Children in Need appeal for 2009

The campaign helps thousands of children each year

Hundreds of organisations in Merseyside and Cheshire are using grant money from Children in Need to help improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

The 2008 Appeal raised a record breaking £37.8m which has helped more than 700 projects across the UK.

In Merseyside more than £600,000 was awarded to 14 projects in local grants in 2009 alone.

This year, Friday, 20 November, marks the 30th BBC Children in Need Appeal.

Grants awarded for Merseyside in 2009 included over £12,000 for summer camps and outdoor activiities for children with Juvenile Huntington's disease, almost £60,000 for youth drama projects in Edge Hill and over £100,000 to Claire House Children's Hospice in Wirral.

Over £30,000 was given to Positive Impact to provide theatre, music and dance productions for young people in Liverpool while Valley Community Theatre received over £100,000 for similar projects.

In Cheshire over £75,000 was given to the Youth Federation in Ellesmere Port to enable children aged between 5-13 to have a say on how to improve the area they in which they live.

In Warrington the Warrington Association for Special Children was awarded over £20,000 to provide play schemes for young people with learning difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders.

For more information on how to get involved visit the Children In Need 2009 website.