School head awarded top Hungarian honour

The head of a unique County Tyrone school for children with cerebral palsy has been awarded one of Hungary's highest state honours.

Ildiko Veres, from the Buddy Bear School, has received the Silver Cross of Merit of Hungary.

Originally from Hungary, Ms Veres has lived in Dungannon for more than 30 years.

The Buddy Bear Trust School is the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland.

First opened in 1993, the independent school relies on grants, fundraising and donations in order to run.

Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by a problem in the parts of a baby's brain used to control the muscles.

It can lead to symptoms like difficulty in walking or controlling movement, or speech problems.

Buddy Bear is the only school in Northern Ireland to offer an approach called conductive education, which aims to teach children greater control over their movements.

Ms Veres was presented with her award at a ceremony in Parliament Buildings, Stormont by the Hungarian Ambassador in London, Dr Ferenc Kumin.

She received the Silver Cross of Merit for her dedication to helping children with cerebral palsy.

It is the first time the award has been given to someone in Northern Ireland.

Parents and pupils, as well as Claire Sugden MLA and Baroness Foster, attended the ceremony.

Ms Veres told BBC News NI receiving the Silver Cross of Merit was "a very humbling experience".

"The school is important to the parents and the children," she said.

"From the early years there is very little facilities for these children, very few and far between therapies.

"At the Buddy Bear school we can work with those children from three months on."

She said the school gave families "hope".

And that is how parents Joanne and Neville Reid from Banbridge feel.

Their 13-year-old son Jack has cerebral palsy and has attended Buddy Bear since he was six months old.

"Jack wouldn't be here without that support and help that the school has given him throughout his difficult start in life and throughout his journey," Neville Reid said.

"We would be lost without the school and the intervention that they provide.

"The daily intervention is critical for children with cerebral palsy like Jack."

Joanne Reid said she did not "have enough words to describe the impact" Ms Veres and the school had on Jack and the family.

"From the very first day we visited the school she was able to tell us the things that would help Jack," she said.

"She has tried everything with him."

Ms Reid said the school, which does not receive core funding from the Education Authority (EA), needed "all the support that they can get."

"We had to go through a tribunal to get Jack into the school," she said.

"It's vital for the other parents coming along after us that the school is still there."

Mary Frances Loughran, whose son Finn attends the school, said it is a "lifeline for parents".

"It's just the best place – it has so much for him," she told BBC News NI.

"My wee boy has come on so much in the short time he has been there. It's incredible – he's physically coming on leaps and bounds and it is such a positive mindset from when you walk through the front door," she said.

"It gives you so much hope for everything he is going to achieve," she added.

Ms Veres first studied at the Pető Institute in Budapest where Dr Andras Pető pioneered a development programme for children and adults with cerebral palsy.

When she came to Dungannon, she brought that method to Buddy Bear.

The Hungarian Ambassador Dr Ferenc Kumin said the day was "really special".

"It is a state honour that is uniquely given to those who provide a very special perfomance in the country and outside the country," he told BBC News NI.

The Silver Cross of Merit is formally awarded by the President of Hungary, Dr Tamas Sulyok, but Dr Kumin travelled to Stormont to present it to Ms Veres.

"It is not easy to get a state honour like that," Dr Kumin said.

He had previously visited Buddy Bear to meet pupils and parents and said the school had changed lives.

"By having this institution here, this hope started to emerge for many of these families," he said.

"For me it was a very revealing experience just to hear the very enthusiastic accounts of the parents, of how their lives have changed.

"We can point at Buddy Bear and tell the rest of the world 'look, if it is possible here, it is possible everywhere.'"