What started as a difficult flight home from Turkey has turned into a flood of gifts for a boy from Salford, England, after he helped calm a distressed passenger on board.
Phoenix was flying back on a Jet2 flight with his father, James, after the pair cut short a trip to the Turkish city of Izmir because of a family emergency.
A woman began shouting during the flight, and Phoenix stepped in. He spoke to her, sat next to her and spent hours showing her his soccer cards, singing and asking about her family.
James said the woman gradually calmed down for the rest of the journey after Phoenix intervened.
As they got off the plane, the pilot personally thanked Phoenix and James, shaking their hands as they disembarked.
Since the story was heard more widely, strangers from across the UK, the Netherlands and Germany have sent gifts to the family.
“It’s been magnificent,” James said, adding that he has no idea how people have managed to trace their address.
“The deliveries started rocking up at the house with thank you cards and even a PlayStation 5.”
James said what began with one gift quickly turned into many more.
“When the first gift came, we thought it was nice for someone to do that, but since then it’s been parcel after parcel.”
He said Phoenix felt “was like Christmas Day” when he saw the presents, and that he “can’t thank everybody enough”.
But James said Phoenix now wants the attention to help other people instead.
“One of the things he wants to do is give the stuff away, so if people are in financial hardship or they know someone who might want one of these presents then they can get in touch.
“What Phoenix now would like is for people to stop sending things, and if you’ve got money just donate it to charity.”
Read more from BBC News.
