On Wednesday 25 September, we officially launched the Improving Lives Through Advice programme.

To celebrate the unique 5 year core funding programme, we brought together frontline organisations, funders, and the legal community as we embark on a shared mission to increase access to legal advice for people, places, and communities most in need.

There was a shared sense of purpose and anticipation from both our funded and funding partners, and were delighted to be joined by Phil Chamberlain, England Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, and Farah Ziaulla, Director of Legal Aid, Legal Support and Dispute Resolution at the Ministry of Justice who both spoke about a unified approach long-term vision for improving access to justice.

We also used the session to hear more directly from our funded partners across the country about how this 5-year core funding will support their essential work in local communities.

From having teams with lived experience, using co-location to nurture and build community relationships, and ensuring that trust and empowerment are the foundation of their work, we heard about our funded partners’ community-centric approach and the trusted spaces they provide for their communities.

This long-term core cost grants will allow our 59 funded partners to recruit and retain staff, invest in innovative projects, increase access to specialist legal advice and provide holistic answers to complex needs.

Thank you to all those who attended for making it a special event, including our incredible panel of partner frontline organisations:

• Working Families, a national charity working to empower parents and carers,
• MAP Youth Charity, a Norfolk led by and for youth charity that ensures young people have access to quality information, advice, counselling and support they need,
• FISCUS, a charity based in Sunderland which provides Advice, Crisis Support and Community Service, and
• Bristol Law Centre, a charity offering free legal advice, casework and support.

You can more about the Improving Lives programme here. You can also read a write up of the event from the Law Society Gazette here.

We’d like to thank The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK for their support of £30 million for the Improving Lives programme, with huge thanks to National Lottery players.