spa pool, toilets and a kitchen, which the Design & Access and Heritage Statement said was "for private use".