Friends of Big Brother winner Pete Bennett have given him a present money can't buy.

Tourette's sufferer Pete, who is £100,000 richer after his exploits on the Channel 4 reality show, returned to Brighton, his home town, a hero this week.

His welcome was particularly warm at clothes shop Roar in Sydney Street, owned by his friend Raz Ajuca.

Another old friend, Aslley Desmond, had placed a "love box" in the shop during the 13- week TV series so people who knew Pete could drop in tokens of support for when he came out of the Big Brother house.

Aslley, whose four-month-old baby Jack is Pete's godson, saw her idea catch on fast and soon complete strangers were leaving gifts for Pete, lead singer with Brighton band Daddy Fantastic.

Mark Crasher, who works in the shop, said: "There are lots of personal gifts from friends like jewellery, CDs, T-shirts, even a few naughty magazines and a rubber duck.

"But people have also been dropping off other really touching stuff. One lady, whose son suffers from Tourette's, wrote him a letter and dropped that in. I know stuff like that means a lot to Pete."

Pete, 24, who lived in Hollingdean Road until he joined the programme, visited Roar to collect the love box.

He signed a T-shirt which will be auctioned on eBay to raise money for the Tourette Syndrome Association.

Mark said: "Everyone was glad to see him and he was really excited to see us too.

"We haven't really got him back yet because Channel 4 have him for another two weeks doing promotional stuff.

"We'll be glad when he is back and everything has calmed down."

Pete's friends Tina Hart and Carli Morrow have set up a website for him called www.perfectpete.com They are collecting cash through it for the Tourette Syndrome Association and have designed a range of T-shirts with a picture of Pete and his catchphrases on them. They are on sale in Roar.

Mark, who has known Pete for more than eight years, said: "The shop isn't making any money from this - it's all going to the Tourette's charity."