Lottery investment for Ethnic Minorities Law Centre
24 Apr 2014 03:35 PM
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.