TRUE HERO

British War Veteran, 99, Raises $15M for Health Service by Walking in His Garden

The former Army captain in Burma campaign completed the challenge with the aid of his walking frame.

A 99-year-old British war veteran has walked 100 laps of his garden to raise more than £12m ($15m) for the country’s National Health Service. Tom Moore had hoped to raise £1,000 ($1,250) for NHS Charities Together by completing 100 circuits of his garden before his 100th birthday with the aid of a walker frame. He smashed his target after more than 620,000 people made donations to his fundraising page. As he finished the challenge, he said: “I feel fine, I hope you’re all feeling fine, too.” Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Moore was “an inspiration,” adding: “This is an awful crisis but there are some little shafts of light.” Moore trained as a civil engineer before enlisting in the British Army for World War Two, rising to captain and serving in India and Myanmar, then known as Burma.