PATRON: THE HIGH SHERIFF OF THE ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKSHIRE - Mr Alexander Barfield

There is a High Sheriff in every county in England and Wales, and their history and tradition goes back to before the Norman Conquest. The Office is the oldest Royal appointment. The modern day High  Sheriff has a very different role and function to that of his ancient ancestors, but none the less plays an important role in our 21st century society. To find out more see here

The High Sheriff of the Royal County of Berkshire is Patron of the Berkshire Mock Trial Competition and plays a vital role. The High Sheriff writes to Head Teachers of every Berkshire State School to invite them to take part. They also invite many VIPs to attend, including the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Deputy Lieutenants, former High Sheriffs, Mayors, Judges, Thames Valley Police and other guests, for both the heats and the Regional Final.

In addition, former High Sheriffs, Deputy Lieutenants and others personally provide the bulk of the funding, without which the Berkshire competition could not run. The money raised allows us to award prizes, provide free refreshments for everyone attending and help towards travel costs for teams that progress to the National Final. It also reimburses participating schools £35 each to offset some of the entry cost as well as covering the cost of printing programmes and other administrative expenses. We are sincerely grateful for their generosity.

 

The Berkshire Branch of the National Magistrates Association (BBMA)

Many of our magistrate volunteers are members of the BBMA and we receive a great deal of support from them and our local branch enabling us to host more schools than any other county. We are hugely grateful to them for managing our funding which enables us to offer free refreshments, prizes to winning schools and assistance with travel costs to schools that progress through to the National Final.

The Magistrates' Association is proud to operate under a Royal Charter granted in 1962. They are a charity and incorporated to promote the sound administration of the law, including, but not restricted to, educating and instructing magistrates and others in the law, the administration of justice, the treatment of offenders and the prevention of crime.

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Young Citizens

The Mock Trial Competitions are the Young Citizens longest-running active learning experiences. For 28 years, they have overseen the provision of unparalleled exposure to the judicial system, its venues and access to legal professionals. They supply local county organisers with specially written cases so young people can try the law against their peers in courthouses around the UK and coordinate school applications to allocate them to the appropriate county.

Young Citizens is an education charity working in primary and secondary schools to help educate, inspire and motivate the active citizens of tomorrow.

'We believe every young person has a fundamental right to the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to play their part as full citizens of this country and of the world.'

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Berkshire Community Foundation

The BCF raise funds for, and make grants to, local charities and community groups addressing identified need across Berkshire.

The Berkshire Mock Trial Competition is hugely grateful for the support of the BCF in managing our donations from former High Sheriffs and others and helping us to find further donors to ensure the continued success of the competition here in our county.

They use local knowledge to connect supporters to the groups and communities they want to help, making sure their donations are effective and bring the greatest benefit to those most in need.  Last year they gave over £1 million to a wide range of local projects, addressing issues such as child poverty, mental health, loneliness and isolation and homelessness.

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