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WWII hero Captain Tom Moore, 99, breaks the £6MILLION mark in his bid to raise funds for NHS by marching around his garden on a zimmer frame – as JustGiving crashes because so many people are trying to donate (9 Pics)

World War II hero Captain Tom Moore has raised more than £6million for the 'brave nurses and doctors' of the NHS by marching ar...

World War II hero Captain Tom Moore has raised more than £6million for the 'brave nurses and doctors' of the NHS by marching around his garden on a zimmer frame. 
The 99-year-old had initially set out to raise £1,000 by walking 100 lengths of his 25-metre garden in Bedfordshire - but he has now smashed his target by 6,000 times in less than a week. 
Captain Moore, who was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, even caused his JustGiving page to crash this morning when 90,000 people rushed to sponsor him and his endeavour to support NHS heroes.      
He had aimed to complete the challenge and raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by his 100th birthday on April 30 - but he is on track to finish his final 20 laps by Thursday.  
Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire as he reached the landmark £5million total this morning, Captain Moore said the achievement was 'completely out of this world' as he thanked those who have donated.
'Thank you so much to all the people who have subscribed to the NHS because for every penny that we get, they deserve every one of them,' he said.  
Captain Tom Moore set out last Thursday to walk 100 lengths of his Bedfordshire lawn and raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together before he turns 100 on April 30
Captain Tom Moore set out last Thursday to walk 100 lengths of his Bedfordshire lawn and raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together before he turns 100 on April 30
During the Second World War Tom Moore was posted in India, serving and fighting on the Arakan in south east Asia. He later joined the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington
During the Second World War Tom Moore was posted in India, serving and fighting on the Arakan in south east Asia. He later joined the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington
The veteran smashed through his target in less than a day - and he has now raised a remarkable £6million for those working on the front line amid the coronavirus pandemic
The veteran smashed through his target in less than a day - and he has now raised a remarkable £6million for those working on the front line amid the coronavirus pandemic



He added that he never believed he would raise 'anything near that sort of money' when he began his sponsored walk on April 9. 
'At no time when we started off with this exercise did we anticipate we'd get anything near that sort of money,' he said.
'It just shows that people have such high regard for matters of our National Health Service and it's really amazing that people have paid so much money.'
His family added on Twitter: '5 MILLION! Huge thank you to @JustGiving who had over 90,000 people on Tom's page at one time, and had to try ensure that the site didn't crash. 
'WOW - just speechless. #walkwithtom #tomorrowwillbeagoodday.' 
The total rocketed to £6million just hours later, with donations still being pledged. 
On Twitter, his family said: '6 MILLION POUNDS!! Thank you everyone, this is all for our incredible @NHSCharities.' 
Captain Moore said he began his fundraiser to thank the 'magnificent' NHS staff who helped through cancer and a broken hip.  
It came as Piers Morgan launched a campaign this morning to get Captain Moore a knighthood for his extraordinary fundraising efforts. 
The presenter had personally donated £10,000 to the fundraiser on Monday. 
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he said: 'It suddenly came to me – would it be nice to see Captain Tom Moore, who served his country in World War II, and has now raised over £4million for the NHS in a week, wouldn't it be great to see him knighted for his services to the country? 
The veteran smashed through his target in less than a day - and he has now raised a remarkable £5million for those working on the front line amid the coronavirus pandemic
Captain Moore's family said on Twitter 90,000 people were on the veteran's page at once
Victoria Derbyshire, who spoke to Captain Moore as he hit the landmark sum, took to social media to share her congratulations
Victoria Derbyshire, who spoke to Captain Moore as he hit the landmark sum, took to social media to share her congratulations


