Reward for Man Who Raised $34M Walking in His Garden

A British World War II veteran wanted to show his appreciation of the National Health Service by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday on April 30—with a goal of raising $1,250. Now that he has raised more than 27,000 times that, Britain is showing its appreciation for Captain Tom Moore. The mail center nearest his home in the English village of Marston Moretaine says he has already received more than 25,000 birthday cards; more are expected. "None of the team have ever known one person [to] receive so much mail," manager Stephen James tells the BBC. The Royal Mail says a special postmark wishing Moore a happy 100th birthday will be used on all mail in Britain next week.

Moore has now raised more than $34 million and he says he will keep doing laps of his garden, using a walker for support, as long as the donations keep coming in. He says he started fundraising to thank the "magnificent" workers who treated him for skin cancer and a broken hip. The funds have been distributed to NHS charities across Britain, which have used them to fund, among other things, "wellbeing spaces" with sleep pods for hospital workers and electronic tablets for patients in isolation to contact their families. Moore, a cricket fan, has been invited to ring the bell to start play at Lord's Cricket Ground when the lockdown is over, the Guardian reports. His 100th birthday party has been postponed, but he says the national outpouring of support is "a party enough for me."