By Tony Winterburn • Published: 16 Apr 2020 • 8:24
TOM MOORE originally wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing laps of his garden, he has now hit almost 12,000 times his initial target thanks to donations from over 600,000 people online.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier thanked Mr Moore for his efforts and said he was “an inspiration to us all.” Mr Moore had treatment for cancer and a broken hip recently and began raising funds to thank the “magnificent” NHS staff who helped him.
With the aid of a walking frame, he aimed to walk 100 laps of the 25-metre (82ft) loop in his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, in 10-lap chunks, before his 100th birthday.
“Every penny that we get, they [the NHS] deserve every one of it,” he said, as the total exceeded the £5 million mark earlier. NHS Charities Together, which support health service charities and will benefit from the funds, said it was “truly inspired and humbled.”
Earlier in the day, his JustGiving page crashed, with more than 90,000 people trying to donate at once, Capt Moore described the donations as “completely out of this world.”
He said: “Thank you so much to all you people who subscribe to the National Health Service because, for every penny that we get, they deserve every one of it.
“I think that’s absolutely enormous.”
Meanwhile, an eight-year-old girl has started an online campaign for children to make birthday cards for Mr Moore’s 100th birthday on April 30.
Reegan Davies, from Port Talbot, South Wales, set a target of 1,500 virtual cards after posting a video online to thank him for his fundraising efforts.
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