On Saturday, 14th December, the Steve Morgan Foundation brought festive cheer to the region by organising a magical visit to the Storyhouse Garret Theatre in Chester. The SMF team was joined by 250 children, their families and charity leaders from selected partner organisations for a special viewing of the Christmas play, Dear Santa. 

After the performance, the children experienced more festive cheer with the opportunity to meet Santa in his grotto and receive a Christmas gift.

Storyhouse is an independent arts centre, creative hub, and charity, providing the perfect setting for this year’s Christmas event. Dear Santa, created by the author of the beloved children’s book Dear Zoo, tells the heartwarming story of Santa’s quest to deliver the perfect Christmas present to Sarah, with a little help from his mischievous Elf.

The festive theatre trip reflected the Foundation’s commitment to supporting families and creating memorable experiences for children in the community.

Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said:

“Christmas is a time for bringing people together, and it means so much to the team at the Steve Morgan Foundation to be able to hold these events.  We were thrilled to do something a bit different this year by bringing the children to the Storyhouse”.

One charity who attended the event shared their thoughts:

“This was such a magical day for our children. They loved the play, meeting Santa, and the wonderful gift they received. We are so grateful to the Steve Morgan Foundation for organising this experience.”

Big Give’s Christmas Challenge, the UK’s largest-ever match funding campaign runs from 3rd to 10th December 2024, and coinciding with Giving Tuesday, the campaign aims to raise tens of millions of pounds for over 1,250 charities, by doubling public donations through match funding from Big Give’s Champion partners.

This year’s Challenge is set to break records, with over £20 million in match funds secured, thanks to the generosity of Champions, including the Steve Morgan Foundation. The Christmas Challenge runs until 12 noon on 10th December 2024.

To double your donation and make double the difference this Christmas, click here.

Supporting charities across Merseyside, North Wales, West Cheshire, and North Shropshire, the Steve Morgan Foundation is committed to empowering local communities and driving positive change. From 3rd to 10th December, donations made to their chosen charities will be doubled, enabling these organisations to make an even bigger impact.

Spotlight on impact: Shrewsbury House

One of the charities benefiting from the Steve Morgan Foundation’s support this year is Shrewsbury House, a Youth Club serving one of the most deprived wards in the UK.

Shrewsbury House is looking to raise funds to ensure that the ratios of staff to children and young adults are safe and appropriate for the delivery of a full programme of activities within the Club and on residential visits and projects.

“Community centres such as the Shewsy are one of the most important hubs across Liverpool that give people an opportunity to socialise and access key services. They offer fantastic opportunities for children to experience activities. At NLA, we are extremely proud to work alongside the Shewsy”

– Alex Kennedy, Assistant Principal, North Liverpool Academy

Big Give: Transforming lives through match funding

Since its inception in 2007, Big Give has raised over £300 million for thousands of charities, with nearly half of the funds supporting small charities with annual incomes under £1 million. At a time when economic challenges and surging demand stretch resources, the funds raised through the Christmas Challenge are a vital lifeline. By doubling public donations through match funding from Big Give Champions, the campaign maximises impact for both donors and charities alike.

In 2023, the Christmas Challenge raised an impressive £33 million for 1,077 charities through over 94,000 public donations, with 74% of participants meeting or exceeding their fundraising goals. This year marks a milestone with a record-breaking amount of match funding secured.

Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said:

“We are delighted to lend our support to the Big Give Christmas Challenge. By being a Champion of this fantastic initiative, we hope that we can encourage further support for the vital charities across our region, and to showcase the power of partnerships in helping deliver impactful change. Through our work with hundreds of grassroots charities, we know just how stretched resources can be and we are looking forward to working alongside the Big Give team to help drive record levels of donations through the Christmas Challenge.”

James Reed, Chair of the Trustees of Big Give, said:

“With a record level of match funds provided by our Champion partners, we’re calling on the amazingly generous British public to help make this our most impactful campaign yet. When people give to us they are not giving to Big Give, they are giving through Big Give to charitable causes they really care about, and this year there are 1,250 charities that stand to benefit. Every donation will be doubled so you can double the difference you make. We are especially grateful to the Steve Morgan Foundation for joining us as a Champion this year. Their support will empower charities across Merseyside, North Wales, West Cheshire, and North Shropshire to deliver meaningful, positive change in their local communities.”

The Christmas Challenge runs until 12 noon on 10th December 2024. To double your donation and make double the difference this Christmas, click here.

You can also watch the Christmas Challenge video here.

Cerebral Palsy United FC is part of the Steve Morgan Foundation family of charities and this year marks their 10^th anniversary.

2024 is certainly a year worth celebrating for the charity following their success at our 2024 Awards event where Ben Meadows, who has been with the charity since it began, won Volunteer of the Year for his dedication and outstanding contributions to its programmes.

10 years of Cerebral Palsy United FC

Since the beginning, Cerebral Palsy United FC has existed to respond to a need in the region which provides opportunities for people of all ages with CP to play football. That need grew and the charity now operates six centres across the North West. The club currently has 168 players registered, with over 150 of them active every week.

