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M Natalie Woods, the services and development manager at Brighton & Hove,
LGBT Switchboard, presented the Annual Report at LGBT Switchboard's AGM at
the end of November 2012. She said the last year saw significant successes and
challenges for Switchboard, the LGBT counselling service, which in its 37th year
needed to raise £20,000 to continue to deliver its telephone and face-to-face
counseling services to those in Brighton and beyond.
Ten counsellors (later reduced to five due to lack of funds) received 61 requests
for counseling, and counselled 45 people. The service had an average waiting time
of 8-12 weeks, and at the time of writing there are 21 people waiting for
counselling with an average wait time of 5 months. Twenty-one volunteers
delivered the help-line service and a ring-back service was started where callers
can now leave a message and receive a call back.
Despite the challenges, Switchboard have survived that turbulent year and have
been able to continue providing high quality help-line and counselling services to
meet LGBT people’s needs.
SWITCHBOARD AGM 30 NOV 2012
Key achievements in 2011-2012:
• Provision of help-line services to over 900 callers
• Provision of 331 counselling sessions to 45 clients
• Grant funding secured from The Lloyds TSB foundation towards core costs.
• Grant funding from The Cooperative Community Membership Fund to recruit
and retain a trans identified counsellor for 12 months
• Significant funds raised from community fundraising activities
• Recruitment of a qualified trans identified counsellor
• Development and delivery of a training programme for local counsellors/
therapists to increase their knowledge and understanding of the issues that
affect LGBT people
• Co-management of LGBT Health and Inclusion Project (HIP) in partnership with
Terrence Higgins Trust – the project achieved success in engaging with the
LGBT community on a number of important issues including: mental health
experiences and needs, sexual health needs of bi and trans people.
Whilst 2011-2012 was a financially challenging year by the end of the year Natalie
reported they were on the road to recovery and had begun to identify strategies to:
• Develop fundraising strategy and action plan to strengthen our sustainability
• Build a stronger, sustainable Trustee Board
• Aim to increase capacity within the counselling service.
• Increase staff hours to increase organisational capacity
• Secure a comfortable appropriate dedicated space for counselling
• Develop existing partnership work and explore new partnership work to meet
unmet needs of the LGBT community
• Increase community engagement activity and strengthen community connections
• Develop service user involvement initiatives
• Improve outcome based monitoring and evaluation systems
• Develop the website
• Develop the use of social media
The Helpline is operated weekdays 5-9pm and weekends 5-7pm. For more
information, view: www.switchboard.org.uk
QUEER COMMUNITY
YOGA CLASSES
SUSSEX BEACON
CHARITY SHOPS
GET RETAIL
REVAMP
M Over the past few months
the Sussex Beacon has been
reviewing the retail operations
in their Brighton & Hove
shops and making plans for
the future.
The Sussex Beacon shops
form an important part of the
Beacon's fundraising portfolio
and also serve as the public
face of the organisation in
Brighton & Hove.
The Beacon benefit from a
huge amount of support both
through donations and
shoppers at their stores in St
James’ Street, Brighton and
George Street, Hove.
SARAH HEBBEN
LGBT SWITCHBOARD
LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
M Sarah Shanti Yoga are running a Queer
Community Yoga Class every Tuesday
(excluding New Year's Day) in Brighton at the
Garden Studio, 7a Ship Street from
8.15–9.45pm. The class will offer likeminded people the chance to practice yoga,
recharge their batteries and reconnect with
the body, in a friendly, supportive and safe
space. There are no changing facilities, but a
gender neutral toilet is available for those
wishing to change. Participants should wear
loose, comfortable clothes, needn't bring
shoes as mats are provided, and pay what
they like, on a sliding scale from £2-£10.
Sarah Hebben, head
yoga teacher, said: “If you
are worried that you might
not be able to follow the
class due to physical
restrictions, then I am very
happy to meet you before
the class starts to discuss adjustments and
alternatives that work for you.”
For more information, view: