The Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Association
have been honoured to receive the following awards:
At the national Magistrates Association 2025 annual conference, we were honoured to receive the MIC Community Impact Award in recognition of our efforts to address knife crime in Greater Manchester.
The GM MIC team has been visiting schools across all ten boroughs giving presentations and mock trials highlighting the risks of carrying knives, helping them to make better choices within the law, and to think twice about carrying a knife.
We have also been working closely with other agencies such as Virtual Decisions: Knives (Virtual Reality programme), GM Police, GM Fire and Rescue Service, British Transport Police, Early Break, TfGM, Crime Stoppers and Street Doctors.
As well as work to affect the carrying of knives, the GM MIC team provide presentations and mock trials covering cyberbullying, drugs - choices & consequences, as well as a general talk and quiz about the magistrates’ courts.
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Paul Brearley JP DL was recently presented with a Special Recognition Award at the MA annual conference. After nine years as GMMA Chairman, Mr. Brearley has just stepped down from his role. During his tenure, he played a key role in growing GMMA from a small group into one of the largest and most active MA and MIC teams in the country.
He was also instrumental in launching the first Knife Crime Reduction Partnership with Virtual Decisions (previously known as Round Midnight), and secured support for a three-way collaboration with GMMA, Virtual Decisions, and the GM Combined Authority to introduce the Virtual Reality Knives program in Greater Manchester schools.
Under Mr. Brearley’s leadership the GMMA was honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is regarded as the MBE for volunteer groups.
Mr. Brearley has been an inspirational chair throughout his tenure and, as he stands down from the role if not the branch, he leaves a great legacy for the GMMA branch to continue what he started.
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We were delighted to attend a reception hosted by The Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester to celebrate our receiving the King's Award for Voluntary Service.
The picture shows some members of the Greater Manchester Magistrates in the Community (GM MIC) team at the reception alongside The Lord Mayor, Councillor Paul Andrews. @LordMayorOfMcr
Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Association receives
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service
The MBE for volunteer groups
Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Association are honoured to have received The King’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2024. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.
Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Association (GMMA) is a group of magistrates who give up their time to deliver workshops free of charge to schools, colleges and community groups. Our goal is to increase awareness of the role of the Magistracy and engage with young people across Greater Manchester so they can make better choices within the law.
We run a variety of sessions on topical issues such as Knife Crime and Cyberbullying through interactive quizzes, virtual reality workshops and mock trial competitions. We work alone and in partnership with Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, Early Break, Virtual Decisions and Crimestoppers. In addition, we organise contextual visits for all magistrates to prisons and the Probation Service and raise funds locally to support our work in the community.
In 2024 GMMA volunteers conducted 197 visits and reached 8,560 young people across all ten Greater Manchester boroughs.
These voluntary activities are carried out by members of the GMMA in addition to their other voluntary role of sitting as magistrates.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and, was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King. 2024 marked the second year of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Representatives of GMMA received the award crystal and certificate from Diane Hawkins JP LLB, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester. In addition, two volunteers from GMMA attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
Rachel Medcalf JP, the Greater Manchester Magistrates in the Community Coordinator said: “We are so delighted that our group’s work has been recognised. Working in the classroom with young people from all the different demographics that make up Greater Manchester is hard work but hugely rewarding. If we can get just one young person to think differently about carrying a knife or posting harmful content, we feel we have made a small but important difference. “
Tom Franklin, chief executive of the national Magistrates’ Association said:
“We are incredibly proud of the Greater Manchester branch Magistrates in the Community team, for being honoured with this prestigious award. They have worked very hard over many years – giving countless hours of their time – to educate and inspire thousands of Mancunians, in schools, community centres and other places across Greater Manchester. Receiving the King’s Award for Voluntary Service today is a just reward for all their work. Well done!"
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The High Sheriff of Greater Manchester's Citation that was presented to the GM-MIC team following another very sucessful Annual Year 6 Mock Trial Competition, in June 2023.
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Greater Manchester Magistrates Association
are very proud to have been awarded the
MA National Education Award 2023.
This was awarded by the national Magistrates Association at their Annual Conference AGM 2023 in recognition of the work of the Greater Manchester Magistrates in the Community Team.
The citation with the award stated:
"Your branch has visited the most schools of any other branch in relation to your size demonstrating strong community outreach and educating initiative."
Rachel, the Greater Manchester Magistrates in the Community (MIC) Coordinator accepted the award on behalf of the whole MIC team. To hear what Rachel said about how we aim to influence the choices young people make through the GM MIC outreach work, click on the following link:
Details of this on the Magistrates Association X or Twitter feed can be seen via the following link:
https://x.com/MagsAssoc/status/1736802937576501735?s=20