West of England Pro Bono Requests
Summary of below requests as at 27 Feb 2026:
- Charity Law – Review draft amended charity objects
- Real Estate - Conveyancing on the transfer of a residential property being gifted at no cost from a private owner to a charity
- Charity Law - Advice on what charity needs to do, to change from a Community Benefit Society to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Charity Law - Advice on changing charitable status from an old standard charity entity to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation I.e. pro’s & cons, liabilities for trustees.
- Employment Law- Review a charity’s employment contract to help ensure it’s fit for purpose & meets latest legislature.
- Commercial Property/ Real Estate - Advise on the draft HoT’s & lease for a charity
Request 1.
Overview – Life Cycle (Charity no: 1077575) is a Bristol based charity which offers support to individuals with disabilities, mental illness, offenders, isolated older people & disadvantaged young people through its range of Inclusive Cycling Projects. “One of our projects, Bike Back, is a bicycle recycling scheme, run in partnership with HM Prison Service. We take donations of unwanted bikes and teach prisoners the skills to strip down and rebuild them until they're running like new. Once fixed, the bikes are sold at affordable prices to help local people to get cycling”. See short film here - “Repairing Bikes, Rebuilding Lives”
Pro bono request - (Charity law) Seeking a volunteer to review their draft amended charitable objects before they submit them to the Charity Commission for approval. They would appreciate any feedback and advice on potential amendments they may need to make.
“Our Trustees are currently revising and futureproofing the phrasing and language of our charitable objects that were first written 27 years ago. But we are ignorant of how semantics in phrasing, and/or a failure to mention key phrases might result in updated wording not meeting the requirements of charity law and being rejected by the Charity Commission for failing to adequately state the public benefit we aim to achieve.”
When – By end March 2026 if possible
Request 2.
Overview – Bristol Hospitality Network (Charity no: 1138498) is a refugee charity based in Easton, Bristol and the only organisation in the region dedicated to supporting destitute and homeless asylum seekers. “We work directly with individuals who have been left without accommodation or financial support, helping them to re-enter the asylum system and thereby alleviating homelessness and destitution. We accommodate around 30 people at any given time in our 11-bedroom house in Fishponds and with the help of our network of hosts. In addition, we run a weekly drop-in every Monday at our Welcome Centre, where we provide breakfast and a hot lunch, along with courses, activities, advice and practical support for more than 180 people from the asylum-seeking community.”
The charity has rented the 11 bedroom residential property from a private landlord for £1.00 per year since 2010. The same private landlord who is a very generous, anonymous benefactor, has now offered to gift this property to the charity without any conditions to use as they wish.
Pro bono request – (Real Estate) The charity is seeking a volunteer to handle the conveyancing to transfer ownership of a 11 bedroom residential property from a private owner to the charity.
The landlord is not seeking any money for the property.
NB: The charity (with the landlord’s consent) has enquired whether a volunteer might be able to handle the entire transaction for both parties. However, if it’s advised that the landlord will be required to find their own legal representation, they will arrange that if needed.
Property address: 486-488 Fishponds Road, Bristol, BS16 3DU
Client: Bristol Hospitality Network (Charity no: 1138498)
Private landlord’s details can be provided on request.
When – Aim is to commence this work in April/May 2026 (Flexible)
Request 3.
Overview - Nalisea and District Community Transport (FCA reg no: 28008R) is a Community Benefit Society (CBS) which provides an essential door-to-door transport service for older, disabled or disadvantaged residents who would otherwise not be able to live independently and become isolated. “By offering safe, inclusive and accessible transport, we help people stay connected, access essential services, and fully participate in their community. We operate in the northeast half of North Somerset, covering Clevedon, Nailsea, Portishead, Long Ashton, Gordano, Felton, Yatton and all of the intervening villages and rural areas.”
“We are a not for profit and function in the same way a charity would in many ways with a trustee board etc. This CBS status is not common for community transport network organisations and because our fundraising need has increased following the loss of North Somerset Council funds, we are now hoping to become a registered charity to open up the potential of more funds. This means we need to make an application to be a CIO and then move everything over to this (staff, lease, contracts etc) and dissolve the existing society. This feels like a huge and scary undertaking for us, so we are looking for some advice on the legal side of things to help us navigate through this process. We are starting the work now and hope to do the CBS member vote/ get their approval on the July 7th at our AGM to change to a CIO. ”
Pro bono request – (Charity/corporate law) Seeking initial advice on what they will need to do and in which order to change their legal structure from a Community Benefit Society to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
When – Will work around the availability of the volunteer anytime between March – May 2026 if possible
Request 4.
Overview - Clevedon YMCA (Charity no:250972) is a small independent charity based in North Somerset and solely responsible for raising its operating costs. The charity delivers a range of projects including a Youth café, activities for adults with learning has been advised by the YMCA Federation to change legal structure to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and would really appreciate some assistance with this.
Pro bono request – The Chair of Trustees is seeking some initial advice on Seeking initial advice on
When –by end March – mid April 2026, if possible (flexible depending on availability of the volunteer)
Requests 5 & 6
Overview – Hillfields Community Garden (Charity no:1204254) In 2025 the charity took on a temporary lease to run Hillfields Community Centre which had been closed for a year when the previous charity running the centre closed down. Since then, the charity has re-opened the centre and is providing a range of provision for the local community. The charity now has an opportunity to take on a long term of the lease from Bristol City Council through a Community Asset Transfer.
They are requesting support with two separate matters:
Pro bono request 5 – (Employment Law) Seeking a volunteer to review their employment contract/ terms and conditions and help them to ensure it is fit for purpose, meeting latest employment legislation.
When – Anytime between April – end May 2026, if possible
Pro bono request 6 – (Commercial property) If the charity is selected by Bristol City Council to take on the long term lease (decision expected between May - June 2026 & no other options are being considered) - The group will be seeking a volunteer to review the draft HoT’s and property lease for – Hillfields Community Centre, Thicket Ave, Bristol BS16 4EH
Landlord: Bristol City Council
NB: The draft HoT’s are already available on request
When – Estimated between May - Sept to Dec 2026 (depending when/if Bristol City Council agree to offer the lease)