Praise for NI youngster Charlie Thomson who raised thousands to buy drinks for ‘hero’ firefighters in Mourne Mountains

The money was raised online by 12-year-old Charlie Thomson from Newcastle, Co Down, after he ‘watched out the window at the devastation being caused by the ongoing wildfire in the mourne mountains’.

The fund raiser was set up with the aim of raising ‘£1,500 to buy bottles of drinking water and snacks for the fire fighters and other individuals involved in the gorse fires in the mourne mountains’.

But the appeal has gone further than the youngster ever dreamed and has now raised £4,070. See it hereThe appeal - which was launched two days ago and was started by Nichola Thomson says: “My 12 year old son Charlie sat for hours last night watching out our window at the devastation being caused by the ongoing wildfire in the mourne mountains.

“Charlie has learning difficulties, and he was petrified we were going to have to be evacuated during the night due to the fire.

“This morning he has decided he would like to try and do something to help, so he thinks he would like to be able to bring crates of bottled water and some snacks for energy to the brave guys and girls fighting the fire and putting their lives at risk to protect us all in the town!

“I’m so proud at the thought of him wanting to spend his savings on helping out!

“If anyone else would like to donate please use this link, any money that is left over will be donated straight to NIFRS once they have been stood down from this catastrophic emergency.

“Thanks for reading!”

Today the firefighters were accoladed as “heroes” by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots in the assembly.

He praised the “men and women in those mountains putting their lives at risk” and added that “they were heroes this weekend in the Mourne mountains”.

PICTURES: This is what happened when fire ravaged the Mourne Mountains