STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION

Making a difference . . .

THE Steve Morgan Foundation aims to make a real difference by changing the lives of thousands of people across the region.

Founded by Steve Morgan CBE in 2001, the Foundation supports projects that help children and families, people with physical or learning disabilities, the elderly, and the socially disadvantaged across North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire.

More than £50m has so far been awarded to over 650 charities and organisations, and this number will increase dramatically over the coming years after Steve committed £250m additional funding to the Foundation in 2017.

Enable Funding for individuals was also introduced

to provide grants for adults and children with disabilities in financial hardship, who require specialised equipment.

There are three types of funding available for organisations which fit the application criteria:

n Major grants and one-off capital funding for

large projects;

n Regional grant funding; n Enable Funding for specialised equipment, which

includes the brand new Smiley Buses.

If you need help, contact us – details below

Millions of people helped

It’s been a long and happy road since we gave away our first Smiley Bus in 2006 . . .

FROM

Happy 90th!

SMF 90

CHRISTMAS has come early for thousands of people across the region, thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation’s fantastic Smiley Bus scheme.

Three brand new wheelchair accessible buses are set to make life so much easier for children in Southport and Winsford, and for older people in Wrexham.

And it means there are now 90 Smiley Buses – including several delivery vans and a blood bank bike – serving organisations across Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.

Celebrating their successful applications for Smiley Buses are:

Hebden Green School, Winsford. The special school for children aged 2-19 did not have a minibus and had to pay costly fees to hire wheelchair adapted vehicles to transport pupils to and from educational and leisure events. Half of the pupils are wheelchair users.

Friends of Merefield School,

Southport. The school supports children and young people aged 3-19 with severe and complex learning difficulties.

Our new wheelchair accessible Smiley Bus will replace the school’s 17-year-old vehicle which has become unreliable and expensive to run.

It will be used to transport the children to sporting events such as swimming galas, horse riding, table tennis competitions, and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme adventures.

Penley Rainbow Centre, Wrexham

helps older people to access support services and reduce loneliness and isolation. They provide a community transport service that brings people into the centre and takes them on weekend outings.

All clients have multiple disabilities, half have dementia and without support would be at risk of hospitalisation.

The centre currently has two wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Our new Smiley Bus will replace one of the buses that was awarded to them by the National Lottery in 2010.

FLASHBACK to 2018: Jane Harris, Director of Regional Grants at the Steve Morgan Foundation, hands the keys of a Smiley Bus to students at Kilgarth School, Birkenhead

FLASHBACK to 2015: First class delivery . . . Steve Morgan CBE, chairman of the Steve Morgan Foundation, handing over the Smile Bus delivery vehicle to Tom Dowling, editor of

All Together NOW!