99-Year-Old Veteran Raises Millions Walking Laps Of His Yard During Lockdown

A 99-year-old veteran of World War II is putting his time during the coronavirus lockdown to heartwarming use, raising millions of dollars for health care workers by walking up and down his yard.

Capt. Tom Moore aims to complete 100 laps of his 25-meter yard in Marston Moretaine, England, before April 30 ― when he will celebrate his 100th birthday, reported the BBC.

Moore initially hoped to raise 1,000 British pounds (around $1,200) for the NHS Charities Together collective, which provides funds to help the British National Health Service “do more,” per its website.

News of Moore’s endeavor soon spread, however. As of Wednesday morning, the tally on his JustGiving fundraising page stood at an astonishing 6 million British pounds (around $7.5 million).

Moore moved in with the family of his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, following the death of his wife in 2006. She suggested the challenge as part of his rehabilitation following a partial hip replacement, reported CNN.

“He is your stoic Yorkshire man,” Ingram-Moore told LBC Radio of her father, who grew up in Keighley, northern England, served in India during the war and later rose to become the managing director of a concrete manufacturer.

“He’s compelled to stay fit and active, he says there’s no fun in getting old but at least try and stay as fit as you can,” she added, noting he has promised to “walk another hundred to pay back the British public for their generosity and kindness and support.”

The response had been “completely out of this world,” Moore told the BBC in an interview Wednesday: