The students and staff of St Nicholas’ School in Ballina have been blown away by the generosity shown by a business director who donated a Cubbie Sensory Hub to the school,
A Cubbie, invented by Swinford entrepreneur David McIntyre, is a self-contained booth that comes with a suite of images, sounds and lighting that can be programmed to meet the sensory needs of each individual user.
At St Nicholas School in Ballina are (l-r) Simon Beale, Paul Gallagher, Jannette Maguire, Nick Maguire, Nora Barrett, Erin Rowley, Cormac and Alanna Barrett, Clare Vesey-Brennan, Deirdre Munnelly and Siobhan Morgan. Picture: John O’Grady
With a price tag of around €20,000, St Nicholas principal Clare Vesey-Brennan never held much hope of seeing a Cubbie in their school on Convent Hill, but thanks to the generosity of Brian Byrne and Ardent Tide, his UK-based company, a dream has become a reality. The school established a link with Brian through parents Jannette and Mark Maguire, whose son Nick attends the school.
“It was a wonderful donation that has brought great excitement for our whole school community,” said Ms Vesey-Brennan.
“We have many children who need a sensory space and this provides that. It is an excellent piece of equipment and on behalf of the Board of Management, we are so indebted to Brian and Ardent Tide for this.”
Each Cubbie user has a code that will allow them to access their bespoke, personalised programme created by their occupational therapists at any Cubbie device around the country, a network that continues to expand according to Erin Rowley, Communications Specialist with Cubbie.
“We have Cubbies in all spaces of the education sector. We have them in libraries, leisure centres and right across the board.
“The whole idea for us is about participation and we’re aiming to get kids and adults around the country back out and participating.”