Captain Tom: Public relations worker ‘cut out’ by Ingram-Moores

Capt Sir Tom won the nation's hearts with his fundraising walk, which took in 100 laps of his garden

A woman who helped launch the Captain Sir Tom Moore charity appeal said she was "cut out" by the family and told not to talk about it.

Daisy Souster, 31, said she provided public relations services to the family early in the fundraising campaign.

In a statement on her LinkedIn page, she said she was told by Capt Sir Tom's daughter she had "no right" to talk about her role.

Hannah Ingram-Moore, Capt Sir Tom's daughter, was asked to comment.

Daisy Souster carried out freelance public relations services for the family

Capt Sir Tom raised more than £38m for NHS Charities Together in April 2020 by walking up and down his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire. He died in February 2021.

• What has happened to Captain Tom's legacy?

Former University of Northampton student Mrs Souster said she was approached by the family to write the press release, which kick-started the Capt Sir Tom story, before sending it to her list of media contacts.

She also claims to have set up the JustGiving page and managed Capt Sir Tom's account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

However, in June 2020, her services for the Ingram-Moores came to a sudden halt.

"Initially the family were extremely supportive of me and thankful for all that I had done, but for reasons unknown to me, they changed," she wrote on LinkedIn.

A spokesperson for Haymarket PR, the publisher of PRWeek, told the BBC: "In 2020, Hannah Ingram-Moore stated to PRWeek that The Captain Tom Family and its representatives do not give permission for anyone to enter Captain Sir Tom to the PRWeek Awards.

"Consequently, any submissions entered for Capt Sir Tom were removed."

It was after this that Mrs Souster said she "severed ties with the family".

Mrs Souster, who had been entered into five awards with the public relations trade magazine PRWeek, said that "a week later I was told by Hannah Ingram-Moore [Capt Sir Tom's daughter] that I had no right to talk about my work/involvement with the PR".

Hannah Ingram-Moore revealed she kept the profits - reportedly £800,000 - from her father's three books

"I had a young child at the time, a partner who was on furlough and we were in a national lockdown," said Mrs Souster.

"The change in attitude towards me caused me untold distress as I started to see my work accreditation taken away from me."

She added: "Captain Tom was a true beacon of hope during those dark times for all of us. It deeply saddens me that after such success the debacle unfolding is shadowing his sterling efforts."

• Captain Tom Foundation income plummets - accounts

• Captain Tom's daughter defends book profits decision

Weeks before Mrs Souster stopped working for the Ingram-Moores, in May 2020, Capt Sir Tom announced plans on X to share his autobiography.

Tomorrow Will Be a Good Day was published four months later, and appeared to credit Hannah Ingram-Moore with the PR campaign.

"After her years in business and running a company of her own, she knew exactly what to do. She [Hannah Ingram-Moore] wrote a press release and it was sent out locally," he wrote.

Capt Sir Tom's autobiography also credited her as having "quickly set up a JustGiving page".

Earlier this month, during an interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan she revealed she kept the profits - reportedly £800,000 - from her father's three books.

She said her father wanted them to keep the money and that there had been no agreement with him that it would go to charity.

There is no suggestion Mrs Souster was "cut out" due to the book deal.

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