Team GB paralympic star David Leavy was invited to Fermanagh recently by a team of young people involved in the government-funded Uniting Erne East initiative.

During a fundraising event held at Willowbridge School, David, who was part of Team GB’s seven-a-side cerebral palsy football team at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, inspired the audience with an account of his journey to competing in the paralympics last year.
The paralympics event, organised by Uniting Erne East, showcased a number of sports while raising vital funds for a new Willowbridge school bus.

Uniting Erne East was formed as part of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Together Building a United Community Strategy. Since July 2016, a team of 10 young people from the Erne East area (referred to under the project as ‘united champions’) have been working with the Department for Communities, Youth Action NI and Todds Leap Activity Centre, learning how to become the next generation of leaders and creating good relations through sport and creative activity.

A Mud Run organised by the young people last year raised over £1,000 for Cancer Connect NI and the recent paralympics event at Willowbridge raised £600 for the new bus.

Welcoming the funds, Willowbridge Principal Julie Murphy said: “We are thrilled that the United Erne East united champions approached us to host their event at the school whilst also fund raising for our new school bus which is a vital component for the education of pupils at Willowbridge.”

At the moment, the school must order single buses to take pupils in wheelchairs out on school trips and into town to practise independent living in preparation for when they leave school. This new bus means we will be able to transport up to four pupils in wheelchairs at one time,” explained Ms. Murphy. Todds Leap representative Stephanie Kenny-Quinn commended the young people on the “time and effort” they put into the event. She said: “The success of the event is very rewarding to them all. Uniting Erne East are on Facebook, give them a like and keep up to date with their work and events!”