Wirral Life May 2020 | Page 11

IN BRIEF GLOBAL GRANT FOR STICK 'N' STEP GAUTBY ROAD YOUTH CENTRE CREATE ACTIVITY PACKS FOR THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN Cerebral palsy charity Stick ‘n’ Step is going to receive a grant of over £45,000 from Global’s Make Some Noise campaign, thanks to the generosity of listeners across Global’s radio brands. Global’s Make Some Noise has been helping communities since 2014 by supporting small charities that look after the most vulnerable people in the UK. Over the next 12 months, a total of 32 small charities across the country will receive a grant from Global’s Make Some Noise to help their vital work in areas including bereavement and trauma, young carers groups, disability, life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, music therapy, care leavers and mental health. The money will fund 41 roles, providing some stability to small charities so they can continue supporting those who rely upon them. As a result of the COVID 19 pandemic, Stick ‘n’ Step’s two centres in Wallasey and Runcorn are currently closed. Although the charity cannot continue to deliver its services face to face, the amazing team of staff and conductors has found innovative and creative ways of continuing to deliver conductive education techniques to support families at home. Gautby Road Play, Youth & Community Centre have been working hard to ensure thousands of children have an activity pack to stimulate their brains whilst going through a confusing and uncertain time. The activity packs include tons of games, colouring, puzzles, riddles, word searches and pencil packs, and are a way to ensure children are still staying stimulated, not being sat bored and remembering to still have fun! Centre Manager, Luke O'Dowd, said: "The Coronavirus pandemic can be a scary time for children and we need to remind them that although we’re not open, we’re still there for support! Alongside the activity packs, we’ve also been able to donate 120 tennis packs for lots of children to have enjoyment and stay active in their gardens! The charity has reached out to all its families with the offer of an individual homework plan and conductors are working hard to develop these personalised plans, describing the tasks and activities that children and young people can do at home. These plans are supplemented with photos and videos where appropriate. "Gautby Road are also an important part of Wirral’s Emergency Food Hub, ensuring thousands of families are getting food hampers weekly, alongside baby boxes for young children, pet food, hygiene and cleaning products. It is important to the centre to ensure that the community can still be supported from their homes. Chief Executive, Amy Couture says, “Now, more than ever, Stick ‘n’ Step is playing an instrumental role in supporting and motivating our children and young people to stay active, make progress and continue their conductive education journey. This grant from Global’s Make Some Noise is absolutely fantastic and will be hugely beneficial in helping us to continue to provide support to all our children and families.” "Although Gautby’s doors are closed, the community work still hasn’t stopped! Through this hard time, it's been really nice to support our families by providing extra activities and reminding them that we still care." wirrallife.com 11