A Steve Morgan Foundation Christmas celebration

On Sunday 10th December, we welcomed over 200 children and their families from selected organisations across the region to a children’s Christmas party at Carden Park Hotel.

Our children’s Christmas celebration has been an annual event since 2016 (with the exception of the COVID Christmases) for children’s charities and not-for-profit organisations, as well as some of our Enable grantees. We were delighted to bring the party back to Carden Park Hotel following a visit to the panto last year.

Liam Eaglestone, CEO at the Steve Morgan Foundation said:

“Our Christmas party is a great opportunity for children to come together and celebrate with other youngsters in our community in a safe and fun environment. It was fabulous to be together and see the excitement and joy on the children’s faces.

The wonderful YKids (one of our Associate Partners) lead from the front and we were delighted to be joined by some very special guests including the elves Dash and Gordon, Captain Jack Sparrow, and the tremendous Father Christmas. The children enjoyed a range of activities varying from party games and face painting, to making reindeer food and ‘human’ gift wrapping!

The team at SMF all look forward to our Christmas festivities and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to host this year’s event with support from YKids and the amazing Carden Park Hotel team.”

“We had brilliant time at the Steve Morgan Foundation Christmas party. Thank you so much for inviting us. Merry Christmas to all the SMF staff who worked so hard to ensure everyone had a great time.”

Cerebral Palsy United FC

“Thank you to the Steve Morgan Foundation for inviting our members to your Christmas party. They all had a fantastic time.”

Down Syndrome Cheshire

“Can you please pass on our thanks to everyone for a great day! The children and staff really enjoyed it, and were in awe of Carden Park!!!

The only improvement we could suggest, could be ear defenders for the adults to use while driving back, some protection from a full bus of hyper energized and happy children singing Christmas songs for an hour. Merry Christmas to all at the Foundation!”

Brighter Futures, Rhyl

Race to cure type 1 diabetes gets new boost

We’re thrilled to unveil the latest research funded by the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge – a ground-breaking partnership between us, Diabetes UK and JDRF, following our momentous £50 million pledge into finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Earlier this year, we called on scientists to submit research proposals to get us closer to having new treatments for people with type 1 diabetes that tackle the root cause of their condition and restore their insulin-making beta cells.

Now, over £13 million of funding will support six outstanding research teams – made up of 40 scientists, working at 18 different institutions in the UK and Europe – to fast-track discoveries that could see us make huge strides in how we treat type 1 diabetes.

The Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge’s latest awards focus on two key research areas:

Improving methods to grow and transplant insulin-producing beta cells into people with type 1 diabetes.

Understanding how to stop the immune system attack at the root of type 1 diabetes.

Helping people make their own insulin

Professor David Hodson, at the University of Oxford, will lead to team to explore how insulin-boosting molecules, which sit on the surface of beta cells, could be harnessed to create better performing lab-grown beta cells. They will also test if the specialised molecules could help to protect transplanted beta cells from the immune system, or trigger new beta cells to grow inside the pancreas.

Working to create an unlimited supply of elite lab-made beta cells that can deftly respond to changing blood sugar levels will be the mission of the team led by Professor Shanta Persaud and Dr Aileen King, at King’s College London. They will utilise their expertise in human beta cell development to innovate improved methods of turning stem cells into beta cells and ensure they are well equipped to survive transplantation.

Professor Francesca Spagnoli, at King’s College London, will spearhead a multi-disciplinary team who will concentrate on keeping transplanted lab-made beta cells safe from harm. This will include developing a device that beta cells can live inside to protect them from the hostile environment they will face once inside the body.

Searching for ways to help more people benefit from islet transplants will be the focus of Professor Shareen Forbes, at the University of Edinburgh, and her team. Islet transplants involving taking clusters of cells from a donor pancreas and injecting them into the liver of someone with type 1 diabetes. The team will investigate if delivering drugs packaged inside micro-capsules alongside islet transplants could help donated cells produce more insulin and survive for longer.

Stopping the immune attack’s harm

A team led by Dr James Pearson, at Cardiff University, have been awarded funding to investigate how the time of day could impact the effectiveness of an immunotherapy, named Interleukin-2 (IL-2). They will study how cells, which help to shield beta cells from the type 1 diabetes immune attack, respond to IL-2 throughout the day to find the best time to give it to stop type 1 diabetes in its tracks.

