Fundraisers will be honouring Captain Tom's legacy and raising money for charity in creative ways this weekend.
The Captain Tom 100 Challenge focuses on fundraising ideas around the number 100. The army veteran raised almost £33m for NHS charities by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before he turned 100.
Captain Tom died earlier this year and fundraising challenge has been organised for what would have been his birthday weekend, with activity stretching from Friday 30 April to Monday 3 May.
Virgin Money Giving revealed that almost 1,500 people have created fundraising pages on its donation platform. And activities include things knitting baby blankets and scoring 100 goals.
Crochet experts to knit baby blankets
The creative fundraising ideas include knitting expert Greda Aleksandraviciute galvanising 100 crochet experts to knit baby blankets.
Aleksandraviciute, 32, based in St Ives, is an avid knitter recruited 99 others via Instagram to help meet the goal.
She had been searching for baby charities she could support for a while and chose Baby Basics, a project, which helps new mothers struggling to meet the financial burden of looking after a new baby.
She said: “All the money donated will go to Baby Basics, an incredible cause which helps new mothers and families struggling financially or practically to look after a new baby.
“I followed Sir Captain Tom’s journey last year and thought he had an amazing zest for life with the kindest heart. He truly inspired me, and I am delighted my skills and other fellow knitters across the UK can help this great cause and continue his legacy.”
100 goals to raise funds
Nine-year-old football fan, Bobby Stafford, is aiming to score 100 goals to raise funds for Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital where he had been treated when he was seriously ill.
He said: “My mum had told me about Captain Tom walking around his garden last year to raise money for charity, which we found really inspiring. She told me about the Captain 100 challenge and I decided it would be a chance for me to say thank you to Birmingham Children’s Hospital who took such good care of me when I was sick and also raise some money for them.
“I was given a goal net for my birthday, so my challenge is to score 100 goals from lots of distances and from different locations, like my local parks and my nan’s garden.”
Locomotive to run around track 100 times
Corby and District Model Railway Society’s NHS liveried class 66 locomotive will be running around its track 100 times on Saturday 1 May to support Cransley Hospice.
This railway has been reconstructed over the last 10 years and over the last 12 months has been re-signalled.
Louise Preedy, community fundraising manager at Cransley Hospice, said: “Captain Tom gave inspiration and support to so many at a difficult time and touched the hearts of the nation. We are so thankful to the Corby and District Model Railway Society for choosing to support Cransley Hospice with their Captain Tom 100 challenge.
“It’s been a pleasure to meet some of the team from Corby and District Model Railway Society, their site is such a wonderful local gem and we hope the community will support them with their challenge.”
100 Handprints Challenge
An Isle of Wight care home has launched the 100 Handprints Challenge to raise money for the Royal British Legion.
Residents and staff at The Elms in Bembridge will have their green handprints feature of its garden fence mural in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore. They aim to raise £100 for the Royal British Legion.
Lesley Wise, manager of The Elms, said: “As we are all quite green-fingered and love our garden, we decided our handprints would be a great way to remember him on the fantastic mural at our care home. We all got a little messy putting our handprints on the fence but that was all part of the fun.”
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