A Truro dad who has experienced the agony of spending Christmas hundreds of miles away from his severely autistic son is continuing his fight for displaced children to be moved closer to home.

It is now one year since Phillip Wills’ teenage son Josh came home to Cornwall after spending three years being cared for in a specialist hospital in Birmingham, because there were no suitable facilities closer to home.

Phil knows all too well the heartache felt by the hundreds of families whose loved ones are being cared for far from home, and says the trauma is increased tenfold at Christmas.

“We are the lucky ones – it may have taken us three years, but we have Josh home where he belongs this Christmas,” said Phil. “There are too many families who won’t be able to give their children a cuddle on Christmas morning. They’ll have to make do with a phone call. It is heart breaking.”

As Phil and his family prepare for an extra special Christmas with Josh by their side, he continues to campaign on behalf of displaced families across the UK.

“Josh will come home to us on Christmas Day and we’ll go to visit his granny and go for a walk together – normal family time,” said Phil. “But we had three Christmases without him. Leaving him in Birmingham after each visit was always tough, but at Christmas it was like grief.

“I would feel terribly guilty if I didn’t do something to try to help other families in the same situation, and thankfully several success stories are now coming through. The message I want to get across is homes, not hospitals – that’s where they belong.”

The most recent figures show hundreds of people with autism and/or learning disabilities are currently being cared for away from home.

Josh, now 15, spent three years in hospital 250-miles away in Birmingham after being sent for an assessment which was meant to last for 12 weeks. His family campaigned tirelessly to bring him home to Cornwall, and 241,000 people signed a petition in his name.

Josh now lives in a specially adapted house run by Spectrum, with tailored care built around his needs, just down the road from his family in Connor Downs.

Phil said: “The whole point of our campaign was to get Josh's voice heard. To exercise his human rights to a family life. To let him have a life that he deserves. There are still so many stories out there. I hope that people would look at our campaign as a calm and dignified one, despite the circumstances. I firmly believe that the decision makers are more likely to sit down and work with the families this way.

“Josh continues to grow and adapt, he lives 15 miles away rather than 260 miles. Now, there is hope, love and a brighter future for Josh. Everyone who supported us, and continues to do so helped to make his future brighter. People comment on his beautiful smile. They helped with that too."

Spectrum offers residential care, education and support for people with autism. For information about Spectrum and its services, visit spectrumasd.org.