Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard provides a telephone help-line service and a counselling service to more than 1000 people per year. It costs the charity £250 per day to operate and with funding becoming harder to secure Switchboard is struggling to keep afloat.

Switchboard currently needs to raise £20,000 between now and April 2012 to avoid closure and continue helping vulnerable LGBT people who need these services.
Switchboard is doing all it can to cut costs and has already reduced the manager post to half time and increased its counselling fees for people who can afford to pay more. The charity is also working hard at submitting funding applications and hopes to secure funding within the next 6 months to secure its future for next year. However Switchboard needs your help now to help stay afloat until larger funding sources are secured.

‘ A combination of rising costs, fewer funding opportunities and a key source of time limited grant funding ending in 2010 has meant that Switchboard is really struggling to continue providing its help-line and counselling service. We are funded by Brighton and Hove City Council and Brighton Primary Care Trust but this is not enough and LGBT charities are rarely on the top of peoples list of favourite charities to support. We really need LGBT individuals to choose us as their charity to donate regularly to - If LGBT people don’t support us who will?’ says Natalie Woods Services and Development Manger

If 1000 people donated just £3 a month they could help save Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard.

To set up a direct debit or talk with us about how else you can help, contact our office on 01273 207050 or e-mail brighton.manager@switchboard.org.uk.