Dr Danijela Tatovic, at Cardiff University, will head up a team to explore if combining multiple immunotherapies could make them more effective at protecting beta cells and slowing the progression of type 1 diabetes. Her team will run a clinical trial testing two promising immunotherapies, abatacept and IL-2, in people recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes to understand how best to combine the treatments.

Summaries of each of these incredible projects can be found here.

Steve and Sally Morgan, Founders of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said:

“This is an exciting moment in our partnership with Diabetes UK and JDRF UK. We are astounded by the innovation and vision of the new projects and look forward to seeing how the research helps us realise our ambition of transforming the lives of people with type 1 diabetes.”

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

“We’re in a hugely exciting period for the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, as today we welcome six exceptional scientists who will lead exciting multi-disciplinary teams to drive forward this pioneering initiative and build momentum towards our ambitious goal.

“This announcement brings with it fresh hope of a cure for everyone living with type 1 diabetes, and we look forward to seeing how these projects will break new ground in our search for life-changing beta cell therapies and treatments to overcome the type 1 immune system attack.”

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

“Today’s announcement of six newly funded research projects demonstrates the speed and ambition of the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge. All six projects hold great promise for people with type 1 diabetes. We can’t wait to see the results of this vital research to transform beta cell therapy and tackle the immune reaction that is at the root of driving type 1.”

Our latest awards take the total amount of funding the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge has awarded in 2023 to over £20 million. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of this extraordinary research as our growing squad of scientists help us step closer to a cure.

Together Type 1 – the power of peer support

Together Type 1 (formerly Our Lives Our Choices Our Voices) recently marked its first anniversary having launched in September 2022, with a £5 million donation from the Steve Morgan Foundation.

The programme is run in partnership with Diabetes UK and brings together young people with type 1 diabetes through the delivery of a UK-wide peer support programme. Today, on World Diabetes Day 2023, we give an insight into what motivated Sally and Steve Morgan to provide this vital funding and support for young people living with type 1.

For other young people living with type 1 diabetes, stories and advice from their peers has the most power to help them feel they can manage their condition and are not facing their challenges alone.

Helping people who live with type 1 find others that they can relate to is vital, as Sally Morgan explains:

“We understand as parents of a boy with type 1 that the most powerful source of support is your peers. There is only so much that other people, who aren’t experiencing living with type 1 day-to-day, can do. If we can reach every young person in the UK out there with type one diabetes and help what can feel quite an isolating condition seem more normal, then that is going to make a difference.”

In October 2023, Young Leader Mike Cox interviewed Steve and Sally Morgan to talk about their motivation for funding Together Type 1.

Youth-led communication

Key to Together Type 1 is its Young Leaders initiative and, at the end of its first year, the programme now has 67 Young Leaders aged between 16 and 25 engaged across the length and breadth of the UK.

These amazing young people are leading on peer support, sharing communications, and also acting as powerful ambassadors for change within the healthcare system, by bringing to the conversation the voice of young people living with type 1. For the wider public, content from these young ambassadors is also helping to combat misconceptions and stigma by driving home the realities of life with type 1.

Creating a legacy

Together Type 1 is now ready to power into year two to deliver dynamic support and lasting change for young people.

“We want to encourage every young person with type 1 to be part of the programme to enrich and to help their lives and – most of all – to know that they are not the only one” – Steve Morgan CBE.

Read more about Together Type 1 and hear from the programme’s Young Leaders here.

Venus Charity Case Study

For over 20 years, the Steve Morgan Foundation has supported Venus Charity in achieving its ambitions with and for its service users. Through listening closely to the lived experience of its clients, we have provided funding for the charity’s family support programmes and helped to strengthen its infrastructure.

The long term, core funding offered with our Associate Charities partnership will future proof Venus Charity and enable it to achieve its ambition of securing a new building for its operations, and build on the success of The Star Centre, its therapeutic centre for young people.

