A disabled young man, who asked for charity donations instead of presents for his 18th birthday, has raised almost £400.

Paul Kirtland, who suffers from autism, hearing and visual impairments and attends the Chinnor Autistic Unit in Oxford, had always wanted a big party to celebrate his 18th.

Paul Kirtland

But when his parents said this would mean lots of presents, he said he would prefer people to donate money to his school or to Oxfam instead.

The generosity of his family and friends led to almost £300 being raised for the Chinnor Unit and around £100 for Oxfam. Paul's mother, Dushka, 47, of Nuffield Road, Wood Farm, Oxford, said: "Paul is delighted with what he raised.

"He's a very sweet boy and very thoughtful.

"He really wanted to help other people and he got a lot of pleasure from it. Paul spends so much time on the receiving end of help that it's nice for him to be able to give something back.

"I'm enormously proud of him. The fact that he can think about others when he's got all his own problems is absolutely amazing."

**Picture: Jon Lewis