A kind-hearted six-year-old chatterbox buttoned his lip for a sponsored silence - and raised more than £300 for Burton Soup Kitchen.
Daniel Jones, of Clifton Campville, had learned about the plight of the hungry and homeless at school as part of their annual harvest festival.
Daniel then stunned his mum Sarah Dawson, by suggesting a sponsored silence challenge to raise money for the less fortunate.
Sarah, 45, said: "It was totally Daniel’s idea, he has been learning at school that some people don’t have anything and they are homeless but when he told me his plans I was a bit shocked.
"I laughed at first because he is such a chatterbox. From the minute he gets up in the morning to the minute he goes to bed he is talking, he even talks in his sleep so I knew it would be a real challenge for him but when Dan gets an idea in his head and sets himself a challenge he will do it."
Although the family is not local to Burton, they shop in the town regularly and are members at Horninglow Christian Spiritualist Church where they were pointed in the direction of the Burton Soup Kitchen.
Daniel started his sponsored silence at 2pm on Friday, October 20, at school, keeping schtum until 10am the next day, when the referee blew the whistle at his Whittington football match.
Daniel, who is a pupil at St Andrews C Of E County Primary School, said: "On the way back from a swimming lesson one day I said I would like to do something for charity and it was my idea to do a sponsored silence for people that don’t have much food.
"I was learning at school about the Harvest Festival and how we should be thankful for what we have and I thought the people that need some food will be happy when I help them.
"I am a chatterbox and everyone says I talk too much and it was harder than I thought because I nearly kept saying things by accident."
Sarah added: "We used the phone to type messages to each other and we drew some pictures and when Dan went out to play with his friends he wore a badge which said he was doing a sponsored silence and could not talk, which must have been really hard for him.
"He learns makaton at school so he can do a bit of sign language so we used that to communicate, but he was mostly just quiet which was lovely.
"We are so so proud of him. He raised just over £300 from friends, family, his school and people in our village.
"Horninglow Church and Whittington Soccer Football Club also made a donation and Asda agreed to donate some clothing which is great.
"Not everyone is as privileged as we are to have a roof over our heads and money in our pockets and I think that learning about these things when people are young helps stand them in good stead going forward."
Daniel, who is one of seven children, has already set his sights on another fund-raiser to help restore a church in his village.
Sarah said: "We are a very giving family and we do try to encourage the children to be generous. Dan said he would like to raise some money for charity again and a church in our village needs some repairs otherwise it is in danger of closing; Dan said he would like to do something to help in the New Year.
"Dan was quite happy to just hand over the money and wasn't at all bothered about the fuss which shows he has integrity even as a child. He is very compassionate for his age and seeing how grateful the clients at the soup kitchen are shows just how worthwhile it is to help others."
Mick Cramp of Burton's Soup Kitchen said: "It is nice to know that the youngsters are thinking of the problems outside of their lives and their worlds.
"When I was contacted by Sarah I was absolutely amazed. To find out in person what Daniel is like I find it unbelievable that he was quiet for so long.
"Considering he is only six and thinking of other people is great. Words fail me and I am proud of him. It means a lot and the donations will help in Burton and Derby."
Donations are a lifeline to the soup kitchen
Burton's Soup Kitchen is experiencing a rise in the number of needy people going through their doors, after they fed more than 60 people in just three weeks – more than they have ever dealt with.
Mick Cramp, who runs the Rangemore Street-based service, said: "The need is undeniable and sadly it is getting hard now. It is unreal at times how many people come through the door.
"I have noticed 62 different names in the last couple of weeks and we have had a few European people come through the door. It is getting really bad and the increase has been noticeable."
Mick, who has been working to help the homeless for the past five years, said there was always a crowd at the door. He said: "I honestly don't know why there has been such an increase lately and I really don't know what the solution is but it is really sad. We try our best to create hot meals from what donations we have but in one session we can go through 22 tins of chicken soup. We have also tried making dishes with frozen chips and frozen sausages which seem to go down well.
"The trouble is that at the weekend there is not much for them and they might be having something hot in the afternoon at the soup kitchen and then nothing until 12 the following day, which is a really long time to go without. The majority of people are really grateful to us because it is a lifeline to them."
