Wigan grandad's artistic birthday salute to Capt Tom

Capt Tom Moore’s fund-raising efforts for the NHS have prompted a Wigan grandad to gift him a portrait for his 100th birthday today.

William Mather, 77, was so impressed by the war veteran’s astonishing charitable efforts, which have now topped £29m and sparked calls for the veteran to be knighted, that he immediately took to his pencil sketch book.

Capt Tom completed 100 laps of the 25m loop in his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, well before his birthday deadline and in the process touched the hearts of the nation during the coronavirus pandemic.

Retired welder William, has been self-isolating at his Whelley home with partner Sandra Aspinall for five weeks but that gave him ample time to sketch Capt Tom twice over.

William, who has made portraits regularly for 15 years, said: “I’ve done one pencil sketch of him as he is now and one of him as a young soldier in the 1940s. It’s all on one drawing and put onto A3 paper and framed up.

“What he’s done with the fund-raising has struck a chord so I had to pay tribute in a way I know best.”

Over the years, William has created around 300 portraits, some of which hang in his house, while he has given others away.

Pictures include members of the Royal Family, Dolly Parton and Morecambe and Wise.

He said: “I’m planning on doing some more of Harold Wilson and Elvis Presley next.

“It’s something I’ve done as a hobby regularly for 15 years since I retired and I’ve had an interest in it for 40 years. It’s just a hobby that keeps me busy.”

One of William and Sandra’s biggest concerns was that they weren’t sure of where to send the picture and how they would dispatch it when self-isolating, but thankfully a friend of Sandra found the address for them, it was popped in the post this week on their behalf and should have arrived at Marston Moretaine in time for the celebrations.

The greetings aren’t the only ones sent to Capt Tom, of course.

In fact the local village hall has been completely engulfed with more than 125,000 birthday cards sent by an adoring public.