Unilad: [2] A heroic 99-year-old Army veteran has raised more than £1.4 million for the NHS by doing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday. [3] Tom Moore originally aimed to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together, as a thank you for the ‘magnificent’ care he received from staff, after treatment for a broken hip and cancer. [4] However, after an outpouring of support, the veteran upped his target to a whopping £500,000 and has since more than doubled that. [5] As of yesterday, April 13, Tom had completed 70 out of 100 laps of the 25-metre loop of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, and is working his way through them in chunks of 10 laps at a time – with the help of his frame. [6] Over the Bank Holiday weekend he decided to pace himself and do the 10 laps over two days as a result of the hot weather. But, he is still way ahead of schedule and plans to complete the 2.5 kilometre distance by Thursday, April 16, instead of his initial target of April 30, which is his 100th birthday.
[7] Originally from Keighly in West Yorkshire, Tom trained as a civil engineer before he was listed in the army to fight in World War II. He later rose to the rank of captain, and served in India and Burma (now Myanmar).
[8] Speaking before he hit the £1 million milestone, Tom’s daughter Hannah told BBC News ‘there was a stunned silence’ when he reached £500,000 in donations.