'Phenomenal' donation to autism group

Peter Kay has donated €250,000 to the charity Irish Autism Action.

He gave away the proceeds of his sixth and final sold-out show at Dublin’s O2 Arena after striking up a friendship with the charity’s patron Keith Duffy.

The Boyzone star told the Irish Independent: ‘What a heart Peter Kay has. Words can't describe how generous it is of him to do this.

‘Peter could have sold out three more nights at the O2 but he decided to add one more night so he could donate the money to charity. This is a phenomenal thing to do.’

Kay – who has sold more than a million tickets to his current record-breaking arena tour – became friends with Duffy when they both appeared in Coronation Street in 2002.

Published: 4 May 2011