Meet the £3m Capt Fantastic!
War hero Tom, 99, does a charity walk around his garden every day
HE decided to mark the approach of his 100th birthday by raising £1,000 for the NHS to repay the help of the doctors and nurses who treated him.
But Captain Tom Moore’s ten-day charity walk around his garden has captured the hearts of the nation so much that he has already raised an incredible £3million.
The Second World War veteran, who uses a wheeled walking frame following hip replacement surgery, started doing ten 25-metre (82ft) laps a day at the beginning of last week.
He had intended to stop this week after completing a total of 2,500 metres – more than 1.5miles – but now says he will carry on as long as the money continues to roll in.
Retired civil engineer Mr Moore, who turns 100 on April 30, was amazed to watch as the amount being pledged to NHS Charities Together yesterday treble over the course of the day.
As the total raced past £2million, he posted on Twitter: ‘No words left...just thank you. I salute you all. I may be walking in my garden to raise money but this is the British public’s contribution.’
Mr Moore launched his online fundraising page on April 6, pledging to do daily walks around his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, as a thank-you for the ‘marvellous’ NHS care he received during his hip operation and treatment for skin cancer on his head.
His daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, who set up the page for him, has had to increase the target three times – from £1,000 to £100,000, then £250,000 and £500,000. As even that figure was smashed, she tweeted: ‘We remain proud and humbled by the generosity of the British public.’