What time is the national clap for Captain Tom?

The event will happen tonight (Wednesday, February 3) at 6pm, after the daily press briefing.

Yesterday it was confirmed Captain Tom had died at the age of 100 after contracting Covid.

The much-loved veteran had captured the hearts and minds of the nation for his fundraising efforts during the first wave of the pandemic. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Captain Tom dedicated his life to serving others, and encouraged people to join in a “national clap” in memory of him.

Mr Johnson told the Commons: “We all now have the opportunity to show our appreciation for him and all that he stood for and believed in.

“That is why I encourage everyone to join in a national clap for Captain Tom and all those health workers for whom he raised money at 6pm this evening.”

It comes after Basingstoke council lowered its flag to half-mast today in honour of the late war veteran.

The flag flying half-mast at Basingstoke council

The House of Commons has observed a minute’s silence in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore and others who have lost their lives as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said of Sir Tom: “His dignity and determination in raising money to support the NHS charities caught the nation’s mood at the most difficult time.

“He exemplified the best of our values.”

PM confirms national clap for Captain Tom at tonight at 6

— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) February 3, 2021

Earlier today, Matt Hancock has described his admiration for Captain Sir Tom Moore and the example the veteran set during the first lockdown.

The Health Secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “He came to symbolise resilience, didn’t he, in difficult times? His modesty, his very British manner.

“The thing that I really admired was that, when we were in that first lockdown, he could have just sat through it, but he saw that the NHS was under pressure and he decided to do his bit.

“And, for him, doing his bit meant trying to raise £1,000 by walking round his garden, and it just shows that everybody can do their bit and you can just get up and make it happen, and I love that.

“I admired him so much. I had the pleasure to speak with him once and it was really, truly wonderful and it is very, very sad that he is no longer with us.”

Tributes to Captain Tom 

Dame Vera Lynn’s daughter has said Captain Sir Tom Moore will be remembered as somebody who “stepped up to the mark”.

Virginia Lewis-Jones told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “He was such a wonderful person. There’s something about that age group, they seem to go on forever because they’re so stalwart, and I think it’s what they went through.

“Tom lived for the country and worked for the country now as he did all those years ago.”

Ms Lewis-Jones said her late mother wrote to Sir Tom because she thought he was “fabulous”.

She added: “He did now what he did then – fought for what he thought was right.

“He started off by floating up and down his garden with his Zimmer, did a wonderful job then and has done a wonderful job now, and he’ll always be remembered as somebody who stepped up to the mark.”

Singer Michael Ball, who recorded a charity single with Sir Tom which reached number one, said the 100-year-old had left the public richer through his inspiring acts.

He told BBC Breakfast: “Everything that he did, every challenge that he set himself, every accolade, every goal, everything that he achieved, he relished every moment of it.

“It’s an awful irony that he has been taken by this virus that he fought so hard to tackle.”

He spoke to Sir Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, following his death and said it had been “a beautiful ending, if there is such a thing” with the veteran surrounded by family.

He said: “It was a peaceful ending, right at the end, and he’s left us richer, hasn’t he, in every sense, and better off. He set an example for us all.”

Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan said Captain Sir Tom Moore’s legacy will inspire people to be better.

He told BBC Breakfast: “I just think we all can take a huge lesson from Sir Tom about being a better person and that’s exactly what he’s been for 100 years.

“Unfortunately, yesterday we lost him but I think the legacy that he’s leaving and the amount of money that he’s raised for the NHS, and just by being that better person he’s inspired many more to be exactly the same.”

He added: “It’s been dark, dark times for many people over the last 10 months but, as I said before, every time Sir Tom came on the television screen you couldn’t help but smile, you couldn’t help but be inspired to be a better person.”

Ellie Orton, chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said Captain Sir Tom Moore has left a “huge and lasting legacy”.

She told BBC Breakfast: “We are devastated at NHS Charities Together to hear that he has passed away and our thoughts and our prayers are with his family and friends at this time.

“He has left a huge and lasting legacy in NHS Charities because of the absolutely phenomenal fundraising he did himself.”

Ms Orton said Sir Tom inspired thousands of others to do the same.

She added: “We’ve never known anything like this in NHS Charities and I’m not sure any charity has either.

“His legacy and the funds that he has raised and the funds he has inspired others to raise have reached the length and breadth of the UK.”