A FUNDRAISING drive for a five-year-old schoolgirl battling a rare brain tumour has smashed its target in just six weeks.

Aoife Kidd, from Monkton was diagnosed with High Grade Glioma – a rare brain tumour – when she was just 16-months-old.

In March, Aoife’s dad Michael, 37, launched a campaign to raise £10,000 to install a sensory room in Monkton Primary where she is in primary one.

Michael, wife Evelyn, 37 and youngest daughter Eilidh, three, wanted to help Aoife because her development has been delayed with all the chemotherapy the youngster has endured in her short life.

Michael said: “Her speech and emotions and level of understanding have been affected. We loved the effect other sensory rooms have had on her so we came up with the idea to try and raise money to get one in the school. It’s something that will be a benefit to any children who need it.”

But just six weeks after launching the fundraising drive, Michael revealed that the family have raised more than £11,000.

Michael said: “It’s actually overwhelming. People have been so, so supportive and very generous. We just can’t thank them enough. A sensory room will make a huge difference for Aoife.

“We just held a race night in Kilmarnock Rugby Club last weekend and it went really well. It was really well turned out and people were very generous and we raised more than £4,000.”

Since being diagnosed brave Aoife has undergone brain surgery and years of gruelling chemotherapy to try and shrink and kill the tumour.

Two years ago the family were offered a vital lifeline from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London when they offered Aoife a place on their ‘Braf Clinical Trial’.

Michael says the treatment, called Dabrafenib, is given to patients whose cancer has developed the ‘Braf mutation’ which can accelerate the cancer. Michael added: “Since she has been part of the trial the tumour has remained stable.”