Army of volunteers mobilises to transform ‘neglected and forgotten’ special school

Moved by their plight, they mobilised an army of volunteers. And tears of joy flowed yesterday as the results of their incredible DIY SOS-style makeover of a special school were unveiled.

Parents of students attending St Gabriel’s Special School in Cork, where grim building conditions had been compared to those of an orphanage in Chernobyl, said the overhaul led by Merck staff will transform lives.

A section of the sensory garden at St Gabriel’s Special School in Bishopstown, Cork, which was rebuilt by staff from Carrigtwohill-based company Merck Ireland.

Paul Lynch, whose son Andrew, 11, attends the school, said he couldn’t believe the difference they’ve made.

“The kids will really benefit from it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he said.

Sinéad Desmond, chairwoman of the school’s parents’ association, said they have all been deeply moved by the kindness of all who helped.

We feel a little bit better that there are people out there who care,” she said. “It is so heartwarming that there are people who cared enough to help.

St Gabriel’s Special School in Bishopstown is a special needs school for 43 children, aged four to 18, with severe and profound learning difficulties. It is the only school in Cork which takes children with a dual diagnosis of autism and severe intellectual disability.

Several students use wheelchairs or have limited mobility and require one-to-one supervision. Most of the children need help with their most basic needs.

Parents describe the school as a “lifeline for their vulnerable children” but said the building itself, a former national school which was never intended as a special needs school, was in appalling condition.

They said the staff always come to work with a smile on their faces and do a fantastic job with the limited resources they have. However, they had to work in horrendous physical conditions.

The roof was leaking; there were no ramps for wheelchairs; there were no dedicated toilets for children with severe medical conditions; there was no hot running water in some of the classrooms; there were no dedicated rooms for physiotherapy or occupational therapy, and the sensory garden was inaccessible for children in wheelchairs.

Bizarrely, the school’s sensory room was housed in a windowless outbuilding, with no specialist equipment.

And in winter, when the almost 40-year-old boiler broke down, parents had to dress their kids in extra layers of clothes to keep them warm.

Having lobbied the State for years for a new school building, without success, parents decided to go public with an appeal for help earlier this year.

Ms Desmond said it was a difficult decision but parents felt they had no option.

“We felt like our school had been completely neglected and forgotten,” she said.

As parents of special needs kids, we spend our lives trying to protect their dignity and then, all of a sudden, we shine the light of publicity on them. But we felt we had to do so to practically shame politicians into helping us.

“These are the most vulnerable and beautiful children. They have such complex needs. We shouldn’t have to fight for such basic rights.”

Some of the 100 volunteers from Merck working on refurbishing the Bishopstown school.

It led to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin raising their plight directly with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in April.

The Department of Education is now engaged with the school with a view to advancing a new school building project, which could take at least two years.

So moved were they by their plight, Merck staff in Carrigtwohill decided to help. Ed Fox, the company’s finance manager, and Dan Donovan, the facilities manager, were among the first staff to visit the school to see what could be done.

“Looking at the conditions in the school, I got very emotional and had to take five minutes away from the group to compose myself,” said Dan.

“I knew we were coming up to do some painting but once we saw what needed to be done, I said we have to do something more here.”

Ed said such was the impact of what they saw, they were determined to do whatever they could to help.

“People gave a lot more than we thought we could. It was just such a wonderful group to be involved with,” he said.

They mobilised an army of some 100 volunteers, and with the help of suppliers and contractors from companies including Senbar, Enterprise Electrical, Galvins painting, and others, they launched a focused blitz on strategic areas of the school.

They rebuilt a kitchen, a medical room, a sensory room, and a sensory garden. They reinvigorated over 10 classrooms, painted three murals, and revived a playground.

“There is lots done but of course lots more to do and a new school is the ultimate solution. But we believe we have made a big and helpful change for them,” said Ed.

Martin McAuliffe, managing director of Merck, said the makeover was the largest project undertaken as part of a range of events to mark the company’s 30th anniversary here.

“What we have today is hopefully a transformed experience for the kids. Because at the end of the day it’s all about them,” he said.

“The parents and teachers do everything they can to help these kids maximise their potential. What we’ve provided is just a better environment to do that.”

School principal Margaret Lordan said the makeover focused on parts of the school that would deliver most benefit in the short term.

“The work that was done here was done with love; great karma has come into our school,” she said.

“The generosity and good spirit has been overwhelming. Everyone wanted to be here and to help. It has given us the warmest feeling and it will help carry us on.”