Thank you Captain Tom for lifting our spirits | Cheryl Gibbs

What a sad day for the nation. What a sad day for the world.But I’m sure that this is not how Sir Captain Tom Moore would want people to feel.
British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore, 99, poses doing a lap of his garden in the village of Marston Moretaine, 50 miles north of London, on April 16, 2020. - A 99-year-old British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore on April 16 completed 100 laps of his garden in a fundraising challenge for healthcare staff that has "captured the heart of the nation", raising more than £13 million ($16.2 million, 14.9 million euros). "Incredible and now words fail me," Captain Moore said, after finishing the laps of his 25-metre (82-foot) garden with his walking frame. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore, 99, poses doing a lap of his garden in the village of Marston Moretaine, 50 miles north of London, on April 16, 2020. - A 99-year-old British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore on April 16 completed 100 laps of his garden in a fundraising challenge for healthcare staff that has "captured the heart of the nation", raising more than £13 million ($16.2 million, 14.9 million euros). "Incredible and now words fail me," Captain Moore said, after finishing the laps of his 25-metre (82-foot) garden with his walking frame. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore, 99, poses doing a lap of his garden in the village of Marston Moretaine, 50 miles north of London, on April 16, 2020. - A 99-year-old British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore on April 16 completed 100 laps of his garden in a fundraising challenge for healthcare staff that has "captured the heart of the nation", raising more than £13 million ($16.2 million, 14.9 million euros). "Incredible and now words fail me," Captain Moore said, after finishing the laps of his 25-metre (82-foot) garden with his walking frame. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

He was the epitome of a legend and a hero. He leaves a legacy behind that so few of us could ever dream of and this legacy was something he had before he became a worldwide sensation for raising nearly £40 million for the NHS.

Like so many from his generation, Sir Tom served his country in the Second World War when he was posted to India and Myanmar, then known as Burma. He fought bravely for his country and at 100, Sir Tom had so much more to give.

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Last year, he had an ambition to raise £1000 walking 100 laps of his garden in Bedfordshire during the first lockdown, raising money for NHS Charities Together.

He was credited with lifting the nation’s spirits and uniting us during one of modern history’s most difficult times and his saying ‘tomorrow will be a good day’ trended on social media and catapulted him into the global spotlight, making him a household name around the world. I genuinely have muttered that saying in my head on more than one occasion during the last year.

Tomorrow will be a good day. There’s so much to feel good about, even in these dark times and sometimes it takes someone like Sir Tom – a man who had been through more than most people ever do in a lifetime – to remind us of that.

Announcing his death, his daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said the last year of their father's life had been ‘nothing short of remarkable’ and that’s true. A knighthood from the Queen, a number one single, global TV appearances – you name it and Tom did it.

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Ironically and tragically, despite doing everything he could to lift the nation’s spirits during the pandemic, Sir Tom tested positive for the virus. Due to other medication he was on for pneumonia, he was unable to be vaccinated against it and he sadly died on February 2, 2021.

The nation grieves, but not for long because that is not what you would have wanted. Sir Captain Tom Moore – we thank you.

It’s so cliché, but time really does fly and my baby is one

How is our baby one tomorrow?

I cannot believe that we have a baby that is, well, no longer quite a baby.

She’s one tomorrow and I can’t believe it. As I sit here writing this column, I’m reflecting that this time a year ago I was in hospital in labour and she came two days later. It’s such a cliché but it’s so true that time just flies.

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Someone said to methat you only really get 16 summers with your children, or 16 Christmases before they’re off and that terrifies me that we’ve already had one of those with her.

It’s the hardest job in the world being a parent, but it’s the most rewarding job in the world. There is nothing like it and it makes me, well want another one – oh Matt!

I ran more than 100km and sadly lost just three pounds

I ran more than 100km last month, which is more than 60 miles, and I lost three pounds – in total, in the whole month.

Do you know how difficult it is with a baby to find time to work out as well as everything else? And to lose just a measly three pounds, I was absolutely gutted.

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I know that you can lose inches over pounds , but I like to see it on the scales so I know I’m actually achieving something. It makes me want to hibernate, put Netflix on and just indulge. But then I remember how good I feel after the run. While I’m not going to set myself a goal to achieve so many miles in February, I am going to keep up the momentum – for my mental health if not for my physical one.