One Hundred Reasons to Hope

The pandemic cast a long shadow over the world, but one of the most beautiful things to come from this terrible time was how it brought people closer together. We may have had to stay apart, but people found innovative ways to go above and beyond to help their communities, cheer up their neighbours, and support key workers. We saw many acts of kindness and selfless generosity, from young children buying groceries with their spending money, to great-grandparents raising money for good causes by setting marathon challenges, and everything else in between.

Captain Sir Tom Moore gained international recognition with his unwavering optimism and his determination to walk 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS, helping doctors, nurses and other frontline staff. The support he gained was unprecedented, smashing the world record for the most amount of money raised for a charity walk. It was he who wanted to capture other stories of ordinary people who had made a difference during the 2020 lockdowns.

It was a privilege to curate this book. Researching and writing each of the one hundred stories was an inspiring process, learning about so much good that happened and often flew under the radar. The media is often quick to roll out doom and gloom stories, selling fear, panic and misery, but when we scratch the surface we see true goodness. Pulling this all together into a children’s book was a wonderful idea and shows that we can always find hope, no matter how tough life can get.

Earlier this year I attended the book launch of One Hundred Reasons To Hope and got the privilege of meeting many of these everyday heroes in person, at Captain Tom’s family home. We celebrated on the very driveway where Captain Tom completed his epic challenge, swapping stories and sharing smiles. It was a fitting commemoration to the man who brought a nation together and gave hope to so many during a difficult time.

One Hundred Reasons To Hope

For all those finding it difficult:

‘The sun will shine of you again and the clouds will go away.
Remember that tomorrow will be a good day.’
Captain Sir Tom Moore

These are the true stories of everyday heroes across the nation.
During the pandemic we have found hope in unexpected places, and these
one hundred hopeful stories show just how extraordinarily we can work together.

These are stories of community and courage, of everyday kindness and perseverance.
These are stories that will help you hope that tomorrow will be a good day.

Because hope starts with one small step.

Inspired by one man and his walking frame, and with his blessing, together we tell
Captain Tom Moore’s story and celebrate many other everyday heroes across the UK.