Judi Dench to eat 100 Maltesers as part of Captain Tom charity challenge

Dame Judi Dench will eat 100 Maltesers in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore, taking part in a charity challenge on what would have been his 101st birthday.

In a video shared on Sir Tom’s official Twitter account, she is shown sitting in a garden in front of a bowl of her favourite chocolates.

She says: “Last year, Captain Tom inspired us all by doing 100 lengths of his lawn and raising a huge amount of money.

“Now I am completely inspired by him, and I’ve decided to do it. Only I’m going to eat Maltesers. Lovely. My fave.”

Thousands of people are taking part in their own charity challenges, themed around the number 100 and using #CaptainTom100 when shared online.

Sir Tom raised more than £32 million for the NHS last year by walking 100 laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday on April 30.

A host of celebrities have pledged to take part, with David Beckham aiming to do 100 keepy-uppies and Mary Berry will bake 100 cakes.

Formula 1 team Williams Racing completed 100 pit stops in aid of the Spinal Injuries Association.

Jost Capito, CEO of the team, said: “It has been a challenging time for everyone and we want to take this opportunity to do something in his memory, whilst raising money for a worthy cause.

“As a team we take great pride in our pitstops, so this is a great challenge for the team, both trackside and at the factory.”

Sir Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, rang the five-minute bell at Lord’s cricket ground in London to officially launch the Captain Tom 100 challenge on Friday.

The bell is rung before the start of play at the ground, known as the Home of Cricket, and Sir Tom was a huge fan of the sport.

Ms Ingram-Moore told BBC Breakfast: “It’s really hard not to get emotional because he would have loved to have done this.

“We talked about it and he was really, really looking forward to it.”

His grandson Benjie, 17, said: “I would have loved to have experienced this with him, but I think he will be looking down and he will be thinking what a pleasure for our family to be here.”