On what would have been Captain Sir Tom Moore’s 101st birthday, we honour his amazing fundraising efforts for NHS Charities Together and the countless others who have been inspired to follow in his footsteps, including those taking part in the Captain Tom 100 challenge.
Among those joining in to do something 100 times over his birthday weekend from 30 April – 3 May was a group of residents and staff from The Old Vicarage Care Home in Wales who donned fancy dress and headed off on 101 laps of the grounds of their care home.
Part of the group was 100-year-old Ena Strange, who said:
“I remember hearing about the first heart transplant on the radio. It changed everything. The NHS has opened the door for so many life-saving procedures, which is why a lot of us are still here and for that we are grateful.
“I admire Captain Tom doing what he did. You can feel useless at times, which upsets me, but I can do my bit by walking. I’m going to give it a try.”
Event organiser and Old Vicarage staff member, Fiona Collins, said:
“We all watched in awe of Captain Sir Tom’s heroic efforts to raise money for NHS charities and he’s been a huge inspiration to us all.
“The pandemic has been very difficult, especially for those in their later years like our residents and Captain Sir Tom but, regardless of age, he went for it and succeeded and we really want to celebrate that in his memory by doing 101 laps of our oak tree in the Old Vicarage grounds.”
Speaking of the care home’s endeavour, Ellie Orton, CEO of NHS Charities Together, said:
“Last year, Sir Tom’s noble efforts raised more than £30 million for NHS Charities Together, helping to fund projects that continue to improve services for patients and help NHS staff and volunteers through the pandemic – both practically and emotionally, so that they can continue with their crucial life-saving work.
“We all watched in awe of Captain Sir Tom’s heroic efforts to raise money for NHS charities and he’s been a huge inspiration to us all.”
Fiona Collins, Old Vicarage Staff Member
We are absolutely thrilled that the residents of The Old Vicarage Care Home are following in Captain Sir Tom Moore’s footsteps, committing to this selfless challenge in support of our fantastic NHS staff and volunteers who are doing a magnificent job of combatting the pandemic, but of course carrying the burden of what that entails. We’re so grateful and proud of the unwavering support of the British public for our health service and its staff.’’
