More than 40,000 thank you cards pour in for Captain Tom ahead of his 100th birthday

If you’re looking for a story that will lift your spirit and spread a smile on your face, then this is exactly that.

There is good news for Captain Tom fans, the man who won over our hearts by raising £28 million for NHS workers by walking 100 laps around his back garden. The 99-year old veteran, who did this to mark his 100^th birthday has a lot to be thankful for.

Ahead of his centenary on April 30, the local postmaster has been forced to take over an empty school to sort out more than 40,000 thank you cards all addressed to Captain Tom. Bedford School, where Captain Tom’s grandson is a student, agreed to provide their Great Hall as their social-distancing staff opened each card.

The response has been so overwhelming that the local mail centre has had to reprogram sorting machines to separate all the cards addressed to the birthday boy, as they further expect thousands more cards to pour in over the next few days.

Bill Chandi, who works at the local post office said, “’In all my years as a Post Master, I’ve never seen anything like this.We’re ecstatic for Tom. Whenever he used to pop into our shop he’d always say to me that post offices are at the centre of the community.” “I spoke to him on Saturday and told him that’s certainly true now,” he shared.

Celebrations for Captain Tom also include a special postmark that the Royal Mail will release to wish the World War II veteran a happy birthday. In addition, a plane with the words ‘Spirit of Kent’ and the NHS logo is slated to fly in honour of his 100^th birthday. A photo of this plane was uploaded on Instagram saying, “Getting ready for Captain Tom’s 100th Birthday Spitfire flypast. Fingers crossed for approval and blue skies on the 30^th.”