War veteran Captain Tom aged 99 raises over £14m for NHS

War veteran Captain Tom Moore, aged 99, has walked 100 laps around his garden and has raised over £14 million for the NHS.

He may be in coronavirus lockdown but aided by his walking frame, Captain Tom has walked 100 laps around his 25m garden in Marston Moretaine in Buckinghamshire.

A guard of honour by the 1st battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment saluted Captain Tom's achievement as he completed 100 laps on Thursday (16 April).

Walking at a rate of 10 laps a day, Captain Tom’s motto was "slow and steady" as he traversed his garden. This was particularly crucial as the Easter Bank holiday weekend proved to be a hot one for him.

The 99-year-old's fundraising efforts became so popular, his Just Giving page repeatedly crashed, as people rushed to donate money. He has become the largest single fundraiser for the JustGiving donation site.

Public petition for Captain Tom's knighthood

Some 200,000 people have now signed a Change.org petition to get Captain Tom a knighthood from the Queen.

When the fundraising page reached £1 million, the Yorkshireman said: “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 over a million pounds!”

He may have raised over £14 million but he is keen to keep going to generate as much money as he can for the NHS to help health workers on the frontline against COVID-19.

Captain Tom wanted to fundraise to thank NHS staff after his recent treatment for a broken hip and cancer. His actions during the coronavirus lockdown have now attracted generous donations from across the world.

The WW2 veteran was due to celebrate his 100th birthday on 30 April but his birthday party featuring 100 guests had to scrapped due to the coronavirus lockdown.

However, many people around the country now plan to send birthday cards and virtual greetings to Captain Tom on his birthday.

An online campaign by schoolgirl Reegan Davies to send him virtual cards has led to hundreds of birthday cards arriving at the post office in his village of Marston Moretaine.

Born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, Captain Tom enlisted in 145 Regiment Royal Armoured Corps at the start of WWII. Rising to the rank of Captain, he served in India, Arakan and Burma.

Captain Tom says he would love to do 100 more to ensure the public keep donating to the NHS.

The money raised will fund a variety of equipment including sleep pods for staff which will be installed in intensive care units and mental health support for NHS workers.

To support Captain Tom's fundraising effort for NHS Charities Together you can donate to his justgiving page.