Prince William writes to 'heroic' WW2 veteran Captain Tom Moore who raised £15m for the NHS

16 April 2020, 19:43

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

The Duke of Cambridge has written to the "heroic" war veteran Captain Tom Moore who has raised more than £15 million for the NHS.

Prince William also made an undisclosed donation to the fundraising efforts of 99-year-old Captain Tom Moore, who has now attracted more than 760,000 donors.

The World War Two veteran finished a mammoth walking challenge on Thursday, raising more than £15 million for the NHS amid the coronavirus pandemic by walking 100 laps of his garden.

And he says he is not done yet.

His daughter Hannah said: "He has said emphatically, as long as people keep donating he will keep walking."

Captain Tom Moore on his fundraising for the NHS

He initially set out to raise £1,000, but Captain Moore's feat has since gone on to capture the imagination of the nation. All of this is in spite of the veteran breaking his hip just 18 months ago.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now looking at ways to recognise his "heroic efforts" and his "lifetime of bravery and compassion."

Meanwhile, a petition calling for the veteran to be knighted has received more than 50,000 signatures.

It calls on the government honours committee to "knight Tom Moore for his extraordinary achievements and phenomenal fundraising."

Captain Tom Moore's daughter pays tribute to her hero dad who raised £5m for the NHS

As he finished the final laps of his Bedfordshire garden, Captain Moore was given a special guard of honour by the 1st battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment.

But it isn't just people in the UK who have donated, with people in at least 53 countries adding to the fund.

The petition, started by Ben Blowes, says: "Tom Moore is 99 years old and has raised over £12 million (now 15) for the NHS by getting people to sponsor him for walking around his garden.

"This is important because Tom Moore has shown true selflessness and has the support of the country behind him.

Captain Tom Moore: I did this because I'm so proud of our country

"People who have signed the petition have called Mr Moore a "hero" and a "legend".

"If anyone deserves a knighthood right now then this guy does", said one.

Another commented: "He deserves one. True hero!"

"Absolute legend. He deserves it as a 100th birthday present", said a third. "He is 99 and still fighting for his country!"

His daughter Hannah added: "It's extraordinary. We've always known that we have a gem. We only put out that little that press release 10 days ago saying we'd like to raise a thousand pounds.

"And of course £1,000 is amazing, and we started to dream of five thousand.

"And now we are sharing this gem of a man with the nation, the nation has taken him to their hearts and so has the world.

"I know there is nothing like the National Health Service, and I think we can as a nation take it for granted.

"We have something that nobody else has, it's absolutely incredible."

Meanwhile, the Duke of Cambridge officially opened the Nightingale Hospital in Birmingham on Thursday.

William spoke to a group of staff via videophone from his Norfolk home to learn more about the project and their experiences working while the country is in lockdown.

For those wanting to donate to the veteran's cause, they can do so by clicking here

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