Louth's ABACAS School celebrates Tesco support for sensory garden

A Drogheda school supporting children with autism and complex needs is among the Louth community projects to benefit from more than €289,000 in Tesco Community Fund support.

In total, 766 community projects across Louth have received funding through the scheme, with ABACAS School for Autistic Children with Complex Needs among those to see a significant local impact.

Tesco’s Community Fund has helped ABACAS Drogheda create a sensory garden at the school, providing a safe and calming space where its 31 pupils can explore, play and regulate.

When Jacinta Walsh's two-year-old son Sam was diagnosed as autistic in 2002, there were no suitable school places available locally to meet his needs, so she began teaching him at home. Jacinta knew she needed specialist training, so she organised a course and advertised it in the local newspaper – 18 other parents signed up. What started as a 10-week course for local parents became something much bigger. Together, the parents established ABACAS School for Autistic Children with Complex Needs, creating opportunities for autistic children with complex needs that were not available in their town before. More than two decades later, the school continues to transform the lives of children and their families across the region.

Opening its doors as a pilot project in a rented three-bedroom house in 2003, ABACAS Drogheda was one of only nine schools of its kind in Ireland. As demand grew, so too did the school, and in 2010 it received official recognition from the Department of Education as a special school for autistic children with complex needs.

Today, under the leadership of Principal Michelle McHugh, a dedicated team of specialist teachers and Special Needs Assistants provides a personalised education for 31 children, helping them develop communication, personal care, emotional regulation and social skills.

At the heart of the school is its beautiful sensory garden – a safe, calming space where children can explore, play and simply enjoy being outdoors.

ABACAS Drogheda has received Community Fund support from the Tesco Extra and Tesco West Street stores in Drogheda as well as the Bettystown store for many years, helping fund activities and supports for pupils and families. The school also received a special €25,000 Tesco anniversary celebration Community Fund that made its sensory garden a reality.

The garden has become an invaluable resource, offering children a secure environment to learn, play and regulate, while creating a welcoming space where families can spend time together.

ABASAS Drogheda remains committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn, grow and reach their full potential in an environment where they are understood and supported. With the continued dedication of its staff, parents and supporters, the school will continue changing lives, creating opportunities and helping families look to the future with confidence and hope.

Through the Tesco Community Fund, each of Tesco's 194 stores donate up to €1,500 every 12 weeks to three local community groups. Customers decide where that funding goes by voting for their preferred cause using the blue tokens they receive at checkout.

Naomi Kasolowsky, Customer Director at Tesco Ireland said: "When people hear €10 million, it sounds like a big number. But what really matters is the thousands of stories behind it. Every day, customers place a blue token in a voting box without thinking much about it, but what they might not realise is that those small acts of support have helped fund sensory gardens, sports equipment, youth services, community spaces and thousands of local projects across Ireland. - every blue token represents a small act of support. Together, those small acts have helped over 27,000 projects across Ireland. That's the power of lots of people doing one small thing to help. And that's what Every Little Helps has always meant to us."

To learn more about the Tesco Community Fund, visit: https://tescoireland.ie/sustainability/places/community-fund