Metal bench honouring lockdown fundraising hero Captain Tom Moore's 100th birthday is all that remains after his daughter's illegal £200,000 spa complex was bulldozed to the ground

A metal bench made in honour of Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday is all that remains in his family’s garden after his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore had her luxury £200,000 spa complex demolished.

Aerial photos show the black steel bench in the empty grounds of the £1.2million property in the village of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, after the controversial spa was demolished.

Workmen have been clearing away the bricks, tiles and debris this week after Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin were told to bulldoze the property by Central Bedfordshire Council and return the land to its original state.

The rubble has now been taken away and the bench, which was made by Lincolnshire businessman Chris Kennedy and presented to Captain Tom on his 100th birthday, is all that is left standing.

It comes after a lengthy legal battle over the spa in the latest tussle over the charity fundraiser’s legacy.

All that is left of the spa complex is a bench made to commemorate Captain Tom’s 100th birthday

Workmen have been clearing away the bricks, tiles and debris this week after Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin were told to bulldoze the property (pictured before demolition began)

Captain Tom pictured with his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore during his fundraising campaign

The family lost an appeal against Central Bedfordshire Council to keep their spa complex after a planning inspector ruled it was ‘at odds’ with their Grade ll listed home.

Central Bedfordshire Council said it welcomed the complete demolition of the unauthorised spa building and that it highlights the importance of getting proper permissions before starting a new build.

Mr and Mrs Ingram-Moore had been given permission to make a Captain Tom Foundation Building in their garden to store cards and gifts sent by admirers, but they added a sauna and spa, which were not part of the original plans.

Central Bedfordshire Council issued an enforcement notice last July to demolish the ‘unauthorised building’ and the family’s appeal was dismissed last November.

They were given three months to remove the sauna and spa and it had to be pulled down by February 7.

Inspector Diane Fleming ruled in November that the spa block must be demolished within three months, and Central Bedfordshire Council said it would be ‘reviewing the onsite position’ the following day, on February 8.

During a hearing in October, chartered surveyor James Paynter, for the appellants, said the spa pool had ‘the opportunity to offer rehabilitation sessions for elderly people in the area’.

But Ms Fleming’s written decision concluded the ‘scale and massing’ of the building had resulted in harm to the grade II-listed Old Rectory – the family’s home.

The bench was made by Lincolnshire businessman Chris Kennedy and presented to Captain Tom on his 100th birthday

Central Bedfordshire Council issued an enforcement notice last July to demolish the ‘unauthorised building’

The family was given three months to remove the sauna and spa and it had to be pulled down by February 7

All that is left on the site is bare mud after the demolition was completed

The demolition is said to have left the lockdown fundraising hero’s daughter ‘humiliated’ as it has left the spa stripped back to a shell after demolishers ripped the roof off the £200,000 complex.

READ MORE: What has happened to Captain Tom Moore’s legacy? How lockdown hero’s family pocketed £800k in book sales, his daughter earned £85,000 salary, and a £200,000 spa complex was built at their £1.2m home – as they face calls to give it back 

Villagers, who described it as a ‘long drawn-out saga’ and say Hannah ‘thought she was going to get away with it,’ previously told MailOnline they were pleased the so-called ‘eyesore’ is on its way out.

Lesley Gough, 67, said: ‘It was not nice for the people who live next to the building. There were trees there before and a tennis court.

‘It is a shame they let it go on for so long. I think they thought they could get away with it.

‘Captain Tom was so popular. His legacy has got lost. He did all those good things and people aren’t talking about that anymore.’

In an interview with Piers Morgan last year, Colin Ingram-Moore said the family ‘should have done it [built the spa] in a different way’.

The Captain Tom Foundation is currently the subject of a charity watchdog investigation which was launched in June 2022.

Scott Stemp, representing Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband, said at the demolition appeal hearing that the foundation ‘is to be closed down following an investigation by the Charity Commission’.

Captain Tom rose to fame after he raised almost £39million for NHS charities by walking around his garden 100 times using a walking frame during the first Covid lockdown in the spring of 2020.

He was later knighted by the Queen and died in February 2021.

