IN the dark days of the first wave of the pandemic, the news that an elderly 99-year-old war veteran was completing 100 laps around his home to raise money for the NHS felt like a warm beam of light that we all so badly needed.

Captain Sir Tom Moore showed the nation what could be achieved through determination and positive spirit after he encouraged a staggering £33million in donations for the NHS.

His valiant fundraising efforts struck a cord with people up and down the country and got the country talking - and thinking - about how they could be more like Tom.

A paramedic talking my grandmother this week told her that the NHS had never received that amount of money in donations before and said the types of people like Captain Tom were few and far in between.

And they weren't wrong. You may have seen the footage this week of a young man harassing the nation's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, in the street and branding him a liar.

While criticism and holding governments to account is vital, this type of vile abuse is unacceptable and sadly appears to be encouraged on social media, where everyone is desperate to seize their five minutes of fame.

The clip was recorded and posted to social media site TikTok, no doubt for likes and a quest for external validation from the perpetrator.

Despite the interaction, Prof Whitty remained cool as a cucumber and at a press conference on Wednesday, was unflappable as he said: "The odd young launch showing off occasionally happens. I didn't think anything about it frankly ... I'm sure he'll become a model citizen in due course and hopefully more like Captain Tom, who is the kind of person who I think much more exemplifies the spirit in the UK."

Let's hope so. Because at times of darkness, we need more Captains Toms in the world who bring light and positivity. 

Katie French, Editor