Ms Dawn Purvis, MLA signs the Triangle of Hope photograph and pledges her support for the protection and development of the Buddy Bear School in Dungannon.

Ms Dawn Purvis, MLA, Brendan Mc Conville, Chairman and Ms Ildiko Veres, Principal.

Ms Purvis is a true champion for children with special needs, perticularly for children suffering from Cerebral Palsy.

See Press Statment.

Mr Paul Butler, MLA (SF) and Member of the Education Committee signs the Pledge of Support photograph.

Mr Butler was a member of the Education Committee, Chaired by Mr Sammy Wilson, MLA, MP when deputation from the Buddy Bear Trust gave evidence to the Committee on the 29th of February 2008.

It is hoped that with the support of Mr Butler and the other Members of the Education Committy together with the Assembly Members that funds will be made available to support the Buddy Bear Trust until a full appraisal is carried out into the needs of children with Cerebral Palsy.

"We must consider each child as an individual. We must examine how best to help the child from as young as 6 months until he/she leaves school at 19 years of age. We must have a joined up Government approach to ensure that after school care and support is available to ensure that each child has the oppertunity for independant living if at all possible." Brendan Mc Conville

Mr Will Hay, Speaker of the Assembly, Miss Ildiko Veres, Mrs Norma Hill, Sam Hill, Lord Maurice Morrow, Brendan McConville and Buddy Bear meet in Stormont to discuss how the Assembly can assist the estimated 900 children and young people suffering from cerebral palsy.

Lord Maurice Morrow from Dungannon has been associated with the Buddy Bear Trust from 1989 when the community responded to the pleas of parents of children with cerebral palsy for a Conductive Education School to be established in Northern Ireland. Prior to 1993 children from Ireland had to travel to the world famous Peto Institute in Budapest to be educated.

Miss Veres, Principal of the Buddy Bear School presented Lord Maurice Morrow with the Buddy Bear White Knight tie. Lord Maurice Morrow pledge his support and signed the Pledge of Support photograph which was taken in Dungannon many years ago.

Little Sam is only one of the children who will directly benefit from support provided by the Assembly. Sam would like to do all the same things that other children can do. The support of the MLA's will make a lifetime of difference.

Minister Mrs Irene Foster, MLA was delighted to pledge her support for the work of the Buddy Bear Trust in helping to make a difference to the lives of children with cerebral palsy. The Minister is fully aware that cerebral palsy has a major impact the child and the family circle,

Miss Ildiko Veres, Principal extended a warm invitation to the Minister to visit the Buddy Bear School to meet the children and the parents.

Mr Alex Maskey promised to assist Daniel Murphy from Newry in the campaign to protect and develop the Buddy Bear School for children with cerebral palsy.

Daniel was a student at the Buddy Bear School for 12 years.

Mrs Mary Murphy explained to Mr Maskey MLA that it was worth all the effort to see Daniel make so much progress towards complete independence.

Miss Ildiko Veres and Brendan McConville joined Buddy Bear and the rest of the group.

Mr Brolly MLA welcomed Daniel and Buddy Bear to Stormont before signing to Pledge of Support photograph.

Mr Brolly told Daniel that he was aware of the excellent work of Buddy Bear and would do all that he could to ensure that the Buddy Bear School was protected and developed so that other children might benefit from it.

Mr Sammy Wilson MLA, MP, Chairman of the Education Committee, welcome Daniel to the Assembly on the 29th February 2008.

Mr Sammy Wilson accepted his White Knight Tie and pledged his support for the Buddy Bear Trust.

Mr Wilson is well aware of the hundreds of children with cerebral palsy in Northern Ireland and knows that the Buddy Bear School is not in competition with other special schools.

Mrs Mary Bradley, Member of the Education Committee spoke in favour of the Buddy Bear Trust during the debate on Conductive Education on 19th February.

Mrs Mary Bradley, MLA advised the Assembly that she had first hand knowledge and experience of the benefits of Conductive Education as she recalled her visit to the Buddy Bear School to meet a child from Derry City who was a pupil at the school.

Mrs Mary Bradley, MLA promised Zara and her mother, Mrs Caroline Buchanan from Coleraine that she and the rest of the MLA's would do their best to ensure that Zoe and other children would be able to benefit from Conductive Education.

Reverand Bishop Walsh and Reverand Bishop Donal McKeown added their support and best wishes for the success of the Buddy Bear Trust's campaign to make Conductive Education available to some of the 900 children and young people with cerebral palsy in Northern Ireland.

Both Bishop McKeown and Bishop Walsh were aware that the Church Leaders and the late Holy Father John Paul II had signed the Triangle of Hope photograph in 1991.

Brendan McConville confirm that it was the intention of the Buddy Bear Trust to invite all the Church Leaders to sign the Pledge of Support photograph as it was important for the entire community to be aware that parents of children with Cerebral Palsy were intitled to be valued and to be given the opportunity of choice when deciding the type of school they wished their child to attend.

Conductive Education should be seen as an additionnal resource for educating children with special needs.