Tom Moore crossed the finish line in a live BBC broadcast. Two weeks before his 100th birthday, the British World War II veteran completed a charity marathon on his walker in his own backyard. He set out to raise a thousand pounds for doctors, but ended up raising 12 million and becoming a national hero.
Tom Moore started his fundraising campaign to thank the NHS for treating his cancer and broken hip. Moore uses special walking aids to get around, but he has pledged to run 100 laps to raise money for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic. The result exceeded all expectations – over 620,000 people donated and £12 million was raised. Each day, Moore ran 10 laps and crossed the finish line live on BBC.
“I feel great and I hope you all feel the same,” he said as he completed the distance. “I couldn’t even imagine that I would be a part of something like this. We will get through everything. It may take some time, but in the end the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will disperse,” said Tom Moore.
He previously said he was amazed by the amount, which grew rapidly throughout the experiment. Within days of the charity’s launch, over £5 million had been transferred to Moore’s account. Hannah, his daughter, helped him accomplish what he had in mind.
NHS staff say Tom Moore’s act is inspiring and teaches humility. In the NHS, they said they were in awe of the act of such an old person and accepted the money with gratitude and humility. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “At a time of crisis for the country and the world, Tom Moore’s performance has inspired everyone around him and shown that not everything is so bleak in these difficult times.
Captain Moore served in India during the war and then in Burma. Tom Moore is a veteran of the Second World War. He went to the front from his home county of West Yorkshire, where he specialized as a civil engineer. He served with the British forces in India and later in Burma, finishing the war with the rank of captain.