A PINT-SIZED litter picker who has learnt to cope with life-threatening allergies has been crowned Bicester's first ever Community Champion.

Jonas Cove, 6, has had three stays in hospital due to his egg allergy but instead of getting down he has chosen to make his community a tidier place.

Through a sponsored litter pick the Landford Primary School pupil raised £155 for the Anaphylaxis Campaign and was invited up in front of an appreciative crowds at the Bicester Big Lunch to receive his award.

Jonas said: "It upsets me that naughty lazy people drop litter and don't pick it up.

"Daddy said he'd pay me but I wanted to give money to Anaphylaxis so they can save more children's lives."

On the afternoon of Friday, May 27, Jonas and sister Maiya took up borrowed plastic grabbers from school and managed to fill a whole box with rubbish.

His father Mark Cove, 42, said: "Jonas is always saying 'Why can't people just take litter home with them or put it in the bin?'.

"One day he said he wanted to pick it up on the way home so I said 'That's very good of you, I'll give you a fiver'.

"We just set up a Justgiving page for the family to give him a few quid."

Following this success, Jonas is planning on carrying out even more picks.

The brave youngster suffers himself from anaphylaxis, a severe reaction to an antigen - in his case, egg and traces of egg – that could kill him if not treated quickly.

Mr Cove said: "When Jonas was six months old, the health visitor told us to try him on an egg.

"We got a teaspoon of scrambled egg on his lips and he got violently ill and started swelling up, with hives all over him. He was floppy and lifeless.

"As a parent it's terrifying. A lot of people are quite blasé and think it's just an allergy. It's life-threatening and you can die in minutes."

Jonas had two more attacks at nursery school age, once after having a scone with an egg wash on top and once after trying lemon curd.

During the ordeal Mr Cove and wife Natalie, 39, were comforted by the practical guidance and information offered by the Anaphylaxis Campaign.

The national charity aims to raise awareness of growing numbers of people across the UK at risk of severe allergic reactions.

Following the fundraising litter pick, Jonas received a certificate from the Anaphylaxis Campaign and was named Pupil of the Week at school before the final triumph at the Bicester Big Lunch in Sheep Street, when he was named the inaugural Bicester Community Champion.

Mr Cove said: "A Spitfire pilot introduced him onstage as a hero and presented him with his certificate. He carried it around for the rest of the day.

"We are hugely proud of him. He's very conscientious; he's our little star."

Lynne Regent, CEO of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, said “We rely on fundraising donations to continue to support those with severe allergies.

"We are lucky to have some great supporters here at the Anaphylaxis Campaign and we are so grateful to Jonas for his fabulous fundraising efforts.

"It was such a great idea to combine litter picking with fundraising, and Jonas did us proud.”