THE Paddy Wallace Fund for Autism has delivered its first set of Buddy Benches to primary schools throughout Northern Ireland.
The first four benches in Newtownabbey went to Whiteabbey PS, and were kindly donated by the school's Parent Teacher Association and local companies Wilkinson Wilson Chartered Accountants and Massive PR.
The fund's Buddy Bench initiative which was launched last month and is designed to help propel its mission of raising awareness and eradicating the stigma associated with autism through hands-on social projects in local schools and play areas.
The concept first came to popularity in 2013 when a boy called Christian, age 8, from Pennsylvania had the idea as a means to eliminate loneliness and foster friendships among children in the playground.
Taking inspiration from Christian, The Paddy Wallace Fund for Autism has big plans to roll the initiative out throughout the country and have a Buddy Bench in every town throughout Northern Ireland.
"We're delighted that our vision of bringing the Buddy Bench to Northern Ireland is finally being brought to life. Through launching this initiative we want to promote inclusion throughout local communities, encourage children to be kind to one another and encourage children to reach out to each other," Mr Wallace said.
Co-founder of the Paddy Wallace Fund for Autism, Christina Wallace added: "Each Buddy Bench can be sponsored by a local organisations and to date we have had an overwhelming response from local businesses, individuals and schools wishing to purchase a Buddy Bench. Last week 31 benches were delivered across Northern Ireland and more enquiries are coming in each day. Another 21 benches are available for delivery in the next few weeks and our aim is to get 200 delivered by the end of this year."
Peter Wright, principal of Whiteabbey PS welcomed the introduction of the initiative.
"We're proud to be the first school in Newtownabbey to have Buddy Benches in our two playgrounds. The addition of the benches is a great support system for the development of or children's social skills, and will help to educate all pupils on the importance of kindness and inclusion," he said.
:: For further details visit www.paddywallacefundforautism.com.
