The youth worker volunteers more than 30 hours each week to bring a ray of sunshine into the lives of children with disabilities - building their courage, confidence and character through excursions and camps.

"There's a big world out there and half of these kids have never seen it," Mr Jones said.

"The idea is to give them a chance and let them enjoy life as best they can."

Mr Jones does his work through Khaki Rebels, a youth group he founded in 1999 to remedy the lack of services in the west for children with disabilities.

Back then, it was all about giving young people aged five to 23 a place to socialise, learn and earn badges, from music and arts to science and swimming.

"Being a parent of a child with a disability, I wanted to set up a group that gives kids a social life and lets them have fun," he said.

On Khaki Rebels' 10th anniversary, that vision remains strong.

"It's rewarding, because I can see the kids grow," Mr Jones said. "We have had several kids with autism and within a year their parents say they have noticed a difference.

"It's not just for disabled kids - we take their siblings and friends, too. We have kids with all disabilities such as Down syndrome, heart conditions, autism. Some of these kids might be 15 or 16 but have the mental capacity of a five-year-old."

On trips, children sleep in motels or resorts, rather than tents, for safety reasons, and volunteer leaders are on hand to ensure they get medication or other help.

Devoted leaders have helped pay for camps and activities parents couldn't afford.

Most of the group's annual running costs of $10,000 are raised by the sale of boxes of chocolates.

Michael Crupi said Khaki Rebels had given his sons Adam, 11, and Ethan, 10 - who live with the heart condition Marfan Syndrome - independence and confidence.

The benefits have been so marked that this year Mr Crupi and his wife Robin decided to send Ethan, who is also autistic, to a mainstream rather than specialist school.

"It's done a lot of good for him and has certainly helped him adjust. At Khaki, no matter the disability, the kids are accepted."