“We will get through this and come out of it stronger, more united and ready to face any challenge together.”
CAPTAIN TOM MOORE
Watching Captain Tom Moore walk back and forth across the garden outside his flat, I am amazed by his resolve, his spirit, his power. He decided to begin a fundraising campaign for NHS Charities Together, a coalition of charities supporting staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients. He started with a goal of 125 meters (25 yards per day) laps of his garden using his walker. He called it “Tom’s 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS“.
He started walking on April 6 and created a fundraiser on justgiving.com where his initial goal was to raise £5000. By April 16, he had already raised over £1 million and he achieved his initial target of 100 laps while a guard of honour for the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment who maintained social distance and stood by respectfully, saluting as he made his final laps.
When we started off with this exercise we didn’t anticipate we’d get anything near that sort of money. It’s really amazing. All of them, from top to bottom, in the National Health Service, they deserve everything that we can possibly put in their place. They’re all so brave. Because every morning or every night they’re putting themselves into harm’s way, and I think you’ve got to give them full marks for that effort. We’re a little bit like having a war at the moment. But the doctors and the nurses, they’re all on the front line, and all of us behind, we’ve got to supply them and keep them going with everything that they need, so that they can do their jobs even better than they’re doing now.
Captain Tom Moore
After Reaching £5 million in Funds for the NHS
To celebrate his 100th lap, singer Michael Ball sang You’ll Never Walk Alone as a tribute to him and the performance was made into a digital single featuring Captain Moore’s spoken words and the NHS Voices of Care Choir . Released by Decca Records on April 17, the recording hit No. 1 on the UK Charts on April 24. The recording is available from this Michael Ball link with all proceeds going to NHS Charities Together
99 year old Captain Tom Moore continues to inspire millions of people after raising over £29 million for the NHS. He has received thousands of award nominations for the prestigious CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) and has been shortlisted for the honours list which will be presented at Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday celebration in June. He was awarded the Pride of Britain Award on April 23, and has, to date, inspired all of us in many ways.
Happy Birthday and thank you, Captain Moore!! We will all be celebrating with you on April 30th!
Timeline of Captain Tom Moore’s Amazing Walk
| April 6, 2020 | Captain Moore sets out to walk 100 laps of his garden with the goal of raising £5000 for the UK NHS |
| April 10, 2020 | £1000 target hit- a new goal was set for “Tom’s 100th birthday walk to £100k for our amazing NHS“ |
| April 11, 2020 | £100,000 target reached – a new goal is set at £250,000 |
| April 12, 2020 | £250,000 goal reached – Goal raised to £1,000,000 |
| April 14, 2020 | £1,000,000 plus achieved |
| April 16, 2020 | Captain Tom Moore reaches his goal of 100 laps of his garden with the Honour Guard standing by. |
| April 17, 2020 | Dekka records releases a digital recording of You’ll Never Walk Alone, (with proceeds going NHS Charities Together) featuring Captain Tom, Michael Ball, and the NHS Voices of Care Choir. |
| April 24, 2020 | You’ll Never Walk Alone becomes the No. 1 hit in the UK, making Captain Moore UK Singles Chart, making Captain Moore the oldest person to achieve the position after Tom Jones. |
