A Co Tyrone school for children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders has launched a new £1m project where it hopes to expand its services into other parts of Northern Ireland.
The Buddy Bear Trust in Dungannon held an official launch event for its five year ‘Lifetime of Difference’ project on Thursday, with funding being provided by the National Lottery Community Fund and the McClay Foundation.
Buddy Bear is currently the only Conductive Education School in Northern Ireland, and aims to help support the transition of children with cerebral palsy into mainstream education.
The project includes plans to provide satellite sessions in both Belfast and Derry, thereby offering three locations and increasing accessibility for children right across Northern Ireland.
A host of special guests attended the launch of the programme, including DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson and four time paralympic gold medallist Michael McKillop.
Buddy Bear Trust chairman Brendan McConville said the organisation was grateful for the current round of funding, but also called on local councils and the Department of Education to step up with further funding for the project.
“Our sole ambition is to ensure that as many children as possible, who have cerebral palsy and motor disorders in Northern Ireland, have the opportunity to benefit from Conductive Education and achieve their full potential,” Brendan said.
“While the generous funding has enabled us to launch the Lifetime of Difference Project, we will still require a final piece of funding support from government to ensure the longer-term success of our school, and a lifetime of difference for our precious children.”
Paralympian Michael McKillop, who himself has cerebral palsy, spoke to MyTyrone about the importance of having more schools like the Buddy Bear Trust across the region.
He currently holds the world records for the T37 800m and 1500m and is one of the fastest cerebral palsy athletes of all time.
Michael said: “55 kids are diagnosed with cerebral palsy every year, so it’s a great shame that these kids are not given the opportunity to be educated through conductive education.
“There is one school and this school is in Dungannon and we are looking to advance that, and hopefully with the councils here today, they can fight for us in their communities, and give the kids from further afield the chance to develop like the kids here in Dungannon.
“Conductive education is vital for people with cerebral palsy on a daily basis, not just once every six weeks or every couple of months.
“The vital years are the first six or seven years of their life and without this they will struggle later in life and they may end up in a wheelchair.
“As a young boy I didn’t have this facility, my parents did all this hard work on their own.
“It shouldn’t be up to the parents to fight for this, it should be up to the councils to provide the service and to give the kids that opportunity, without having to worry about where they are going to school and where they feel comfortable.”
