PRESS RELEASE

Belfast Telegraph - Wednesday, January 24, 2007 by Emily Moulton

The best of buddies?

McGuinness and Paisley in rare show of unity for special needs school

They're the unlikeliest of bedfellows, but Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness and DUP leader Ian Paisley are united in their support for the Buddy Bear Trust.

Mr McGuinness, the former education minister, said he valued the work carried out at the threatened Dungannon school and was more than happy to work with the DUP to ensure it did not close.

Last week, Mr Paisley pledged his support for the independent needs facility, saying he would do everything he could to keep it open.

Yesterday at Stormont, Mr McGuinness met 19-year-old Daniel Murphy, a cerebral palsy sufferer who attended the school for 12 years.

Mr Paisley spent time with Daniel - and his Buddy Bear friend - last week.

Like the DUP leader, Mr McGuinness said Sinn Fein was "very supportive" of the school.

He said: "The trust has some very powerful allies here and we need to ensure that every child has the opportunity to benefit from this school."

Mr McGuinness also said he would be seeking support from the Irish government to help save an independent special needs school in Dungannon from closure.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern in Dundalk yesterday, Mr McGuinness said he would be highlighting the plight of the Buddy Bear Trust.

He said he hoped to investigate the possibility of getting wide ranging support for the Buddy Bear, similar to what has been put in place for the new Centre of Excellence for Autism which finally opened up in Middletown this year.

"This is something that could benefit the whole island of Ireland," he said. "Daniel is the evidence that great work has been achieved at the school and we need to ensure that every other child has the opportunity to benefit from this."

Mr McGuinness said he would raise the issue with Bertie Ahern and Dermot Ahern, who he was due to meet yesterday.

Currently, Buddy Bear is the only school outside of Hungary in Europe which offers Conductive Education.

Since it began in 1989, it has helped more than 200 children and there are now fears because it only has two current students it will not survive past the end of this year.

PRESS RELEASE

MLA's PLEDGE  SUPPORT TO BUDDY BEAR TRUST

We we delighted at the historic news that all the leaders of the political  parties have agreed to establish a new Assembly to administer the affairs of the country. We have pledges of support from nearly all the MLA's to Save Buddy Bear Trust School for children with cerebral palsy until the Assembly can secure its long term future. The parents and children hope that their new Buddies will act quickly to save the school which needs funds because the Boards have not been informing parents that it is an alternative to the existing schools.

Assembly Members pledge  support for Buddy Bear Trust.

Media Release - 18th OCTOBER 2007

SAMMY WILSON MP MLA

MEDIA RELEASE

18th OCTOBER 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DUP Education Spokesperson Sammy Wilson has held talks with the Chairperson of the Buddy Bear Trust, the only independent special school in all of Ireland which provides Conductive Education for children with Cerebral Palsy. Brendan McConville requested a meeting to garner the East Antrim MP’s backing to the school’s ongoing ‘Save the Buddy Bear School for Children with Cerebral Palsy’ campaign.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Wilson said: 

“Following a valuable meeting in my capacity of Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Assembly Education Committee with Brendan McConville, Chairperson of the Buddy Bear Trust Conductive Education School in Dungannon, I am giving my personal backing to ‘Save the Buddy Bear School for Children with Cerebral Palsy’ campaign and will use my position to argue the case for maintaining this essential facility.

The brilliant work of the Buddy Bear Trust must be supported at all levels.  And I am only too aware of the enormous anxiety that the parents of children attending the Buddy Bear Trust school share because of fear of the school being shut down due to lack of funding and support.  I will use my position to advocate strong resistance to its closure and publicise the immense benefits that the school has to offer.

ENDS

For additional information contact Mr Wilson’s Larne Constituency Office on Tel.: 2826 7722

 

	Buddy Bear needs your help to educate children with cerebral palsy.
	Save Buddy Bear School for children with cerebral palsy.
	" A Walk in the Spring"  oil  80cm X 60cm  Artist B McConville              ( Sample of some of paintings for fund raising )