About Venus Charity

Venus is a grassroots charity based in Bootle and Halton. It was founded in 1994, responding to a need for women’s services in South Sefton. Over the last 29 years it has grown its services to include:

Family support
Support for homeless people and refugees/asylum seekers with their tenancies
Therapeutic mental health services to young people
Advice and support via its hub, The Venus Centre, based in Linacre Lane Bootle

Adopting a holistic approach, the charity provides crucial, direct support to around 2,000 people per year.

Fully embedded in the community

The Venus team is fully embedded in the community and has an open door policy. Money pledged by the Steve Morgan Foundation will cover its CEO’s salary costs, releasing her time from fundraising so that she can concentrate on securing a larger space for Venus Charity, creating a financial strategy and strengthening the charity’s crisis intervention offering.

In the last six months since becoming Associate Charity partners, the charity has:

Conducted a time and motion study of use of the Venus Centre to understand what space is needed and for what purpose. The study has helped the charity to understand the flow throughout the building and where increased space is needed.
Worked collaboratively with Alder Hey Hospital, Sefton Council Early Help team and Health Education England to secure additional Recruit to Train studentships, in particular for parenting and 0-5 mental health provision. Venus Charity will host 10 students, including a new parenting team.
Strengthened crisis intervention and frontline hub services through working in partnership with local business FPC, helping to support crisis, rising debt and energy costs facing the community. As part of this, Venus Charity has taken over a local shop to broaden provision in the community.

“The Steve Morgan Foundation takes the time to understand our work and why our presence and actions are needed and wanted by our communities. It has supported us through difficult times and also in times of unprecedented growth.” – Sue Potts, CEO of Venus Charity

Go to the Venus Charity website

Neo Community Case Study

The Steve Morgan Foundation first worked with Neo Community back in 2016, providing much-needed funding at a crucial, early stage of the charity, when it had newly relocated to Rock Ferry and taken over the Beaconsfield Community House. This funding enabled the charity to move from being a small, grass-roots social enterprise to the Wirral-wide community development charity that it is today.

About Neo Community

Neo Community was established in 2013 in response to a growing need for social support and cohesion within the Wirral community. Neo stands for NEED, ENGAGE and ORGANISE community-led change. The organisation was established to identify gaps, listen to community voices, empower communities, and facilitate the delivery of activities, campaigns, and strategies to overcome adversity, local issues and increase community participation and pride.

The organisation’s founders recognised the challenges faced by individuals from vulnerable backgrounds, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and those struggling with mental health issues, and sought to create a platform for people to connect, share experiences, and receive support.

Over the last ten years, Neo Community has grown to become an award winning provider of food assistance and grassroots help across the Wirral and North Wales. The charity promotes the growth of self-sustaining, resilient communities, and is at the forefront of reducing food waste.

A beacon of hope in the Wirral

From its base at the Beaconsfield Community House, Neo Community has implemented a range of activities and programmes, including:

Community events like fairs, picnics, and celebrations that bring together people from various backgrounds, fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie.
Support groups for individuals facing specific challenges, such as mental health issues, disability, or bereavement. These groups provide a safe space to share experiences and receive emotional support.
Training workshops on various life skills, including financial management, job-seeking techniques, and digital literacy, with the aim of empowering individuals to improve their quality of life and become more self-reliant.
Social Supermarket and Community Café – Neo Community has nurtured and maintained strong links with local supermarkets and food retailers, allowing it to develop a comprehensive surplus food and supplies offering. The charity operates a ‘pay-as-you-feel’ system for all of its services.

Proudly achieving charity status in March 2019, Neo Community has continued to broaden, develop and deliver its range of services. In the last 12 months, it has fed 15,680 children, saved £171,000 using surplus food, and engaged with over 12,600 individuals.

“Without the trust and belief from the Steve Morgan Foundation, Neo Community would never have been able to have the impact it has had as a charity across Wirral and North Wales. The Foundation has provided crucial partnership funding when we’ve needed it the most, including Steve Morgan Emergency Funding during the pandemic, support with staff wages, and our first food chiller van.” – Ema Wilkes, CEO and founder of Neo Community

Go to the Neo Community website

Fun 4 Kidz and the L30 Community Centre

Our relationship with Fun 4 Kidz began back in 2008, when the Steve Morgan Foundation presented the charity with a runner up award for Best Business Providing Economic and Social Contribution. Since then, we have continued our support, from providing vital funds through the pandemic to supporting the charity with taking on the management of a community centre.