A combination of the charity’s youth committee, trustees, club committee and players will be steering the 10^th anniversary celebrations over the next 12 months. Plans so far include a big party (of course!), a Santa Run, a family day and various celebratory events for different age groups.

Today, Cerebral Palsy United FC is more than just a football club and its activities span beyond the pitch. It has become a community hub for people with CP and their families. Due to the need for CP specific football opportunities, people travel from around the region to be a part of it. As a direct response to the needs of this community, Cerebral Palsy United FC runs additional support programmes with the aim of removing the barriers for people with CP to access football and help them to become the best they can be.

Support programmes

Community engagement programme – Cerebral Palsy United FC provides support and links in with other organisations to promote inclusive opportunities. They also work with universities to give students a platform to gain practical experience of working with people with CP, covering things like sports physiotherapy, sports and exercise sciences and coaching. Working with universities also helps the sustainability within their volunteer workforce and is a beneficial model all round.

Futures programme – This centres around educating and mentoring young people and providing opportunities for them to develop life skills. It is for young adults with or without  CP who want to learn about and be involved with other aspects of football, such as refereeing, coaching, media and marketing and just generally helping out and offering their time to support the running of the club. The programme provides wider education opportunities and mentoring experience for players and other young leaders aged 14+, who initially assist with developing younger members. Often they go on to become volunteer coaches for the charity.

Family engagement programme – An informal programme which brings families together. Every Saturday the charity runs an all-day breakfast club (supported by Warburtons) in its community room, which provides an organic network of peer support for parents/carers of children with CP where they can share experiences and get advice from older players with CP who have experienced the challenges themselves.

The charity also has informal arrangements in place with local leisure centres so that parents and families can use the facilities while their child with CP trains/plays football, offering a little respite. More formal projects within this programme have included the promotion of healthy lifestyles and inclusive football camps for family and friends to attend alongside CP United players.

Emotional & social development programme (AKA Extras) – The Extras programme addresses an area of need due to lack of access, opportunities and some societal barriers:

Physical development support provides access to sports therapists and student physios, but also the charity works with MMU and the Institute of Sport as part of their outreach programme to engage young people with CP who are considering a university pathway. This work educates players about their bodies and their physical capabilities and is really helping to foster a life-long appreciation for looking after themselves and their bodies.

Emotional/social development provides off-the-pitch support through therapeutic approaches and trauma-informed practices to help develop the ‘wider person’ and support mental health and wellbeing. The charity signposts people to the right places, where needed, as well as hold their own outdoor trips/activities and wilderness therapeutic practices delivered by outdoor wellbeing specialists. Not only does this offer a bit of respite, but also provides the opportunity for children and adults to socialise outside of football and develop their friendship and social circles.

Steve Morgan Foundation support

SMF initially provided funding for elements of the Extras programme to get members out and about during Covid times (when the charity couldn’t deliver impact through football). This emergency funding helped players to stay connected and connect with nature (when it was possible to go out) to help with emotional/social wellbeing and development.

SMF funding over the last four years, along with the most recent £10,000 prize received as a result of the SMF award win, has helped the club to survive and maintain its provision, despite the challenges its faced during that time. The funding also now helps with the charity’s running costs and provides a safety net to move forwards and sustain itself.

Ben Meadows – Volunteer of the Year

Ben has been with Cerebral Palsy United FC from the beginning, initially as a player and then part of first Futures Group at age 14. 10 years later, he is an integral part of the charity and sits on the committee as well as runs the Liverpool Centre as Lead Coach, coaches on Saturdays in Manchester and continues to play.

He is also involved in the delivery of several of the support programmes and leads the community engagement programme in Liverpool, looking after, organising and mentoring the student physios from Liverpool University who support the centre he runs.

A very well-deserved winner of this award category!

The future of Cerebral Palsy United FC

Michelle Wilcock, Head Coach and Programmes Manager, said:

“It’s been a difficult time since Covid hit and this continues with the cost of living crises – without the funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation, I’m not sure the charity would have survived, and for that we are truly grateful.

Over the next five years we hope to not only survive this difficult climate, but also to grow our volunteer workforce, build upon our links with universities and provide more opportunities for everyone across the region and beyond who want to play football. We’d love to keep developing our fixture program too for our players who it is appropriate for to play competitively.”

To find out more about Cerebral Palsy United FC or to get involved, visit their website here.

The Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge has announced funding of more than £2.7 million through the novel insulins challenge to transform type 1 diabetes treatment. This vital funding will accelerate the development of insulins that more closely mimic how a healthy pancreas works, which could improve the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes.

Developing novel insulins

Today’s announcement grants over £2.7 million to six new international research projects focused on developing next-generation insulins, also known as novel insulins. This crucial research aims to design insulins that act faster and more precisely, relieving some of the burden of managing type 1 diabetes and reducing the risk of long-term complications.

