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

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

"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."

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."

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."