Portsmouth’s own Captain Tom Moore – Disabled Naval Veteran takes on mission to raise funds for local NHS

2 July 2020

Disabled Naval Veteran, Michael North, set himself the mission to complete 100 laps of his garden each day to raise money for local NHS charity Brighterway, part of Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Michael says, “As a Disabled Naval Veteran, who has some other connected problems, I have like many others been told to stay at home. So confronted with that I knew that I needed to keep as fit as possible. With the aid of two walking sticks, I planned a route around our quite small garden, which I called a lap, and borne from that promised myself to do a 100 laps a day.

“Well some days later I have completed 7,600 laps, which equates to about 220,400 steps (or so my aching knees tell me). I could never emulate Major Tom’s tremendous effort but I could contribute.”

Michael chose Southern Health as they were “very close to my heart”, praising their dedication to delivering Mental Health care within Hampshire.  During the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, mental health support is of growing importance as people come to terms with the long term effects of lockdown and isolation from family and friends.

Ian Hynd, Head of Brighterway Charity, said, “We are delighted that Michael has chosen to fundraise for our COVID-19 Appeal. The money raised will greatly benefit our staff and service users throughout this challenging time. Without the continued support of people like Michael, we wouldn’t be able to continue to grant-make and provide well-being support. Brighterway are here to help the people cared for by Southern Health lead a brighter life, above and beyond NHS funding.”

Michael thought that a ‘Penny a Step’ would not be too much to ask and with that in mind, set his target at 250,000 steps (£2500). Donating is easy and can be done through Michaels Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Michael-North3

With his latest mission complete, Michael is keen to share his work and encourage people donate whatever they can adding: “if you can help on my journey to give something back to those who give us so much freely, please do. May I say thank you for any support you may give to my charity cause, because I know it will be faithfully applied by those who serve our needs within the NHS.”

Accessibility tools

Return to header