Captain Tom

[roxfox]

To be super fed up of hearing about him?

It's not his fault but the media etc seem to be using him to distract us from more important things. He's featured on the news more times than I can count. He received over 125,000 birthday cards - he can't possibly read even a quarter of them, what a waste of money and paper. And poor Royal Mail having to get it all to him.

There's not one day we don't here about him and now he's getting a plane or something flown over his house. The 28million he's raised is stupid money too - yes great for these NHS 'charities' but goodness, they are all on full pay! What about the food banks and million other things we could've all supported.

We've gotten so used to hearing Rishi throw money around I think we've forgotten how much money that is.

Is it just me? I feel awful. I know he's a lovely old man who's served his country all his life and will probably die very happy and yes we all need some lighthearted news but ffs all he did was walk around the garden.

@Shitsgettingcrazy. - daughter’s company totally passed me by

Sadly I don’t think anyone would have a hope in hell in raising a similar amount for a charities that run care homes

The majority are private businesses with wealthy owners.

What a nasty thread.

There was a Popbitch bit about this too. Definitely more than meets the eye.

Dh got a WhatsApp about him that his children had set up a ltd company that were earning well off it. Don't know if that's all rubbish.

His daughter has a company. The fund raising is in the company name. The company specialises in (amongst other things) business growth.

His daughter has set this up as a PR stunt. But its also had massive benefits. So don't mind that so much. She is trying to promote her business and ,probably, keep going and aiming to come out of this with loads of positive PR and future business. Its a good business plan, really.

Likely, Captain Tom was living, in part, off the company before. Since he lives with his daughter. The company will have be paying at least part of the families housing costs. Because his daughter will earn money from the company. That's the same for all families. I live off my employer. Its what pays my bills.

So there's some truth in it. But twisted.

I think it all started with his granddaughter/ daughter sending a tweet to Good Morning Britain. They then did an interview and it went viral from there. I don’t think the family expected for one minute that it would explode like it has

Oh they absolutely did. Why else was the fund set up by the family owned business entity and not personally. If you read “his” twitter too it’s a social media bod or young person.

I think a lot of the public don’t understand the difference between “nhs” and “nhs charities”. They think this money is funding core costs. It isn’t.

In hindsight it would have been great to spread that money around- hospices, marie curie etc, however noone foresaw the huge amount of money raised, so they chose one charity.

In fact nhs charities recently partly funded a new mri/ct scanner that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and required an extension to be built on the hospital which it was housed in.

Captain Tom is an amazing, he has raised so much money for the NHS and has offered a fine distraction from the misery. I absolutely love him, he is a great example of humanity at its best - and we wish him a happy birthday. Yes. I never donate to one off charity things but I did on this occasion as did DH. We're a pair of old grumps normally. It was a positive gesture during a time of misery. OP what are you doing for charity during this pandemic? He's a WW2 veteran as well. And for that I thank him.

^^ it will save many lives through earlier detection and can be used for medical research .

To be super fed up of hearing about him?
This phraseology puts me off you straight away.

I think he is overwhelmed TBH. He set off with the very best of intentions ,and thought it would be nice to raise £1000.00 for the NHS .Like a lot of these things has got completely out of hand now.He does deserve his Flypast and I wonder if you or I could walk round our house 100 times at that age?! I like to hear about him ,as he is an example of the best type of old boy (part of the great generation as they are known.) Happy Birthday to him and I think he needs a rest now!

So his daughter set up this PR stunt, by sending her dad to walk around the garden so her business can stay afloat??

Lol that someone can’t criticise a charity event UNLESS THEIR DOING It.

I am bizarrely unmoved by it - the scent of charidee and tabloid shit and retired men using military titles and hero crap.
I think we are allowed to question it !

“They’re “

So his daughter set up this PR stunt, by sending her dad to walk around the garden so her business can stay afloat?? How could they possibly know what would happen?

I’m just going to copy what I put in the last thread bashing the NHS charities, for those who are unclear on what their remit is.

the NHS charities provide things that aren’t medically necessary but improve things for patients and staff.

When my dad was dying of cancer the room he spent much of his final weeks in had a proper TV in rather than the Hospicom ones that had to be paid for. That TV was provided by the hospital charity, and greatly improved his final days outside of visiting times.

When I was in hospital giving birth, some women (not me because there weren’t enough) were able to be monitored wirelessly so they were able to move around, there were plenty of non wireless machines that do a perfectly adequate job but the wireless ones funded by the hospital charity greatly improved patient experience.

They also do things like provide toys etc to the children’s hospital. Do you thing toys, TVs, expensive non essential equipment should be bought from already overstretched NHS budgets?!

I don’t really understand the comments about ‘could you walk as much at his age?’

I know people who are his age and couldn’t do that, no. Does that make them less important/valuable/relevant then? Are we judging people’s value in how much they can walk now?

I'm cynical so finding it being on the media, YV, Twitter, radio, all a bit 'much'.

I think people have really bought into his story, but I feel for people really going out of their way to do incredible things to fundraise for local charities, only raising a few hundred quid.

Soooo what’s your contribution in all of this then, OP? Must be something amazing if you’re in a position to whinge about someone who has raised so much money for charity.

Oh yes, it must be amazing. Do tell us!

Cant believe you've taken the time to whinge about this. Take a look at the shit government we have, that's definitely worth whinging about.

Ridiculous isn't it. All over a man that's fine a wonderful thing.

YABVU.

Maybe find something to bitch about other than a nearly 100 year old man, who fought in the war and has accomplished more in his life than any of you ever will. Sickening.

How could they possibly know what would happen?

I don't think they did. But they hoped. Business and are just that, plans. Sometimes they go flat for no particular. Sometimes they exceed expectations.

The go fund me was set up in her business name. Not his, or hers. Her business name.

Business growth, forms part of her business. She is aware of what good publicity can do. If she can secure or even grow her business now, then she will attract new business.

She may not have known it would explode like this. But she wanted to get some publicity out of it. She wanted it to get attention, she wanted it linked to her business, she suggested he did it, she promoted it by approaching media outlets.

In the scheme of things, does her motivation matter? The outcome has been the same. As a business move it could be viewed as genius or a bit exploiting or both.

But its raised money and as long as he is happy, does it matter?

Not sure why people get so snippy when people point out it wasnt an entirely altruistic venture on her part.

Oh yes, it must be amazing. Do tell us!

OP’s opinion, nobody answers to you.

who fought in the war and has accomplished more in his life than any of you ever will.

How do you know?!

I have utmost respect for the man and what he has done. But I can't help but agree with you OP. However the media are probably zooming in all focus on him at the moment to raise some positivity. We need positive news in the current climate.

She may not have known it would explode like this. But she wanted to get some publicity out of it. She wanted it to get attention, she wanted it linked to her business, she suggested he did it, she promoted it by approaching media outlets. Good for her. I admire her enterprise.

Yes,let’s stop having some admiration for a plucky and modest man. Let’s somehow twist this into the government using this as a deliberate distraction from the endless bloody moaning about what they have or haven’t done.

It was a rapidly moving story about how there was an international response to a simple fundraising idea from an unlikely source.

The song I could have done without, ditto the sackloads of cards, and the calls to knight him - but let’s not distract from the purity of his intention and extraordinary achievement by whingeing about the modern fashion for cheap sentimentality.