Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter has sent an “immense and heartfelt thank you” to all those who have supported her family following the death of her father.
Captain Sir Tom Moore
The war veteran - who passed away this month, aged 100, from coronavirus and pneumonia - captured the hearts of the nation when he raised more than £32 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden last year, after initially setting a fundraising target of £1,000.
And following his passing, his daughter Hannah has taken to social media to share a heartfelt statement in memory of her father, where she also thanked all those who had offered their “incredible support” during their family’s “time of sadness”.
In a lengthy post, she wrote: “On behalf of my family, I would like to say an immense and heartfelt thank you to everyone for their incredible support during our time of sadness at the loss of my father.
“Captain Sir Tom was simply father, Tom and Grandad to us. He was our world. We lived at home as an inter-generational family for over 13 years and although, like many, we weren’t perfect we were perfectly happy. He was strong, kind, full of humour and was the best mentor and confidante you could ever wish for. He was a vibrant, caring, and modest person who loved nothing more than to cook, mow the lawn, mend things and give sound advice.
“There is little pain that compares to losing someone you love and each one of us is feeling my father’s absence. Nothing can prepare you for that sudden wrench when their time comes to leave.”
Hannah went on to praise’s her father’s “pure determination” to complete 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday in order to raise money for the NHS, and said she hopes people will continue to spread his message of “hope, joy, and love”.
She continued: “We would like to thank everyone who has shown such love, affection and respect for my father. It’s been overwhelming and has assured us that his message of hope will live on.
“My father started his journey of 100 laps out of pure determination to improve his health and raise money for the amazing NHS carers who had helped him during his time of need, but it became so much more than that. He inspired hope in so many and captured the heart of the nation, and the world, during its time of need.
“He held a place in so many people’s hearts and because of that we understand we aren’t grieving alone. We want you to know we are with you.
“He was an amazing man with the biggest heart. We hope that the world will continue to spread the hope, joy and love that my father felt and that we can make tomorrow a good day for each other.”
Captain Sir Tom - who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his fundraising efforts - passed away on February 2, after being hospitalised with pneumonia and later testing positive for COVID-19.