People with type 1 diabetes can’t make their own insulin, so they must give themselves synthetic insulin several times each day to survive. But insulin is far from a cure for type 1 diabetes, and new forms of insulin are urgently needed.

Why do we need new insulins?

Blood glucose levels are affected by many factors including food intake, exercise, stress, other hormones, and even the weather. This complexity means that even with the most advanced technology available, many people with type 1 diabetes fluctuate between high and low glucose levels, resulting in short and long-term physical health issues. The relentless struggle to stabilise blood glucose with existing insulins can also be a significant mental burden for people living with type 1 diabetes.

Glucose-responsive ‘smart’ insulins

Four of these newly funded projects involve scientists creating and testing novel insulin formulations that can respond to changing blood glucose levels, known as glucose responsive insulins (GRIs). The concept of glucose responsive insulins is that the drug only becomes active when there is a certain amount of glucose in the blood to prevent hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose) and becomes inactive again when levels drop below a certain point, avoiding hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose).

Ultrafast acting insulin

Researchers running a fifth research project are developing a new ultrafast, short-acting insulin. Even with the fastest insulins that are currently available, there is still a delay between the drug being administered and the point it starts to act on glucose in the blood. This can result in blood glucose rising to unsafe levels before insulin can act to lower it. Faster insulins are also needed to improve the function of insulin pumps and hybrid closed loop technology, a system that relies on the stored insulin responding in real-time to changing blood glucose levels.

Combining insulin and glucagon

The final research project is focused on designing a protein that combines insulin with another hormone, glucagon. Unlike insulin, which helps remove glucose from the blood, glucagon stimulates the liver to release more glucose when levels in the blood run low. Having both hormones included in one formulation could keep blood glucose levels stable by working to prevent high and low blood glucose levels.

Dr Tim Heise, Vice Chair of the Grand Challenge Novel Insulins Scientific Advisory Panel, said:

“Even with the currently available modern insulins, people living with type 1 diabetes have to put lots of effort into managing their diabetes every day to find a good balance between acceptable glycaemic control on the one hand and avoiding hypoglycaemia on the other. The funded six new research projects address major shortcomings in insulin therapy.

Glucose-responsive (so-called ‘smart’) insulins are regarded as the holy grail of insulin as they would come as close to a cure for type 1 diabetes as any drug therapy could. A truly rapid short-acting insulin might make it finally possible to progress from hybrid to fully closed loop systems, allowing a technological ‘cure’ for insulin-treated people with diabetes. Potentially minimising the risk of hypoglycaemia through an insulin-glucagon combination would ease one of the major concerns associated with insulin therapy today. Therefore, these research projects, if successful might do no less than heralding a new era in insulin therapy.”

Professor Simon Heller, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel, said:

“This unique funding is transforming the ability of global scientists to join forces to tackle type 1 diabetes. It enables researchers to set up new collaborations and to test innovative ideas which may lead to a step change in finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.”

Rachel Connor, Director of Research Partnerships at JDRF UK, said:

“With this funding programme we have challenged scientists around the world to drive forward new ideas in insulin design to combat the relentless burden of managing type 1 diabetes.

While insulin has been saving lives for over a hundred years now, and previous research has driven important changes for people with type 1, it is still not good enough – managing glucose levels with insulin is really tough, and it’s time for science to find ways to lift that burden.

By imagining a world where insulins can respond to changing glucose levels in real-time, we hope these six projects will help to create that new reality, relieving people with type 1 of the relentless demands that living with this condition places on them today.”

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said:

“This much needed funding boost has the potential to revolutionise type 1 diabetes treatment. By supporting these groundbreaking research projects, we are aiming to develop new insulins that more closely mimic the body’s natural responses to changing blood sugar levels. This could significantly reduce the daily challenges of managing type 1 diabetes, and improve both the physical and mental health of those living with the condition. We are hopeful that this research will lead to life-changing advancements in type 1 diabetes care.”

The exciting development has had widespread media coverage across the BBC, Sky News, and in the national press. Listen to the clip on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme here, at 49 minutes, or watch a clip from BBC News below:

Commenting on the news, Steve and Sally Morgan said:

‘Our aim with the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge is to bring together the best scientists and provide them with the financial support to help accelerate the development of new treatments and, ultimately, a cure for type 1 diabetes. We are excited about the potential of these six new research projects and look forward to following their development as they work towards making life easier for people living with type 1.’

About the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge

More than 400,000 people in the UK have type 1 diabetes and this number is rising year on year, yet medical research remains consistently and woefully underfunded. Insulin, 100 years after its discovery, remains the only available treatment for type 1 diabetes.

Recognising the desperate need to improve the lives of people living with this relentless condition, the Steve Morgan Foundation brought together the two major UK diabetes charities to super-charge the research towards a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Working in partnership with Diabetes UK and JDRF UK, in 2022 the Foundation invested an unprecedented £50 million into the ‘Grand Challenge’, a five-year programme to accelerate medical research into type 1 diabetes.

Read more here.