Press Releases11 Aug 04

Lighthouse School thanks local community

LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOL THANKS LOCAL COMMUNITY

The Lighthouse Trust Summer School in Donaghadee, County Down today sent a message of thanks to the local community for all their help and support this summer.

Joan Bruton, whose son Thomas attends the school, is chairman of the school?s management committee. She says: ?We are extremely grateful for all the help we receive from so many different sources including the whole community in Donaghadee. The school provides a valuable service and without this help, we simply could not continue.?

In July and August this year children from the UK and the Republic of Ireland came to the school and benefited from classes run by Balint Dobossy from the Peta Institute in Hungary.

The school was set up in 1997 by parents of children with cerebral palsy and meets in Donaghadee Parish Hall. It provides conductive education ? physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy - and also helps to develop a child?s mobility and social skills. A fun programme of boat trips, music and drama, crafts and visits to popular attractions add to this unique service.

Conductive education was developed by Dr Andras Peto in the late 1940s.