A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl who suffers from cerebral palsy has the hope of a brighter future after receiving a donation of £10,000.

Emma Bailey, of Barmby Moor, near Pocklington, was given the massive cash boost by the Teesside to Saltend Ethylene Pipeline Project (TSEP) Alliance Team, which is based in Pocklington.

The money will enable Emma to continue a teaching programme at a special school in Hull, which had to be put on hold when funds ran low. The idea for the donation came from men who were constructing a pipeline from Teesside to Hull when they saw a newspaper article asking for fundraising support for Emma.

After receiving a request from staff, the money was donated by the TSEP partner organisations, BP Amoco Chemicals and contractors Murphy Pipelines and Penspen, in recognition of the pipeline project reaching half-a-million man-hours without a lost-time accident.

The donation was administered through the charity SCOPE and David Daniels, SCOPE community fieldworker in the Yorkshire and North-East region, received the donation on Emma's behalf.

Emma's mother, Niki, said: "I would like to give my sincere thanks to all involved in the pipeline project for supporting Emma in her fight to live a normal life.

"The donation will ensure Emma's progress for the foreseeable future."

The money will be used to provide Emma with further conductive teaching at the Hull special school.

The teaching is a form of physiotherapy and involves one-to-one coaching in daily tasks that will enable her to become more mobile and independent.

Jeff Clegg, the pipeline project manager, said: "We are delighted to be able to help Emma. It is something that the men who are working on the pipeline feel very strongly about.

"We hope Emma can continue her programme of conductive education and we wish her all the best for the future."

PICTURE: David Daniels, back, from SCOPE, with TSEP Alliance project manager Jeff Clegg, Emma Bailey, and her mum, Niki