About Fun 4 Kidz 

Established in 1998, Fun 4 Kidz is a registered charity that runs out-of-school childcare across nine afterschool clubs, three holiday clubs and three breakfast clubs within eight different communities across Merseyside. In total, it provides activities for over 800 children per week, ensuring that all children in attendence have the opportunity to make friends, learn and develop through play and having fun.

The charity also runs the L30 community centre. Hosting numerous activities, from social groups and courses to exercise classes and childcare, the centre is a space for community members to meet, get to know each other, make friends, and share their ideas and skills.

A place for people to come together

When the charity faced an uncertain future during the pandemic, the Steve Morgan Foundation stepped in to provide core funding, acting as a lifeline to enable the organisation initially just to stay open, and then to recover from such a challenging period.

At a time when all the income Fun 4 Kidz generated ceased, funding from the Foundation covered core costs, which meant the organisation could continue functioning for the community in Netherton during that difficult time. This has greatly contributed to Netherton now being a stronger, connected community, with the L30 Centre recognised as the place for people to come together.

Not only did Fun 4 Kidz recover, but it came back even stronger, with its out of school clubs the busiest they have ever been. We recognised Fun 4 Kidz’ achievements with a runner up award for Greatest Local Impact in our 2022 Anniversary Awards.

“We feel so lucky and immensely proud to have been chosen by the Steve Morgan Foundation to be one of its Associate Charities, and to be receiving £50,000 of unrestricted funding per year for 10 years. This is huge for our organisation; it means we can plan long term, develop and grow what we already do, and also be creative and flexible to respond to families in the community and how they feel funding could be used for the greatest benefit.” – Debbie Stephens, Chief Executive at Fun 4 Kidz.

Fun3Kidz outdoor fun with a child creating a giant bubble

Fun 4 Kidz Summer Fun with a lady dressed as a bumblebee

Go to Fun 4 Kidz website

St Andrew’s Community Network Case Study

The Steve Morgan Foundation and St Andrew’s Community Network have been working together for almost a decade, with the Foundation providing the charity with a number of funding programmes prior to, during, and beyond the pandemic years.

Funding through the partnership will help with St Andrew’s Community Network’s staff costs, so its team can continue to resource over 20 other organisations in the region, all with a shared goal to design out poverty and build sustainable communities that bring belonging, change, connection, and purpose.

About St Andrew’s Community Network

The St Andrew’s Community Network connects churches and community organisations and equips them with the tools needed to free people from the life affecting consequences of poverty.

Operating across North Liverpool, the Network co-ordinates the North Liverpool Foodbank, provides debt and benefits advice and volunteering opportunities, and is committed to creating sustainable food provision in partnership with Your Local Pantry.

The charity is committed to building a strong and successful network, so that support over a range of issues may be offered by communities and for their communities.

Futures filled with hope

Effecting locally rooted change from within, the St Andrew’s Community Network helps people not just to make ends meet, but to find direction, purpose, and to step into futures filled with hope and opportunity.

Since its inception in 2003, it has delivered a unique model of care, ensuring that every person that engages with the Network can access short or the long-term opportunities to:

Build financial resilience
Build food security
Belong to a sustainable and caring community

These three endeavours form the fundamental components of the charity’s “change toolkit”.

As the cost-of-living crisis rains on, St Andrew’s Community Network will continue its work on the frontline of tackling poverty and providing crisis support to those most in need, through resourcing crucial financial advice and emergency food provisions. Using funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation, the charity hopes to increase this element of its work even further over the coming years.

“The Steve Morgan Foundation’s partnership provides a unique opportunity to work alongside other organisations that share our commitment to see lives and communities changed. It is a privilege to be supported in this way, and we look forward to sharing our experiences as a charity and learning from others who work alongside the Steve Morgan Foundation.” – Rich Jones, CEO of St Andrew’s Community Network

Go to St Andrew’s Website

Ykids Case Study

When Ykids became a registered charity in 2004, the Steve Morgan Foundation was one of the first funders to believe and invest in it. In fact, we helped support its first ever employee! We have continued our support over the years, including providing funding to save a highly successful and impactful project the charity was leading.

