A KIND-HEARTED schoolboy from Helsby is preparing to visit care homes in the area delivering Christmas cards and gifts.

Ryan Hall has already raised more than £300 to buy the goodies and plans to begin his Santa-style rounds on Monday (December 18).

Accompanied by mum Jill Rowland he will visit Loxley Hall and Newton Hall care homes followed by Hillcrest, Chapel Fields, Heathercliffe and Meadow Court on Thursday (December 21).

Ryan also intends to buy presents for officers and staff at Runcorn Police Station and anything left over will be donated to the foodbank in Helsby.

The generous lad, who attends Horn’s Mill Primary School, is well known in the area for his fundraising, having collected around £250 for Claire House hospice by completing a charity run.

He also handed out Easter eggs to residents in care homes earlier this year.

Ryan, who lives on Britannia Road in Helsby, was named ‘young person of the year’ by the mayor of Frodsham in the 2016 Community Pride Awards.

He and his mum thanked everyone for their ongoing support and for donating at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jill-rowland-2

Ryan came up with the idea for his care home visits before last Christmas while visiting his great-grandad, Eddie Newman, who had Parkinson’s disease, in hospital.

He was upset to see other people on the ward had no visitors from family and friends and asked if he could give them all a present.

“We couldn't do that because the people on the ward changed all the time so we decided to do a Christmas card for everyone in the local care home to us, which is Loxley Hall,” Jill previously told The Standard.

“I asked on the Frodsham and Helsby Facebook pages if anyone would donate the Red Cross Christmas cards that come through the post if they didn’t want them because they usually end up in the bin and we were inundated with cards.

“Then people started donating money and we managed to do six care homes. Every resident got a Christmas card, a Christmas Santa chocolate bar, a mince pie and a gift.

“It was a lot of hard work but we met some amazing people and Ryan is going to go back and visit as much as he can.

“He gave so many hugs and it was so emotional, I spent most of the time crying and a lot of the residents cried.”