Captain Sir Tom Moore raised £39million for NHS Charities Together in the run up to his 100th birthday during the first lockdown in 2020. He died the following year

Captain Tom receives his knighthood alongside his daughter Hannah (second from left), Colin Ingram-Moore (left) and his grandchildren Benji and Georgia at Windsor Castle

Sir Tom was made an honorary colonel and was later knighted by the Queen (pictured in 2020) at Windsor Castle

Since his death, his daughter has faced a liturgy of allegations surrounding the charity she set up in his name.

The Charity Commission has been investigating the Captain Tom Foundation for potential conflicts of interest after claims it allowed a company owned by the couple to generate ‘a significant profit’.

It said Club Nook Ltd had been given the ‘opportunity to trademark variations of the name ‘Captain Tom’ without objection from the charity, which raised money from branded products including gin and T-shirts.

In November Mrs Ingram-Moore admitted to pocketing £18,000 for judging a charity award and handing out a plaque while the foundation received just £2,000.

Mrs Ingram-Moore was paid by Virgin Media to attend and judge ‘The Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award’ at the Ashton Vale Club for Young People in Bristol in 2022.

It was previously reported that she received an £85,000 salary from the foundation, as well as £7,602 in expense payments for travel and administration between June 2021 and November 2022.

The commission previously turned down an application for Mrs Ingram-Moore to become the foundation’s chief executive on £100,000-a-year – a salary similar to that run by the heads of major charities.

Captain Tom Moore’s daughter and her husband also insisted the family were right to keep £800,000 made from three books written by the lockdown hero and wouldn’t do anything differently because it was ‘his wishes’.

Hannah Ingram-Moore insisted the books were ‘never anything to do with’ the Captain Tom Foundation.

She said there was nothing in the contract that referred to the charity, nor was there ever any agreement that cash from her father’s book deals would go to charity.

But the prologue at the beginning of his autobiography states: ‘Astonishingly at my age, with the offer to write this memoir I have also been given the chance to raise even more money for the charitable foundation now established in my name.’

Captain Tom captured the nation’s hearts after setting out to walk 100 laps of his garden during the pandemic before his 100th birthday to raise money for the NHS.

It was reported by local media after Mrs Ingram-Moore sent out a press release about it, which stated his initial aim was to raise £1,000.

By the time of his 100th lap, Captain Tom had raised almost £20million for charity. He ultimately raised a staggering £39million.

Captain Tom Moore’s extraordinary final year

April 6 2020: Captain Tom, aged 99, sets out to walk 100 laps of his garden by his 100th birthday. His target is to raise £1,000 for the NHS.

April 8: He is interviewed on local TV news after daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore sends them a press release.

April 14: Donations to his JustGiving page break the £1 million mark.

April 15: Health Secretary Matt Hancock hails him as an ‘inspiration to us all’ as donations top £10million.

April 16: Captain Tom completes his 100th lap of his garden and vows to keep walking.

April 17: Prince William describes the veteran as an ‘absolute legend’. Donations exceed £20 million.

April 30: A Spitfire flypast marks his  100th birthday. He receives thousands of cards including one from the Queen. His fundraising page closes at midnight having totalled £33million.

July 17: Captain Tom is knighted by the Queen in her first official engagement in person since lockdown lifted, becoming Captain Sir Tom Moore.

September 23: A film company announces it is to give Sir Tom the big screen treatment, following a fierce bidding war.

December 11: After consulting doctors, Sir Tom and his family fly to Barbados after being treated to a holiday by British Airways.

December 25: On Christmas Day Sir Tom tells BBC Breakfast things ‘will get better’ as families spend the holiday alone due to restrictions.

January 1 2021: His figure is formed in lights as part of New Year’s Eve celebrations in London to mark the end of 2020.

January 6: Sir Tom returns to Britain.

January 12: The veteran is admitted to Bedford Hospital and is diagnosed with pneumonia. Between December 9 and January 12 he is regularly tested for Covid-19 and tests negative each time.

January 22: Sir Tom is discharged to his family home so he can feel ‘comfortable’ but tests positive for coronavirus on the same day.

January 31: He is taken back to Bedford Hospital by ambulance for additional treatment for his breathing, after previously receiving care at home from his family and medical professionals.

February 1: His condition deteriorates and daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and grandchildren Benjie and Georgia visit his bedside to say goodbye while his other daughter Lucy Teixeira speaks to him by video call.

February 2: Sir Tom dies aged 100 in Bedford Hospital as his daughters pay tribute to their ‘incredible father’.

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