Brooke Reid tragedy: Funeral to take place for ‘sweetest wee timid darlin who loved Enid Blyton and animals’ after Ballymena house fire

Rev Martin McNeely of Ballykeel Presbyterian Church said the funeral will take place on Sunday at 1.30pm from the home of Brooke’s grandfather, Billy McMaster (who speaks in video above), at 63 Inchkeith Road in the Ballykeel One estate.

Rev McNeely said he knew Brooke from the many church activities she attended.

”She was a very sweet girl, very popular and very talented,” he said. “She was an eager participant in any kind of clubs, events and parties that were organised through school, churches and community groups in the area.

”She was the kind of girl who lived life to the full. She was a lovely natured girl and came from a very popular family.”

Representatives of the Church of Ireland and local pentecostal church she attended will also take part in the funeral, he said.

”One of the saddest things about Brooke’s death is that it has occurred within a very sensitive time frame in the community.” He said. “There was a fatal stabbing just at the start of July and a number of suicides and drug related deaths within the last year. This is the sixth young person I will have buried since last December.”

A lot of good work has been done in the community to address some of the social challenges in the area but Brooke’s death feels like another setback, he said.

About 3-400 people attended a socially distanced vigil for Brooke in the area on Thursday. Representatives of the Fire Service and PSNI were attended and thanked for their efforts. It lasted about five minutes, with a minute’s silence, a short prayer, bible reading and a piper’s lament.

“It was important from the point of view that it facilitated a huge outpouring of grief and people had an opportunity to express their condolences.”

Neighbour Jean Alexander said of the schoolgirl this week: “The wee darlin’ would not pass by without saying hello. She always stopped to speak to me and my dog, Jack. She was mad about animals.”

Another said: “She loved to read. She told me she loved the Enid Blyton books. The poor wee dear was one of the sweetest, wee timid darlings you have ever met. There wasn’t a bad bone in her body.”

The Fire Service said yesterday that the cause of the fire is still under investigation by both the PSNI and itself.

Today the PSNI said they are are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, however at this stage it is being treated as accidental.

A fundraising website started to cover funeral costs and support Brooke’s mother, who lost all her belongings in the fire, has raised £7,200 so far: www.gofundme.com/f/brooke-mcmaster

Brooke Reid tragedy: ‘She was a timid wee darlin who was mad about Enid Blyton and animals’ say neighbours of Ballymena girl

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