A six-year-old boy has melted the hearts of women's refuge workers by giving away his birthday presents to the charity.

Staff at the Women's Refuge Project in Brighton said they were deeply moved by the generosity of Seaford schoolboy Gavin, who gave away his wrapped presents when he heard how women and their children often arrived at the refuge with no possessions.

Gavin's mum Marion explained to her son that many of the women who came to the refuge had lost everything.

She said: "I said it's very nice for the children to have something that belongs to them again.

"It was very important that he understood why he was giving away the presents.

"If I just said, 'I'm going to take away your presents now', of course he would be upset and say 'no'.

"But I think he understands why other children need the presents more than he does."

The mum-of-three was inspired by a friend to encourage her children to donate their presents to the charity.

She said: "I've got a friend who always collects for Save the Children whenever it's a child's birthday.

"I thought I would like to do something similar, but I thought the Women's Refuge Project would appreciate the presents as much as any donation.

"They do a brilliant job here and the women need all the help they can get."

The project's administrator, Christine, said: "We get various donations here but we've never had anything like this before.

"It brought a tear to our eyes when we heard about it."

Because the presents are wrapped, they can be given to children at the refuge as birthday gifts. They may be the only birthday presents the child receives.

A playworker at the project said it was very important for the children to have toys and books of their own: "Often they come with absolutely nothing.

"If you go from living in a family with toys of your own to living in a group with nothing, it can be very hard."

Gavin's two brothers Rowan, ten, and Dirk, 12, have also given away presents to the charity. When Marion organises a birthday party for one of her children, she explains on the invitation that most presents will be donated to the Women's Refuge Project.

She said: "If parents know where the presents are going, hopefully they will avoid giving anything violent or inappropriate.

"Children only need one or two presents on their birthdays - they don't need ten or 20 when they already have so much."

Dirk said he was glad he had given his presents away: "I think it's a really good idea because there are a lot of people in this world who are too well-off. We can at least make a contribution to people who are worse-off than us."

The Women's Refuge Project helpline number is 01273 622822. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 3pm.