A boy's beloved coin collection has expanded rapidly with an influx of donations from generous neighbours.

Tommy Dawson, who is autistic and has ADHD, developed what his mother called a "fixation with coins" after taking up magnet fishing.

Describing the nine-year-old Stockton boy as a "jackdaw" who loves rifling through his coins, Helen Dawson said: "He likes the shiny ones and those from the year he was born best."

The pair are now thanking their community after an "unbelievable" response to a social media post saw people donate coins from bygone eras and far-flung countries.

A Facebook post asking members of neighbourhood groups if they had any interesting or old coins they could share with Tommy led to Mrs Dawson receiving many messages and donations.

Tommy said he was enjoying sorting through the latest additions to his collection, which included coins offered by Lord James Wharton, who wrote a message on House of Lords stationery explaining that he had also been a collector in his youth.

When asked if he had a message for those who had donated their coins to him, Tommy excitedly shouted "thank you".

To read the complete article, see:
Coin-loving autistic boy 'overwhelmed' by donations(https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr74w0n5e8o)