About Us

About MAVUK — Our Background & Leadership
Mothers Against Violence UK Manchester's Community Charity Since 1999

Born From Tragedy. Built on Hope and Driven by Community.

Who We Are

Mothers Against Violence UK (MAVUK)] has supported the inner-city communities of Greater Manchester since August 1999 — born at a time when gun violence was at its worst in the inner city. Three young Black males were murdered in the space of eight days in one community. The mothers of that community took a stand and came out fighting, not with guns, but with words of hope.

That hope has never wavered. For over 25 years, MAVUK has stood as a powerful, compassionate, and community-rooted force for change — working every single day to ensure that the young people, families, and individuals of Greater Manchester have access to the support, opportunities, and safe spaces they deserve.

At MAVUK, wellbeing is at the forefront of our efforts, driving us to create impactful community programmes and activities. Established in Hulme, our organisation aims to empower those affected by violent crime in Greater Manchester to reach their full potential and actively contribute to society.

Our Story — How MAVUK Began

MAV UK Parenting Support Programme
Empowering Parents. Nurturing Children. Strengthening Families.
Delivered by Mothers Against Violence UK MAVUK.

About the Programme:

At MAVUK, we understand that parenting is one of the most profoundly important and, at times, one of the most genuinely challenging roles a person can undertake. We also understand that the families and communities we serve often face pressures and circumstances that make the already complex task of parenting significantly harder — from the impacts of poverty and social deprivation to the shadow of violence, trauma, and systemic inequality.

That is why MAVUK's Parenting Support Programme exists — to stand alongside parents and caregivers, not with judgement, but with compassion, expertise, and a deep, unwavering belief in every family's capacity to grow, heal, and thrive together.

The quality of parenting children receive has a major influence on their development, well-being, and life opportunities. Of all the potentially modifiable influences that can be targeted through preventive interventions, none are more important than the quality of parenting children experience.

It is with this understanding that MAVUK delivers its evidence-based parenting programme — placing the parent–child relationship at the very heart of everything it does. The programme is designed to support parents in developing the skills, confidence, and strategies they need to manage challenging behaviour, build stronger family bonds, and create safe, nurturing environments in which children can truly flourish.

Why Parenting Support Matters? — The Context:

The parenting a child receives affects many aspects of their health and well-being. Children raised with warm, supportive parenting are less likely to develop antisocial behaviours, irrespective of social deprivation or low socio-economic status. Consequently, interventions aimed at improving parenting are commonly used to enhance child outcomes.

The communities that MAVUK serves face a unique and complex set of pressures that can place enormous strain on family life. These include:

• The lasting psychological impact of exposure to violence, trauma, and bereavement

• The stress of poverty, unemployment, and housing instability

• The challenges of raising children in environments where gang culture and anti-social behaviour are present.

• Limited access to culturally sensitive parenting support that reflects the lived realities of Black and minoritised families.

• The weight of systemic inequalities that have historically underserved these communities.

The programme is a comprehensive parent-training effort designed to enhance parental competence and prevent or alter dysfunctional parenting practices. By enhancing parenting practices, the programme seeks to reduce family risk factors for child maltreatment and children's behavioural and emotional problems.

The Evidence Base — Triple P Positive Parenting Programme:

At the foundation of MAVUK's parenting support offer is the internationally acclaimed and rigorously researched Triple P — Positive Parenting Programme.

Since the late 1980s, Manchester had been afflicted by gun crime. In 1999, MAV was formed as a direct result of the community being affected by four-gun shootings in one week, which resulted in fatalities. A meeting was held, and mothers from across the South Manchester area met to discuss how, as a community, they could stop these senseless killings and deter their children from the illusion of gang culture and gun crime. This was an incredibly considerable time, and the community was moved — mothers continued to meet, and as a result MAV was born.

MAV worked tirelessly and fiercely to raise awareness and bring together communities and agencies in an attempt to address these issues. June 2001 saw a community response in which hundreds of residents marched throughout the city in protest at the deaths accruing from gun crime — which incurred local and national interest.

MAV was invited to attend a closed meeting with Tony Blair to highlight our concerns and discuss ways of moving forward.

In 2004, MAV new awarded a Voluntary Service Award by the Queen at St James's Palace, London.

Since 2003, MAVUK has worked within prisons, enabling prisoners to hear from the victims of crime as part of their rehabilitation, and understand the impact of murder on families and friends. MAVUK also provides a letter writing service, workshops, and support for prison therapeutic communities.

Several mothers from across South Manchester came together to try to work out how they could stop the killings and help their children avoid being drawn into gun crime. Today, the organisation supports groups of mothers in other British cities, including Birmingham, London, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Nottingham.

Our Mission & Vision

Our Vision:

"People who have been affected by violent crime in Greater Manchester are able to fulfil their potential and play a full role in society."

Our Purpose:

It is with the same hope that motivated our founding that Mothers Against Violence now serves the community — providing mentoring support, educational awareness of gun and knife crime, counselling, workshops, and outreach work which includes campaigning for positive change in our community.

