A selfless eight-year-old boy has agreed to donate every gift he has been sent after preventing a flight disaster.
Phoenix Rose, from Salford in Manchester, became a national hero after helping prevent a Jet2 flight from being diverted.
He has now shown his selfless streak once more after deciding to donate every gift he has received to children less fortunate than himself.
Phoenix shot to fame after stepping in to calm a disruptive passenger on a Jet2 flight from Izmir, Turkey to Manchester on April 24, earning widespread praise and being dubbed a “little superstar”.
Since his story caught the attention of the media, the family has been inundated with gifts from well-wishers across the UK and beyond, with parcels arriving daily at their home, the Manchester Evening News reports.
The response began when a package arrived on May 1, addressed to Phoenix, which turned out to contain a PlayStation 5.
In the days that followed, more gifts continued to arrive, including toys, Lego, Hot Wheels sets, football kits and gift cards, sent by members of the public who had read about his actions and wanted to show their appreciation.
Some of the gifts came from passengers who had actually been on the flight themselves and only later realised what Phoenix had done after seeing the media coverage.
The eight-year-old from Salford will donate his gifts to children less fortunate than him in another act of selflessness
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TIKTOK / @THEROSEFAMILY5
Cards accompanying the gifts included messages such as “not all superheroes wear capes” and “thanks to the little superstar”.
One message in particular stood out to the family, which read: “I want my boy to be like Phoenix when he is eight.”
The little hero’s father James, said the family had been completely taken aback by the scale of the response, describing their kitchen as being filled with presents and saying he had already made two trips to dispose of packaging alone.
He said: “We are just shocked – Phoenix thought it was Christmas. It’s been magnificent.”
Phoenix caught the media’s attention after preventing an airline disaster after coming back from Turkey on a Jet2 flight
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But it was Phoenix himself who came up with the idea of giving everything away.
After seeing the volume of gifts piling up, he told his father he already had toys and wanted to pass the new ones on to children who had less than him.
The little philanthropist extended the offer to some students at his own school who, in his words, “don’t even have televisions and I’m getting all this”.
James said: “He said, ‘Why don’t we just give it all away. I don’t need any of it’.”
The family said they were “gobsmacked” by the generosity shown to Phoenix but were fully behind his decision to use the donations to help others.
James added: “We have always taught him that you don’t do a good deed to get a reward”.
The family plans to donate the gifts to children in need, though full details of how and where they will be distributed have yet to be confirmed.
Phoenix’s instinct to give back has prompted yet another wave of admiration from those who have followed his story.
The original incident on the Jet2 flight saw Phoenix intervene when a passenger became disruptive, with his actions widely credited with preventing the aircraft from being diverted.
His calm response in a stressful situation aboard the flight belied his young age and earned him widespread praise from passengers and crew alike.
The family said they hoped Phoenix’s generosity would inspire others to think about those around them who might be in greater need.
They have also set up a contact line for parents in need and charities to reach out to at [email protected].