AN online job appeal by a man with Down's syndrome who fruitlessly searched for a job for a year has attracted more than 30,000 hits in a week.

The 16-second video by Thomas Cullen, a former pupil of The Dales School, at Morton-on-Swale, near Northallerton, features the 20-year-old speaking about how he would like to work.

Mr Cullen, who is gaining regular work experience washing cars and restoring furniture in Northallerton, said he simply wanted to work and did not mind what sort of job it was.

His mother, Carolyn, said despite the popularity of the clip, he had yet to receive an offer of work.

She said her son, who is set to appear in a touring theatre show later this year and had awards for his stage skills, had been keen to post a video on Facebook, but she had not expected it to generate 30,000 views.

Mrs Cullen, of Thirsk, said: "I was quite surprised by the response we have had. I got people in Thirsk saying 'Hi, has Thomas got a job yet?"

The video followed the pair approaching businesses to find work for Mr Cullen, only to be told they didn't have the time to train him.

She said the job would need to be in Thirsk or Ripon as her son relied on public transport.

Mrs Cullen added: "People view somebody with a disability as not being capable to do the job.

"It needs somebody to spend a little bit of extra time with him and just go over things with him and explain.

"He's very capable and very sociable and has excellent communication skills - he just needs somebody who is prepared to give him a chance.

"I would like him to get a job and lead a normal life like anybody else. I would like him to have an income and his own place to live. He wants to get married and wants to pass his driving test."

It has been estimated about 20 per cent of the 15,000 people of working age with Down's syndrome have paid jobs.

The Down's Syndrome Association launched an initiative in 2012 to improve understanding of the condition among employers, and said firms are now more confident in hiring people with the genetic condition, resulting from an additional copy of chromosome 21, as they want to have a diverse workforce.

Earlier this year, a jobless man from Liverpool with Down’s syndrome who had an NVQ in catering received three offers from potential employers after a Twitter campaign went viral.

Anyone interested in offering Mr Cullen a job can email carolyncullen021@btinternet.com