Our Aims & Objectives

MAVUK is guided by a clear and principled set of aims that shape every programme, every service, and every interaction:

• To promote the eradication of violence and to relieve the victims of the effects of violence within the community

• To advance the education of the public concerning issues of violence and its impact upon those affected by it.

• To work with and assist young people, men, and women to find meaningful training, employment, or work experience.

• To work in partnership with other relevant voluntary/community groups or charitable institutions having similar objectives

• To give support to anybody in the community who suffers any type of violence.

• To encourage the support of fathers in attaining MAV's aims and objectives, and to provide a counselling service.

• To influence change in social policies and legislation, and to promote the development of an educational system that enhances individual development and creativity.

• To campaign for greater co-ordination in responses of the emergency services to gun and knife crime

• To relieve poverty, disaffection, disengagement, and distress within our communities, particularly among young people — and to work towards the eradication of violence through education, counselling, advice, information, support, partnership working, campaigning and other means

Our Founding Mothers — Women Who Changed History

MAVUK was built on the courage of extraordinary women who refused to let grief be the final word. Below are some of the remarkable founding and early members whose contributions shaped everything MAVUK is today:

Angela Lawrence MBE 1999–2012

Angela attended the second meeting arranged by mothers in the community. She took a lead role in the initial development of Mothers Against Violence and went on to establish and become the Director of a youth-led service called Manchester Active Voices M.A.V.

Sheila Eccleston 2002–2005

Sheila joined MAV after the shooting and murder of her son Dean. She became a voice for change in the community and visited Boston in the USA.

This visit helped develop and improve ways to tackle the impact of gun crime in the inner city of Manchester.

Pat Regan 2004–2007

Pat joined MAV UK after meeting Patsy McKie in 2004. She was working in local schools, sharing the story of the murder of her son Danny, who was shot to death. Pat was honest about her son's involvement with gangs and his criminal history. However, her focus was always to share that his choices were not always right, but his life had meaning and value. She encouraged young people to make better choices.

Pat died in 2007. MAV UK are proud of her contribution and even more proud of her work and personal achievements in her fight against gun crime.

Theresa Cave 2004–2009

Theresa joined MAVUK after the brutal stabbing of her son Chris in 2003. She highlighted the issues of knife crime and the dangers of young people using knives. Her advocacy helped establish the Chris Cave Foundation in Redcar — an organisation that MAV UK continues to proudly support.

Beulah Tomlin 2008–2019

Beulah joined MAV as a volunteer and went on to lead the 10th Anniversary event — the Million Mothers March.

The event went on to become an annual promotion event for the charity, celebrating the many achievements of MAV UK. The Making Children and Young People Matter MCYPM Service was established as a direct result of the Million Mothers March Events.

Jackie Featherstone 2004–2011

Jackie joined MAV UK after the murder of her son Fabian, who was shot and killed. She worked with the charity delivering workshops with Patsy McKie, whom she regarded as her mentor and support after the loss of her son. Jackie was one of two original mothers, who lost children because of violent gun crime, who returned to take part in the 2019 filming of MAV UK's 20th Anniversary film, YEAR ZERO.

Our Achievements & Milestones

August 1999 | Mothers Against Violence founded in response to the murder of three young men in one week
2001 | Hundreds of community members march through Manchester City Centre in protest against gun crime
2001 | MAV invited to a closed meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair
2003 | MAV begins working within prisons as part of offender rehabilitation programmes
2004 | Awarded a Voluntary Service Award by the Queen at St James's Palace, London
2010 | MAV achieves formal charity registration status
2011 | Million Mothers March draws over 700 supporters across Manchester and London
2012 | Business Development Educational Training Programme launched
2013 | Pauline Sergeant joins as Chairperson, strengthening governance and policy
2017 | Business structure formalised with director appointments
2019 | 20th Anniversary celebrated — Pride of Manchester Award for Patsy McKie
2020 | Stanimir Kolev appointed Director of Operations
2025 | MAV UK enters its 26th year of community service — new leadership appointed

4 Jarvis Road, Hulme, Manchester, M15 5FS
0161 226 8134 | 07869 751806
office@mavuk.org

• MAVUK holds a 25-year lease for Hulme Hall Centre and is committed to working with Manchester City Council's Estate Team to continue making positive improvements to the space — increasing opportunity, activity, and support for the community it has proudly served since 1999.

A Final Word

From a room full of grieving mothers in 1999 to a fully constituted, professionally led, and nationally recognised charity in 2025 — MAVUK's story is one of the most remarkable in Greater Manchester's community history.

MAV has worked tirelessly and fiercely to raise awareness and bring together communities and agencies to address these issues.

MAV has developed strong alliances and works closely with other organisations who have lost children because of gun crime, with regional links across the country. By forming such strong alliances, our voices and views are now being heard.

At MAVUK, every name on this page — every founder, every trustee, every volunteer, every team member — carries with them a story of love, loss, courage, and purpose. Together, they represent something extraordinary.

A community that refused to give up on itself. and a charity that has never stopped fighting for a better tomorrow.

*Charity Registration No: **1135348*