Fire station hosts 'brave the shave' in aid of Carrickfergus boy Ollie

The venture is the latest in a series of local efforts dubbed ‘Ollie’s Army’, organised in support of the family of Ollie Willis.

The six-year-old is currently being treated at the Royal Children's Hospital after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), a rare form of the blood cancer.

‘Brave the shave’ took place on Saturday, August 5 at Carrickfergus Fire Station, with the help of Tanya, Samantha and Dylan from Butlers’ Barber Shop in the town.

While funds raised from the event are still being totalled, it is understood that Ollie’s dad, Justin Willis intends to donate to Angel Wishes, a charity which supports children throughout Northern Ireland with cancer-related conditions.

Meanwhile, firefighters from Carrickfergus Fire Station will also be taking on a 10k run in support of Ollie later this month.

The four-strong team will tackle the ‘Storming the Castle’ road race - all while wearing their fire kit.

The group, which includes Jeanna Robb, Andy Doey, Gary Scott and Cheryl Brownlee are currently training hard for the race.

Cheryl said: "We all felt it was important to do something to help Ollie and his family, and wanted to do something challenging to help raise as much money as possible to help make this difficult time a little bit easier."

Storming the Castle will take place on Sunday, August 20.

To donate towards the team's fundraising efforts, visit the ‘Ollie’s Army’ page on GoFundMe.