A 100-year-old Second World War veteran has walked hundreds of miles around his garden to raise money for charity after being inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore.<br /><br />War hero Lance Corporal Harold Jones laps his back garden 30 times every day in all weather conditions and has been doing so since 2020. <br /><br />The great-grandfather-of-six started walking circuits around his bungalow during lockdown after being inspired by the efforts of the late Captain Tom. <br /><br />As the anniversary of his death approaches in two weeks time, Howard is still racking up the steps in honour of the Captain who touched the hearts of the nation.<br /><br />The centenarian has now clocked up an impressive 41,550 laps - 661 miles in total, which is the equivalent of walking from his home near Birmingham to Germany. <br /><br />The spritely pensioner reckons the secret to his long-lasting fitness is down to his time in the Armed Forces - setting him up with a "high level of endurance".<br /><br />Harold, who served in the British Army from 1942 until 1947, was stationed first in India and then in Burma during WW2.<br /><br />He began fundraising for the MND Association after losing several friends to the disease and has since raised over £43,000 in just under four years. <br /><br />Dad-of-two Harold, of Sutton Coldfield, West Mids., said: “Captain Tom did inspire me but I’ve now walked a far greater distance than he did in the end.<br /><br />“I always refer to myself as Lance Corporal Harold. Captain Tom was a captain so I thought I'd go to the other end of the spectrum.<br /><br />“One other reason I started was to keep fit and keep moving. With Covid we had to stay in and all sorts of things. <br /><br />"I saw it was what Captain Tom had done to raise money. I had lost three friends with Motor Neurone Disease and I thought I'd do the same. <br /><br />"It has become a daily routine ever since.<br /><br />“I set out to try and get to £1,000. I didn’t know how people would respond. I reached a grand in a year. When I reached £10,000 a friend doubled it.<br /><br />“I’ve done 41,550 laps. It goes down the side of the bungalow and around. I do it every day and I keep a record. <br /><br />"It’s the walking that keeps me fit. I previously broke my back in three places but my ankles, knee joints and hips are perfect. <br /><br />“The training for the army set up the ability to endure because we endured a lot in the army. Determination and resilience is something you're taught in the army.<br /><br />"You grit your teeth. I put on an anorak, pull it over my ears and I'm out there. <br /><br />“I walk in the morning after breakfast in whatever weather, you’ve got to get up and go out. <br /><br />"You have to have the determination to get up and go. That’s so important."<br /><br />The veteran raises money for the MND charity through not only his sponsored laps but through choir events at his local church and bucket collections.<br /><br />He has since been awarded a Points of Light award by the Prime Minister for his valiant efforts after the MND Association put his name forward.<br /><br />Harold added: “I was a salesman, and I look for opportunities. I give out buckets for collection money for MND. <br /><br />"I got a concert at my local Methodist church and charged £10 a ticket with 250 people turning up. <br /><br />“It was put forward by MND and I got notified of the award and now I'm awaiting a certificate. <br /><br />"It said I would get a letter from the Prime Minister thanking me, he’s busy of course. I’m told there’s a certificate now. The local MP Andrew Mitchell is doing it.<br /><br />“Even at my age now I try to help others, mainly with telephone calls. <br /><br />"I use the time since Covid to keep in contact with other people. I’m always prepared to listen to them. I think that very much helps. <br /><br />“I don’t get out so much now, I rely on friends.”<br /><br />The veteran served in the British Army from 1942 and worked mainly as an auditor in the Royal Pay Corps until he was discharged in 1947. <br /><br />Harold added: “I served in India. I remember on my mother's birthday we sailed from Scotland down the Atlantic, wondering where we would be going. <br /><br />"We didn’t know if we’d get there because of the U-boats. It took six weeks. We had six weeks at sea. <br /><br />"The ships weren’t like anything like they were today, we crammed in them. People slept anyway. That was 1944. <br /><br />“From India I went out to Burma. My experience with the Japanese was taking them to prison camps. They did gardening. <br /><br />"I used to carry a rifle with nothing in it, in the back of a lorry, transporting prisoners.<br /><br />“I also walked a 92 miles hike in a week, just after having recovered from diphtheria so maybe that helped set me up for walking these laps I do every day."
