Captain Sir Tom Moore: NHS Charities Together distances itself from The Captain Tom Foundation
An NHS charity which received more than £38m raised by Captain Sir Tom Moore has distanced itself from a foundation set up in honour of the fundraising war veteran.
NHS Charities Together says The Captain Tom Foundation is a "completely separate organisation" from the fundraising efforts of the war veteran, who captured the hearts of the nation by walking 100 laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday during the first COVID lockdown.
The foundation is also facing an ongoing statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission over concerns about the charity's management and independence from the late veteran's family.
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What has happened and why is there an inquiry into the charity?
NHS Charities Together also said money from its appeal - which raised a total of £160m - had been distributed across its network of charities.
A spokesperson said: "The Captain Tom Foundation is a completely separate organisation that was established after Captain Tom raised funds for our COVID-19 Urgent Appeal, and the Charity Commission has made clear that the £38 million he raised for NHS Charities Together is not under investigation."
It said the money had been used to fund mental health support projects for NHS staff, as well as training for emergency volunteers and community partnership programmes to prevent ill health and reduce pressure on NHS services.
Planning row over home spa
On Wednesday, The Captain Tom Foundation announced it had stopped taking donations after it emerged his daughter will have to tear down an unapproved home spa in the grounds of her home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin applied in 2021 for permission to build a Captain Tom Foundation Building in the grounds of their home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
Plans for the site said it would be used partly "in connection with The Captain Tom Foundation and its charitable objectives".
Central Bedfordshire accepted them. However, the authority refused a retrospective application in 2022, for a larger building, containing a spa pool.
Inquiry ongoing
The Captain Tom Foundation was set up in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore, a 100-year-old war veteran who raised £39m for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his garden in April 2020.
Capt Sir Tom, who became a national hero and was personally knighted by the late Queen for his efforts, died in February 2021.
A spokesman for the Charity Commission has said it will not comment while the inquiry is ongoing.
The commission opened a case into the charity in March 2021, a month after the veteran's death, and expanded it into a statutory inquiry in June last year.