Activism

Captain Tom Moore has a message of hope for all of us

In a year to forget, the veteran and charity champion has become a man to celebrate. That’s why he’s this week’s Big Issue cover star

Captain Tom Moore 1434

No one has shone brighter than Captain Tom Moore through the darkness of 2020 – and in this week’s Big Issue magazine he has a message of hope for Big Issue readers and vendors at a time when we  need it most.

Captain Tom’s story is an inspirational one. The veteran set out on April 6 to walk 100 laps of his garden – at the ripe old age of 99 – to raise £250 to treat nurses at the local surgery to wine and chocolates.

We all know what happened next. Within four weeks he had raised £38.9m for the NHS and walked into the nation’s hearts and minds. By the time he turned 100 on April 30 he was a national treasure.

Now Captain Tom is capping off his remarkable year by becoming a Big Issue cover star. This week he gives The Big Issue his advice on how we can all keep going through the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Captain Tom says: “You’ve got to be optimistic. You’ve got to believe that things will get better. They certainly will.

“Throughout the years of my life I’ve had bad times but I’ve always got through them. And I will say to everyone, whatever the problems are at the moment – and we have problems, nationally and worldwide – eventually we will all get through that and we will always be a little bit happier than we are today.

“I’ve always been looking to the future. I still say tomorrow will be a good day.”

To read more from Captain Tom on his whirlwind year, his new book and his plans for a loneliness-battling legacy, buy this week’s Big Issue magazine now.

The latest Big Issue magazine is available from vendors all over the UK. If you’re unable to reach your local vendor, you can still subscribe to receive the magazine directly to your door or purchase through the Big Issue app.

Captain Sir Tom Moore’s autobiography  Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day  is out now (Michael Joseph, £20). His children’s picture book One Hundred Steps is also out now (Puffin, £12.99)

Image: Helen Green

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