Kirkinriola Primary rallies behind pupil Charleigh-Rose after devastating brain tumour diagnosis

Pictured staff from Kirkinriola Primary School, Ballymena: (L-R) Viola Stewart SEN classroom assistant, Emily McCaffrey Principal, Emma Laird SEN classroom assistant, Chloe Parr teacher, Gillian Todd classroom assistant, Emma Lee Adams SEN classroom assistant,  Jodi Crawford teacher and Naomi Quaite SEN classroom assistant.

A Ballymena school community is preparing to walk, scoot and rally together this week in support of a nine-year-old pupil facing the fight of her life after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Charleigh-Rose Havelin, a pupil at Kirkinriola Primary School, was diagnosed in January 2026 after suffering a seizure during the Christmas holidays — news which left staff, classmates and her family devastated.

Now, teachers, classroom assistants and pupils are stepping up to help ease the burden on Charleigh-Rose’s family as she continues treatment at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital.

The school’s staff are taking part in a sponsored 10k walk on June 12, while pupils will complete a sponsored scoot around the school grounds in a heartfelt show of support for their friend and classmate.

A diagnosis no-one saw coming

Charleigh-Rose Havelin

Mrs Viola Stewart, who has worked closely with Charleigh-Rose as her classroom assistant since the child joined Kirkinriola Primary School in January 2022, said the diagnosis came as a complete shock.

She described Charleigh-Rose as initially being “a very shy and quiet child but very loving”, explaining how staff worked closely alongside speech and language specialists to help build her confidence and communication skills.

Over time, the little girl who once struggled to speak in class became more sociable, confident and settled among her friends.

Mrs Stewart said Charleigh-Rose’s speech improved significantly and she had been progressing well with reading and writing before her illness emerged.

Looking back, there were few obvious signs anything was seriously wrong.

In December 2025, Charleigh-Rose became sick on two separate occasions while completing a Friday test in school.

“At the time, I thought she was worrying about doing her Friday test,” Mrs Stewart explained.

“I spoke to her about it and tried to reassure her that she didn’t need to worry.”

After the Christmas break, staff initially believed Charleigh-Rose would soon return to school after being unwell over the holidays.

But shortly afterwards came the phone call that changed everything.

Brave Charleigh-Rose as she progressed through her medical treatment

Mrs Stewart said Principal Mrs McCaffrey informed her that Charleigh-Rose had suffered a seizure and that hospital scans had revealed a brain tumour.

“I just burst into tears as I was so upset to hear this news and it was so unexpected,” she said.

“I didn’t see any warning signs that Charleigh-Rose was unwell.”

She added that the young pupil had occasionally complained of sore tummies, but staff believed this was linked to nerves and anxiety around new situations.

School community determined to help

Since Charleigh-Rose stopped attending school, staff have remained in close contact with her mother Jenna and have followed the family’s difficult journey through treatment and hospital appointments.

Mrs Stewart said seeing photographs of Charleigh-Rose continuing to smile during treatment had deeply moved staff and pupils alike.

“Our whole school community has been deeply touched by what Charleigh-Rose and her family are going through and we all wanted to do something to help the whole family,” she said.

Funds raised through the sponsored events will help the family with the ongoing costs of travelling between Ballymena and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, along with other financial pressures linked to treatment and appointments.

Staff say the fundraiser is about more than money — it is about showing the family they are not facing the ordeal alone.

“This journey has been difficult for the whole family and we just want to provide them with some support to lighten their burden,” Mrs Stewart added.

The fundraising campaign has already begun attracting support online ahead of Thursday’s sponsored events.

Anyone wishing to donate can do so via the official fundraising page at:

Donate here

As preparations continue for the walk and sponsored scoot, the Kirkinriola Primary community is hoping its efforts will help bring some comfort and practical support to Charleigh-Rose and her family during an unimaginably difficult time.