Fundraiser hunts 10 charities in need to gift £1,000 across region

Children’s charities in the North West are being invited to apply for one-off grants of up to £1,000 from businessman Michael Josephson. A fund of £10,000 has been released to help local charities that are struggling to meet demand in the midst of the deepening cost-of-living crisis.

The fund has been made available from the total fundraised at the Michael Josephson MBE Charity Ball, which took place at the Deansgate Hilton in November 2022. The event raised £760,000 – which will go to charities including Mahdlo Youth Zone, The Rainbow Trust and Variety, The Children’s Charity.

In addition to the £10k going to support smaller charities, funds raised from the Ball – which saw stars from stage, screen and sport come together for a night of fun, music and serious fundraising – were also used to bolster the MEN’s Christmas appeal with a £5k donation to Humans MCR, which is helping to feed hundreds of families across the city.

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£678k has also been divided between other charities that are designed to support young people and children. These include Variety, the Children's Charity (of which Michael is Chair of Patrons), Rainbow Trust, Mahdlo Youth Zone, The Anne Frank Trust, The Fed's Project Smile, and the LGBT Foundation.

Michael said: “We are in a fantastic position to help even more people, thanks to the generosity of guests at our latest fundraising ball. We know how difficult it is for so many families now and I want to empower local charities who are out there on the front line, helping children and young people in our communities, who are struggling the most.

“It is my hope that this fund will go some way to bridging the gap for local charities