Captain Tom Moore’s legendary fundraising mission has inspired an army of pensioners to mobilise themselves for charity.
Just like the 100-year-old war veteran, inset, who raised more than £32million for the NHS by walking 100 lengths of his garden, they are determined to prove age is no barrier in the fight against Covid-19.
Marjorie Lamb, 99, watched footage of Tom’s charity walk from her son John’s home in Glasgow, where she is in isolation.
The former Navy Wren, who turns 100 this month, said: “I just thought, if that old boy can do it, so can I!”
Marjorie started walking lengths of John’s garden on April 14 and aims to make it to 100 by the end of May.
So far, she has raised more than £3,700 to buy PPE for carers working on the front line.
Granddaughter Flic, 35, said: “Grandma’s got the energy and enthusiasm of a teenager.
“I hope Captain Tom knows how he’s inspired so many other pensioners to get up and do what they can.”
Another 99-year-old Marjorie – Marjorie West, of Dedham, Essex – completed 100 lengths
of her garden on Thursday to coincide with Captain Tom’s 100th birthday, raising £7,705 for NHS Charities Together.
Marjorie joined the war effort in 1943 after her husband Charles was killed in combat.
She went on to play a vital role in co-ordinating the D-Day landings and received top French medal, the Legion d’Honneur.
Marjorie said: “Having seen Captain Tom walking to raise funds for the NHS charities, I was inspired to show solidarity.
“I’m also 99 years of age, and also a veteran of World War Two. Girls helped to win the war – girls can help to fight
Covid-19.”
Fellow D-Day veteran Albert Allen, 96, did a four-day squat challenge to raise more than £1,600 for Blind Veterans UK.
The Navy Commando hero, who also received the Legion d’Honneur, did 26 squats each day on the balcony of his Northampton flat as part of the 2.6 Challenge.
He said: “When I saw Captain Tom, I knew I had to do something.
"I could’ve done more squats, but my daughter said I had to stop at 26.
“I ran five miles every morning when I was a Commando. This is nothing!”
