»A schoolboy saving his Christmas money to build a website for the disabled community has been nominated for the Recorder/ Redbridge Rotary Club Young Citizen Award.
Business level 3 student, Kirshan Thangamany, 16, who goes to Loxford School of Science and Technology, is setting up a group called Disabled People Deserve a Chance (DPDC) because he wants to help create opportunities for disabled people.
Inspired by shopping with his mother in the Exchange Ilford – sponsors of the Young Citizen Award – he began thinking of the idea.
The youngster of Ridgeway Gardens, Redbridge, said: “I went shopping for clothes and I saw this young boy in a wheelchair and his sister playing next to him.
“She suddenly asked him, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’, and the boy confidently replied, ‘a film star”. This touched my heart and I thought why not? I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Saving his money for Christmas he hopes to expand the group and reach out to the disabled community across Redbridge.
He said: “I wanted to get my parents Christmas presents but I spoke to them and said this year I’ll save my money to build a website and that way I can give them gift which is also helping others. My parents think it’s a good idea.”
Kirshan, along with a group of friends, is aiming to get more people interested in the group and has created a Facebook page to encourage people to support him.
He said: “I have so many ideas and with more people behind me I will have the confidence to succeed in helping create further opportunities for the disabled community.”
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