Young YouTube star hands out £20k in gifts

Known as Adam B to his 2.7m followers, the 20-year-old fulfilled a lifetime dream of being an ice cream man – but instead of serving up sweet treats he was delivering life-changing gifts.

From laptops through to phones, tablets, cameras, toys and drones and even a car, Adam delivered the presents after choosing from a list he and his family looked through.

All was revealed when he released a video on Wednesday.

Adam said they received thousands of nominations.

“My whole family and myself sat reading through all the emails over a series of nights. Some people got lots of nominations who, most obviously, deserved a gift. Others I chose because they stuck out to me personally.”

One massive surprise was for Bronagh Burke. She lost her husband and father to three-year-old twins Thomas in April. Adam surprised the twins with a mountain of toys, and left Bronagh speechless when he handed her the keys to a brand-new car.

Making the delivery via an ice cream van was something Adam had long dreamed of. “I always wanted to be an ice cream man when I was younger,” he said. “I used to look at them in the street and think to myself, ‘Some day I want to be an ice cream man and eat all the ice cream in the world’.”

Among the recipients was Shayne O’Carolan, who spent the first four years of his life in hospital. The 12-year-old has a number of special needs, but that hasn’t stopped him from fundraising, including raising £2,000 to provide two parents’ beds in the children’s wards at Altnagelvin Hospital.

“Shayne was speechless when he saw Adam,” said mum Shauna. “He was so excited and then Adam B said to him, ‘I hear you’re a very big YouTuber. I’ve got you a camera, but you will need to edit your videos’. He then handed him a Macbook as well.”

Adam’s inspiration came from another YouTube star, David Dobrik.

“I’m a massive fan and anyone who watches David would know that he likes to surprise people,” he explained, adding: “And I think during this climate, with bad news after bad news, people locally need someone like David. So, I too am going to do my best to try to make people smile.”

He added: “It’s amazing to be in the position where I can make people smile, take their mind off things, or potentially make a difference in their lives.”

Among the recipients of Adam’s gifts was nine-year-old Lucas Noah, who has his own YouTube channel. Adam delivered a new camera and drone to help him improve his videos.

Eighteen-year-old singer Clionagh Stewart, whose laptop was no longer working, received a new Macbook to help her get back to recording songs. He also gave one of his long-time fans, Lucie McElwee, a Macbook, iPad and iPhone.