Since breaking his hip, Tom Moore has had to use a walking frame with wheels to move around. And during his time in the hospital, Tom remembers being well cared for by NHS staff so now he wanted to see what he could do to give back in this time of need. But what could a 99-year-old possibly do?
Tom decided he would do what he does every day… take a walk around his garden! Except, this time he was going to set himself a goal.
Tom was going to do 100 laps around his garden, by his 100th birthday that was coming up, and in the process, raise money for the NHS (National Health Service).
Small steps day by day he made his laps with the help of his walking frame … and thanks to his daughter’s help in getting the word out about his fundraising efforts, Tom went ‘viral’ and became an overnight sensation all over the world!
Everywhere, individuals started donating, sending in well wishes and encouragement. Tom became a source of inspiration and positivity.
Tom did complete 100 laps well before his 100th birthday! But more astonishing, is that the now 100-year-old man ended up raising over 32 million pounds!
Source: This story was reported on BBC on 18th April, 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Visit https://philipchircop.wordpress.com/ for more such stories
Captain Thomas Moore was a British Army officer who served in India and the Burma campaign during the Second World War, and later became an instructor in armoured warfare. He worked in several companies thereafter. Captain Moore was also an avid motorcycle racer. In the 24-day course of his fundraising, he made many media appearances and became a household name in the UK, earning a number of accolades and attracting over 1.5 million individual donations. In recognition of his efforts, his birthday was marked in a number of ways, including flypasts by the Royal Air Force and the British Army. He received over 150,000 cards, and was appointed as honorary colonel of the Army Foundation College. On 17 July 2020, he was personally knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. He died on 2nd February 2021, aged 100.
Image above: An inspirational postage stamp design on Captain Sir Tom Moore, sent in by one of the schoolchildren to the Royal Mail.
Image above: Schoolchildren of England submitted over 600,000 postage stamp designs honouring heroes of the Covid pandemic, as part of a competition announced by Royal Mail, UK. Out of them, eight designs were chosen for a new set of ‘Covid heroes’ stamps issued in 2022. Courtesy, The Sun, UK.
What is NHS?
The National Health Service (NHS) is a publicly funded healthcare system in the United Kingdom, established on 5 July 1948 by then Minister of Health, Aneurin Bevan. It was founded on three core principles: meeting the needs of everyone, being free at the point of delivery, and basing care on clinical need rather than the ability to pay. Funded primarily through general taxation, the NHS provides a comprehensive range of services — including primary care through GPs, hospital-based secondary care, and specialized tertiary treatments — ensuring universal access for all UK residents regardless of their socioeconomic status. Today, it stands as one of the world’s largest healthcare systems and remains a defining symbol of British national identity and pride.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS underwent a massive reorganisation to manage an unprecedented surge in demand for acute and intensive care. To boost capacity, it established several temporary “Nightingale Hospitals,” rapidly redeployed existing staff, and brought thousands of retired medical professionals and newly graduated students into the workforce. Non-urgent elective surgeries, such as joint replacements and cataract procedures, were postponed to free up approximately 30,000 hospital beds for virus patients. Beyond emergency treatment, the NHS integrated COVID-19 services into its 111 helpline, launched specialised “long COVID” clinics for ongoing recovery, and successfully delivered a nationwide vaccination campaign. In recognition of the “courage, compassion and dedication” shown by its staff during the crisis, the NHS was collectively awarded the George Cross by Queen Elizabeth II in 2021.