About Ykids

First established as a voluntary group in 1988, Ykids works to bring hope to at risk and vulnerable young people in Bootle, which ranks amongst the 1-2% most deprived areas in the UK. Their vision is to raise ‘World Changers’ – young people who are equipped to make a difference in their own lives and in the world around them, in an environment where they feel safe and loved, and lead happy, productive and ambitious lives.

Cutting giants down to size!

Ykids offers a range of invaluable services, events and activities to the community in Bootle, from Kingsley&Co, its steampunk Victorian explorer themed children’s bookshop and literacy project, to Giant Slayers, the charity’s own CBT programme, which helps children gain practical skills to ‘cut their giants (worries) down to size’.

Other services and projects run by Ykids include:

Focus groups on wellbeing, mentoring, citizenship, belonging, skills development, sport, and the arts
Family support, such as peer mentoring, training, one-to-one support, a community pantry, parents book club, and a wellbeing drop in
Young leadership training through apprenticeships, placements, internships, and work experience
Community projects like litter picks, mural painting, social action projects and large-scale events
Education in 35 local schools, through offering assemblies, mentoring, self-esteem and curricular enhancing projects
Faith – Ykids has a Christian ethos and offers training and support to churches in effective outreach to their communities

With funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation, Ykids has exciting plans for the future. This includes opening a larger Kingsley&Co bookshop in a prime location in Bootle town centre, which, in addition to addressing poor literacy and lack of opportunity, will also help Ykids to generate an income to support its long term sustainability.

“The continued backing we have received has made such a huge difference, and we couldn’t operate without it – but it has been so much more than grants. There has been genuine interest in our work, partnership working, advice, training, and networking opportunities that have been invaluable. The Steve Morgan Foundation is more than just a funder, and there is a genuine feeling of being known and valued by all of its trustees.” – Claire Morgans, Founder and CEO of Ykids

Go to Ykids website

The Steve Morgan Foundation funds new Maggie’s cancer support centre

Planning permission has been granted for a new cancer support centre in North Wales, which will be completely commissioned, designed and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation and built in the grounds of Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire.

The centre will provide free practical, psychological and emotional support for people with cancer, as well as their family and friends, from across the whole region – including Bangor and Wrexham.

North Wales sees 4,800 people newly diagnosed with cancer every year. It is hoped the centre will open in 2025.

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

“We are delighted to be helping Maggie’s bring its vital cancer support to the people of North Wales, ensuring they will have the warm, welcoming and free expert support of a Maggie’s centre right on their doorstep.

“Our collaboration with Maggie’s is one of the strongest examples of our philosophy of ‘disruptive philanthropy’. It highlights the Foundation’s ability to ‘give well’, by harnessing our expertise, practical support and commercial experience to maximise the impact of our financial support.”

Dame Laura Lee, Chief Executive at Maggie’s said:

“We are delighted to have been granted planning permission for our centre in North Wales.

“Without the Steve Morgan Foundation’s incredibly generous support in commissioning, designing, building and funding we wouldn’t have been able to bring Maggie’s to North Wales and for that I am so grateful.

“The Steve Morgan Foundation has committed to building three new Maggie’s centres – including the one in North Wales – which is a truly phenomenal act of philanthropy.

“I am greatly looking forward to working closely once again with the Steve Morgan Foundation, and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, to ensure the people of North Wales have the support which has already been making such a difference to people’s lives in other parts of Wales for 12 years.”

The Steve Morgan Foundation provided £3m to build the centre in North Wales and has already commissioned, designed, built and funded Maggie’s Wirral, which officially opened in the grounds of Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in September 2021.

In 2022 it received 18,640 visits, including 11,025 people with cancer and 5,816 carers.

A third Maggie’s centre in Liverpool, to be built within the grounds of the New Royal Liverpool Hospital next to the new Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, is also in the development stages thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation.

Glan Clwyd Hospital is managed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and is home of the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre.

