She said telling Kayden about how much money people had donated was the first time he had smiled since the attack.

Kayden had been at the park off Armstrong Road with friends when he was sent a text message that a group intended to attack him.

A gang of about 15 youths, according to his mum, arrived and punched him to the ground, stamped on him, stabbed him in the back of his head, and attempted to set him alight using a lighter and a deodorant spray.

Kayden had to go to hospital for his head wound to be glued, and he suffered bruising and swelling to his face.

“His face is a mess, he’s unrecognisable at the moment, he doesn’t look like Kayden.

“It’s been hell.”