AN inspiring hospice ambassador from Hampshire was given the surprise of his life when he met his hero Richard Hammond at CarFest.

Josh Howard, from Southampton, is an ambassador for Naomi House & Jacksplace hospices and he attended the festival in Overton, which took place from August 25 to 27.

Before going he said he was a fan of the TV presenter and the charity then worked with the festival organisers to arrange a meeting.

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As a result, Richard Hammond invited Josh to meet him at his filming stand at CarFest and they had a long conversation and took some photos together.

Josh said: “It was great to meet Richard Hammond. He went out of his way to meet me at the festival and gave up so much of his time to talk to me. They say not to meet your heroes in case they disappoint, but he really was the man I thought he would be. He made my day.”

Naomi House & Jacksplace were one of CarFest’s chosen charities and will receive some proceeds from the funds raised at the festival. The charity also had a stall in the SpaFest area of the festival, with a sensory zone and remote control painting available for festival go-ers to enjoy.

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Staff from the charity bumped into a few different celebrities over the weekend who took an interest in their work, including comedian, Russell Brand, who sported the charity’s sticker on his chest, Supervet, Noel Fitzpatrick and Love Island star, Curtis Pritchard.

Tash Haji, senior fundraiser for the charity, said: “It was a fantastic weekend. A highlight for me was introducing Richard Hammond to our charity and watching him take part in our stall’s remote control car painting! He also encouraged others to come and visit us and take an interest in our charity.

"The whole event was great exposure for our hospices. Thank you so much to Chris Evans and the whole CarFest team for your continued support and we look forward to next year!”

Josh also spoke on the main stage with Chris Evans about the charity, alongside other charity ambassadors.