Adele Gittoes, BCUHB’s Interim Executive Director of Operations, added:

“I am delighted planning permission has been granted for this really important development. Working alongside the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre, also based at Glan Clwyd Hospital, this will extend and enhance the support for people with cancer and their families.

“I also want to give my thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation for its generous funding of what I’m sure will be a fabulous and highly valued facility.”

Steve Morgan Foundation commits to transparent giving

At the Steve Morgan Foundation, we believe in ‘giving money away well’ by building partnerships and supporting charities doing excellent work. We also believe in openness and honesty about the grants that we award and improving grant making across the UK. This is why we publish open grants data through 360Giving and have become an IVAR Flexible Funder.

360Giving

The aim of 360Giving is for more money to go to where it is needed most to support communities and good causes through a more informed understanding of the grant making picture. The Steve Morgan Foundation shares this view and so we have joined the UK’s leading funders in making our grants data open through the 360Giving Data Standard, helping to map and improve grant making across the UK.

The 360Giving Data Standard helps UK funders to publish their grants data in an open, standardised way so that people can better understand and use the data to improve charitable giving. Through 360Giving, we are able to share information on who, where and what we fund in a way that others can access for free. You can view all of our awarded grants since April 2020 here.

Since it was founded in 2015, more than 250 funders have published over 850,000 grants and more than 40,000 people a year access and use the data.

IVAR Flexible Funder

The Steve Morgan Foundation works hard to adopt the principles of open and trusting grant making, as set out by IVAR and London Funders. They are calling on funders to adopt simpler, more flexible practices that make life easier for those they fund.

We are one of over 100 funders who have signed up to the eight commitments and joined a community with other funders and charities to improve practice together. The eight commitments are:

Don’t waste time – funders will be open, transparent and clear about all of their priorities, requirements and exclusions.
Ask relevant questions – funders will test their application forms to ensure clarity, relevance and avoid repetition, only collecting information that genuinely informs a funding decision.
Accept risk – funders will clearly explain how risk is assessed and be realistic about how much assurance applicants can provide.
Act with urgency – funders will aim to make decisions as quickly as possible by publishing and sticking to timeframes to ensure they work at a pace that meets the needs of applicants.
Be open – funders will provide feedback, including reasons for rejections. They will analyse and share relevant data, including publishing success rates.
Enable flexibility – funders will aim to give unrestricted funding; where they can’t (or are a specialist funder), they will ensure their funding is as flexible as possible.
Communicate with purpose – a funders contact is positive and purposeful. They will be realistic about their time commitments.
Be proportionate – funders will ensure that their formal reporting requirements are well understood, proportionate and meaningful.

You can see who else has signed up and read more about these eight commitments on IVAR’s website: www.ivar.org.uk/flexible-funders.

We hope that our commitment to transparent giving will encourage more grant makers to adopt these standards and practices to improve the overall practice of grant-making across the UK.

Together Type 1: celebrating one year of the SMF-funded programme

The pioneering programme for young people with type 1 diabetes, funded by The Steve Morgan Foundation, marked its first anniversary with a celebration event and a new name. Our Lives, Our Choices, Our Voices is now called Together Type 1.

The Together Type 1 programme launched in September 2022 in partnership with Diabetes UK with £5 million donated by the Steve Morgan Foundation – one of our largest single grants awarded. The purpose is to bring young people with type 1 diabetes together through the delivery of a UK-wide peer support programme as they transition to adulthood.

Run by Diabetes UK, the initiative is an ambitious youth-led programme on a mission to tackle feelings of isolation and loneliness in children and young people aged 11 to 25 living with type 1 diabetes. It will give young people the confidence to manage their diabetes and relationships with healthcare professionals in the way that works best for them. It also creates a community where injecting insulin, counting carbs, and juggling the ups and downs of diabetes is the norm. And where young people can connect with others who know what living with the condition is really like, swap stories, and learn new skills along the way.

The new name ‘Together Type 1’ better reflects the purpose of the initiative – to emphasise collectiveness specifically for people with the type 1 condition (and is a little less of a mouthful to say!)

