Donations see fund pass £500k as next wave of funding reaches community groups

The LCR (Liverpool City Region) Cares COVID-19 community support fund has smashed through the £500,000 mark and now stands at £575,000, more than half-way to the £1m target set by Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.

The news follows a raft of new donations to the fund including £5,000 from the Leahy Foundation, the charitable organisation set up by Liverpool-born former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy.

Today (April 16) has also seen the next wave of £66,000 in direct grants from the fund awarded to local charities and organisations supporting the Liverpool City Region through the coronavirus crisis.

Less than a month after it was first launched, the fund has already handed out a total of £228,000 to groups serving the city region community.

Fifteen organisations including mental health charities, foodbanks and hospices have been given the grants to help them continue their vital work, from distributing food and care packages to running telephone and online services which help reduce isolation, to providing compassionate care for those separated from their families.

LCR Cares was launched by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram in partnership with registered charity Community Foundation for Merseyside to support local community and voluntary organisations on the frontline of helping the city region’s communities cope with the impact of Coronavirus.

Steve Rotheram said: “It’s incredible that we are more than half way to our £1m target for LCR Cares, thanks to the generosity of individuals, businesses and organisations, and I’d like to say a particular thank you to Sir Terry Leahy for the generous donation from his foundation.

“Nearly as fast as the money is coming in we are getting it back out into the community, where it is making a real difference.

“To have given nearly a quarter of a million pounds to more than 50 organisations in just a couple of weeks is amazing, and it’s even better to know the good that money is doing.

“Thank you to everyone who has given and I’d like to encourage people to give what they can – now more than ever, we need to stand together in solidarity.”

Rae Brooke, chief executive, Community Foundation for Merseyside, said: “This is an exceptional emergency and what is crucial in any emergency situation is speed of response.

“Managing to build a fund of over £575,000 in a matter of weeks is incredible, but what is equally impressive is distributing over £220,000 of that to community groups in desperate and immediate need.

“The feedback we have had from the community groups supported is heart-warming and we can’t thank enough those who have donated to the fund.

Sir Terry Leahy

“The need is great, but so is the generosity of the people and businesses in the Liverpool City Region. To those who can support please keep giving, many vulnerable people need your help now and will continue to do so in the months ahead.”

Gayle Connor-McReith, project coordinator at the Opening Doors Project, said: “We’re so happy to have received this grant from the LCR Cares fund.

“Since we started our work in 2016, the aim of the Opening Doors Project has been to promote positive mental health in families and communities, something that is very important in this moment of crisis.

“This money will help us to provide fast, reactive support to households in Walton who are facing hardship and isolation – whether that is by delivering food parcels or hosting online quizzes or arts and crafts sessions for families with young children.”

Clare Waller, clinical director at St Joseph’s Hospice, said: “We are delighted that the LCR Cares community fund had awarded the hospice £5,000 towards the essential PPE that we so urgently need to keep our nurses and carers safe.

“At St Joseph’s Hospice we provide compassionate end of life care to patients across the Liverpool City Region. Our nurses and carers are currently working under extremely challenging circumstances to give the utmost care for our patients while their loved ones are unable to visit during this crisis.

“As a charity, we rely on the support of our communities and local businesses, but with so many of our income streams currently unavailable, this grant will provide a much-needed boost.”