Captain Tom Moore has been given a fresh ‘burst of life’ by public reaction to his NHS campaign – but still doubts he’ll get a knighthood despite raising more than £26m
- 99-year-old has vowed to keep walking lengths of his garden in Bedfordshire
- Today said the generosity of the general public during this is ‘amazing’
- His daughter Hannah said the reaction has given her father a ‘burst of life’
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
The general public’s reaction to Captain Tom Moore’s fundraising efforts has given him a ‘burst of life’ but he says it’s unlikely he will be given a knighthood for raising money for the NHS.
The 99-year-old has vowed to keep walking laps of his garden in the Bedfordshire Village of Marston Moretaine in order to raise money for the fight against the coronavirus.
The campaign has raised nearly £26 million so far and his charity single featuring Michael Ball is also at the top of the iTunes store.
Speaking on BBC Radio 2 today Captain Tom said the amount raised by the public is ‘amazing’ while his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said the public have given him a ‘new purpose’.
Originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire, Captain Moore trained as a civil engineer before enlisting in the Army for the Second World War, rising to captain and serving in India and Burma
Captain Moore was posted to India where he fought in the Arakan Campaign of 1942 to 1943 during the Second World War
Members of the public have called on Captain Tom to be given a knighthood for his work
War hero Captain Moore is pictured with his two daughters Lucy and Hannah in a post on his Twitter account
While many people have also campaigned to get Captain Tom to number one, there are also calls for him to be knighted.
He laughed at this suggestion and said: ‘It sounds lovely doesn’t it, but I don’t think it will happen. If I were you, I wouldn’t hold your breathe.
‘I wouldn’t put too much money on Sir Thomas, the idea is lovely but don’t bank on it’.
Hannah said in the last week the pair have been interviewed on television across the world and said the fame ‘hasn’t changed’ her father.
‘He’s still your typical stoic fabulous Yorkshire man and taking it in his stride. I think he has always had a real purpose and energy but falling and breaking his hip definitely challenged that because he became a little bit less independent.
‘What the amazing British public have done and I know that they feel he has given everything to them, which of course he has, but what they have given back to him is just a burst and a zest for life and purposefulness and that is just amazing to see’.
Captain Tom today thanked Michael for his help on the You’ll Never Walk Alone track and said it had been giving comfort to so many.
He said the reaction from the public was ‘amazing’ and added: ‘Your thinking of the national service and the doctors and nurses throughout the world, with this we can say the sun will shine again and we will all walk again’.
‘It is marvelous, it appears to be being appreciated by so many other people.’
Captain Tom has now been asked to open the Nightingale hospital in his native Yorkshire.
His daughter Hannah said they had received a lot of concerned messages from people but reassured them that he would be attending the opening virtually.
Today Tom added he had been continuing to walk. He said he hadn’t been out this morning because of the weather but wanted to head out later today because the sun had come out.
Captain Tom has now been asked to open the Nightingale hospital in his native Yorkshire.