Captain Tom Moore to be knighted after raising £33m for NHS charities

'He’s a true national treasure', prime minister says of honoured campaigner and veteran

Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old the Second World War veteran who captured the hearts of the nation and raised millions for the NHS during lockdown, is to be knighted, Downing Street has confirmed.

Capt Moore was made an honorary colonel just weeks ago in recognition of the work he has done to raise almost £33m for charities supporting the health service by walking laps of his Bedfordshire garden.

Now on the recommendation of the prime minister he is also to be honoured by the Queen.

Boris Johnson said: “Colonel Tom’s fantastic fundraising broke records, inspired the whole country and provided us all with a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus.

“On behalf of everyone who has been moved by his incredible story, I want to say a huge thank you. He’s a true national treasure.”

Captain Moore, who served in India, Burma and Sumatra during World War Two, had initially aimed to raise £1,000 by walking 100 laps of the garden of his Marston Moretain home before his 100th birthday.

But his campaign caught the imagination of the public during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak and he quickly saw his fundraising target rise to an eight figure sum within days of his campaign beginning.

Since then he has received praise from heads of states, an RAF flypast and featured on a chart topping song after performing alongside Michael Ball on You'll Never Walk Alone.

The accolade made him the oldest ever artist to have a UK number one single.

A Government spokeswoman added: "We know there is huge appetite to say thank you to all those supporting the nation during this emergency and doing incredible things day in, day out, up and down the country.

"We will ensure these unsung heroes are recognised in the right way, at the right time."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer congratulated the captain, who he said had brought "inspiration to millions and helped all of us to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of our NHS".

He added: "In his actions, Tom embodied the national solidarity which has grown throughout this crisis, and showed us that everyone can play their part in helping build a better future."

Additional reporting by Press Association.