Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard has been operating since 26th April 1975 and is both a registered company (company number 3920445) and a registered charity (charity number 1088133)
Our Values
Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard recognises the diversity of the LGBT community and seeks to provide a range of services that are accessible to, and meets the needs of, the entire community.
Switchboard will proactively reach out to excluded and marginalised sections of the LGBT communities, such as women, those who identify as bisexual and transgender, people affected by HIV, LGBT people from the black and minority ethnic (BME) communities, and LGBT people with disabilities to ensure that all sectors of the LGBT community are able to use Switchboard’s services and thus achieve better emotional and mental health.
Switchboard’s value statement defines the way in which all trustees, employees and volunteers aim to work, the value statement can be summarised as FALCON.
FRIENDLY
• To all our service users.
• To all our staff, volunteers, and those we work closely with.
ALL-INCLUSIVE
• We promote and embrace diversity and equality of opportunity in our service delivery, and employment and volunteering opportunities.
LEARNING
• We aim to cultivate an environment where continuous learning opportunities are provided for trustees, volunteers and employees to ensure that service delivery is of the highest standard and consistent with current best practice.
COMMITMENT
• All trustees, employees and volunteers are committed to being professional in work practices, and in personal values and attitudes.
• We are committed to remaining passionate about the work and the people we provide services to.
• We are committed to providing services of the highest quality.
OPENESS
• We aim to be honest and open with our service users and other stake holders.
• We aim to enable our service users to communicate honestly and openly with us.
• We aim to foster an environment where honest open communication is encouraged by trustees, employees and volunteers.
NON-JUDGMENTAL
• We recognize and embrace the diversity of the LGBT community.
• We respect the rights and abilities of individuals to make their own choices free from judgment.
The Team
The board of trustees are responsible for the governance of the charity and Switchboard employes a full time Services and Development Manager - responsible for the operational managment of the charity - and a part time Administrator.
Trustees
Mark Elsworth
Mark is the lead trustee and took over the post following the departure of the previous lead. He was previously the deputy lead and secretary of the organisation and has been volunteering with Switchboard for 7 years.
Mark has worked in public sector housing, in a variety of posts, for nearly 30 years and currently works advising social housing providers on their improvement planning processes. Mark’s role includes line management of the Services and Development Manager, Natalie Woods, as well as liaising with the trustee board and other partners to ensure the continued development of Switchboard.
Derek Cooper
Derek has been with Switchboard for over 5 years and has been the treasurer since 2005. Working with his trustee colleagues and with Natalie Woods as Services and Development Manager his particular role is to maintain a sound financial stewardship of the organisation.
He is a qualified accountant, with a broad background from working at board level within a construction services group and as Financial Controller and Partnership Secretary for a mid size professional practice. He applies his business experience within Switchboard for it to operate and develop with commerciality and responsibility appropriate to its position in the voluntary sector and its associated stakeholders, including in particular the community that it serves.
Paris Lees
Trustee responsible for communications & publicity
David Joiner
Trustee responsible for information technology
Val Cartei
Trustee responsible for help line management
Elaine Bryan
Trustee responsible for Brighton Marathon co-ordination
Employees
Mandy Gibson
I have worked at Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard as an admin support worker since the beginning of 2008 initially as a volunteer then as a part time employee. My role involves implementing and maintaining admin structures and supporting the manager, volunteers and the organisation generally in an administrative capacity.
Natalie Woods
I began my work with Switchboard as a volunteer counsellor in 2000 and later in 2002 became Switchboard’s first employee managing its counselling service on a part-time basis. In 2006 my role was developed to become Services and Development Manager in order to support Switchboard’s growth and, with the trustees, lead it into the next stage of its development. My role involves managing the organisation, its help-line and counselling service, the 40-50 people who volunteer for the charity and our admin support worker. I also work with the trustees to strategically develop the charity and am responsible along with a designated trustee for Switchboard’s fundraising.
My professional background is nursing, social care and I am a qualified counsellor, and I have worked in a variety of settings including community and voluntary and statutory public sector organisations.
