CORONA CRISIS Captain Tom blown away and humbled by 100,000 birthday cards
PIANO DOC’S 13,000 NOTES
PIANIST medic Dr Josh Michaels has raised spirits and £13,000 with his “quarantine jukebox”.
The 29-year-old stepped back from his role as an ear, nose and throat surgeon to help treat Covid-19 patients at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
And so far he has collected £13,000 for the Barts Charity’s emergency Covid-19 appeal – which gives patients ipads to stay in touch with their loved ones.
He started by posting about life on the front line, then had the idea of people paying to request a tune. This week Dr Michaels was playing the piano during his breaks.
He said: “I wanted to keep friends and family up to date with my work and spread messages of positivity to help those struggling, then expanded it to the quarantine jukebox.”
Barts Charity’s Fiona Miller Smith said: “We are beyond grateful.” See justgiving.com/ fundraising/joshua-michaels.
CAPTAIN Tom Moore has been “blown away” by the public’s kindness after getting 100,000 birthday cards.
The inspirational Army veteran, who has raised almost £29million for NHS charities, has also been sent at least 1,000 presents in anticipation of his 100th birthday this week.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday People, Tom’s eldest daughter Lucy Teixeira said: “At last count my dad has had around 100,000 cards and a thousand gifts of everything from chocolate and flowers.
“He is absolutely blown away and humbled by the support.
“I’m going to be singing Happy Birthday to him on BBC Breakfast on Thursday, so I’m looking forward to doing that. And he will have cake – he loves cake.”
Tom, who first aimed to raise only £1,000 by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday on Thursday, has also become the oldest person to top the UK singles charts.
His version of You’ll Never Walk Alone, recorded with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir, has helped raise even more for the NHS Charities Together fund.
Incredible
And next month ITV are to screen a special documentary in which Tom recalls his wartime experiences in the brutal Burma campaign, known as the Forgotten War.
Lucy, 51, of Reading, said: “It’s amazing. I mean what a journey in less than two weeks – incredible.
“It was such a simple thing to do. We as a family thought £1,000 was perfectly reasonable.
“To watch it all unfold has been thrilling. We are incredibly proud.”
Earlier this week Pride Of Britain host Carol Vorderman presented Tom with a surprise Pride Of
Britain award via video link-up on ITV’S
Good Morning
Britain.
Royalty and stars also lined up to pay tribute to his efforts in a special montage video, including the Duke and
Duchess of
Cambridge, actors
Dame Julie Walters, and Michael Sheen and sporting heroes Anthony Joshua, Harry Kane and Joe Root.
Actor Sir David Jason, 80, said: “In the 1940s, you and your mates stepped up to help the country out and here