'I was shocked' by Captain Tom charity, says ex-boss

The previous CEO of the Captain Tom Foundation expressed to the BBC that he was "stunned" and "taken aback" by his discoveries within the charity.

In his initial interview, Jack Gilbert revealed that he discovered practices he found to be dubious, and he thinks that Captain Sir Tom Moore's daughter may have had some selfish motives behind her actions.

This follows the Charity Commission's discovery that Hannah and Colin Ingram-Moore gained advantages from their connection to the charity established in the name of Captain Sir Tom. This included funds from a £1.4 million book deal that went to a family business instead of the Foundation.

Mrs. Ingram-Moore has been reached out to for her thoughts.

Captain Sir Tom, a veteran of World War Two, gained widespread recognition in 2020 during the pandemic when he raised millions for NHS charities by completing laps around his garden while in lockdown.

Following his passing in February 2021, the charity oversight agency launched an investigation into the Captain Tom Foundation.

Mr. Gilbert, a seasoned professional in the charity sector, was chosen to succeed Mrs. Ingram-Moore as the chief executive. He managed the organization for five months before it was temporarily halted because of an investigation by the charity commission.

He shared with BBC News, "When I arrived, I have to say, I was utterly amazed."

I was taken aback by how many systems didn’t follow recommended best practices.

One of my initial tasks was to secure recognized charity status for the foundation, which involved navigating a variety of challenges.

The reality was that even though we had completed numerous tasks, there were still many essential practices that were not implemented.

Mr. Gilbert mentioned that while he was organizing the management accounts in the proper format for a charity—something that hadn't been addressed before he joined—he came across a canceled invoice from Virgin Media.

The Charity Commission discovered that Mrs. Ingram-Moore received £18,000 for her participation in the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Awards.

She stated that her appearance was on a personal basis and during her own time. However, the commission countered this claim, pointing out that there was no proof to back it up, and the charity only received £2,000.

Mr. Gilbert mentioned that if you are the CEO of a charity and acting on its behalf, it's quite rare and almost unheard of for the charity not to gain from the work you do during your business hours.

He expressed that, in his opinion, it is highly immoral for a charity leader to gain personally while compromising the organization's mission.

Mr. Gilbert mentioned that he started to feel "somewhat wary" and brought the payment, along with other discrepancies he discovered while reviewing the accounts, to the chair's attention. The chair subsequently informed the board about it.

He expressed that he believed there was a degree of personal interest involved.

The commission's report identified a consistent trend in which the pair gained personal advantages from their connection to the Captain Tom Foundation. It also noted that people would likely feel deceived by this situation.

The commission urged the Ingram-Moores, who are no longer eligible to serve as charity trustees, to contribute an appropriate amount to the charity as a response.

A press release, along with different promotional materials and the introduction of Capt Sir Tom's memoir, mentioned that the proceeds from the books would go towards supporting the foundation.

A representative of the foundation expressed satisfaction with the clear conclusions reached by the Charity Commission about the wrongdoings of the Ingram-Moores.

Mr. Gilbert stated that the foundation represented a "missed chance."

"We aimed to establish a charity focused on combating ageism, allowing older individuals to continue working and fostering connections among seniors who might feel isolated within the broader community," he explained.

In response to the charity regulator's report, the Ingram-Moores claimed that revealing the book deal was an invasion of their privacy. They mentioned that "substantial payments" were made to the literary agent, as well as to legal and public relations experts, with some of the funds allocated to support the Captain Tom Foundation.

The Ingram-Moores stated that there was no misuse of charitable funds and expressed that they felt they were treated "unfairly and unjustly" by the investigation.

Further contributions by Jon Ironmonger