MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Birkenhead charity National Youth Advocacy Service to raffle title : The Lordship of Melling

June 15th 2010 by Laura Jones, Liverpool Daily Post

A Merseyside charity is hoping the bequest of a feudal title with reap Royal rewards for their coffers.

The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) was left the title of the Lordship of Melling by London teacher George Barnes in his will.

Now the Birkenhead-based charity is going to bestow the title each year on one lucky raffle winner.

Elena Fowler, NYAS’ Chief Executive, said “There will be a mayoral robe and we will present a scroll for the Lordship to whoever wins as a bit of fun”.

“But they will be able to sign their name ‘Lord Melling’ quite legitimately and they’ll also be able to watch the Melling Cup in style.  Aintreee have been very supportive and have given us tickets for the races as part of the prize” she said.

The bizarre bequest also came with a large donation to the charity, which works to offer legal advice and support for children who find themselves in the court.  “The Trustees have agreed that the bet use of the title was to make it an annual event, and it will be a bit of fun which will hopefully raise the profile of our work”.

“George Barnes was a teacher who had a reputation for sticking up for children.  He left a will and made it clear that he wanted the money to go to an organisation that spoke up for children in trouble.”

NYAS supports the Interdisciplinary Alliance for Children
NYAS, along with several other organisations have come together as an Interdisciplinary Alliance for Children to express their deep concern about Government plans to use the forthcoming Schools and Safeguarding Bill as a vehicle to amend key legislation in relation to the protection of children, without proper consultation with key stakeholders in the family justice system within the terms of the Cabinet Code on Consultation.  Nor has there been an impact assessment of the dangers for and feelings of the children concerned.

Read the joint press release from the Interdisciplinary Alliance for Children

NYAS at 2008 World Forum
NYAS was represented at the recent World Forum event in Cardiff by Sharon Lovell (Operational Manager for Wales) and Chris Hindley (Director ICT & QA).

The conference showcased the best in preventative services from around the world and NYAS was asked to deliver a workshop on its approach to ensuring young people's issues are addressed at the earliest possible point. Highlighting the Charity's Signposting Services, Chris took delegates through the journey NYAS has travelled from the beginning of the Children's Fund in 2002 to the mainstreaming of the service in 2008.

In addition, both Sharon and Chris described how recent changes to how NYAS is accessed, the referral process and the way in which work was monitored combined to offer a more responsive service to the children and young people who contact NYAS from across England and Wales.

Liverpool FC legend: Howard Gayle works for NYAS
HOWARD GAYLE was a pioneer in Merseyside football. As the first black player to pull on a Liverpool shirt in 1980 he paved the way for the likes of John Barnes, Mark Walters and Michael Thomas to follow.

Born in Toxteth and raised in Norris Green, Gayle went from playing on the fields of Sefton Park to running on in a European Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich inside three years.

But Gayle’s journey to the top – and his battle to stay there – was tough and painful as he suffered at the hands of the racism which was endemic in the 70s and 80s.

Read the full article from the Liverpool ECHO website

MP recognises work of NYAS young peoples group
A letter of thanks from Bridget Prentice MP to the members of a young person's group facilitated by NYAS.

Letter from Bridget Prentice MP (PDF)

Children's rights solicitor scoops top legal award
Children's solicitor Sophia Khan, from the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS), has picked up the David Hershman, Association of Lawyers for Children (ALC) award for Outstanding Newcomer in the Field of Child Law. She was presented with the award by Lord Justice Wilson, at the annual ALC Hershman Levy Memorial Lecture at London South Bank University. ARTICLE CONTINUES

NYAS was delighted to have received from a young person who had used our service a donation in his will. We were extremely grateful to be remembered by the young person.

The Future of Separate Representation
An article written by Charan Martin (Barrister for NYAS), which was published in Seen and Heard Vol 16 Issue 4, titled The Future of Separate Representation

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