Britain's charity hero, Capt Sir Tom Moore, 100, has become one of the country's oldest podcasters with the launch on Monday of a series to tackle isolation among older people, a corporate sponsor said.
The podcast, called The Originals, is part of a campaign by charity Age UK, and confectionery company Cadbury, which aims to inspire people to have a meaningful conversation with an older person, a Cadbury statement said, noting that social isolation, especially among the elderly, has worsened during the Covid-19 crisis.
"I hope The Originals podcast will help encourage everyone to start a proper conversation with an older person," Moore said, in a statement. "We have hundreds of amazing tales just waiting to be told."
It is the latest venture for the Second World War veteran who was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II for raising £39 million ($50.5m) for the health service by walking laps of his garden during the UK's lockdown earlier this year.
He also broke two Guinness World Records, scored a No 1 single, wrote a book and signed a deal to film a biopic of his life.
The people Moore has interviewed for his podcast include Winston Garvey, 83, a bodybuilder who still lifts weights three times a week, and Rose Knox-Peebles, 79, a writer and art collector who reveals a kiss with Elvis Presley.
Age UK said 25,000 older people typically go for a week without speaking to anyone, while more than six million older people say only a few minutes of conversation makes a difference to them.
"It's so hard for many older people to stay connected at the moment, especially if they live alone, and we're delighted to be working with Cadbury and Captain Tom on this campaign to raise awareness of this heart-breaking issue," the charity said.
