I can do that: Stick n Step receive crucial funding from Steve Morgan Foundation
Our weekly column with Liverpool ECHO columnist Tom Dowling - for people who won’t let disability get in the way
STICK N STEP : "We’re very grateful for their support"
Merseyside charities continue to face huge challenges in maintaining their services.
Without the multi-million pound support from the Steve Morgan Foundation, many would have had to permanently close their doors. So, it’s great to hear about the Foundation’s latest grant, which is now enabling children’s charity Stick ‘n’ Step to expand its services for children and young people with cerebral palsy. The £90,000 handout will help cover the salaries of two key members of staff over a three-year period.
Stick n Step CEO Amy Couture said: “The support from the Steve Morgan Foundation gives us security and we’ll be able to supplement it with our own fundraising. We’re very grateful for their support.”
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The charity, operating from Wallasey and Runcorn, provides conductive education for children and young people with cerebral palsy up to 25. Their aim is to help every child reach their potential and give them the best chance of living a full and independent life.
Staff use activity-based tasks, exercises, rhythmic routines, songs and educational play to teach key life skills. The charity relies on supporters and volunteers to help raise the £750,000 required to deliver its services to over 100 families each year from across Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.
Amy added: “To meet growing demand we have expanded our services. We want to improve people’s quality of life. This donation will make such a difference towards meeting our staffing costs. We’ve had a wonderful relationship with the Steve Morgan Foundation for a number of years. They funded our Runcorn centre when it was first developed.”
Jonathan Masters, trustee of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said: “Stick ‘n’ Step is a proactive charity which receives no statutory funding. By attending sessions at the charity, children and young people with cerebral palsy not only access much-needed conductive education, but they also form friendships with others who face similar challenges. We are delighted to be able to help to continue with the incredible work they do.”
For more information contact the Steve Morgan Foundation by email or Stick n Step, Wallasey: Tel. 0151 638 0888, Runcorn: Tel: 01928 573777.
Six minutes of energetic exercise could delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. New research shows a short but intense bout of cycling increases the production of a specialised protein that is essential for brain formation, learning and memory, and could protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline.
Researchers have been looking to develop accessible and affordable approaches to healthy ageing that don’t involve drugs. Studies have shown that increasing the availability of the protein, known as BDNF, encourages the formation and storage of memories, enhances learning and overall boosts cognitive performance.
Travis Gibbons, from the University of Otago in New Zealand, said: “BDNF has shown great promise in animal models, but pharmaceutical interventions have thus far failed to safely harness the protective power of BDNF in humans. We saw the need to explore non-pharmacological approaches that can preserve the brain’s capacity which humans can use to naturally increase BDNF to help with healthy ageing.”
The research team is now planning to delve deeper into the possible benefits for the brain of exercise and fasting. Mr Gibbons added: “We think fasting and exercise can be used in conjunction to optimise BDNF production in the human brain.”
The study was published in The Journal of Physiology.
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