The funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore – the man who inspired the country and raised £33 million for the NHS – was held today.

His family paid tribute to the 100-year-old, saying his “message and spirit lives on”.

Sir Tom’s coffin, draped in the Union flag, was carried to the crematorium by soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment.

It also bore his knighthood medal pinned to a cushion and his campaign medal the Burma Star.

A WWII Dakota C-47 gave a flypast.

There was a firing party of 14 – each firing three shots in unison.

The service at Bedford Crematorium was attended by eight member of Sir Tom’s immediate family.

The ceremony began with the song You’ll Never Walk Alone which Sir Tom and singer Michael Ball took to the top of charts last April.

His daughter Ms Lucy Teixeira, 52, paid tribute to Sir Tom.

She said:

“Daddy, you always told us ‘best foot forward’ and true to your word that’s what you did last year, raising a fortune for the NHS and walking your way into the nation’s hearts.

“Daddy, I am so proud of you, what you achieved your whole life and especially in the last year.

“You may be gone but your message and your spirit lives on.”

His other daughter, Ms Hannah Ingram-Moore said:

“We are so proud of the way you handled everything that happened.

“We have been so close as a family before this, but we were thrust even closer together as the world became enthralled by your spirit of hope, positivity and resilience.

“They too saw your belief in kindness and the fundamental goodness of the human spirit.”

Sir Tom died after testing positive for Covid-19.