Captain Sir Tom Moore is set to be honoured with the Inspiration of the Year award at the 2020 GQ Men of the Year Awards.
Captain Sir Tom Moore
The 100-year-old former British Army officer captured the hearts of the nation in March when he walked 100 laps of his garden, with a goal of raising £1,000 for NHS charities during the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown.
But instead of raising £1,000, the Second World War veteran managed to top a whopping £32 million in donations in time for his 100th birthday, cementing him as one of the most inspirational people of 2020.
And to recognise his achievement, GQ magazine are not only honouring him with a special award at their upcoming Men of the Year Awards, but have also put him on the cover of their January/February 2021 issue - which hits newsstands on December 4 - making him the magazine’s oldest cover star.
Dylan Jones, the Editor of GQ, said: “If this year shows us anything, it’s that hope can come from the places you wouldn’t expect. Captain Sir Tom Moore is the absolute embodiment of our Inspiration award for 2020 and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate him at the upcoming GQ Men Of The Year Awards.”
And speaking about making history as the oldest GQ cover star, Captain Sir Tom cheekily quipped: “Well, that’s something special, isn’t it? And maybe next year, I’ll be the oldest again!”
During his interview for the magazine, Captain Sir Tom said he “never envisioned” his charity efforts would reach the impressive heights they have.
He said: “[The walking] was something I brought on myself, but that blossomed into something absolutely outstanding. When I started walking, I never envisioned that sort of money would appear. But I thank the whole family, and my daughter Hannah in particular, as without her this would never have blossomed as it did.”
And he then added of his own charity, the Captain Tom Foundation: “I think there are so many lonely people in need of help ... their lives are rather grim and so many people are in need of help.”
The GQ Men of the Year Awards in association with Hugo Boss will be available to view via British GQ’s YouTube channel on Thursday, November 26, at 8pm.