Thurston Community College, near Bury St Edmunds, launches kindness award in memory of student Evie Carey who died of brain cancer

A mum whose daughter died at age 11 earlier this year has described a school awards scheme in her memory as a ‘wonderful thing’.

Evie Carey, from Norton, near Bury St Edmunds, was a Year 7 student at Thurston Community College (TCC), moving up to the school from Norton CEVC Primary School last year.

Evie was diagnosed with a fast-growing form of brain cancer in August 2022, but had responded well to treatment. However, her mum Shelley Carey said she relapsed, passing away in January.

Celebrating the kind girl Evie was, TCC has launched the Evie Carey Kindness Award for her year group for their time at the school.

The award scheme was also inspired by student support manager Jonny Land, who was nominated for and went on to win the Star Teacher accolade in the national Be Kind Awards this summer.

Speaking of the Evie Carey Kindness Award, Shelley said: “For the school to do that is a wonderful thing and it’s a beautiful award. It was the essence of Evie. She was a lovely girl and would always help people out.”

The overall winner of TCC’s first Evie Carey Kindness Award was Pippa and the runners-up were Theo and Amber.

Pippa, who was nominated by her teacher, quietly asked after one lesson to move seats to be next to a specific student. When asked why, she said she had wanted to help the student feel more supported and help them integrate more within their lessons.

Theo was nominated for his tireless effort after school helping out clearing the courtyard areas throughout the summer term and Amber was nominated for always looking out for others.

On his Be Kind Award, Mr Land said: “The support and messages from staff and students at Thurston were overwhelming; even some past students contributed.

“Many of the accounts they recall might have felt small to me at the time - saying hello, taking time to talk or just listen, but it had a genuine impact on them.

“Kindness is a seed. We plant it and maybe never see it bloom, but I have been privileged through this award to learn what a difference being kind can make.

“My hope is that we can find ways to pass the kindness on throughout the whole school, making it normal to take any opportunity to support each other.”

Mr Land received his award at a ceremony in Chester in July where he heard the ‘deeply moving and inspiring’ stories of the nominees.

Maéve Taylor, principal of TCC, added: “It was a pleasure to travel to the national finals of the Be Kind Awards in Chester this summer, and hear about great work being done by young people and schools across the country.

“Of course, it was a huge accolade for the work undertaken by Mr Land that he was the winner of the Star Teacher, a wonderful recognition of what he does in his role every day. Thurston Community College, its staff and students, are very lucky to have Mr Land, and many other wonderful people like him, to support our young people.”

Shelley spoke highly of how supportive TCC had been, and in particular wanted to mention Evie’s tutor Miss Tegg who had been ‘utterly incredible’.

Shelley said Evie’s cancer had returned ‘out of the blue’ – and it had been ‘devastating’.

“She started at the school [Thurston] and was doing amazingly, then she relapsed,” said Shelley. “She had a scan, a routine scan in November, she had no symptoms or anything, and they found that the tumour was back. She started treatment and it just spread.”

In January they were told the treatment wasn’t working and there wasn’t anything they could do. Thirteen days later she died.

Shelley said the cancer was so aggressive and there was nothing that would hold it back.

“It just took her. She was so incredibly brave and so happy right up until the end. She was so chatty right up until a couple of days before. It still doesn’t feel real.”