Captain Tom Moore has raised an incredible amount of money for the NHS (Photo: Tom Moore)

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, one army veteran is doing everything he can to raise money for doctors and nurses on the frontline in the fight against Covid-19.

With his initial target completely blown out the water, Captain Tom Moore, who turned 100 on 16 April, has managed to raise over £28 million for the NHS.

Captain Moore has made a public statement thanking everyone who has donated to his fundraising efforts for the NHS.

Raised over £28 million

Captain Tom Moore, a 99-year-old army veteran, has completely surpassed his original target of raising £1,000 for the NHS in the fight against Covid-19.

Captain Moore had aimed to complete 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden by Thursday 16 April, with the use of a walking frame.

On the morning of Thursday 16 April, Captain Moore tweeted: "Final 10 laps... #WalkWithTom #TomorrowWillBeAGoodDay."

To begin his fundraising efforts, he set up a Just Giving fundraising page, titled: “Captain Tom Moore’s 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS.”

The fundraising page explained that Captain Moore is aiming to walk a hundred lengths of his back garden, which is 25m in length, before he hits 100 years old at the end of the month.

People donating money to the page have left encouraging messages for Captain Moore.

One anonymous donor wrote: “You’re an inspiration Captain Moore. Thank you to all our key workers.”

Another wrote: “A hero helping heroes. Well done Captain Tom!”

At one point, donations were coming in so quickly that the Just Giving page crashed - it’s back up and running now.

Can I still donate to the campaign?

While the original plan was to end the campaign after Captain Moore turned 100 on Thursday 16 April, the campaign is still going as the donations keep piling up. Captain Moore is also continuing to walk the length in the his back garden to raise money.

If you want to donate to the campaign, you can do so by visiting the Just Giving page online here.

Just hit the ‘donate’ button and you’ll be taken to a page where you can choose the donation amount - you can choose from the pre-selected amounts of £10, £20, £30, £50 or £100, or alternatively you can enter a specific amount yourself.

Good Morning Britain appearance

Tom made an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Monday 13 April, saying: “Who would have thought that when I set a target of £1,000 a week ago, it could have reached £500,000?”

Piers Morgan publicly donated £10,000 to Captain Moore’s efforts during his appearance on Monday’s show.

Captain Moore appeared again on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday 14 April, and it was announced that his fundraising efforts had successfully brought in over £1 million.

Speaking on the show, Captain Moore said: “Piers and Susanna it is amazing and thank you Pier for your contribution yesterday. It was enormous, it was so kind of you.

“It’s marvellous for our doctors and nurses on the front line. In the last war it was soldiers in uniform on the front line. This time our army are the doctors and nurses uniforms. They’re doing such a marvelous job.

“Thank you very, very much. You are so kind. It’s such a benefit to so many people. You’re giving hope to the people finding it very difficult. We will survive this.”

What charity is the money going towards?

The money raised by the fundraiser is going towards NHS Charities Together.

The money will be spent on much needed items, such as well-being packs for NHS staff, rest and recuperation rooms and electronic devices for patients to keep in touch with their loved ones.

Ellie Orton, chief executive of the charity that will receive the money from the fundraising, spoke to the BBC, saying: “I think I absolutely join the rest of the county in being truly inspired and profoundly humbled by Captain Tom and what he has achieved.

“Thank you for being an inspiration and a role model.”

The NHS Charities Together Twitter account also tweeted: “And he’s done it. War hero @captaintommoore has surpassed his new £1million target already! Keep going, Tom. How much more can you help him raise for our #COVID19 Urgent Appeal? #walkwithtom #NHS.”

About Captain Tom Moore

Captain Tom Moore was born and brought up in Keighley, Yorkshire.

He attended Keighley Grammer School, and later completed an apprenticeship as a civil engineer. He enlisted in 8 DWR (145 RAC) at the beginning of the war and was selected for officer training in 1940.