Christmas as a 12-year-old carer looking after Mum

Ash says he can make his mother a perfect cup of tea

For Ash, Christmas will not really be a holiday.

He took on the role of carer for his mother when he was five, following a stroke she had three years earlier.

He said: "When I was two, I remember my mum mumbling her words and losing her words, and then her arms dropped. She got taken to hospital and I didn't see her for three to four weeks."

Now aged 12, his role is as much about providing reassurance as carrying out physical tasks at their home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

Aladdin and his flying carpet appear in the living room so his mother gets to see a panto

His mother, Sharon, said: "He makes me a cup of tea, he helps me mentally and physically, if I get stressed out then he's there for me. It is a lot for me."

Despite his extra responsibilities, Ash has a good school attendance record and even won a prize for it this year.

He said school had not always been easy for him: "Sometimes I don't want to go into school to make sure my mum's OK and make sure she doesn't have a funny turn and fall.

"Sometimes I just can't stop thinking about her in lessons - when I was in primary school I cried because of how much I missed her."

Ash helped his mother with the Christmas decorations

In the run-up to Christmas, Ash has been helping to put decorations up in the house and buy all the food the family will need for the festive season,

He has also spent time making his mother a special gift: "He made a wreath for me, and that's my Christmas present," said Sharon.

Ash added: "It was a wreath I made out of real branches and real holly. It look two hours."

Ash has made his mother a special present this year, a Christmas wreath

He has made sure his mother does not miss out on entertainment this Christmas. He wants to be an actor, and turns his house into a theatre for her.

He said: "I have a rehearsal space, which is in the back room, and the front room, where my mum sits, is my stage and sometimes I put on pantos for her and musicals and shows that I've created.

"Recently, I've done Aladdin and it went well because we have this little perching stool in the back room and I put many pillars on it to make it seem like a magic carpet flying through the sky."

Sharon is likely to be up first on Christmas Day because she has difficulty sleeping.

Like every other family, they will open their presents, although Mum will need some help with hers.

Ash's father is likely to need support as well this year after a stroke in March.

Sharon said: "It's going to be different this year because we can't afford a lot in the house, but he [Ash] doesn't mind. We're going to make Christmas just for the boys."

Sharon says Ash is good at calming her down when she gets stressed

A visit to Grandma, who is in a care home, is on the agenda for Christmas Day, and Ash said another relative would not be forgotten.

"I'm going to see my Grandad," he said.

"We've got a cross wreath and we're going to put it on his grave for him."

Sharon knows she might get a bit stressed at Christmas, but Ash would be able to cope: "I get very anxious and when I go on one, I do go on one - I won't let it go until I've had my say.

"He says 'take breaths, mum, take breaths' and calms me down.

"He's a good boy."