A school boy was given the chance to play an angel in his P1 Nativity after needing surgery due to complications with a head wound.
17:26, 22 Dec 2025Updated 08:45, 23 Dec 2025
Rory got out of hospital just in time to play the angel in his school nativity.(Image: Glasgow Children’s Hospital)
An Ayrshire schoolboy has gone straight from the hospital bed to the stage after being given the role of the angel in his school’s Nativity after an important operation.
Little Rory Grant, a Primary One pupil at Stanley Primary School in Ardrossan, was born with a 5 pence-sized lesion on his head and was given the opportunity to play a leading part in his school nativity, after having an operation to clean out the wound that he was born with.
Mum, Natalie Grant, revealed that 5-year-old Rory and his family, who live in Saltcoats, benefited from the help of staff at Glasgow Royal Hospital for Children, from the team that operated on a wound on his head, to the Play Team that helped him make his own angel, which now sits proudly on the family tree at home.
Now, he’s managed to get his bandages off the day before he performed in the Nativity, and though he missed the first performance, was able to make up for it on the second day of the show when he performed in front of his whole school.
Mum Natalie shared Rory’s story this Christmas: “Rory started P1 in August and loves school. He was born with a 5p piece-sized lesion in his head because the skin didn’t join together properly in the womb. After a CT scan when he was two, they discovered that it was only skin deep and so they would leave it until he was older before anything needed to be done about it.
Rory needed surgery on a lesion on his head(Image: Glasgow Children’s Hospital)
“It started becoming itchy and a bit sore at times so it was decided that he would be operated on to remove the lesion and glue it back together.
“Rory had his operation on the 5th of November and was fine. A week later, an abscess popped out of the wound when he put on his school jumper.
“He had two weeks of antibiotics and was fine. A week after that, he was at swimming lessons and put on his goggles. This caused another abscess to pop out. We were advised to go straight to the Royal Hospital for Children, and he was operated on the next day to clean the wound out.
Rory was born with a 5p lesion on his head.(Image: Glasgow Children’s Hospital)
“He is perfectly fine now and was back at school just in time to do his part in the nativity. He was the angel paper boy. I felt informed, everything was well organised, and everyone was really caring and very kind towards us. They were reassuring and distracted me. Real people who cared.”
Natalie said that the family not only wanted to thank the operating team, but also the Play Team, who kept Rory entertained.
She added: “They gave him arts and crafts to play with and brought him some games along. He also helped colour in for the display boards.
Rory benefitted from the help of the healthcare workers and the play team at the hospital(Image: Glasgow Children’s Hospital)
“They really helped me the day that Rory had a failed canula. He loved the activities, and his wee angel is on our tree that he made in the hospital. The staff were just excellent, and I’m forever grateful for that.
“He had a visit from the professional basketball team as well and he enjoyed saying his line from the nativity to them – as we thought he might miss his actual one.
“Being at home with everyone healthy means everything. Rory is hoping to get a bike, a Minecraft plushie and a Nerf bow and arrow for Christmas.”