Our Team
The Board
Lancashire BME Pact is managed by a voluntary board made up of members from BME voluntary and community groups and individuals from across Lancashire who supports our aims and objectives.
The Board meet bi-monthly to review the organisation’s progress towards the business plan and take a lead on governance, strategy, personnel and sustainable development.
As a charitable company limited by guarantee, these Board members also serve as Company Directors.
Chair
Anayat Mohammad
Extensive experience of working in the Private, Public and Third sectors. Anayat currently works in a management role in Local Government for a large Metropolitan authority. He occupies specialist knowledge in the area of Community Cohesion and Violent Extremism and is currently working on both these national agendas. He is a professional practitioner believing in social justice, equality & diversity, and community empowerment with many credits to his name.
Anayat has a particular interest in the diversity of Muslim Communities, and also sits on various voluntary, community & faith sector boards which feeds his drive to put back into society.
Previous roles include working on Home Office initiatives with Lancashire Council of Mosques, Lancashire Constabulary
and the Lancashire Economic Partnership. Former Diversity & Equality Associate with a national consultancy company, and Board member to Lancashire Crimestoppers.
A practising Muslim from Blackburn, Anayat is married with four grown up children and lives on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales with his family. His hobbies include football, cricket and tennis, although he has played these sports at a decent level when younger he is confined to just watching these days. He cherishes the time he is able to spend with his family, and enjoys meeting and going out with friends.
Company Secretary
Ishwer Tailor MBE JP DL
Ishwer Tailor was born in Kenya in 1951 the eldest son of a Kenyan Hindu family. In 1966 the family came toEngland, firstly to London and then to Preston where Ishwer was brought up and educated.
After 18 years in engineering and almost as long involved in voluntary work within the community, a career switch was made and Ishwer worked with Lancashire County Council's economic development company Lancashire Enterprise Ltd. Whilst the role has developed over the years and there have been many changes, Ishwer has remained in this type of work for some 25 years. He has recently taken voluntary redundancy and is now more involved in community work.
He still works within the community and was President of the Gujarat Hindu Society, an organisation which has flourished and grown. He was a prime mover in developing the new £4 million temple and community centre in Preston. To raise funds for this, many community events and activities were organised, and this experience of “community motivation” is still a part of the ethos behind the activities that take place at the centre.
Ishwer has served as a magistrate for 25 years, was a member of the board of Preston Racial Equality Council, and a member of the Preston Mela Committee. He is also secretary of the Lancashire Black & Minority Ethnic Pact (BME) an umbrella organisation for voluntary groups in Lancashire.
At national level, Ishwer was a board member of the Inner Cities Religious Council, an organisation facilitated by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, to advise on regeneration and economic issues within inner cities. He was awarded the MBE for his work in Race Relations in 2003. He was the President of the Hindu Forum of Britain between 2004 to 2008
In December 2004 he was made the Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire by Lord Shuttleworth, Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire in recognition for out standing community work in theCounty ofLancashire.
In 2005 for his dedicated voluntary work he was recognised by the Universityof Central Lancashirewho honoured him with a Fellowship of the University for the Development of the Gujarat Hindu Society. Ishwer a family man with three adult children, also recognises the contribution from his family, friends and colleagues to his achievement.
Anjum Anwar
Anjum Anwar
Joined the Board of Trustees in July 2011, she currently works full time as a dialogue development officer at Blackburn Cathedral and is a Director of member organisation Woman’s Voice.
Anjum is interested in creating cohesive communities through partnership working; regeneration through human interaction and building relationships; creating avenues for voluntary bodies to share best practice. She has a passion for justice for all.
She is able to speak in public and hold difficult conversations, she has experience of managing projects and staff and has set up many successful projects over the years. Anjum has worked at grassroots level with women for 30 years and has a good knowledge of dealing with the needs of hard to reach communities.
Anjum is a trustee of International Learning Movement and the Muslim President for the Christian Muslim Forum.
Clinton Smith
Clinton Smith
Joined the Board of Trustees in July 2011; he is the Chair of Preston Black History Group a new member of Lancashire BME Pact
and works for HM Prison Service.
Clinton is interested in community cohesion; equality & diversity and self development. He is skilled in Project Management, group organisations and chairing committees and groups. He has excellent people skills and staff networking.
Clinton holds Chair of Lancashire Volleyball Association, Chair of Lancashire and Cumbria Respect Group and is a trustee for Prescap and a Diversity Facilitator for the Prison Service.
Charu Ainscough
Charu Ainscough
Joined the Board of Trustees in July 2011, she has recently retired from Lancashire County Council for whom she has worked 
and trained on the equality & diversity agenda for over 35 years.
Charu has carried out similar roles for other voluntary organisations, has been a magistrate for 19 years, has held a non-executive position within the NHS Trusts and currently sits on the Board of the Lancashire Probation Trust.
Currently she is a College governor, a member of the Preston Mela Trust, Executive Committee member of the Lancashire Forum of Faiths, and Chair of Lancashire Constabulary’s Strategic IAG group.
When Charu is not giving her time to the Voluntary and Public Sector, she spends time being a busy and proud Grandparent and with the rest of her family.
Zieda Ali
Zieda Ali
Joined the Board of Trustees in July 2011, she is the Operations Manager for Project BME Lancashire a member organisation,
based in Darwen.
Zieda has a particular interest in community cohesion, equality & diversity, substance misuse and violent extremism. She has many skills from her background in health & social care and criminal justice. She has excellent interpersonal skills.
Zieda has a diploma in professional social work. She has worked with young people for many years including Blackburn with Darwen Youth Offending Team, Social Services, Childrens Services and Greater Manchester Police.
Abdul Hafiz Malik
Abdul Hafiz Malik
Mr Abdul Hafiz Malik arrived in the UK in the early 1960s after graduating in Pakistan. He worked for a company called Smith & Nephew as a shift manager for 25 years until the production was moved to Birmingham. Mr Malik then worked for a local firm as a manager before working as a Development Officer for Burnley Borough Council for 11 years before retiring for health reasons. Mr Malik has been involved in community work since his arrival in the UK. He has been actively involved with the Racial Equality Council as Vice Chairman, and also with Victim Support.
In 1982, he set up Ithaad Community Development Trust a charitable organisation based in Nelson, they were visited by HRH Princess Diana in 1987.
As well as being involved with Ithaad and Lancashire BME Pact, he is also a trustee for Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale CVS and a member of Nelson & Colne College Board of Directors.