A Stotfold cake maker was commissioned to make a celebration cake for the 100th birthday of Captain Tom Moore, who has single-handedly raised more than £32 million for the NHS to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Captain Tom was catapulted into the limelight after his initial target of raising a modest £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden - 10 25-metre laps per day - soared to £32,795,105 from more than 1.5m supporters, before his JustGiving fundraising page closed today.
The war veteran’s 100th birthday yesterday was marked by extensive celebrations, including an RAF flypast and greetings from the Queen and the prime minister. He also received an estimated 140,000 cards and was made an honorary colonel by the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, in which he had served during World War Two.
Emma Azzopardi, owner of Box of Cakes in Stotfold, was commissioned to make a three-tier celebration cake for Captain Tom’s birthday.
She said: “We had donated to Captain Tom’s fundraising page, but wanted to do more. As he doesn’t live far, has been an absolute hero with what he has achieved, and it’s such a milestone birthday, we wanted to give something to him as a surprise and to enjoy.
“BBC Breakfast commissioned the cake to be presented on TV around 9am on his birthday.
“I had free rein, so drafted a sketch and worked tirelessly making all the decorations around his loves and life. It took five days to make.
“I was so pleased to make it for him - it’s been an absolute pleasure. He makes me smile when I hear him speaking on TV and I admire his outlook on life. What a wonderful man.”
In a tweet, Captain Tom said: “What a wonderful day full of well wishes, kindness and plenty of cake!”
JustGiving confirmed Captain Tom’s fundraiser was the largest total ever raised in a single campaign on its site.
A message on the fundraising page now says Captain Tom is “putting his feet up after raising an astonishing sum of money”.
It continues: “You can still help provide essential support for NHS staff and volunteers by making a donation to the charity through their JustGiving page nhscharitiestogether.justgiving.com”
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