About Us

Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), founded in 1971, is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity made up of individual members and representatives from a wide range of organisations. ELREC has a remit to work across the areas of City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian Councils.

The main objectives of ELREC are:

  • to work towards the elimination of discrimination in all its forms
  • to reduce inequality and promote a culture of human rights
  • to promote good relations between persons of protected characteristics without distinction on grounds of colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, age and creed; and
  • to promote and organise cooperation in the achievement of the aforesaid purposes and to that end to bring together in ELREC, representatives of the statutory authorities and voluntary organisations engaged in the furtherance of the aforesaid purposes within the Local Authority Council areas of the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian

 

Full copies of ELREC Memorandum and Articles of Association can be viewed below:

Memorandum approved October 2010

Articles approved October 2010

Our Vision

ELREC works towards a prejudice free society where everyone is treated with respect, integrity and justice.

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Our Values

ELREC strives to be an organisation which embodies the principles of transparency, integrity, equity, mutual co-operation and participatory democracy.

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Our Mission

ELREC exists to promote equality and to fight all forms of prejudice. We believe that no one can claim to live in a fair and just society whilst prejudice and inequalities exist. ELREC will work jointly with our beneficiaries and partners to challenge injustice and dismantle barriers which deny individuals and communities equal access to life opportunities in Edinburgh & Lothians.

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We aim to

  • Work towards the elimination of inequality and discrimination
  • Promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different equality groups
  • Promote and organise co-operation of the statutory authorities and voluntary organisations
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Our primary functions are:

  • To provide advice and assistance on all types of discrimination
  • To do capacity building work with all communities
  • To improve access to mainstream services
  •  To bring equality into the mainstream within the public sector and other bodies
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Patron

Patron

Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh Rt Hon Donald Wilson

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Honorary Position

Honorary President

Professor Geoff Palmer DSc OBE

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Office Bearers & Board of Directors

ELREC is governed by a Management Board who are elected from the membership. The membership of the current Management Board is as follows:

Chair
Mr Foysol Choudhury MBE

Vice Chair

Convenor - Personnel and Policy Subcommittee

Mr Ehtisham (Shami) Ullah Khan
Convenor - Finance and General Purposes Subcommittee
Mrs Irina Lazarenko
Convenor - Membership Subcommittee
Ms Melanie Vanita Maria Beaumont
Convenor - Education Subcommittee
Mrs Azra Sharif-Qayyum
Company Secretary
Mr Mohamed Amjad Chaudhry
Treasurer
Dr John Christopher Wigglesworth
Ordinary Board Members
Pastor Edmund Abekhe
Dr Rebekah Gronowski
  Mr David Ng Hop
  Ms Si Jing
  Cllr Carl John
Mrs Maggie Quiletti
  Mr Ijaz Nazir
Mrs Parmjit Singh
Observers
Mr Nick Croft - City of Edinburgh Council
  Supt Mathew Richards - E Division, Police Service of Scotland
  Supt Graham Jones - J Division, Police Service of Scotland
 
Inspector Nadine Aliane - Police Service of Scotland
 
Cllr Shamin Akhtar - East Lothian Council
 
Cllr Andrew Coventry - Midlothian Council
 
Cllr Angela Moohan - West Lothian Council
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Staff

Manager
Arun Gopinath
Administrator
Patricia Herrador Alcántara
Youth Development Officer
Sean Lewis
Equalities Engagement Officer
Alexa Marion Anderson
Development Sessional Worker
Deborah Catherine Clark
Support and Advice Sessional Worker
Jacqueline McWilliams
Cleaner
Suda Mitchell
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Volunteers

Volunteer
Luke Ryan Nixon
Volunteer
Deborah Clark
Volunteer
Jean-Claude Diki
Volunteer
Maria Makarova
Volunteer
Emily Martin
Volunteer
Simon Atkins
Volunteer
Mustafizur Rahman
Volunteer
Joe Dyer
Volunteer
Hakima Lazrak
Volunteer
Claire Pecot
Volunteer
Ikram Choudhury
Volunteer
Aleksandra (Ola) Janus
Volunteer
Dorota Kedzior
Volunteer
Shahid Choudhury
Volunteer
Marta Knap
Volunteer
Amjad Rafiq
Volunteer
Jana Lopusna
Law Volunteer (Case Worker)
Katy Oi Kei Lee
Law Volunteer (Case Worker)
Kiara Penman
Law Volunteer (Case Worker)
Emily Freeman
Law Volunteer (Case Worker)
Amanda Scribante
Volunteer (Case Worker)
Edward Dunkley

If you would like to volunteer with ELREC please click here to go to our volunteering page.

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Funders

ELREC is supported by:

  • The City of Edinburgh Council
  • Police Scotland
  • The Scottish Government

 

In 2012-2013 we also received grants from:

  • Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Trust (EVOT)

  • Show Racism the Red Card
  • Scottish Community Development Centre
  • Voluntary Action Fund

In 2012-2013 we also received donations in kind from:

  • Walkers Shortbread Limited, Arberlour-on-Spey, Scotland
  • Bellevue - The Convenient Cash and Carry
  • Cupcakes & Ribbons
  • Microsoft through Charity Technology Exchange
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Join ELREC as a Member

ELREC welcomes all individuals and organisations who share our aims, visions and values to join us as members. As a member, you will receive a copy of ELREC quarterly Community Newsletter, attend ELREC lectures, opportunity to shape ELREC policy direction and take part in ELREC annual Management Board election.

For more information please visit the membership page

To become a member, simply complete a membership form that is suitable to you and return it to us.

Membership application individual

Membership application incorporated organisation

Membership application unincorporated organisation

Becoming a member

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

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Volunteer with ELREC

Volunteering with ELREC is a great way to develop your skills, meet new people and work as part of an enthusiastic team. Volunteering is a process of exchange. The people who volunteer for ELREC are an exciting, dynamic and diverse group who share a willingness to contribute their time and talent towards promoting equality and fighting discrimination. How you contribute - and how much time you contribute - differs from person to person. We're always looking for helpful and reliable volunteers, so why not make good use of your skills, get involved and join our volunteering team?


For more information click here to go to our volunteering page.

 

Vacancies

 

We do not have any vacancies at the moment. If you would like to volunteer with us, please click here .

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Page last updated on 13 May 2013. Click on the links to read our disclaimer and privacy policy. Click here to view sitemap