Eight-year-old Phoenix Rose from Salford has once again shown his generous spirit by hiring an ice cream van to give free treats to around 40 children from his local community, celebrating his milestone of 10,000 YouTube subscribers.
Ice cream surprise at Salford Lads Club
Phoenix, who attends youth sessions at the historic Salford Lads Club, arranged for the van to visit the venue during one of its youth sessions. He served ice creams with toppings and slushes to children aged between eight and 12, as temperatures soared. His father, James Rose, 42, said the idea came entirely from Phoenix, who wanted to share his success with others.
“Phoenix has just passed his 10,000 subscribers on YouTube, so wanted to do something nice for all the kids,” James said. “Phoenix then became the ice cream kid for the day. He got the ice cream van and became the server.”
Community connection
James explained that Phoenix chose to celebrate with children from his own area because of his strong ties to the club and the wider community. “When I asked him, ‘Why do you want to do it?’, Phoenix said, ‘Well, listen, I’m celebrating passing my 10K on YouTube, so I’ll celebrate with all the local kids from the estate.’ It was him who wanted to do it, which is just the sort of kid Phoenix is.”
The children were able to pick their own toppings or enjoy a slush, with both youngsters and adults delighted by the surprise on such a warm day. James noted that Phoenix was aware that treats like ice creams can be expensive for some families. “Ice creams nowadays, they’re quite expensive, aren’t they? Not everyone can buy one. They can be like £1.50, £2, whatever it is, and not everyone’s got that sort of money to splash out. So I will buy it for them.”
Previous heroic act
This latest act follows Phoenix being hailed a hero earlier this year for his actions on a Jet2 flight from Izmir, Turkey, to Manchester. He helped de-escalate a situation involving a disruptive passenger, which prevented the aircraft from being diverted. After the story emerged, Phoenix received messages and gifts from the public, but he chose to donate some of the gifts to other children rather than keep them all.
James said children and adults at Salford Lads Club were “overjoyed” by Phoenix’s surprise, with youngsters later gathering inside the club to thank him. “He just wanted to give back to his community. Everyone was overjoyed at the fact that they could keep nice and cool on a boiling hot day with refreshments served from Phoenix.”
Future plans
Following the success of the event, Phoenix is already planning to hire the ice cream van again next week to provide more free treats for local children while the hot weather continues.
