Kind five-year-old asks Santa to donate his gifts to refugee children

A kind-hearted five-year-old asked Santa for something a little different this Christmas - for all his presents to be given 'to a little boy fromSyria who has nothing'.

Finlay Niemand wrote a heartwarming letter to Father Christmas in which he showed concern for the refugee children fleeing the war-torn Middle East.

He asked Santa: 'Please may I have a scooter and some surprises. Please could you give my presents to a little boy from Syria, who has nothing. Love, Finlay.'

And his kind wish was granted when his parents helped him donate his presents to an ActionAid rescue centre on the Greek island of Lesbos.

His proud mum Kim said: 'At first, I wasn't sure if I was reading his letter correctly, so I asked him to read it out to me.

'When Finlay told me that he wanted to give his presents away to a refugee child, I initially couldn't comprehend that a five-year-old would consider giving up a present.

'I took the letter to my husband, and I was really tearful.'

Finlay enjoys watching the news, and his mum said that recent family holidays to Tunisia and Egypt had made him aware of troubles in the region.

She added: 'He and his sister Grace are of an age where they'll just come down and put the TV on on a Saturday morning.

'He's so small - we don't want him to be scared. We explain to him that the UK is like a safe haven, that these families escaping war are just like us.

'Syrian refugees are travelling to Europe and to the UK because in their country they can't live the way that they need to, because they want to have a better life and live like we do.

'The children were talking about it at school, and asking whether they might have a Syrian child join their class.

'Finlay's teacher told me that every child put their hand up and said that they could take a Syrian child in their classroom.'

The Niemand family, of Paulton, Somerset, hope Finlay's letter will encourage others to give generously this Christmas.

His mum added: 'I hope that if a five-year-old can have the desire to give to people in need in Syria, then an adult should stop and think.

'Me and my husband thought - if Finlay can give up one of his gifts then so can we, so we gave some money online to ActionAid's Christmas Appeal.'

ActionAid's head of humanitarian response, Mike Noyes, said the youngster's letter was truly heartwarming.

'The refugee crisis has been one of the biggest news stories of the year and touched many people in one way or another,' said Mr Noyes.

'Finlay's heartwarming letter to Santa is quite simply a lovely story of a young child's compassion at a time when compassion is needed most.'