Artist's tribute to Captain Tom

Anyone who saw Captain Tom Moore’s efforts to raise money for the NHS Charities Together can’t fail to have been moved.

Now artist Naomi Hands-Smith has captured his heroic spirit in an ink sketch which she has shared with the Herald.

The former soldier, who turned 100 this week, set out to raise £1,000 by walking 100 times – with a Zimmer frame – around his garden in Bedfordshire ahead of his 100th birthday on 30th April.

But after catching the nation’s hearts, he has raised £30million.

Naomi, from Ilmington, said: “Captain Moore achieved the most astonishing thing – not only did he raise an incredible amount of money but he reminded all of us that anything is truly possible, and that’s what got me.

“The message is so much more powerful than any politician or celebrity could give, and so this illustration was a personal reminder to me never to be blinded by wealth or power ever again.”

Naomi is currently on furlough from her job in the front of house team at the Royal Shakespeare Company. She and husband Chris have two children – Leila, 11, and Rupert, seven – and she is also studying for a BA in illustration.

“When my youngest was settled at school, I decided I would pick up the pencils again.

“My work is very nature-inspired – those everyday moments that if you blink you’ll miss it. I make a real effort to look beyond the modern busy world and see those tiny moments that mean something, that capture a moment in time.”

To see more of Naomi’s work visit www.meantimeillustrations.com.