War hero Captain Tom Moore, 99, completes 100 laps of garden raising £15m for NHS

16 April 2020, 08:33

Captain Tom Moore: I did this because I'm so proud of our country

A World War Two veteran has finished his mammoth walking challenge and raised £15 million - but he says he's not done yet.

Captain Tom Moore decided to walk 100 laps of his garden in the days before he turns 100 on 30 April, but has now finished ahead of schedule, and plans to keep going while he still has support. As of 3pm today, he had raised just over £14m for the NHS - a whopping figure of £14,008,288.06. Later in the day the total had soared past £15m.

Just 18 months ago, Mr Moore broke his hip, but that has been no obstacle for the war hero and fundraiser.

Initially, Mr Moore wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS charities to help with dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, but that target has been well and truly surpassed, with the current total standing at more than £14 million.

Captain Tom Moore on his fundraising for the NHS

As he finished his final laps of his Bedfordshire garden, he was given a special guard of honour by the 1st battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment.

But it isn't just people in the UK who have donated, with people in at least 53 countries adding to the fund.

Some are now even calling for him to be knighted for his efforts.

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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari ahead of finishing his morning, Mr Moore said: "It started off as a little joke we had in our family that as I was about to turn 100, why not walk 100 laps of the garden?

"We hoped to raise £1,000 but of course I did a little bit better.

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When asked what the toughest part of the feat has been, he said. "The toughest part is the first one."

His daughter Hannah said: "He has said emphatically, as long as people keep donating he will keep walking."

"It's extraordinary. We've always known that we have a gem. We only put out that little that press release 10 days ago saying we'd like to raise a thousand pounds.

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"And of course £1,000 is amazing, and we started to dream of five thousand.

"And now we are sharing this gem of a man with the nation, the nation have taken him to their hearts and so has the world.

"I know there is nothing like the National Health Service, and I think we can as a nation take it for granted.

"We have something that nobody else has, it's absolutely incredible.

Mr Moore has become an icon of the time, where the nation has been asked to stay confined in their homes during the fight against coronavirus.

He is instantly recognisable in his immaculate suit and row of medals pinned to his chest.

When asked why he wears the medals every time he walks, Mr Moore said: "I think that it's important that it shows I was part of a very important and super army at the time.

"We were all battling for our country which we're we are also proud of, I'm very proud of our country. There's nowhere like ours."

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