IT'S not every boy who has had his bedroom painted by a professional artist - but eight-year-old Thomas Thorgood has had his room turned into a shrine to his heroes in an eight-month labour of love.

Artist John Todd, who specialises in painting murals for schools, and who lives around the corner from Thomas, in Barton, near Darlington, transformed the room by painting Star Wars characters playing football with his soccer heroes.

Now Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks take pride of place with Thomas's adopted team, Bolton Wanderers.

"All my friends at school say I am silly because they support Middlesbrough, but I don't care," said Thomas.

His mother, Anne, said: "It is phenomenal. Thomas is over the moon. The artist has put so much time into it he has grown to support Bolton himself.