Tributes paid as Captain Sir Tom Moore dies aged 100

Captain Sir Tom Moore has died at the age of 100 after testing positive for Covid-19, his family have confirmed.

The charity fundraiser was taken to Bedford Hospital on Sunday (31 January) after being treated for pneumonia for some time and he later tested positive for coronavirus last week.

‘Nothing short of remarkable’

Sir Tom’s fundraising efforts raised more than £32 million for the NHS, after he walked 100 laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday during the first national lockdown last April.

The veteran set out to raise £1,000 from his charity challenge but after his efforts struck a chord with the nation he ended up raising a huge £32.7 million, with donations from 1.5 million supporters, before his fundraising page was closed at midnight following his 100th birthday on April 30.

He started his challenge a little over three weeks earlier, and encouraged people to continue to donate to NHS Charities Together.

In acknowledgement of his efforts, he was knighted by the Queen during a unique open-air ceremony at Windsor Castle in summer 2020.

Sir Tom rounded off 2020 with a trip to Barbados with his family, and his fundraising efforts were marked during the New Year's drone display in London, as his figure appeared over the O2 Arena.

In a statement, his daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira described the last year of their father’s life as “nothing short of remarkable”, and said he had got to experience things he had only ever dreamed of.

The statement reads: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore.

“We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime. We spent hours chatting to him, reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.

“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of.

“Whilst he’d been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever.

“The care our father received from the NHS and carers over the last few weeks and years of his life has been extraordinary. They have been unfalteringly professional, kind and compassionate and have given us many more years with him than we ever would have imagined.

“Over the past few days our father spoke a great deal about the last 12 months and how proud he felt at being able to leave behind the growing legacy of his Foundation.

“We politely ask for privacy at this time so we can grieve quietly as a family and remember the wonderful 100 years our father had.”

“Thank you.”

Tributes paid

Sir Tom’s family confirmed his illness on Sunday, stating that he had needed additional help with his breathing and was being treated on a ward but not in ICU.

Following the news of his death, tributes to Captain Tom have been flooding in commending his incredible achievements.