Captain Tom Moore completes final fundraising lap for NHS as donations soar past £12m

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Imogen Braddick12 May 2020

A 99-year-old army veteran who set out to raise £1,000 for the NHS by walking lengths of his garden has completed his final lap, raising more than £12million for the health service in the process.

Second World War veteran Captain Tom Moore decided to fundraise to help the NHS fight the coronavirus crisis by walking the 25-metre loop of his garden 100 times, ahead of his 100th birthday.

After finishing his final lap on Thursday morning, completed with a guard of honour from the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, he said: "I feel fine, hope you are all feeling fine too!"

Hours before his fundraising campaign hit the £10m landmark on Wednesday, Captain Moore, who lives with his family in Bedfordshire, was singled out by Downing Street and described as “an inspiration to us all” by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The donations have continued to pour in and soared past £12m on Thursday morning.

Captain Moore completed the final laps of the challenge on Thursday morning
BBC

Speaking before starting his final 10 laps on BBC Breakfast on Thursday morning, Captain Moore said: "I've been in the army, we are used to getting up early.

"We started off after a family joke, but really because I did so well with the NHS when I had a broken hip.

"The service I had from the NHS is absolutely marvellous... they were been kind and attentive.

"They have done so well for me and so well for everybody else."

Speaking about the money he has raised, he added: "I think it's an absolutely fantastic sum of money. It's unbelievable that people can be so kind to give that sort of money to the NHS."

Captain Moore with his daughter Hannah
BBC

His daughter Hannah added: "It's an extraordinary story.

"We knew we had a gem and we shared him with British public who have taken him to their hearts. It's really gone global.

"I think what he shows, he's a beacon of hope in dark times and we all need something like this to believe in."

His granddaughter, Georgia, said: "I'm very proud of him...I can't thank you all enough for donating."

The war hero reached £8 million at 5.30pm on Wednesday, reaching the next seven-figure milestone of £9 million less than three hours later.

Mr Moore then reached £10 million at around 11pm. By the early hours of Thursday, the figure had hit £12 million.

He wrote on Twitter: “I’m speechless… This amount of money will help the #NHS beyond what we ever thought was imaginable.

“Thank you to everyone that’s helped me get there.”

Speaking on BBC Breakfast before Captain Moore completed his final lap, Mr Hancock said: "This is an awful crisis, but there are some little shafts of light and one of them is how much people come together...he's served his country in the past and he's serving his country now, both raising that money for the NHS, but also cheering us all up."

After finishing his final lap, the 99-year-old said he felt “fine” and that he was glad to be “surrounded by the right sort of people”.

Captain Moore has been described as an "inspiration to us all"
Reuters

Then, in a series of video clips, he received messages of thanks from NHS workers, sports personalities and politicians.

Cricketer Ben Stokes said: "The funds you have raised for the real heroes today is just sensational."

Snooker player Judd Trump added: "You are a massive inspiration to myself and everyone in these difficult times."

In a video clip from Chancellor Rishi Sunak, he said Captain Moore's efforts were "extraordinary".

"It just goes to show the British spirit is as strong as it's ever been," he said.

NHS staff at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital also shared their appreciation and thanked Captain Moore for his efforts.

Speaking about the campaign for him to be knighted, he laughed and said: "It would be marvellous to have such an honour, but I don't expect anything like that."

The family was going to host a big party for Captain Moore's 100th birthday at the end of the month.

He said: "I'm afraid that can't happen now because you have all got to keep six metres metres away from me.

"But it really is something special with all you kind people here and all the kind people watching and all the kind people presenting money.

"That is enough of a party for me."

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He added: "We are a united nation and that is what we will continue to be."

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