Bench made in honour of Captain Tom Moore all that remains after illegal £200,000 spa complex is completely demolished
A BENCH made in honour of Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday is all that remains in the garden after his family’s luxury £200,000 spa complex was completely demolished.
Aerial photos show the black steel bench in the empty grounds of the property in the village of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire after the controversial spa was demolished.
Workmen have been clearing away the bricks, tiles and debris this week after Hannah 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 at his fabrication firm, Roll and Scroll, and presented to Captain Tom on his 100th birthday, is all that is left standing.
Central Bedfordshire Council said it welcomed the complete demolition of the unauthorised spa building and said it highlights the importance of getting proper permissions before starting a new build.
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.
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 their appeal was dismissed last November.
FROM NHS HERO TO SPA CARNAGE
How the Captain Tom Moore story unfolded:
- March 2020- D-Day veteran Captain Tom Moore walks 100 laps around his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday, raising £30million for the NHS during the first lockdown
- June 2020 – Captain Tom Foundation established by daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore
- April 2020 – Captain Tom walks laps of his Bedfordshire garden for NHS Charities Together, raises over £39 million
- July 2020 – Captain Tom is knighted by the Queen in a special private ceremony at Windsor Castle
- September 2020 – Hannah Ingram-Moore launches the Captain Tom Foundation to combat loneliness
- December 2020 – Drones swarm into the shape of Captain Tom’s face at the New Year’s Eve firework display in London
- February 2021 – Captain Tom dies after contracting Covid-19
- 2021 – Council give permission to build garden office for foundation
- February 2022 – The Charity Commission launches a probe into the Captain Tom Foundation after it paid £50,000 to companies run by Hannah Ingram-Moore and her husband Colin
- June 2022 – Charity commission investigates questions over foundation finances
- July 2023 – The foundation stops accepting donations. Planning chiefs order Hannah to tear down an unauthorised spa at her Bedfordshire home. The building had been approved to be used “in connection with the Captain Tom Foundation and its charitable objectives”. But a larger building with a spa pool was built instead and was denied retrospective planning permission. Hannah appeals
- September 2023 – Accounts reveal Hannah received more than £70,000 to head the foundation
- October 2023 – Hannah loses her appeal and is ordered to demolish the spa and restore the garden to its original condition
- January 2023 – Demolition work begins
- February 7, 2024 – Spa complex due to be demolished
They were given three months to remove the sauna and spa and it must be pulled down by February 7.
Captain Tom rose to fame after he raised almost £39 million 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.