We were very excited to receive our beautiful 'Buddy Bench' on Thursday. The bench was kindly sponsored by Dunmurry Dental Practice.
The Buddy Bench idea was started by a child in America – he had a great idea to have a bench on the playground designated for children who aren’t sure who to play with, who to talk to, or who just want to assess a situation before joining a group. It is a place to meet and play with new or old friends – it’s a reminder for children to be kind and reach out to one another.
Speaking about the Buddy Bench, Philip McLorinan, Owner of Dunmurry Dental Practice said, ‘I first learnt of the Buddy Bench initiative whilst at a fundraising event for the Paddy Wallace Fund for Autism. I absolutely loved the concept of the ‘Buddy Bench’ and felt that it was something we would like to provide in a local school. We all need a buddy at some stage in life.’
Mr Gallagher commented ‘we are delighted to have received this bench as it complements the school’s ethos and builds on the buddy system we have already had in place in the school for many years’. He added ‘we would like to thank Dunmurry Dental Practice for this generous donation of the Buddy Bench to the school’.
Pictured at the new bench with Mr Gallagher are Philip McLorinan from Dunmurry Dental Practice and his children Kiera (P4), Maria (P3) and Andrew (P1), who are all pupils at St Joseph's!
There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met. William Butler Yeats
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