Capt, 99, raises US$15m in garden stroll

A 99-year-old British World War II veteran yesterday completed 100 laps of his garden in a fundraising challenge for health care staff that has captured the heart of the nation, raising more than 12 million pounds (US$15 million).

“Incredible and now words fail me,” said Tom Moore, a captain who served in India, after finishing the laps of his 25-meter garden with the help of his walking frame.

Moore initially set himself the goal of raising 1,000 pounds for a National Health Service charity in time for his 100th birthday at the end of the month, after receiving treatment for a broken hip and cancer.

But his efforts — a rare bit of good news during the global coronavirus pandemic that has killed almost 13,000 people in Britain alone — have made him a star in his own country and abroad. “Thank you all for your amazing support. It has been a memorable experience. Thank you so much,” he wrote on Twitter.

The final lap of his garden in Bedfordshire, south England, was met with a guard of honor from the Yorklshire Regiment and broadcast live on British TV.

“I’m surrounded by the right kind of people,” Moore said. “I’m feeling fine, I hope you are all feeling fine too.”

Previously he has spoken of his admiration for medical staff.

“In the last war it was soldiers in uniform on the frontline. This time our army are the doctors and nurses in uniforms,” he said earlier this week.

“We will survive this.”

On Wednesday’s daily press briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called Moore “an inspiration to us all.”

“This is an awful crisis, but there are some little shafts of light,” he said.

“Captain Tom, he served his country in the past, and he’s serving his country now, both by raising that money for the NHS ... but also cheering us all up.

“We all need a bit of cheering up sometimes.”