Planned day was set to emulate major fundraisers like Comic Relief

A day which was set to commemorate epic fundraiser Captain Tom Moore has been postponed as the charity watchdog probes the foundation in his name.

Organiser Dame Esther Rantzen said the war hero's daughter is putting the day on hold amid inquiries from the Charity Commission.

A description for the event on the charity's website reads: “This will be a day devoted to those who have given us so much, a day to inspire and empower people who have often felt dismissed.

“This will be a day to remind us all of the positive impact gained by working together across generations, promoting a sense of pride and purpose to many who have felt they had been left behind.”

It is thought the day was intended to replicate Children in Need or Comic Relief, but focused on older people.

Part of the watchdog’s compliance case – launched last March – related to a request from the foundation to appoint Ingram-Moore as CEO on a six-figure salary, equating to about a tenth of its first-year income.

It is understood that the Charity Commission blocked the appointment last year. The foundation said Ingram-Moore “took the decision that the CEO role was not something she wished to pursue”, although she was appointed on an interim basis.

Accounts published earlier this month detailed that £54,039 had been paid by the foundation to two companies run by Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin. The accounts, which described the transactions as reimbursements, also showed that the foundation had spent more money on management costs than was given to charities in its first year.

The Captain Tom Foundation was established in May 2020 after former army officer Captain Sir Tom Moore – who died in February last year – raised nearly £39m for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden.

Rantzen, a celebrated campaigner who founded Childline and The Silver Line, said she had spoken to Ingram-Moore. She explained: “She said that while the Charity Commission were looking into all the finances of the Captain Tom Foundation, it would probably be better to postpone hopes and plans for Captain Tom Day, which we had hoped to be able to set up in June of this year. And I agreed that it might, given the media’s ongoing interest.”

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “Our engagement with the trustees of the Captain Tom Foundation on its set-up and governance arrangements continues. We cannot comment further at this time”.