Celebrating with our Young Leaders

On 30 September a celebration event was held in Manchester with the programme’s Young Leaders to reflect on progress and successes and plans for the next few years. This national gathering saw the official launch of the new Together Type 1 brand, hosted practical workshops for our Young Leaders covering social media content creation, campaigning and coaching, as well as provided opportunities to connect and make new friends.

Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, attended the event:

“The first national gathering for Together Type 1 was an inspirational day – hearing directly from young leaders and youth workers about the impact of the programme has fully reaffirmed the Steve Morgan Foundation commitment to supporting young people and young adults with type 1 diabetes. We are very much looking forward to seeing how the programme grows and develops to support more and more young people in the coming years”.

Cradle to Career launches across Liverpool City Region

The pioneering place-based change programme, initiated and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation is set to expand, with Mayor Steve Rotheram granting an additional £5.25m to tackle inequalities faced by families in the Liverpool City Region.

The expansion of the Cradle to Career programme was announced at a prestigious event at the House of Lords on Tuesday, September 19, where Steve Morgan addressed the guests and highlighted the impact the programme has had to date. This was followed by two events in the Liverpool City Region attended by the Mayor, Steve Rotheram on Thursday, September 28.

Cradle to Career was launched by the Steve Morgan Foundation in North Birkenhead in 2021 in partnership with Wirral Council and working alongside SHINE, an education charity and grant giver, and lead delivery partner Right to Succeed, a charity specialising in place-based change approaches. Funding provided by the Foundation to date totals £4.9 million, which includes a grant of £2.5 million to support the regional expansion.

**Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram speaking at one of the events**

Delivered by Right to Succeed, Cradle to Career puts the people of the Liverpool City Region at the heart of education, services and decision-making. Following discovery phases in Halton and Knowsley, bespoke programmes are being developed for communities in Halton Lea and Northwood. These will focus on supporting vulnerable learners; reducing the number of post-16 school leavers not in education, employment or training; developing robust facilities and activities for all; and creating a family support hub to support social, emotional and mental wellbeing in the community.

Further discovery phases are currently underway in Sefton and St Helens, with a vision to continue expansion across all six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region.

Commenting on the expansion of Cradle to Career, Steve Morgan CBE, said:

“We are incredibly excited to be taking this powerful partnership across the breadth of the Liverpool City Region.

“Good philanthropy and great partnerships are about bringing everyone together to deliver long-lasting and effective change, and Cradle to Career is a true exemplar of this; empowering communities, philanthropy and the public sector to work towards a shared vision to improve the lives of young people and their families.

“The Steve Morgan Foundation is involved in hundreds of initiatives not only in Merseyside but across the country but the impact of Cradle to Career is one of our most successful interventions and its achievements cannot be underestimated.

“In just two years, through Cradle to Career, the reading age for more than 1,600 children has improved exponentially; the number of young people at risk of being taken into care has significantly reduced, and Ofsted and the CQC are using the Cradle to Career programme as an example of best practice for family support.

“It is my hope that other cities and other regions in the UK will consider following suit by doing things differently and putting communities in control of their destinies.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“It is a gross injustice that children’s whole lives are mapped out before they ever leave the maternity unit; a postcode lottery dictating their bank balance, the food they can afford, the diseases they’re likely to develop, the quality of the air they will breathe and how long they will live.

“Addressing that imbalance is central to my politics. Cradle to Career is a radical, bespoke approach that works with the communities to identify local issues – and empowers them to come up with the solutions.

“Its results in North Birkenhead have been so impressive that we are investing more than £5m to roll it out across the rest of the region. Too many kids in our region have been held back, not by a lack of talent but a lack of opportunity – but I’m working to put that right.”

CEO of Right to Succeed, Graeme Duncan added:

“We are delighted that the Combined Authority has decided to fund the roll out of collective impact programmes across the Liverpool City Region, helping to realise our vision that every child can thrive from Cradle to Career.

“Our experience working in North Birkenhead on the Cradle to Career programme over the last three years has shown that by putting the decision-making power in the hands of the community and bringing people together around shared aims, you can accelerate the pace of change for children and young people.

“By rolling this out across the region, the Combined Authority is taking the lead, investing in a new approach that will see sustained change and improved outcomes for more children and young people.”

Visit the website for Cradle to Career North Birkenhead.