Captain Tom’s new recruits step up to double their cash target
leaving his South Hylton home can be difficult, but they have shown no sign of stopping just yet.
“They’ve finished but they both want to continue,” said Jack’s mum, Sara.
“Someone told Jack a ventilator costs about £13,000, he doesn’t think he will raise that, but he still wants the hospital to get some lifesaving equipment.
“We’ve said as a family, the NHS doesn’t give up on us so we don’t want to give up on them.”
She added: “They’ve both done something amazing and to be proud of – it doesn’t matter if it’s £5 or £5million.
“Jack is autistic and doesn’t have the best social interaction skills, so for him this is quite big.”
Captain Tom has raised more than £29million for the NHS after his own challenge to complete 100 laps of his garden before turning 100.
His birthday yesterday was marked with an RAF flypast.
The Second World War veteran’s efforts inspired Jack, 13, and Maisie, eight, to embark on their own fundraiser for Sunderland Royal Hospital, where Jack is a ‘frequent visitor’.
The paid are now aiming to complete 200,000 steps for their challenge.
Philip Bithell, a fundraiser at Sunderland and South Tyneside NHS Foundation trust, said: “We are thrilled that Jack and Maisie want to do their 100,000-step challenge in aid of the Trust and we wish them all the luck in the world.
“Through the generosity of fundraisers, such as Jack and Maisie, we are able to invest in patient care and support for our outstanding teams who are working around the clock during this unprecedented time.”