It was announced that Captain Sir Tom Moore, the 100-year-old who raised almost £33m for NHS charities, died with coronavirus. He was taken to Bedford Hospital after requiring help with his breathing.

Led by The Queen, tributes poured in following the mews. HRH was "recognising the inspiration he provided for the whole nation and others across the world". His daughters, Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira, said they "shared laughter and tears" with their father in their final few hours together. Announcing his death, they said the last year of his life had been "nothing short of remarkable".

He tested positive for Covid-19 last week. His family said due to other medication he was receiving for pneumonia, he was unable to be vaccinated. The Army veteran won the nation's hearts by walking 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire last year during the first lockdown, raising money for NHS Charities Together. He was knighted by the Queen last July in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Capt Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year. Her thoughts, and those of the royal family, are with them, recognising the inspiration he provided for the whole nation and others across the world." In a statement, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said: "Captain Sir Tom Moore was a hero in the truest sense of the word.

“In the dark days of the Second World War he fought for freedom and in the face of this country's deepest post-war crisis he united us all, he cheered us all up, and he embodied the triumph of the human spirit. He became not just a national inspiration but a beacon of hope for the world." The flag above 10 Downing Street had been flying at half-mast in tribute.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: ‘Captain Tom Moore put others first at a time of national crisis and was a beacon of hope for millions. Britain has lost a hero.’

The daughters' statement said: "We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime.

"Whilst he'd been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever." Capt Sir Tom's daughters said the care he received from the NHS was "extraordinary".

England manager Gareth Southgate said: "Captain Sir Tom Moore demonstrated the very best of England during an extremely difficult time for the nation.

"It was a wonderful moment to see him chosen to lead England’s Lionhearts squad celebrating 23 individuals who had done so much to help others this past year – one of many deserved honours that came his way. He will be missed, but we will remember him."

A staunch Yorkshire County Cricket supporter, the ECCB (England & Wales Cricket Board) wrote; ‘RIP Captain Sir Tom Moore. An inspiration to us all.’  

Capt Sir Tom, originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire, joined the Army at the beginning of World War Two, serving in India and Burma. He raised £32,794,701 from more than 1.5 million supporters, and was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday. NHS Charities Together said that would rise to £39m when Gift Aid was taken into account.

He also became the oldest person to have a UK number one single when he recorded You'll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball last year.

A 10-year old boy from Philadelphia, in the USA, who started selling lemonade on the sidewalk last summer, is ready to upgrade his business. In fact, he purchased a school bus that he plans to convert into a food truck.

Young entrepreneur Micah Harrigan, a 5th-grade honours student, thought of the lemonade business idea last winter. Since it wasn't ideal at that time, he was only able to work it out last March before the coronavirus stay-at-home orders were executed.

He started packaging the lemonade and iced tea in bottles and bags but it wasn't cost-effective. Three months after, he discovered 16-ounce clear plastic cups with lids and used those to pack lemonade he sold at his sidewalk stand. On the first day, his company, Micah's Mixx, instantly sold out.

With the help of social media promotion from Micah himself and other people who shared his story, his sales continued to increase. He eventually began doing pop-up events and sold more than 1,500 bottles. He saved up from his profits and also received donations in cash and in-kind from people who believed in him.

His mother, Danielle, first thought of purchasing a trailer to attach to her car but realized that it wouldn't be easy to drive that in the city. That's when they began searching for mini school buses online. Eventually, they found and purchased a yellow minibus for $4,000 that was previously owned by a private school.

Now, they have started a GoFundMe page to help raise the funds needed to convert the bus into a food truck with counters and refrigeration, which would cost around $10,000. So far, they have raised over $1,700 of their goal.

Once Micah is able to officially launch his lemonade food truck business, he says that he hopes to sell more bottles of lemonade to pay his mother back and give away free lemonade to the homeless people who live in his city as well.

Captain Sir Tom Moore has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus, his daughter has said. The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, was taken to Bedford Hospital after requiring help with his breathing, Hannah Ingram-Moore said on Twitter. She said he had been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks and last week tested positive for Covid-19.

Mrs Ingram-Moore said her father was not in intensive care. A spokeswoman for the family said Capt Sir Tom had not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine due to the medication he was on for pneumonia. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: "You've inspired the whole nation, and I know we are all wishing you a full recovery."

The Army veteran came to prominence by walking 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, before his 100th birthday during the first national lockdown. He was knighted by the Queen in July. He recently went on a family holiday in Barbados after British Airways paid for his flight.

In Mrs Ingram-Moore's tweet, she said her father had been at home with the family until Sunday when he "needed additional help with breathing". She said the medical care he had received in the past few weeks had been "remarkable".

"We know that the wonderful staff at Bedford Hospital will do all they can to make him comfortable and hopefully he will return home as soon as possible," she said. There has been an outpouring of well wishes for the centenarian on social media.

The Twitter account for English football teams "We're very sorry to hear this. We are thinking of you all and hoping Captain Sir Tom makes a full and speedy recovery." Health Secretary Matt Hancock also sent his "best wishes", while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the whole nation was wishing him well, adding: "You've been an inspiration to us all throughout this crisis." Football Focus presenter Dan Walker posted: "Come on Captain Tom", while actor and singer Michael Ball - who recorded a charity single with Capt Sir Tom - sent "love and prayers".

