Captain Tom Moore’s extraordinary fundraising efforts have continued as the 99-year-old has landed a number 1 on the Official Big Top 40 chart.
The Yorkshire veteran, who walked 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS, released a cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir.
And it was announced tonight on the UK’s biggest chart show on Capital and Heart that the new single has gone straight to the top of the charts.
Hero: Captain Tom Moore has debuted at number one in the UK’s biggest chart show with his charity single for the NHS
His campaign has raised more than £26 million so far on JustGiving and his charity single is also at the top of the iTunes store.
At number three on the Official Big Top 40 charts was Dame Vera Lynn and Katherine Jenkins’ duet of We’ll Meet Again, which is also raising funds for the NHS.
Reacting to the news of his chart success, Captain Moore’s daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said: ‘Oh my! Can anything else happen to us, do you think?
‘We are working our little socks off as you can imagine, we are fully Team Tom! Thank you for supporting us all and thank you to the British public, we really appreciate it.’
Originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire, Captain 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
The 99-year-old has even vowed to keep walking laps of his garden in the Bedfordshire Village of Marston Moretaine in order to raise money for the fight against the coronavirus.
Hannah said her father was overjoyed to work with one of his favourite singers Michael Ball for the single.
She said: ‘He loves a bit of country and western, he loves a bit of André Rieu, he loves a bit of big band, he loves World War II veteran songs, but he has always loved Michael Ball, so he’s in very good company.’
The Second World War veteran originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire completed his target of laps at his home a fortnight before his 100th birthday on April 30.
Captain Moore was posted to India where he fought in the Arakan Campaign of 1942 to 1943 during the Second World War
Captain Moore has raised more than £26million so far on his JustGiving page, despite having an initial target of £1,000 when he began fundraising just over a week ago.
His 16 year-old grandson Benji said: ‘He’s as true a Yorkshireman as you’re going to get, he takes everything in his stride. He won’t brag about it at all, he’s probably one of the most humble men you’ll ever meet in your life. But I think quietly he’s really loving it.’
Speaking on BBC Radio 2 today Captain Tom said the amount raised by the public is ‘amazing’ while his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said the public have given him a ‘new purpose’.
Members of the public have called on Captain Tom to be given a knighthood for his work
War hero Captain Moore is pictured with his two daughters Lucy and Hannah in a post on his Twitter account
While many people had campaigned to get Captain Tom to number one, there are also calls for him to be knighted.
He laughed at this suggestion and said: ‘It sounds lovely doesn’t it, but I don’t think it will happen. If I were you, I wouldn’t hold your breath.
‘I wouldn’t put too much money on Sir Thomas, the idea is lovely but don’t bank on it.’
Hannah said in the last week the pair have been interviewed on television across the world and said the fame ‘hasn’t changed’ her father.
‘He’s still your typical stoic fabulous Yorkshire man and taking it in his stride. I think he has always had a real purpose and energy but falling and breaking his hip definitely challenged that because he became a little bit less independent.
‘What the amazing British public have done and I know that they feel he has given everything to them, which of course he has, but what they have given back to him is just a burst and a zest for life and purposefulness and that is just amazing to see’.
Captain Tom today thanked Michael for his help on the You’ll Never Walk Alone track and said it had been giving comfort to so many.
He said the reaction from the public was ‘amazing’ and added: ‘Your thinking of the national service and the doctors and nurses throughout the world, with this we can say the sun will shine again and we will all walk again’.
‘It is marvelous, it appears to be being appreciated by so many other people.’
Captain Tom has now been asked to open the Nightingale hospital in his native Yorkshire.
His daughter Hannah said they had received a lot of concerned messages from people but reassured them that he would be attending the opening virtually.
Today Tom added he had been continuing to walk. He said he hadn’t been out this morning because of the weather but wanted to head out later today because the sun had come out.
Captain Tom has now been asked to open the Nightingale hospital in his native Yorkshire