A Renton teenager fighting a rare form of throat cancer has been visited in hospital by members of the Celtic squad.

Vale of Leven Academy pupil Arin Kirilmaz, 14, is currently undergoing gruelling rounds of chemotherapy at the Royal Hospital for Children after he was diagnosed with throat cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, in October.

Players Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor, Jonny Hayes, Mikey Johnston and Filip Benkovic came along to his room for a quick chat during a visit to the ward earlier today (Monday, December 10).

The team were at the hospital to present £10,000 to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity on behalf of the Celtic FC Foundation.

Arin’s mum Eileen told the Reporter: “He’s a Rangers supporter, but they asked if he wanted them to come along and he said yes and he was happy to see them.

“They were asking who do you support and were nice enough lads.”

Since his diagnosis the whole community has rallied round to help, and a friend of the family set up a Just Giving page for donations which has reached almost £9,000.

Gayle Telfer Stevens, who plays Caitlin McLean in TV soap River City and appeared as Francine in Sunshine on Leith, also joined forces with her stage partner Louise McCarthy to ask for donations from their audience at a recent performance of their show ‘The Dolls’ at The King’s Theatre in Glasgow.

The Dolls £4,153 donation and the funds raised through Just Giving will go towards enabling Arin’s parents Eileen and Hakki and twin brother Leon to travel abroad together when Arin receives the treatment he needs.

To donate click here