Capt Sir Tom, who was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday, had initially set out to raise £1,000 for NHS charities by repeatedly walking an 82ft (25m) loop of his garden. But he eventually raised £32,794,701 from more than 1.5m supporters.

Athletics coach Lloyd Cowan, who helped Christine Ohuruogu to the Olympic 400m title in 2008, has died.

Cowan represented England in the 110m hurdles at the 1994 Commonwealth Games before becoming a coach. As well as the Olympic title, he coached Ohuruogu to 400m silver at London 2012 and 4x400m relay bronze in 2008 and 2016.

A UK Athletics statement said: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lloyd Cowan MBE. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time." Coach Lloyd also guided England's Andy Turner to Commonwealth and European 110m hurdles titles in 2010 and coached his son Dwayne, who won a 4x400m bronze at the 2017 World Championships.

Britain's former Olympic 100m champion Linford Christie said on Twitter: "The world of track lost another family member, and it hurt more than I could have ever imagined."

Turner said he was "heartbroken" and triple-jumper Nathan Douglas described Cowan as "an inspiring soul". Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill said she was "absolutely gutted", adding "he always believed in me".

He was 58.

With racism – at a wide variety of levels and formats – being exposed for what it is, the institutionalised ‘systemic’ racially motivated tendencies undertaken up and down the bureaucratic corridors of power is being exposed, for what it is, yet again, across ‘the pond’. Only this time, Canada is the latest ‘epicentre’ of controversy.

In Montreal, former Canadian football safety, Balarama Holness, who played for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League, after triggering a public consultation that would include 7,000 participants and produce 38 recommendations, including that Montreal recognise the systemic nature of racism and discrimination against victims.

Having faced the issue head-on, he launched a petition that was signed by more than 22,000 people. Founder of an active lobby group ‘Montreal in Action,’ he said: “The actions taken in Quebec and Montreal right now on issues of racism are directly derived from the public consultation that was forced on the city.” He said that he believed the reluctance to using the term "systemic racism" came from a fear among the majority of white people in the city of seeing an erosion of their rights.

And while Montreal's Mayor, Valérie Plante, said that she recognised that systemic racism existed and that she vowed thee would be changes, the Quebec government refused to accept the term. Instead, Premier Francois Legault created an anti-racism task force in the Quebec capital.

“Their miscomprehension of the term fuels this level of ignorance,” Holness said, “whereby systemic racism means all Quebecers are racist, which is simply not the case." 

A multi-dimensional educator, researcher and political entrepreneur with a focus on policy development, community engagement and the development of legal solutions to pressing economic, social, judicial and other societal affaires, the superstar football legend

Holness, who won a Grey Cup with Montreal, said he believes Quebec doesn't need to recognize systemic racism to address the problem. He said the François Legault government recognises many underlying issues in society such as racial profiling, multi-cultural under-representation in the civil service and high unemployment among some immigrant communities.

“What they deem to be racism is what we call systemic racism — they’re still dealing with the issue, they’re just not saying the word," he said. “We can still advance these issues and move beyond the debate of the term.” The anti-racism task force that Legault created in June produced a report at the end of 2020 with 25 recommendations, including that the province create a cabinet position to address racism and discrimination.

A fully endorsed and totally committed community activist, Balarama, who ran for Projet Montréal in the Montreal municipal election in 2017, has opened up the long-standing, yet for too long ‘kept under the carpet’ debate over the term, in particular, in Quebec. Something that many say was years in the making. The city’s unwillingness to address the systemic nature of racism makes it difficult to address the issues.

Described by CTV Television Network as "an inspirational view of a man confronting systemic racism,” Balarama Holness, who also played for Winnipeg Blue Bombers, is leading from the front as he uses his status in Canada to speak out – and act upon – about an issue that remains at the forefront as another of the world’s ‘pandemic.’

Longstanding volunteer of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, Geoff Woodford, has now retired from his daily support of the rapid response, pre-hospital emergency service after 30 dedicated years. 

Octogenarian Geoff, from Rowley Regis in the West Midlands, started volunteering just three months after the charity was founded in May 1991, after a friend asked him to support the new service. Geoff’s initial response was: “I know nothing about the air ambulance, but I’ll find out.” On visiting the charity’s first portacabin office in Dudley, Geoff bumped into another friend, one of the service’s first employees, who asked a favour – to empty the first collection tin in Smethwick, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Geoff Woodford, dedicated volunteer for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity looked back over his time with the service and recalls: “From emptying fundraising collection tins, attending talks and cheque presentations, and manning the demonstration helicopter pod at events, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I’ve spent with everyone at the air ambulance. As a park ranger in my professional life, I always had to tell people off. Get off the grass, dismount your bicycle, or pick up your litter! Volunteering for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity meant I could always say yes as children could clamber into the helicopter pod and play happily; it was great to see.” 

In recognition of his service, Geoff was presented the Volunteer Award at the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity Recognition Awards and Charity Ball in 2013 and was also the winner of a Dudley Volunteer Award in 2015.

Volunteer manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, Alison Hill, adds: “Geoff made it his mission to do all he could for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, and did something every day to assist us. He always has time for everyone and is an incredible ambassador for the charity. He is admired by everyone, including staff, clinicians and his fellow volunteers and Geoff will always remain one of the team. Thank you just doesn’t seem enough, and we wish him, and his wife, May, all the best in their well-deserved retirement!”

Having the last word, Geoff says: “It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity family. May, who has supported me throughout my entire life, and I, will still attend charity events and fundraisers as soon as we can.”