Captain Tom Moore Has Now Raised £6 Million For NHS By Walking Lengths Of His Garden
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Army veteran Tom Moore, 99, has managed to raise a whopping £5.6 million for the NHS by completing laps of his garden using his walking frame.
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Originally Tom aimed to raise £1,000 by doing 100 laps before he turns 100 at the end of the month, as a way of saying thank you to the NHS for all the help he's received over the years.
To complete the challenge, every day he's been doing laps of his 25m-long garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
However, after beginning last Monday (6 April), he's not only absolutely smashed his target - having already raised more than £5.6 million - he's also vowed to carry on with another 100 laps.
WOW - 4 million pound for our NHS!
We cannot wait to tell the news to Tom in the morning, he will not believe his ears!
Thanks each and every one of you - we are in awe of you, but especially our frontline staff who need this now more than ever. #TomorrowWillBeAGoodDay
- Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) April 14, 2020
Tom told the BBC: "I thank the British public from the bottom of my heart.
"Who would have thought that when I set a target of £1,000 a week ago, it could have reached £800,000?"
He added: "It's difficult to imagine all these kind people who have donated so far. It's just amazing."
Tom was born and raised in Keighley, Yorkshire, and went on to be enlisted in the eighth battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (8 DWR) at the beginning of the war. In 1940 he was selected for Officer training, and was later posted to 9 DWR in India, later serving and fighting on the Arakan.
He also went to Sumatra after the Japanese surrender, before returning to be Instructor at Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington.
More recently, Tom said the NHS has been 'marvellous' in helping him recover from both a hip replacement and skin cancer over the past couple of years.
The fundraiser, which was set up by his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, is his way of showing his gratitude to those who have helped him - at a time when resources are stretched due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hannah first set the target to £1,000, but this was then raised to £100,000. Once Tom also beat that, it jumped up to £250,000, followed by £500,000.
At the time of writing, Tom's managed to raise a total of £5,786,050.
Hannah took to Twitter to say: "We are overwhelmed by the response. It's extraordinary. We remain proud and humbled by the generosity of the British public."
To support Tom's walk, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalkforthenhs.
Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: UK News, News, Inspirational, NHS
