The inspirational Bedfordian, Captain Sir Tom Moore has died at Bedford Hospital today, his family have confirmed.
Sir Tom Moore raised over £38m for NHS charities during 2020, by completing laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday.
He was admitted to the hospital earlier this week, after being treated at home for pneumonia and then testing positive for Covid-19 (coronavirus).
Members of his family were with him when he died, in line with Bedford Hospital’s current policy.
Liz Lees MBE, chief nurse at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it had been the hospital’s immense privilege to care for Captain Sir Tom Moore.
Captain Sir Tom Moore 1920 – 2021
In a statement, Sir Tom’s daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore.
“We are so grateful we were with him during the last hours of his life. Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime.
“We spent hours chatting to him and reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.
“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable.
“He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of.
“Whilst he’d been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever.”
“The care our father received from the NHS and carers over the last few weeks and years of his life has been extraordinary.
“They have been unfalteringly professional, kind and compassionate and have given us many more years with him than we ever would have imagined.
“Over the past few days our father spoke a great deal about the last 12 months and how proud he felt about being able to leave behind the growing legacy of his foundation.”
The family have asked for privacy to allow them to grieve privately as a family, “to remember the wonderful 100 years our father had.”
Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, said: “On behalf of everyone in the NHS, I want to pay tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore who has been the model of all that has been good about our country’s response to Covid-19.
“People rightly marvel at the tens of millions of pounds Captain Sir Tom raised for the NHS, but for me, his biggest achievement and most important contribution to helping my fellow nurses, doctors and all those in the NHS responding to coronavirus, has been how he brought the country together and gave us all a boost when we most needed it.”