Veteran Tom Moore, 99, raises £12m for NHS after completing charity walk

A 99-year-old war veteran has achieved his goal of 100 laps of his garden – raising more than £12m for the NHS.

Captain Tom Moore completed the final four of the 25-metre laps at his Bedfordshire home on 16 April. Speaking at the finish line, he said he felt “fine”.

Of the coronavirus pandemic, he added: “We will get through it in the end but it might take time, but at the end of the day we shall all be okay again… the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away.”

He planned to reach his target before his 100th birthday on 30 April to help those on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis.

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Moore said plans for his party have been affected by the virus. He added that the national outpouring of love and support for him was “a party enough for me”.

His daughter said the local postmaster had already been “inundated” with messages ahead of his birthday.

After smashing his first modest target of £1,000, Moore has now raised more than £12.3m, saying medical staff “deserve everything we can give them”.

His daughter Hannah said he had become a “beacon of hope” during challenging times.

Speaking to ITV on 16 April, the captain said the public generosity had been “unbelievable”.

He added: “Our country and all our nations, we’re all so generous in all sorts of ways. But it’s for a super purpose.

“Nurses, doctors and all the back-up workers, they deserve everything we can give them.”

Originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire, Moore trained as a civil engineer before enlisting in the Army for the Second World War.