University shortlisted for national LawWorks and Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Award

The University’s School of Law and Social Justice’s Reach Out to Sanctuary Seekers project has been shortlisted in the category Best Contribution by a Team of Students, recognising outstanding pro bono work delivered by law students and law schools across the UK. 

The LawWorks and Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Awards celebrate excellence, innovation and impact in student-led pro bono activity that supports access to justice and strengthens communities. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the House of Lords on April 28 2026, hosted by the Attorney General, The Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC. 

Chester is officially recognised as a City of Sanctuary, committed to welcoming and supporting people seeking safety. Legal and practical support for sanctuary seekers in the borough is primarily delivered by CHAWREC (Cheshire, Warrington & Halton Race & Equality Centre), providing free advice on asylum and leave-to-remain matters and Council-employed Move On Support Officers (MOSOs), who assist newly recognised refugees with housing, benefits, documentation and access to essential services.  

Students working with CHAWREC provide practical support to both sanctuary seekers and to accredited immigration advisers supporting them. Through this work, in 2025, students contributed more than 50 working days to helping support hundreds of sanctuary seekers with both practical and legal needs. During summer 2025, students shadowed council-employed Move On Support Officers (MOSOs) over a four‑week period, observing 110 interactions with service users.

Drawing on this experience, they produced a detailed report containing both short‑ and long‑term recommendations to enhance service delivery. As a result, students now operate a triage service at council drop‑in sessions across the borough, helping to streamline support and enabling MOSOs to assist service users more effectively. Looking ahead, a longer‑term project for an interactive, multi‑language support website, designed and built by students, is currently underway, funded by a Cheshire West and Chester Council Sanctuary Funding Grant. 

Through the Reach Out to Sanctuary Seekers project, during 2025 students dedicated over 550 hours - the equivalent of more than three months of full-time work - alongside their studies, employment and caring responsibilities. 

Hevi Mahmood, Student Project Manager for Reach Out to Sanctuary Seekers, said: “I feel incredibly proud and excited to be going to the House of Lords as part of our shortlisting for our Sanctuary Seekers project. As a student team manager, it’s an honour to represent the students involved. It means a lot to us to see our work supporting asylum seekers and other vulnerable individuals being recognised, and we’re proud to share this on such an important platform.” 

Andy Todd, Associate Professor and Director of Pro Bono and Community Engagement at the University of Chester, added: “We are delighted that our students’ commitment to social justice and their dedication to supporting sanctuary seekers has been recognised by being shortlisted for such a prestigious national award. The positive impact our student volunteers have on our local sanctuary-seeking population is a tangible reflection of the University of Chester’s status as a University of Sanctuary.” 

Caption: Hevi Mahmood, Student Project Manager for Reach Out to Sanctuary Seekers.