STAFF, volunteers and trustees at Suffolk’s leading civil rights charity are celebrating after being awarded a £300,000 National Lottery grant.

Ipswich & Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) delivers race equality services to Suffolk communities on issues around employment, housing, education, social welfare and criminal justice.

The charity has been awarded a three-year sum of £295,000 from the National Lottery’s Reaching Communities Grant.

Thanks to the funding, ISCRE will be able to relaunch a project, previously called “Suffolk Discrimination Law Service”, under the new name “Tackling Discrimination In the East”.

The grant allows ISCRE to continue its current legal service providing information, advice, help and support for people facing any form of unlawful discrimination, whether in the workplace or in the communities, who cannot afford private solicitors.

It also provides free guidance and training to staff of local businesses and workplaces to ensure they avoid inadvertent discrimination and therefore avoid costly legal cases. In doing so, it reverses recent cutbacks that the charity has had to make.

Chris Cumberbatch, ISCRE’s chairman of trustees, said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank those staff and our supporters who worked so hard to ensure that our application for National Lottery funding was a success.

“Secondly, nearly every corner of Suffolk will benefit from these improved services. Our aim to make the county discrimination-free just took a massive leap forward as a result of this funding, allowing us to broaden and deepen the free-at-the-point of delivery anti-discrimination services.”

Audrey Ludwig, ISCRE’s legal director, added: “As well as having a more visible presence in more parts of Suffolk than ever before, this grant money will also allow ISCRE to run training sessions both for local firms keen to ensure that they are fully compliant with the best workplace practise and to bolster the awareness of groups and individuals to empower to address discriminatory comments and actions.

“We are especially grateful to the Big Society Funding CIC who provided free advice and support.”