We could not be prouder of Fifth Former, Benjie Ingram-Moore, who has been instrumental in publicising his grandfather’s challenge to walk 100 lengths of his 25-metre garden and in raising a staggering £7 million (at the time of writing), making him the biggest NHS fundraiser in the world.
Benjie’s grandfather, Captain Thomas Moore, 99, was due to celebrate his 100th birthday with a party later this month but his plans were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, Benjie and his family, came up with the ingenious idea to mark the milestone and raise money for the many thousands of healthcare staff working to save lives across the UK. However, Captain Moore’s feat has captured the hearts of the nation, and he has obliterated his initial fundraising goal of £1,000. The total raised currently stands at £7million (and counting)!
Benjie said: “We originally just wanted to do our bit and try to raise £1,000.”
“The fundraising support has been phenomenal, and we surpassed the £2million mark in just a week. It’s been incredible. We are currently the biggest fundraiser for the NHS in the world.”
“The support I have had from my friends at Bedford School has been amazing, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Captain Moore’s Twitter account, set up and managed by Benjie, has more than 60k followers, including celebrities such as Lord Sugar and Piers Morgan, and thanks to the support of so many his target has gone through the roof.
Now, Benjie is using his new-found relationships with these famous faces to ask them to record video messages wishing his grandfather a happy 100th birthday.
Additionally, Benjie has been co-ordinating not only the local press, but also national newsdesks, TV channels and radio stations to gain as much momentum as possible, and with great success!
Benjie’s mum, Hannah Ingram-Moore, told us, “We have all come to realise that Benjie is managing the national good news story that everyone is talking about. It started off as something small and has become the story of a nation.”
Benjie supports his parents by managing the social media for their family-run company, Maytrix Group, and he used his experience in social media as well as his contacts from the school cricket team to access some big-name celebrities to create the video for his veteran grandfather who was stationed in India during the Second World War.
Benjie added: “We have already received video messages on Twitter from Jason Donovan, Anton du Beke, Ian Poulter and Dame Kelly Holmes, to name just a few.”
“Our goal is to receive 100 before grandad’s birthday on 30 April so we can edit them into one big video as a surprise.”
“I think he will be blown away by the quality of the messages from celebrities we have been sent. It’ll put a big smile on his face, and that’s what matters.”
James Hodgson, Head Master, said, “We are incredibly proud of Benjie and everything that he and his family have achieved. As a school, we always encourage our boys to give something back, and Benjie has risen to this challenge with gusto.”
To donate, you can visit Capt Moore’s JustGiving page here.
