Captain Tom Moore awarded knighthood for NHS fundraising

London: Captain Tom Moore is to be knighted for his fundraising efforts after a special nomination from the British Pime Minister. The war veteran raised more than £32m (FJ$ 87.38m) for NHS charities by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday in April.

Boris Johnson said the centenarian had provided the country with “a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus.”

As an honorary colonel, his official title will be Captain Sir Thomas Moore under Ministry of Defence protocol.

The knighthood, which has been approved by the Queen, will be formally announced today.

Captain Tom, who was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday, had initially set out to raise £1000 (FJ$ 2730.69) for NHS charities by walking laps of the 25-m (82ft) loop in his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.

But he eventually raised £32,794,701 from more than one and a half million supporters. In a statement, Mr Johnson said Captain Tom’s “fantastic fundraising broke records” and “inspired the whole country”.

“On behalf of everyone who has been moved by his incredible story, I want to say a huge thank you. He’s a true national treasure,” he said.

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer congratulated Captain Tom and said he had “brought inspiration to millions and helped all of us to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of our NHS”.

“In his actions, Tom embodied the national solidarity which has grown throughout this crisis, and showed us that everyone can play their part in helping build a better future.”