Whilst flicking through his favourite magazine, The Week Junior, the young son of Waitrose's executive director noticed a special feature on autism.

The article interviewed five children living with autism to mark World Autism Week. It was written by Skylarks, a Richmond organisation that supports children with additional needs and disabilities.

One of the questions the interviewer asked the children was, What would be your perfect day? to which 12-year-old Leo's mum answered: "A perfect day for Leo would be to travel on lots of different buses and trains to a new Waitrose store to get a receipt for his collection."

James Bailey, Executive Director of Waitrose, read the article and contacted Skylarks to see how he could help Leo achieve his goal of collecting receipts from every Waitrose store.

Leo has an incredible memory and knows the code numbers of approximately 200 Waitrose stores.

Partners from Waitrose visited Skylarks on Tuesday June 22, Leo's birthday, to present him with a surprise goody box. The box contained many items including receipts from their Dubai and Channel Island stores.

Leo's mum said: "We are incredibly grateful for the kindness and support Waitrose have shown Leo.

"The receipts will be a wonderful addition to Leo's Waitrose collection.

"Leo loves to travel to different Waitrose stores to collect the receipts. We have had family from Scotland send receipts from stores there and the Horse Rangers Association, another local charity, also help collect them for Leo."

James said: "Having read Leo's story with my son Max it was a great pleasure to connect with Skylarks and help Leo with his quest for Waitrose store receipts. I know the team were delighted to meet Leo."

Many people on the autistic spectrum have profound and highly-focused interests which can vary throughout their life. These interests can provide structure, distraction or relaxation, or even common ground with peers. For many children it can be an interest in trains, but for Leo, it is his Waitrose receipt collection.

Approximately half the children that Skylarks support are on the autistic spectrum and many have fascinating logical minds that see the world in a wonderfully unique way.

Aaron Guiver, Managing Director of Skylarks said: "We were delighted when James requested to get in touch with Leo's mum. The more we can do to raise awareness of our work supporting children with disabilities, the better!"

About Skylarks:

Founded in 2006, Skylarks provides activities and therapies for children with disabilities and additional needs. Our families do not need a formal diagnosis or referral - they can join up at any stage of their journey and, whilst we are based in Richmond upon Thames, there are no geographical limitations for our members. Anyone from anywhere is welcome! We provide information and support for families and carers, all under one roof and at the same time. We offer a range of workshops, therapies and support groups, or simply a listening ear over a hot drink.

Find out more about Skylarks here.