When Aariyan got to cut his birthday cake with friends for the first time, he decided to swap gifts for donations to the children’s hospice Shooting Star on Hampton Hill.

Parents Hasan, 41, and Zahra Nurmohamed, 45, of Station Road in Hampton, asked parents to slip donations into a sealed donation box decorated with shooting stars.

A string of tragedies meant the family never got to celebrate Aariyan’s birthday with friends until now.

Mr Nurmohamed says: “The year of his birth we had a death in the family, and so we did not feel that it was appropriate to celebrate it.

“The year after that, my wife’s dad had a cancer scare and we did not think it was appropriate.

“When he was four, we discovered that I had a tumour in my spinal cord.”

Aariyan’s birthday is actually on Christmas eve, but his parents chose to celebrate it in June this year so more children could attend.

Mr Nurmohamed says: “We are pleased with how it’s all gone.

“We’re not rich by any stretch of the imagination, we are fairly comfortable.

“We don’t go out or spend money but we would like to raise him with values which we think will benefit not only him but other people as well”.

The party was held at Hampton Methodist Church on Percy Road and featured sports-based entertainment from Lisa’s Multisports and food prepared by Aariyan’s parents.

More than 45 children attending his son’s birthday party with their guardians or parents, and Mr Nurmohamed estimates donations to total around £40 to £50.

He has not opened the donation box yet and intends to give it in person to the charity with his son.

He says: “We want to to go in and give the box to the children on the ward or some of the administrators so he sees the money’s he given goes to the cause.”

Georgina Brookes, Community Fundraiser at Shooting Star Chase, said: “We can’t thank Aariyan enough for asking for donations on his 5th birthday rather than presents.

"The children and families cared for by Shooting Star Chase are going through truly unimaginable circumstances and it’s supporters like Aariyan who enable us to make every moment count for them.

"Thank you Aariyan!”