A YOUNGSTER who has had to undergo numerous procedures to help his heart has had a visit from some of his heroes.

Alfie Hardy, from Oakley, was born in 2015 with heart difficulties and he has had to have several procedures to help him live as normal a life as possible.

The four-year-old was born with a double inlet left ventricle, a heart defect that meant that only one of his pump chambers in his heart was working correctly.

He has since had two major operations to help with the condition, and was due to leave for his third major operation on Thursday last week.

In a bid to make the visit a little easier for Alfie, the morning that he was due to leave he received a surprise visit from the then off-duty number one crew at Basingstoke Fire Station.

Alfie was due to have the Fontan Procedure to help with his condition in Southampton, but the operation has now been postponed until later this month.

Alfie, who has been a fan of fire engines and firefighters since he was very young, got the chance to sit inside the fire engine, get a detailed explanation of what is inside the engine from the crew, as well as how they respond to callouts and he even had a go at using the hose.

Alfie’s mum Diane Hardy said: “It was amazing to see the look on his face when he saw it, it was an absolute dream come true for him.

“He has spent most of his life fixated on things with wheels but especially fire engines and cars.

“He usually wears the uniform around the house and even though it was hard to keep it as a surprise, it was amazing to see it outside.

“He has been coping very well, and he knows what is going on and just wants to get better.

“Both his uncle and great-grandfather were firefighters, so there is a family connection.”