Now Captain Tom is No 1 in the charts
CAPTAIN Tom Moore’s charity single with West End star Michael Ball has soared to the top of the UK iTunes chart as his fundraising total passed £23million.
The Second World War veteran, who has captured the nation’s hearts by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday this month to raise money for the NHS, released a stirring rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
The track pipped Vera Lynn’s wartime hit We’ll Meet Again, which reached the No 1 spot after the Queen mentioned it in an address to the nation.
Pictures of Captain Tom in his garden and as a younger man in military uniform were yesterday beamed across the screens of London’s Piccadilly Circus with the words: ‘Congratulations Captain Tom Moore. A National Treasure. A National Hero.’
His version of the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune – made famous by Liverpool band Gerry And The Pacemakers – also features the NHS Voices For Care Choir. It begins with an introduction from Captain Tom, who says: ‘Hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark.’
Ball, 57, said: ‘It is one of the single greatest honours of my career to sing with this genuine national hero. Not only is he the biggest single fundraiser in British history and a decorated war veteran, he is the most charming man you could ever wish to meet.’
Captain Tom said: ‘I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be releasing a single with Michael Ball, but I also never thought it possible for me to walk in the garden and raise millions. So why not sing, spread some cheer and again – raise money for our national heroes.’
Meanwhile, an attempt by Margaret Payne, 90, to climb the equivalent of a 2,398ft mountain by going up the stairs of her home in Sutherland had last night attracted donations of more than £220,000.