Our Ceilidh fundraiser 10th February | 159 supporters needed to save our home, 159 Princess Road | Legal Aid and the Future of Free Access to Justice with Lord Bach and Richard Burgon, 20th April | Friday 2nd February: Bolton needs a Law Centre, Public Meeting | Run 10k for free access to justice
Our Ceilidh fundraiser 10th February
Put on your dancing shoes and join us!
With The Beech Band
Saturday, 10th February, 7pm
Saint Ninian’s United Reformed Church
515 Wilbraham Road, Manchester M21 0UF
Near Chorlton tram station
Entrance fee: £10 waged/£5 unwaged
Please bring your own drinks.
Great music | Great atmosphere | Great raffle | You do the dancing!
You can register on Facebook, or just turn up!
All for a great cause! Please contact development@gmlaw.org.uk for donation of raffle prices (how about donating any Christmas presents you – secretly – don’t want to keep).
159 supporters needed to save our home, 159 Princess Road
For example, 20 people donating £10 per month will help us to keep our interview rooms. We have 6 interview rooms which allow for confidentiality and privacy. It is in here that our clients receive free, high quality legal advice and representation with our professional caseworkers, from help with benefit application forms to preparing for a tribunal.
Click here to see what your donations will pay for, or click here to set up a regular payment.
Legal Aid and the Future of Free Access to Justice with Lord Bach and Richard Burgon, 20th April
We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting this speaker event with Lord Bach and Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon.
Save the date: Friday 20th April 2018, 6pm-8pm, a large and accessible venue in Manchester City Centre.
Further details and more speakers to be announced. Join us as we discuss the current state of Legal Aid, the impact of the political changes, the challenges faced by the next generation of social welfare lawyers and our hope for the future.
Lord William Bach was a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice. Crucially, he chaired the Bach Commission, which published its report on Legal Aid and access to justice in Autumn 2017. This work is of particular importance because of the impending Governmental review of Legal Aid cuts.
Richard Burgon is the Member of Parliament for Leeds East. He is also the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor. He recently declared a ‘battle to reverse Legal Aid cuts’ as well as his support for the proposals in the Bach Commission’s report.
Friday 2nd February: Bolton needs a Law Centre
Public meeting with Maxine Peake and Yasmin Qureshi MP
We want to launch Greater Manchester Law Centre in Bolton.
If you agree and want to get involved join us on
Friday, 2nd February, 7pm to 8pm
Lecture Theatre
Bolton Central Library
Le Mans Cres
Bolton BL1 1SE
Speakers include:
Maxine Peake, an esteemed GMLC patron, actress and campaigner
Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East
Denise McDowell, Trustee of Greater Manchester Law Centre
You can register for the event on Facebook or please just come along to get involved.
In 2015 we said if enough people wanted a Law Centre, there would be one.
In 2016 we opened our doors in Moss Side – since when we have helped Greater Manchester residents to reclaim over £500,000 in benefits that the DWP had denied them.
Now we need to do the same in Bolton. Get involved, come to the meeting.
“More and more families and individuals are finding themselves in positions where access to the law is being denied them, at precisely the time when they are most in need of it. Universal Credit, the denial of employment rights through zero hours contracts and minimum wage infringements and a hardening of this government’s stance against refugees and asylum seekers all make the [Greater Manchester] Bolton Law Centre urgent and necessary. I welcome and support the initiative whole-heartedly.” Maxine Peake
“I know, from the hundreds of people who contact me, how difficult life has become for many in the Greater Manchester area. Many are facing serious debts, or the threat of homelessness, and others can simply not afford to speak to a solicitor. That’s why I’m so pleased to hear about the launch of the Greater Manchester Law Centre, a service that will provide invaluable advice and representation to the people who need it most.” Yasmin Qureshi MP
Run 10k for free access to justice
About the event
Sunday 20 May 2018, Central Manchester.
We’re suggesting the 10k but there is also the option of a Half Marathon (13.1miles).
Further information is available via the event organiser’s website http://www.greatrun.org/great-manchester-run
How to sign up
If you’re interested in being part of our team then let us know by emailing development@gmlaw.org.uk.
We don’t mind if you have never run before or if you run regularly – we welcome all abilities. The only stipulation is the minimum age set by event organisers. 10k: 15 years old+ and Half Marathon: 17 years old+.
Why join our team?
We promise that you’ll make new friends whilst getting fit and having fun! You’ll be invited to meet and connect with fellow team members via an online forum and at free local running events between February and May. We’ll use the online forum to support you to train and fundraise in the lead up to the race. We’ll provide you with a t-shirt for race day and we promise to bring a gang of supporters to cheer you on!
What do we expect in return?
We ask that you pay your own entry fee, commit to running 10k and raising a minimum of £100 through sponsorship.
All funds will go towards providing free legal advice and representation, and supporting our campaigning activity for free access to justice.
We have carefully prepared a timeline of events and further information about what you can expect: see here. If you’re interested in being part of our team, get in touch development@gmlaw.org.uk!
