Although many key events in the fundraising calendar has had to be put on hold due to quarantine and self-isolation rules, UK charities have continued to receive huge amounts of donations, despite the lack of resources available to those stuck indoors that want to help. One man in particular has been named a hero for raising millions – from his back garden.
100 laps before his 100th birthday
99-year-old World War II veteran, Captain Tom Moore, has grabbed everyone’s attention this week with his efforts to raise what was initially supposed to be £1,000 for UK-based charity, NHS Charities Together. Moore’s goal was to walk 100 laps of his 25-metre-long garden before he reaches his 100th birthday (10 laps per day). However, his touching story, sentiment and determination has stolen the nations hearts and his £1000 goal has been achieved 10 hundred times over…plus a bit more. A total of £18 million has been raised so far, with 91 thousand donations backing him as he wakes up every day and walks another 10 laps. See video here.
Although Moore has said he finds the walking (which he started the weekend before Easter) quite difficult to do every day, he explains that right now, other people “have it a lot worse”. He continues onto saying “I will continue to manage as long as I possibly can”. Moore has now accumulated 182 thousand Twitter followers since he started walking, with a trending Twitter hashtag dedicated to him, “#walkwithtom”.
The acknowledgement of his efforts is celebrated by the both public, and the British royal family. On BBC Breakfast, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge described Moore as a “one man fundraising machine” to which Moore responded with “that, I think is absolutely amazing, that my super prince can say something like that”.
When asked about the current medical efforts enforced by the NHS, Moore stated “they’re doing so well for everybody at the moment, I think we must say ‘well done National Health Service’”. In response to how he thinks the public should respond to the continuing pandemic that surrounds us, he gives a word of advice, “tomorrow you will maybe find that everything will be much better than today. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it. Tomorrow will be a good day.” A beautiful mindset to have amid a testing time for everyone around the globe.
Captain Tom Moore raised £18 million pounds, at 99-years-old, because of his courageous, ‘never give up’ attitude – that’s an £18 million attitude. Of course, what’s been on our minds this whole time is, what kind of birthday card should we send Captain Tom Moore for his 100th birthday?
Lastly, to everyone reading this, what can you do from the comfort of our own home to help spread hope?
This week’s top social stories:
5 Digital Marketing Trends to Focus on During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Read More:
TikTok Is Launching New Parental Controls to Better Protect Minors. Read More:
Facebook will alert you if you’ve seen Coronavirus misinformation. Read More:
YouTube DIY tool makes it easy for small businesses to create short ads. Read More:
Making Innovation Count: Why brands are becoming more thoughtful. Read More:
WINNER:
Burger King France have given out the ingredients to their mighty Whopper to encourage people to try making it themselves at home. This not only saves the risk of drivers having to deliver orders to your door, but also gives you an activity to do this weekend. Bon appetit!
LOSER:
Celebrities are abusing their power
A new study has shown that celebrities are one of the key distributors of COVID-19 misinformation on social media. Re-sharing hoax theories to a large audience is adding fuel to an existing tragedy. Beware!
CREATIVE:
Music artists have taken their performances online, with virtual concert livestreams scheduled every hour of the upcoming weekend from artists like Diplo and The Killers. Who said you can’t let loose in quarantine? Take a look at who else is going live.
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