THOSE supported by various North Wales charities are amongst the one million people that have been helped by lifeline funding grants.

A campaign by philanthropist and businessman Steve Morgan to help charities affected by the coronavirus pandemic has now helped over one million people.

The founder of the Steve Morgan Foundation announced in March he would be giving up to £1m a week to charities in North Wales, Cheshire and Merseyside that were faced with a cashflow crisis as a result of the virus.

In the first eight weeks, the COVID-19 Emergency Fund has made more than 400 awards to frontline charities helping over one million people.

Seven-year-old Noah Spray is one of those to benefit after the Steve Morgan Foundation awarded the Stick ‘n’ Step charity that he uses £21,000 in emergency funding.

Stick ‘n’ Step has been helping children with cerebral palsy for nearly 20 years and Noah travels from his home in Flintshire to their Runcorn base – in Cheshire – for weekly life-changing conductive education sessions.

The coronavirus meant the face-to-face sessions had to stop but the charity has been able to offer a virtual service to their young users after the Steve Morgan Foundation stepped in.

Noah’s mum Liz said: “In Noah’s case I have been able to see him transfer the skills he has been taught at Stick ‘n’ Step into his life and into his school. Who knows what he will be capable of in the future. It has made such a difference.

“We have had a lot of support from Stick ‘n’ Step. Our conductor is called Beccy and she has been in constant touch and Noah has a full list of activities.

“It is important to keep that link going. He is able to see lots of his friends on Facebook and we are very grateful to the Steve Morgan Foundation for stepping in to help.”

Several more North Wales-based charities that have received financial support from the COVID-19 Emergency Fund have been quick to add their thanks and explain how the money has been used.

Social enterprise RainbowBiz CIC was saved from closure after receiving £10,000 from the Steve Morgan Foundation.

The organisation works with the most marginalised members of the North Wales community and was facing a cashflow crisis when COVID-19 forced them to close their Hippy Shop in Mold.

Director Sue Oliver said: "Since receiving the funding our organisation feels secure in the short-term. Our bills continue to be paid even though our trading arm and source of sustainability has had to temporarily close.”

The North Wales Emergency Doctor Service (NWEDS) were able to recruit and equip two new paramedics after being awarded £30,000 by the Steve Morgan Foundation.

Dr Bryn Ellis, a specialist registrar in anaesthesia and a volunteer with NWEDS, said: “The funding received from the Steve Morgan Foundation has enabled the North Wales Emergency Doctor Service to equip its responders to help support the Welsh Ambulance Service during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Other awards in North Wales have included £18,445 to the Clwyd Special Riding School in Llanfynydd, £21,000 to Bangor-based Carers Outreach Service and £11,256 to Centre of Sign-Sight-Sound in Colwyn Bay.

Mr Morgan said he was ‘stunned’ at reaching the one million people milestone but insisted the work was far from over.

“We are working with some fantastic partner charities who are able to make sure that the right help gets to the right people at the right time,” he said.

“Had we done nothing my concern was the most vulnerable people in society would have suffered the biggest hardship.”

The one million people helped have faced a wide range of problems including homelessness, food poverty, mental health, social isolation and bereavement.

Awards have varied from a few hundred pounds to £150,000 but Morgan said the key has been turning the applications around quickly.

He added: “A lot of the charities would have closed if they had to wait six months for funding so we paid the money into the accounts in a couple of days. Over the course of the first seven weeks we have seen the number of applications reduce from 165 in week one to just 34 last week but that is to be expected.”

Morgan said the Foundation was carrying out an ongoing review of its COVID-19 campaign before deciding what to do next.

He said: “It is a such a fluid situation and it is changing all the time. This is the first phase. One thing I am concerned about is people’s mental health and what the impact of COVID-19 and a sustained period of isolation will be.”

Charities based in North Wales, Cheshire and Merseyside looking for emergency funding should go to www.tfaforms.com/4811567.