CHRISTMAS came early for a truck obsessed 13-year-old boy from Cwm when he was surprised with a convoy of truckers.

Kian Badcock, of Curre Street, who was diagnosed with autism last year and recently lost his sight in his left eye, posted on a trucking Facebook page to ask if he could have the opportunity to sit in just one.

But the trucking community got together and 50 trucks made the trip to CJ Mason Transport Yard in Shaftsbury, Newport, on Saturday to give the teenager a day to remember.

The Ebbw Fawr Learning Community pupil was picked up by Andrew Cooper, from Porthcawl, in an American truck at 9.30am and escorted to the transport yard in a convoy of seven trucks.

Donations of £1,191 were also raised for Christmas presents for Kian by the trucking community. Among the gifts included were an Eddie Stobart jacket and VIP tickets to Truckfest in Peterborough, which takes place in May.

Sarah Richards, 36, Kian's mother, said: "He's been truck mad ever since he was eight-years-old. He loves all the lights on the front.

"He walked around with all the drivers and flashed the lights. The presents were unbelievable and he had a whirl of a time.

"Kian was just so overwhelmed and cried when he stepped out of the truck. He hasn't even mentioned Christmas yet and it's a day he will never forget."

She added: "It's such an amazing thing for all these people to do for Kian - we don't even know them. We are so thankful to them.

"It has been a hard year for him as he lost his sight in his left eye nine weeks ago. He's had a CT scan and we're waiting on results to see exactly what caused the blindness.

"Doctors think it could be damage to his optic nerve or something could be pressing on it. He has been coping really well much better than I would."

Stuart Bain, 29, from Tamworth, was among the organisers of the event and he said there are plans for a similar event next year.

He added: "It was absolutely brilliant and everyone chipped in. Everyone wanted to help and we put on a little show. Kian had a whale of a time.

"This was just thrown together in a week and it could be even bigger and better in the coming years."