School Hall Filled With 120,000 Cards For Captain Tom Moore's 100th Birthday

Second World War veteran, NHS fundraising hero and singles chart topper Captain Tom Moore has received 120,000 cards ahead of his 100th birthday on Thursday (30 April).

The Good Samaritan has become a household name over the past few weeks after he set out to raise £1,000 for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden by his centenary.

PA

However, his charitable endeavour captured the hearts of the nation in a way he never foresaw, with his fundraiser now having passed the £29 million ($36m) mark.

Now, people from all over the country are expressing their gratitude by sending him birthday cards, which have filled the hall at Bedford School, near his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.

But while the Captain is grateful for all the love he's receiving, he has asked people to direct gifts towards Covid-19 sufferers - being the bloody lovely bloke that he is.

Tom's eldest daughter Lucy Teixeira said her dad had been 'blown away' by the response to his fundraiser.

Speaking to The Sunday People at the weekend, she said: "At last count my dad has had around 100,000 cards and a thousand gifts of everything from chocolate and flowers. He is absolutely blown away and humbled by the support.

"I'm going to be singing Happy Birthday to him on BBC Breakfast on Thursday, so I'm looking forward to doing that. And he will have cake - he loves cake."

It seems pretty understandable that he's feeling rather blown away at the moment; last week alone, he received a Pride of Britain award and became the oldest person to ever top the UK singles chart.

The Royal Mail have also launched a special postmark to honour his 100th birthday, which seems fitting, given the sheer amount of birthday cards being posted to him from across the country.

You can help Captain Tom Moore over the £30 million mark here.

Let's all bring some positivity, support and fun to anyone who might find themselves in isolation as a result of the coronavirus spread. Need some entertainment? Join Isolation Nation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronasupport/

Topics: UK News, Awesome, Inspirational, Coronavirus

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey