WHEN Sam Pierce decided to dress as a superhero for the last Clap for Carers he wasn’t thinking of characters like Superman.

He donned the costume of a real-life hero - a firefighter.

The 28-year-old, who has Down’s syndrome has marking the weekly gesture of support dressing up as different key workers, from medics to posties.

And this week he pulled on a firefighter’s kit lent to him by staff at the Drove Road fire station.

Mum Leslye Russell-Pierce, 57, explained: “Sam’s been lucky enough to do a Salamander course with the fire station.

“He’s done that eight times, where they take different groups and they do everything the firemen do for a week.

“We’ve got to know a few of the lads from there. So I sent an email earlier in the week and got a reply saying of course he can borrow an outfit.”

Sam started going out for the clap dressed as his favourite superheroes, but then he and his mum came up with the idea of showing their thanks to the real heroes.

Leslye added: “The first clap for carers, Sam was dressed in a Batman onesie and I told him he was a superhero, just like the NHS workers are, so he knew and understood he was going out to clap for doctors to say thank you.

“After that we said let’s think of the other workers who are helping everyone.

“The first week of that was a lorry driver and it went from there.

“Each week we would think of a different profession Sam could dress as and we talked about what they do for everyone.”

The family is no stranger to the impact of the pandemic. His dad Jon and sister Deborah were both ill.

“My husband was quite poorly himself with Covid, to the point where we had to call 999 and get advice from paramedics.”

Leslye explained: “We picked my daughter up from London two weeks before lockdown and we think she had it there.

“She ended up going home last weekend, 12 weeks later because of lockdown.”

Sam’s support for the nation’s key workers has gained international recognition.

Leslye said: “I’m on a couple of sites about down syndrome and on one of them I had over 300 hits and that was from Japan, Germany and America, people were just loving it.”

And one of the best things was that her son had enjoyed wearing the different outfits. “This time has been very difficult for many parents but we have been so lucky, Sam has taken it in his stride.”