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A one of a kind service providing legal advice and representation for people from BME communities across Scotland today (THURS 24 APRIL) receives £562,985 from the Big Lottery Fund. 

Ethnic Minorities Law Centre is the only dedicated centre in the UK delivering a range of legal advice and assistance to Scottish BME communities. Thanks to today’s Big Lottery Fund award, the organisation will further develop partnerships with a range of local advice agencies to make sure that their work is embedded at a local level. This will mean that many more people will have access to advice on complex legal issues, over the next three years.

The grant will also be used to provide a programme of training, as well as a telephone advice service for local advice agencies and Citizen Advice Bureaux to assist their understanding of specific areas of law.

Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn explains more: “The Ethnic Minorities Law Centre is a highly respected organisation which has great expertise in the legal issues affecting Scotland’s black and ethnic minority communities. It offers a one of a kind service and, through a previous Big Lottery Fund project, was able to introduce a more effective way of providing high quality and culturally sensitive legal advice to thousands of people across Scotland.

“I am delighted that we are awarding over half a million pounds to enable them to expand on this existing work by creating new partnerships with local advice agencies. Working with key organisations on the ground will enable this project to reach out to many more people from BME communities who would otherwise have nowhere to turn.”

Jonathan Squire MBE, Convenor EMLC Board of Directors, said, “This award is a reflection of the commitment of the Big Lottery Fund towards the black and minority ethnic communities in Scotland.  We are delighted that the Ethnic Minorities Law Centre has been given the opportunity to continue this important work.”

For more information regarding this release please contact: 
Landa Rolland, Communications Manager
Big Lottery Fund Scotland
0141 242 1458/07823 552889 | landa.rolland@biglotteryfund.org.uk

For more information on Big Lottery Fund Scotland (including programmes and grants awards):
Visit: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/scotland
Ask BIG: http://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk/help/scotland
Call: Big Advice Scotland: 0300 1237110

Notes to editors

• The Ethnic Minorities Law Centre received a Big Lottery Fund award of £926,660 in 2009 to support develop a sustainable infrastructure of advice and legal representation services for people from BME communities across Scotland. The project was based on research that indicated that there was need to build the capacity amongst frontline agencies in having the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver specialist legal advice and representation including culturally sensitive services to meet the needs of BME clients.
• During the lifetime of that project the organisation delivered training sessions covering employment, discrimination, cultural awareness, immigration and asylum over 126 Frontline Advice Agencies, and attended by 2,915 participants working in these agencies.
• The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6bn.
• The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• In the year ending 31 March 2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was returned to the Good Causes.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £31 billion has been raised and more than 400,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
• The Scotland Committee has been making Big Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects since March 2007. As well as taking devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn, has and will continue to play a strategic role in the future direction of BIG in Scotland.
• The Big Lottery Fund is investing in Scotland’s communities through its Investing in Communities portfolio, as well as the small grants schemes Awards for All, Investing in Ideas, Communities and Families and 2014 Communities.