We are really excited about the Great Legal Quiz coming up in just over one month on Wednesday 9 November. We already have 30 teams signed up for the self-run, nationwide quiz, all ready to raise funds to support access to advice for all as part of National Pro Bono Week. We will supply the questions, and posters for you to use to advertise your quiz night wherever you want; in a local pub, your office, the charity where you volunteer, or just at home- all you need to do is sign up!
 
If you were hoping to take part on behalf of a charity, you also have the option to use the Great Legal Quiz to fundraise 100% for the charity of your choice, or split the funds you raise 50% with the North East Legal Support Trust!
 
The North East Legal Support Trust was established to support the provision of free legal advice in the North East of England (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Country Durham) and the Great Legal Quiz is an important part of our fundraising activities. The organisations we support make a huge difference to the lives of many people, supporting the most vulnerable by providing funds to local organisations such as Leeds PSE, Newcastle Law Centres and NSPCC. Since the recent cuts to legal aid have come into force, the number of Law Centres has decreased by 20%, and reduced household income for many working families has increased demand for free access to specialist legal advice. It is more important than ever that the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community have access to such support.
 
We would like to get as many people involved as possible, so gather your co-workers, friends and family (you don’t need a legal brain to participate) to join us for an evening of quizzing and fun while raising vital funds for legal advice agencies!

​We are really excited about Walk the Tyne coming up in just under one month on Saturday 29 October. We already have 2 teams signed up, all ready to walk and raise funds to support access to advice for all and we are proud to have District Judge Charnock-Neal (Northumbria) as our lead walker.
 
The North East Legal Support Trust was established to support the provision of free legal advice in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Country Durham, and Walk the Tyne is an important part of our fundraising activities. The organisations we support make a huge difference in the lives of many people. The recent cuts to legal aid and reduced household income for many working families has increased demand for free access to specialist legal advice and it is more important than ever that the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community have access to such support.
 
Registration for the event opens at 10am at the Gateshead Millennium Bridge by the Hadrian’s Wall Path and the walk sets off at 10:30am. The event rounds off with complimentary fish and chips where everyone can rest their feet after completing the route.
 
We are very grateful for the support given by our wonderful walkers. In doing so, they have demonstrated their commitment to the legal profession, local advice charities and access to justice. The event is also being supported by Fincan, whose help has been invaluable to the promotion of the event.
 
We would like to get as many people involved as possible, so gather your co-workers, friends, family and pets to join us for a morning of walking and fun while raising vital funds for legal advice agencies!

Chronicle Live has been kind enough to feature Walk the Tyne on their website! Check it out below, or click the link here.

Thank you to Chronicle Live for their ongoing support of the NELST. They can be followed on Twitter @EveningChron.

"Legal eagles walking the Tyne to help advice charities" 

It was a fantastic sunny day on Monday 23 May for 187 members of the legal profession who embarked on a 10 km challenge and raised funds to support access to justice in Newcastle. The route took in the lovely sights the city has to offer, including the less well known parts of the river, and the weather was bright and sunny, a perfect spring day to walk and raise money for a vital cause.
 
We had a grand total of 25 teams signed up with the biggest teams on the day coming from Ward Hadaway and Sintons!
 
A big congratulations goes out to Parklane Plowden Chambers, who topped the fundraising table having raised just under £950! This is a huge achievement and we are very grateful to our team who pulled out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice.
 
We were joined by five charities, Sunderland Student Law Clinic, North East Law Centre, Newcastle Personal Support Unit, MLST and Citizens Advice Newcastle. These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances and find themselves unable to pay for private legal advice. The funds raised by the Newcastle Legal Walk, and the NELST as a whole, will go to support these charities and more, throughout the region helping thousands of people every year navigate the complicated legal system.
 
This event ended with a welcoming finish line reception. It was a perfect end to a great walk and the drinks were very well received by our thirsty walkers.
 
The walk has broken all previous records, raising over £4,408 so far. Without your contribution the Newcastle Legal Walk and the work of the NELST would not be possible.
 
Please continue to fundraise and ensure that we can help more vital services than ever before.

The Newcastle Legal Walk cannot come fast enough and as the days speed by, the number of walkers continues to grow! We now have 18 teams and over 150 walkers committed to walking, running and sweating to support local advice agencies in their mission to ensure access to justice for all.

So far, Samuel Phillips & Co. is leading in numbers with 21 walkers, if each their team members raised £20, they would raise a huge fundraising target of £500, so please do sponsor them. 

Parklane Plowden Chambers must be following out fundraising tips to the letter! They have already raised £380, we hope you can continue to keep it rising! David Gray Solicitors LLP are hot on their heels; we're hoping for some fierce competition for our top fundraiser spot!

We are expecting a nice warm weather on May 23rd to keep our walkers fresh for their 10 km challenge. And to celebrate the finish line, there will be drinks provided for everyone, cheers!

We're very excited to see you all there!

We are really excited about the Newcastle legal walk coming up in just 5 short weeks on May 23. We already have 17 teams signed up and ready to walk and raise funds to support access to advice for all. We hope our walkers are getting some good training in; 10km is longer than it sounds!
We are proud to have Jonathan Smithers, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Mark Harrison, president of the Newcastle Law Society, Jamie Martin, managing partner of Ward Hadaway, Helen Griffiths, chair of the Newcastle CILEx Branch and Russell Hewitson, Under Sheriff of Tyne & Wear as our lead walkers.
 
The North East Legal Support Trust has been established to support the provision of free legal advice in Newcastle and the North East region since 2010 and the Newcastle legal walk is an important part of our fundraising activities. The organisations we support make a huge difference in the lives of many people. The recent cuts to legal aid and the reduced household income for many working families due to the recession have increased the importance of free access to specialist legal advice for the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community.
 
Registration for the event will open from 5pm with the walk starting proper at 5:30. About two hours later walkers cross the finish line where refreshments will be provided for our thirsty walkers. 
 
We would like to get as many people involved as possible, so gather your co-workers, friends, family, and why not dogs, to join us for an evening of walking and having fun while raising vital funds for legal advice agencies!

The Trustees will consider requests for funding from organisations and projects which widen the availability of access to justice for the most vulnerable people, and in particular families and individuals living in poverty.
Please note: this grants round is NOT for funding paid caseworkers, including specialist advisors, in front line agencies.

The Trustees are particularly focused on the following objectives:

• Assisting the increased number of litigants in person.
  
• Helping the pro bono and advice sectors operate more efficiently through, for example, development of shared resources and use of technology.
  
• Facilitating access to pro bono resources.
  

The Trustees will consider the following key criteria where relevant/appropriate to a particular organisation or project:

• Effective use of existing and future resources.
  
• The involvement of multiple delivery partners.
  
• Ideally covering more than one geographical area. 
  
• Sustainability and plans to adapt to the new funding environment, including efforts to generate sustainable new funding sources as well as sharing and rationalisation.
  

In deciding what to fund the Trustees will consider the degree of need and the degree of benefit. Applications will generally be accepted for funds in the region of £10,000 to £20,000.

To apply, please complete the application form below and send it via email to grants@atjf.org.uk or via post to The Access to Justice Foundation, The National Pro Bono Centre, 48-49 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1JF (DX 115 Chancery Lane) by midnight on 17 August 2015.