Tom Moore, who served as an army captain in World War II, had originally aimed to raise $1,250 to donate to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) by walking 100 laps of his 25-metre back garden in Bedfordshire, northwest of London, before his 100th birthday on April 30.
Mr Moore wanted to thank the doctors and nurses who took care of him when he had a hip replacement two years ago, but his family thought he was unlikely to reach the goal.
But so far more than 450,000 people have donated to his effort, raising over $7.9 million pounds (AU$15.8 million).
The veteran told the BBC the flood of donations was “completely out of this world.”
“Let’s all carry on and remember that things will get better,” Moore told BBC News. “We have had problems before – we have overcome them – and we shall all overcome the same thing again.”
Good on you Tom.
