Residents from Andover and beyond paid tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore yesterday as part of a national clap organised to celebrate his life. Politicians, police officers and NHS staff were among those joining in with a round of applause to commemorate the life of the 100-year-old, who raised over £33 million for the NHS. Others chose not to join in with the applause, saying that it was “virtue signalling” that overlooked the many others who had died during the pandemic. Captain Sir Tom Moore came to the attention of the nation when he began walking lengths of his garden for NHS Charities Together, with the aim of raising £1,000 for his 100th birthday, April 30.
An Andover man has raised over £5,000 to go towards the purchase of over 100 tablets for schools in and around Andover. Ryan Rawlinson established Tablets for Children at the start of the year as part of a drive to help local children access learning resources. The army veteran’s campaign has now smashed its initial goal of 10 tablets, with 101 having been bought at the last count. Ryan established Tablets for Children after having seeing how families were unable to get the technology their children needed for virtual learning. He said: “When the government first announced the third national lockdown, I didn’t have everything I needed to set my two children up for home-schooling.