Featured image credit: Facebook
A 22-year-old lad paid off his parents' mortgage at his own graduation after working for five years to save up.
Andy Evans, an artist who now goes by the name 'Doddz', has been saving money since he was 17.
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He said: "My parents, Jane and Dave, have always worked flat out to make sure the bills were paid and we didn't go without.
"Five years ago, there was a period where it was all getting a bit on top of them and I wanted to help out. I thought, 'There's more to life than working a 9-5'.
"I decided that if I could pay off the mortgage that would give them some breathing space and they could enjoy the more important things in life."
Andy studied graphic design at Staffordshire University, where he graduated on Friday with a 2:1 degree.
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Alongside his studies, he was secretly filling Stoke-on-Trent with 'positive graffiti' under the alias of 'Professor Pigment', aiming to spread some joy and pride in the local area.
This culminated in an art exhibition where he sold several pieces of his art work. This last bit of money paid for the remainder of his parents' mortgage.
When asked why he chose his own graduation as the best time to reveal what he'd been doing for the last five years, he said: "When I was 17 and set myself this goal, I didn't even know if I was going to be able to get into uni but I thought I'd love to do it before I graduated.
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"It didn't look like I was going to be able to get the money together in time but I recently had a number of exhibitions and the response from the local community was unbelievable and I sold enough artwork to surprise my parents at graduation."
Judging by their reaction in the video, he did well.
He's now got a job at a digital marketing agency, Cube 3, so I imagine I'll be writing another story about him in five years about how he's bought his parents a yacht or summat.
Words by Mel Ramsay
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Parents