WORK to offer legal advice to members of ethnic minority communities has been boosted by a large Lottery grant.

The Ethnic Minorities Law Centre is to receive £562,985 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The Glasgow-based centre is the only one of its type in the UK, and delivers legal advice and help to Scottish ethnic minority communities.

The body said the three-year funding award would mean many more people can get advice on complex legal issues.

Big Lottery Fund Scotland chairwoman Maureen McGinn added: "The Ethnic Minorities Law Centre has great expertise in the legal issues affecting Scotland's black and ethnic minority communities. 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."