When Captain Tom Moore embarked on a personal challenge to complete 100 laps of the garden in his Bedfordshire home before his 100th birthday, he was hoping he might garner enough local support to raise a modest £1,000 for the NHS. What happened next, his daughter Hannah recalls, was “unimaginable”.
Clutching his walking frame for support and proudly wearing his WWII medals, the war veteran’s steely determination to keep lapping his garden, come rain or shine, quickly captured the hearts of wellwishers worldwide.
Donations, tributes and national news interviews poured in. By the time his 100th birthday (marked with a Spitfire flyover and more than 120,000 cards from fans around the globe) came around, Captain Moore’s status as a national hero was cemented.
His JustGiving page has raised an incredible £32 million in donations, while the charity single he released with Michael Ball made him the oldest artist to claim a UK No 1.
“I had no idea it would be that popular,” said Captain Moore of his fundraising effort. “It was just an idea within the family initially - walking up and down for exercise - but then it just grew and grew.”
“We’re just an ordinary family really. We knew we had a lovely story to share, and we shared it with the world willingly,” says Hannah, who initially put together a short press release about her father’s charity walk, which was in tribute to the NHS nurses who cared for him after he fractured his hip two years ago.
“We thought that maybe local radio would be interested and that it would be great to raise a thousand pounds. The extraordinary journey we’ve gone through could never have been imagined.”
This story is from the Issue 48 edition of Royal Britain Presents Royal Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 48 edition of Royal Britain Presents Royal Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE ROYALS AT CHRISTMAS
The Royal Family traditionally spends Christmas and New Year at Sandringham House, the King’s country estate in Norfolk.
PRINCESS BEATRICE AT RAINBOW TRUST
Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice joined hundreds of guests at the stunning St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge on December 7th for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity’s much-loved annual London Carol Concert.
THE KING'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE AND A CORONATION CARD
If there is one family that knows how to stick to a tradition at Christmas time, it is the Royal Family.
The Royal Green Lungs of London.
The Royal Parks are famously called “the lungs of London” but they are also its heart. There are eight of them in all, and every one is open to the public. In the first of a 2-part feature we look into the rich historical background of some of the most famous urban parks in the world...
THE STATE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT
His Majesty the King, accompanied by Her Majesty The Queen, recently opened Parliament for the first time since his Accession. We look back at the history of this historic ceremony which is steeped in tradition and symbolism...
KEEPING UP A CHRISTMAS TRADITION
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis celebrated the festive season with their now traditional Together at Christmas carol service...
THE KING AND QUEEN IN KENYA
Inlate.October King Charles, joined by Queen Camilla, embarked on a four-day visit to Kenya, addressing issues related to the climate crisis, education and the importance of national security, as well as Britain’s colonial past...
KING CHARLES HOSTS A KOREAN STATE VISIT
The President of the Republic of Korea, His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol, accompanied by Mrs Kim Keon Hee, paid a State Visit to the UK as the guest of His Majesty the King from 21st to 23rd November 2023.
KING AND QUEEN VISIT POUNDBURY
The King and Queen travelled to Poundbury in Dorset on June 27th to open a new garden named after the King’s late father, Prince Philip
PRINCE HELPS THE HOMELESS
Prince William recently launched a major five-year campaign to end homelessness, which he says should not exist in a “modern and progressive society.”