Artist Hopes Life-Size Captain Sir Tom Moore Statue Will 'Immortalise' NHS Hero

An artistic creator is hoping a life-size Captain Sir Tom Moore statue will 'immortalise' the NHS fundraising hero.

The centenarian passed away on Tuesday (2 February) after testing positive for Covid-19 and the following day the nation clapped to honour him.

Now, Tony Clark is hoping a statue of the veteran will allow his legacy to live on.

Clark Sculptures

The bronze statue - named 'The Walk of Hope' - was built between April and October in Indonesia, before arriving in Leeds in December.

Tony, the owner of Clark Sculptures, told Leeds Live: "Captain Sir Tom Moore gave so many people so much hope in a bad time and he definitely inspired me.

"I hope this statue helps to immortalise him so that people can see him for what he did and when he did it.

"Hopefully, what we created captures that moment and the part of his life that gave everybody hope."

Tony originally planned to keep it for his upcoming gallery, but now he hopes to let Moore's family decide where it shall be placed and he has set up a GoFundMe to cover the costs.

PA

He said: "We set up the GoFundMe in the hope that we can donate it to be sited somewhere.

"I don't want it to be in a gallery or a private collection - I want it to be sited at a place where people can look at it and I want to give the family the option of where it goes."

You can donate to Tony's GoFundMe here.

Having served in the Second World War, Sir Tom became something of a national celebrity last year when, to mark his 100th birthday, he decided to do 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS during the first lockdown of the coronavirus pandemic.

He went on to raise an astonishing £32.8 million, which saw him applauded by the nation for his extraordinary effort.

Sir Tom was a source of inspiration for the country during one of the darkest periods in recent memory, and in July 2020, he was awarded with a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.

Announcing his passing in a statement, Sir Tom's daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said: "Whilst he'd been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever."

Topics: UK News, Awesome, NHS

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