Christmas holds painful memories for Oakley Orange and his family after he almost lost his life to a condition which causes the skin to burn from the inside.

But this year the brave 10-year-old was back on at the hospital where he was admitted in December 2013, so he could deliver a carload of gifts to poorly children.

Oakley, from Empire Road in Strood, nearly died when he was struck with a severe skin reaction called Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

He lost skin, hair, nails and contracted hypothermia and a lung infection. He needed 17 pints of blood to help keep him alive.

Oakley was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital at the beginning of December and by Christmas his condition had deteriorated so rapidly he was given little chance of survival.

He still suffers from the long-term effects of the illness and is in and out of hospital all the time.

But the schoolboy wanted to bring a little festive cheer to other poorly youngsters this Christmas.

Oakley and his mum Lorraine joined forces with family friend Natalie Kay, from Canterbury, whose daughter Darcie had cancer as a baby.

They collected sackloads of gifts to donate to seven hospitals around Kent, London and Essex.

On Sunday, Oakley and his mum visited the children’s wards at Medway to deliver dozens of toys, chocolate selection boxes and other gifts.

Lorraine said: “It was quite difficult to go back. We were stood outside the room on the children’s ward where Oakley had been.

"But Oakley thought it was brilliant. He did really well, especially since he has not been well himself.”

Oakley is delivering more gifts to East Grinstead Hospital in West Sussex, where he is an outpatient, and Broomfield Hospital in Essex, where he spent months in a specialist burns unit.

Lorraine said: “We would like to say thank you to everyone who helped make the collection a success. We will do it again next year and hope to make it even bigger so we can help more hospitals.”