Schoolboy, 12, hailed for kind-hearted response after finding iPhone and turning down £20 reward

A mother-of-two who offered a schoolboy £20 for finding her daughter’s iPhone got a note in return saying - ‘Don’t worry about the money, just do something nice for someone else’.

Josh Brown, 12, left the honest and kind-hearted note after Michelle Hickinbottom's daughter Shaunnah, 16, left her mobile on a train on February 21.

The schoolboy found the iPhone 4 on a seat before receiving a call a short time later from Michelle, 36, when he got off the train at Birmingham.

He told the worried mum he had found the £300 mobile and would leave it at Selly Oak train station's ticket office on his way home to Alvechurch, Worcs.

Relieved Michelle, 36, said if Josh left his home address she would post him £20 as a way to express her gratitude.

Later that day Michelle travelled to the train station to find Shaunnah's phone had been left as well as a hand-written note from Josh.

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Rather than scribbling down his address, Josh had simply written a message saying: ''Don't worry about the money, just do something nice for someone else. Josh Brown”.

Michelle, from West Heath, Birmingham, started a social media campaign to track down Josh and thank him in person.

The youngster’s mother, Angela Brown, came forward to reveal it was Josh, who attends Alvechurch CofE Middle School.

Yesterday Michelle, a former caterer, said: ‘I just wanted to find him as I thought it was a lovely thing to do.

'I said to him on the phone at the time it was really appreciated and to leave his address so I could send him £20 to thank him really.

'I was choked when I saw the letter. I was really overwhelmed. He will go far in life with an attitude like that. He seems a great lad.

'We are really grateful because my daughter has got a lot of photos on there she wants to keep.’

Modest Josh, who has one older brother and three older sisters, said: 'My dad always says 'what goes around comes around' and if I lost my phone I would like to think someone would do the same to me.

‘I decided to leave the note asking for her to do something nice instead as I thought it was the right thing to do.

'I didn't think it was a particularly extraordinary thing to do. But I was gobsmacked when it appeared all over Facebook and Twitter.'

Angela, 50, a housewife, from Alvechurch, Worcs, added: 'We are very proud of him. But he just did the right thing. It was the only bit of paper I had in my handbag. It was the back of an envelope.

'It was all Josh's idea. He said he wasn't going to take any money off her and he'd just ask her to do something nice for someone else in future.'