BRITAIN’S loneliest schoolboy is being treated to sightseeing tours around London after appearing on ITV’s This Morning.
10-year-old Aron Anderson, from Da Skerries, Shetland, chatted to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby during a segment on the popular show yesterday (Thurs).
Along with mum Denise, he brought a sack containing some of the more than 2,000 cards and presents sent from well-wishers around the world.
And they continued to add to his festive cheer – by arranging a number of visits and treats for him whilst he stays in the capital.
The youngster is set to visit the Sea Life aquarium, Hyde Park’s winter wonderland and a West End show.
He will also be taken Christmas shopping on Oxford Street and will enjoy lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant.
On Tuesday, Denise revealed he had been sent over 2,000 Christmas cards from around the world after news of his plight went viral.
Aron is the only pupil left at his school after older students moved on to Lerwick Academy earlier this year.
He has no children to play with at breaktimes, his best friends are a dog, some ducks and a flock of sheep and the other kids only come home at weekends.
But cards have been flooding in at the rate of 300 a day – some from as far afield as Japan and Canada.
He and his mother are spending up to five hours a night working through the mail, which is stored in eight sacks.
One kind-hearted soul sent the boy a cheque for 25 Euros (£18), even though Aron does not have a bank account. Others sent presents, including DVDs and sweets.
Denise, who works on the Out Skerries Marina, said: “Every few days we receive more and more, it’s been quite overwhelming.
“We knew to expect some cards but Aron has also been sent presents such as a build-your-own volcano, socks, DVD’s and sweets.
“People from around the world have even sent him money – yesterday he got a cheque for 25 Euros from France.
“He’s quite spoiled – he doesn’t even have a bank account yet.”
She added: “I’m currently keeping everything in eight huge bags in the living room.
“People have written him really long letters and he has had countless pen-pal requests. It will be impossible to reply to all of them.
“We don’t have enough room to put them all up in the house but we’re considering taking them down to the village hall and putting them up there.
“It’s just beautiful what everyone has done.”
Pictures shared on social media from around the world show the variety of cards that Aron has been sent.
7th and 8th grade pupils at Clancy Middle School in Montana, US, created colourful cards with their state emblazoned across the top to send to the lonely schoolboy.
Similarly, students at Hawthornden Primary in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, made cards with ‘Merry Christmas Aron’ on the front.
One man from Portugal shared a snap of two wrapped presents he was sending to the lad, which featured stick-men drawn on them.
And a person from Aberdeen even revealed they were sending Aron a £10 note, in a card which read: “I hope you and the ducks have an awesome Christmas and New Year.”
The idea to send Aron Christmas cards came from kind-hearted Reddit user Ross McMahon, who heard about the youngster’s plight and decided to rally the online community to give him a festive season to remember.
He also appeared on This Morning via Skype, where he expressed his gratitude at how well his idea was received.
“I can’t believe the response that we have got from around the world, it’s been unbelievable,” it said.
