27 April 2020
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Royal Mail is to issue a special postmark to celebrate the upcoming 100th Birthday of Captain Thomas Moore, who has raised millions of pounds for the NHS during the lockdown.
The postmark will be applied across all stamped mail from Monday 26 April and will run until Friday 1 May, and reads: Happy 100th Birthday Captain Thomas Moore NHS fundraising hero 30th April 2020.
To deal with the large volume of birthday mail being sent to Captain Tom, Royal Mail’s South Midlands Mail Centre has had to adapt its sorting machines to re-route all of his mail into a dedicated collection box.
So far, Royal Mail has processed more than 100,000 cards for Captain Tom using this new process, with tens of thousands more expected in the run up to his birthday.
Having already raised over £28 million for the NHS, Captain Tom has become a symbol of hope and unity across the UK during these uncertain times. The postal recognition comes as Captain Tom’s rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone debuts at Number 1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart.
David Gold, Director of Public Affairs and Policy at Royal Mail said:
“What Captain Thomas Moore has achieved is truly phenomenal, and this is reflected in the affection shown for him across the world. As Royal Mail works to keep the country connected during these challenging times, we are honoured to issue a special postmark in celebration of his 100th birthday. We continue to deliver the many tens of thousands of birthday cards from well-wishers across the UK and abroad as people look to show their gratitude for all he has achieved on a more personal level. We would like to extend our own best wishes and congratulations to him from everyone at Royal Mail.”
To raise money for NHS workers, Captain Tom set himself the challenge of walking 100 laps of his garden before he turned 100 years old.
He completed the feat on Thursday 16 April, 14 days ahead of his 30th April birthday and announced he would now aim to reach 200 laps. As of Saturday 25th April, Captain Tom has raised over £28 million for NHS Charities Together. His initial fundraising goal of £1000 was broken in around 24 hours.
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