Tom Moore originally set out to complete 100 laps in the gardem of his Bedfordshire home by Thursday, walking with the aid of a frame, in order to raise his goal of £1000.
Tom Moore, a 99-year-old army veteran who has raised over £2 million for an NHS charity in the fight against COVID-19 has vowed to keep going even though he has smashed his original £1,000 target
NHS Charities Together, who are to recieve the donation form Tom, have said that they are “truly inspired and humbled”.
More than 98,000 people from around the world have donated money to his fundraising page since it was set up last week.
Mr Moore has said:
I do [laps] each day, so that eventually I’ll get to 100, then after that I shall continue and do some more,” he said.
The support so far had been “absolutely fabulous”, he added.
“Let’s all carry on and remember that things will get better,”
“We have had problems before – we have overcome them – and we shall all overcome the same thing again.”
Mr Moore starting raising funds for the “magnificent” NHS staff who he thanks for helping him during treatment for both cancer and a broken hip.
It is his 100th birthday at the end of the month, and so Tom Moore had hoped to walk 100 laps of his 25-metre (82ft) garden in Marston Moretaine, in 10-lap chunks before he reaches 100 years of age.
As funds topped the £1m mark earlier, “Captain Tom”, as he is known, described it as “almost unbelievable”.
“When you think of who it is all for – all those brave and super doctors and nurses we have got – I think they deserve every penny, and I hope we get some more for them too.”
Ellie Orton, chief executive of the charity on the receiving end of Mr Moore’s fundraising, said: “I think I absolutely join the rest of the country in being truly inspired and profoundly humbled by Captain Tom and what he has achieved.”
“Thank you for being an inspiration and a role model.”
Mr Moore was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire and served in the army for World War Two and then went on to serve as a captain in India and Burma.
The money raised by Tom and others for the charity, will be spent on well-being packs for NHS staff, as well as rest and recuperation rooms, electronic devices for hospital patients to be able to keep in contact with loved ones.
Use our handy Live global stats tool top do your own research on COVID-19 around the globe:
Recent posts
- Cabinet Minister Robert Jenrick Broke Lockdown Rules to Visit Parents 40 Miles Away
- Prime Minister’s Father Says Boris ‘Almost Took One for the Team’
- Foreign Office to Bring Back 3,000 Stranded UK Nationals From India
- Breakthrough in Trial Using Blood Plasma to Treat Coronavirus
- Boris Johnson Has Now Left ICU After 3 Days