Capt Sir Tom honoured with touching tribute
CAPTAIN Sir Tom Moore has been remembered through a touching tribute in Derby.
A new sign with pictures of the inspirational former soldier accompanies one of his famous quotes: “Tomorrow will be a better day”.
It was designed and fitted on a planter in Wiltshire Road in Chaddesden by artist Mark Catherines, after an idea by Derwent ward councillor Tracey Pearce.
Capt Sir Tom, who was born in West Yorkshire in 1920, achieved worldwide fame by raising almost £33 million for the NHS during the height of the pandemic by walking 100 laps around his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, last April. He died on February 2 after contracting coronavirus, prompting tributes from across the nation.
Councillor Pearce, whose husband Jerry is also a Derby city councillor for Chaddesden, said of Capt Sir Tom: “He inspired me from day one. I just took to him so much. The best place I could think to memorialise him was on one of the planters, and I thought I would see how it goes, and up to now I’ve had an amazing response from it.
“It inspired me how positive he was. Some of the quotes that he came out with, during the pandemic, it certainly lifted me. A chap that has done what he did and says ‘tomorrow will be a better day’ at his age, to me, was just inspiring.”
Capt Sir Tom served in India and Myanmar (previously known as Burma) as part of the Royal Armoured Corps and after his fundraising efforts was knighted by the Queen in July 2020 as well as achieving a No 1 chart single.
The new sign has prompted a positive response on social media and Cllr Pearce said more pieces of art celebrating the history of the area could be on the way.
Artist Mark, 45, works as a graphic designer but has previously earned plaudits for his artwork of nostalgic scenes of Chaddesden. He said he was pleased to be involved and hoped more projects would follow.
He said: “It’s still fresh in our minds, the influence he had on the nation over the past year. He is an instantly recognisable person and an icon. “Tracey has asked me if we could maybe do things that are related to the history of Chaddesden or things that people would recognise and spark a bit of nostalgia. “So it could be the start of other things that will be something different.”