Capt Tom Moore’s daughter's company was paid for charity event
- Published
The daughter of Capt Sir Tom Moore was paid thousands of pounds via her family company for appearances in connection with her late father's charity.
In 2021 and 2022, Hannah Ingram-Moore helped judge awards ceremonies which heavily featured the Captain Tom Foundation charity.
Promotional clips suggested she was there to represent the charity.
However her fee was paid not to the Foundation but to her family company. She is yet to respond to the claims.
The awards ceremony was the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Awards, which included the name of the charity and the charity's logo on its awards plaques. At the time Ms Ingram-Moore was the charity's interim chief executive on an annual salary of £85,000.
However her appearance fee was paid not to the Captain Tom Foundation but to Maytrix Group, a company owned by Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband, Colin.
'A total lie'
For more than a year, the Charity Commission has been investigating potential conflicts of interest between the charity and the Ingram-Moores' businesses after concerns mounted about potential mismanagement and misconduct.
Replying to a BBC email about this matter, Hannah Ingram-Moore said via email: "You are awful. It's a total lie."
Six minutes later she added: "Apologies. That reply was for a scammer who has been creating havoc".
Ms Ingram-Moore has not responded to a series of questions from BBC Newsnight about the thousand of pounds that her company received.
BBC Newsnight understands Ms Ingram-Moore did not seek approval from the charity's board before entering into the commercial arrangement with Virgin Media O2, and an internal investigation into it was launched last November.
A spokesperson for the charity trustees said: "The Captain Tom Foundation is aware of the commercial arrangements made by Hannah Ingram-Moore with Virgin Media O2 in respect of the 'Virgin Media Captain Tom Foundation Connector Awards'.
"This matter is subject of an ongoing internal investigation. The Charity Commission has been notified of the Foundation's review of this matter and the Foundation will share its findings once the investigation has concluded."
Ms Ingram-Moore is no longer running the charity, but her husband Colin remains a trustee. Both of them are directors of the companies Maytrix Group and Club Nook.
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: "Our inquiry into the Captain Tom Foundation remains ongoing. Its scope includes examining whether the trustees have adequately managed conflicts of interest, including with private companies connected to the Ingram-Moore family."
A Virgin Media spokesperson said: "When payment was made, we were not aware of any concerns about Maytrix or the Captain Tom Foundation that have since come to light after our campaign and relationship with Captain Tom finished."
Capt Tom attracted international attention during the first coronavirus lockdown, by walking 100 laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday, to support the NHS.
Having raised around £38m for NHS Charities Together, he died in early 2021 with Covid-19, less than six months after being knighted.
Family members then established the Foundation, but its financial activities have since come under scrutiny, with the Charity Commission announcing a review in February 2022.
Concerns have been raised about whether some of the funds were going to separate companies run by the family, the salary paid to Ms Ingram-Moore and how much money was spent on management costs.
Separately earlier this month, the family defended plans to build an unauthorised spa that they have been told to demolish. An appeal hearing is due to be held on 17 October.
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