Captain Sir Tom Moore: Clap organiser vows to 'never forget'

The organiser of a clap for Captain Sir Tom Moore has said she "will make sure he is never forgotten".

Hannah-Jayne King, from Cwmbran in Torfaen, had initially set up a Facebook campaign to dedicate a round of applause to the veteran on Friday.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a clap dedicated to the NHS fundraiser which took place on Wednesday evening.

Capt Sir Tom died on Tuesday aged 100 after contracting coronavirus.

He raised almost £33m for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden.

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Ms King took part in Wednesday's clap and said she would continue with her plans for the one on Friday.

She organised a previous clap for him in April last year, which was observed by thousands of people.

She runs a Facebook group called Clap for Colonel Tom which has more than 30,000 members.

Ms King has also raised money for the NHS with several tributes to Capt Sir Tom, including the selling of memorial stickers and raffle tickets for a life-sized woodcarving of Capt Sir Tom.

"I think Sir Tom would want us to all celebrate his life however we would like to," the 31-year-old said.

Hannah-Jayne King said she felt the nation was in mourning over his death

"Sir Tom has taught us to be patient and also to be kind to each other, so whichever way we do the clap it should be respectful and be done for the right reasons... hopefully Sir Tom and his family will know just how special he is.

"He has left a positive stamp on the whole world, his legacy will live on. I will make sure he is never forgotten."

Ms King said she also planned to open a temporary bar in her garden for her household on the day of Capt Sir Tom's funeral to toast him, which she plans to name after him as "The Colonel's Arms".

She said she thought the "absolute world" of Capt Sir Tom and feels the UK is now a "nation in mourning" following his death this week.

Melvyn Burlace paid tribute to Capt Sir Tom in his front garden in Cardiff on Wednesday evening