'Wouldn't it be great if we didn't feel temptation to give it to business people who pay money for the honour, we didn't give it to celebrities for singing nice songs, but we give it to someone like him? That we make him Sir Tom?'
'I think that would be great,' he added. 'Let's give him something back.' 
The bookies have also made it 5/6 that the 99-year-old will be honoured with a knighthood before the end of next year. 
Jessica O'Reilly of Ladbrokes said: 'Captain Tom's fundraising efforts are beyond incredible and he deserves to be honoured.' 
Mr Moore trained as a civil engineer before enlisting in the army for the Second World War, rising to captain and serving in India and Burma.
He went on to serve on the Arakan in south east Asia before he returned to Britain to become an instructor at the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington.    
The veteran and his family set out to raise £1,000 initially, but as donations flooded in they decided to raise their target to £500,000.
The fundraiser had topped £1million as of 9am on Tuesday, before surpassing £5million this morning and going on to raise another million hours later.
Racing enthusiast Cpt Tom Moore is in the middle of doing 100 lengths of his garden at his Bedfordshire home to raise money for the NHS
Racing enthusiast Cpt Tom Moore is in the middle of doing 100 lengths of his garden at his Bedfordshire home to raise money for the NHS 
The fundraiser had topped £1million as of 9am on Tuesday, before surpassing £5million this morning and going on to raise another million hours later
The fundraiser had topped £1million as of 9am on Tuesday, before surpassing £5million this morning and going on to raise another million hours later
'It seems almost like fairy land to think that we started off at 1,000 to a sum of money that's not believable, is it?' Captain Moore said.
'Whereas in the last war we had soldiers in uniform in khaki, this time our army are in doctors and nurse's uniform. They're doing such a marvellous job.'   
The latest goal was comfortably beaten on Monday, with a quarter of a million supporters now having raised ten times the new target. 
Speaking on Tuesday, Captain Moore's daughter Sophie said: 'We have decided as a family we won't reset the target. We feel that we have shown a window into the world of a gem. Now the nation has taken this gem of a man into our hearts. 
'We feel that it's now up to the British public to take this as far as it should go, Tom will continue to walk and we, the family and friends, will continue to support him, this is now in the hands of the British public.'
Showing his gratitude for the overwhelming support Brits have seen him, the Second World War captain said: 'I would say thank you, very very much, you're so kind and it's such a benefit to many many people. 
'You're giving hope to the people who are at the moment find it very, very difficult, but we shall survive and we shall get through it in the end.' 
On Monday, Piers Morgan donated £10,000 toward Captain Moore's cause and told the near-centenarian: 'Captain Tom Moore, thank you for serving your country. 
'I'm so glad that we were able, through the brilliant NHS, to serve you back and keep you going.
'Good luck - I want to get you over the line today. Here's what I'm going to do, Tom, I'm going to put £10,000 of my own money into your fundraising today and I hope that encourages everyone watching at home to do the same.
'Little or small, whatever you can do. Let's get you over the half a million. You've got 10 grand from me.'
The donation meant he had raised more than £400,000 - but 24 hours later, the total had more than doubled. 
The 99-year-old tweeted his thanks to Susanna Reid and Piers for having him on the show, adding: 'Piers - I salute you'.   


Captain Tom Moore, 99,  on Good Morning Britain on Monay with his daughter Hannah on Monday morning
Captain Tom Moore, 99, appeared on Good Morning Britain with his daughter Hannah on Monday morning
There have been other fundraisers set up to help support the NHS amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed 12,107 people amid 93,873 cases in the UK.  
Ian Alcorn, a bathroom fitter from Nottingham, planned to raise £100 for the NHS coronavirus effort by encouraging friends and family to camp in their gardens, however his fundraiser quickly gathered over £100,000. 
As a way of entertaining his children, he set up a tent in his back garden, inviting a few friends and neighbours to join at home and donate £2 to NHS Charities Together.
Mr Alcorn said: 'The basis of the idea stemmed from boredom at home, it was a Sunday night and I was waiting for Antiques Roadshow to come on.
'My wife's a key worker so there were some days we needed to fill and others not. I thought at the weekend, let's treat the kids to a camp-out. We couldn't go out so we would camp in the garden!'

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