Switchboard - National LGBTQ+ Support Line

Today Switchboard publishes our annual Listen Up! Report, which celebrates 50 years of our service and provides crucial insights into the LGBTQIA+ community based on nearly 15,000 conversations in 2023. In this special 50th anniversary edition of Listen Up! you'll journey through our community’s incredible milestones, hear firsthand from our amazing volunteers past and present about what’s evolved (and what’s stayed the same) over the past 50 years, and discover the latest insights and data on the topics that matter most to those who reached out to us for support and information last year. We hope that these insights will provide anyone who makes decisions on behalf of our community— politicians, community leaders, LGBTQIA+ organisations and voters— a real, honest account of what the LGBTQIA+ communities in the UK are exploring, worried about, seeking to understand and fighting for. Read the full report here https://buff.ly/3xHzEwy

50 years of Switchboard has changed many lives (it's also changed mine) and at Pride in London, all the planning of our team came together (what a team!). It was the first big outing of our new branding and I think we can say with confidence it's an absolute banger of a brand. Huge kudos to our Head of Communications and Fundraising Allison Tash Montgomery for leading the brand refresh and its implementation and to the team Nice and Serious for working with us to develop our new identity. And also thanks to Pride in London for allowing me 10 minutes on the main stage at Trafalgar Square to address the thousands present about the work of Switchboard - National LGBTQ+ Support Line and the continued and growing need for our service. Certainly the largest crowd I've spoken to, and thank you to all that we're present for listening.

What an incredible day it was at Pride in London marching to celebrate Switchboard's 50th Birthday and remind people they are not alone! If the last 50 years have taught us anything, it’s that we survive and thrive together ❤️ #Switchboard50 📸: @emil.lombardo

Sunday - Thursday. Pride talks galore including three events in one day on Thursday that took me from sunny Burton on Trent at lunch to a sweltering Soho in the evening with some of the Switchboard team, via an event in Holborn. Pride is a hectic month, but it's also an incredible opportunity to educate. This month one of the key messages I have been keen to express is that two things can be true at the same times. It's true that wider acceptance of our community in society has come on leaps and bounds since Switchboard began in 1974. All of these events would have been unimaginable then. That is progress. It's also true that we are now in the most regressive period for our community since the 2000's began. The divisive misinformation that has been poured on the trans community is having real-world consequences and we see this, every day in the calls to Switchboard. Across the world there is increased pressure on the rights of LGBTQIA+ people with many countries heading to the polls this year, the rights of our community have been placed firmly on the table in multiple countries. Pride is still needed, it's still relevant. What is needed now more than ever before is active allieship. We didn't have the levels of allieship in 1974 we have now, but it's wasted if it's not active. Here are just two things you can do. 1. Allieship when we are not in the room, it's easy to like and share and attend a meeting/ presentation and we thank you for doing that. But stand up for us when we are not in the room, that's when it matters most. 2. If you like or share an article. Please feel free to add your own thoughts to that post. It has more weight when you put your thoughts there. Huge thanks to Dean Piggott Liam Boyle Adelle Barker Claire Bowers, MA (she/her) Ciaran Corrigan the team at Ugg and the Broadwick Soho for your support of Switchboard - National LGBTQ+ Support Line at your events this last week. Oh, and the golf picture. That's the fabulous @out2golf UK group I am happy to be a part of. On Sunday we held our first Pride Golf Day in partnership with American Golf thanks to Scott Taylor for all your support in helping make this happen.

As part of our Pride activities this month, it was wonderful to host Stephanie Fuller, CEO of Switchboard - National LGBTQ+ Support Line at the agency this morning! 🙌 Introduced by our MD, Claire Bowers, MA (she/her), Stephanie spoke to us about the organisation's story and incredible 50-year journey. She also shared insights from Switchboard's upcoming ListenUp! Report and what this tells us about the LGBTQ+ community and the issues they’re facing in the UK today.   #BrandBuilding #AdCampaigns #CreativeIdeas #AdProduction #ContentCreation #AdCreative #BrandStorytelling #DigitalMarketing #CreativeAgency #AdvertisingAgency #Pride #Switchboard

Switchboard volunteers have been busy attending pride events all across the UK! 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ Last week we were at Pride Cymru, Edinburgh Pride, Pride Picnic and Pride at HMP Dovegate Prison. We love getting to meet so many of you, share with folks about our service and give out *FREE* pronoun badges. If you see us at a pride event near you, make sure to come by and say hello 👋

There are MORE Pride Swims throughout the country all summer long, but if you don't live near an organised @PrideSwimOfficial, you can do your own swim wherever you live (even on holiday!). Just order a Pride Swim pack from us to take part. For a £20 registration fee, Pride Swim will send you an official branded swim cap, medal and a leaflet with hints and tips from us on how to fundraise. You will also receive a downloadable Pride Swim certificate at the end of the swim season in September. By participating in a Pride Swim and fundraising for Switchboard, you empower our Switchboard volunteers to engage in meaningful conversations with thousands of LGBTQIA+ individuals, their friends, families, and allies who seek their support each year. Your participation will make a tangible difference and help Switchboard continue to provide our vital services for another 50 years. For more info head to prideswim.org Order your pride pack here: https://buff.ly/3x3xTJI

In honour of Pride Month, the DEI Committee, in collaboration with our other building tenants Bates Wells and ION, hosted a vibrant Pride event on the terrace on Wednesday evening! 🌈 The evening featured a stunning performance by Alexis Saint-Pete, a contestant from RuPaul's Drag Race UK! Our guest speakers from Switchboard - National LGBTQ+ Support Line informed us about their charity - a national LGBTQIA+ support line for anyone, anywhere in the country to discuss anything related to sexuality, gender identity, sexual health, relationships or just the way you are feeling. Switchboard also spearheaded a fundraising effort, with haysmacintyre, Bates Wells, and ION matching the donations raised.   We were proud to partner with Proud Beer, whose profits directly benefit their LGBTQI+ charities, including Diversity Role Models, LGBT Foundation, and Terrence Higgins Trust.   A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and made the event a success. We're pleased to share the highlights in the video below! 🤩

So many incredible events happening this Pride Month already, a wonderful highlight being representing Switchboard - National LGBTQ+ Support Line on a panel at Pandora last week! It was so powerful to be able to talk about the history of Switchboard and the community in the UK, as well as hear from current colleagues at Pandora, whose Pride network is doing some truly fantastic work year-round! It has been wonderful to speak to so many organisations recently who are determined to make sure that this work continues long past June, and we are still bookable for talks and workshops all throughout the year!

Pets are the perfect example of unconditional love in its purest form. No matter who you are, what you look like, or who you love, their love is boundless. For that reason, we have been proud to support the LGBTQ+ communities since we began. 🌈This year we are thrilled to introduce our special mini-series, Love and Pride, with Max Hovey and Ginny Lemon to support Switchboard - National LGBTQ+ Support Line and the LGBTQ+ communities. Join us as they share stories, and heartwarming moments of unconditional love and pride. But that’s not all! We’re donating 100% of the profits from our Love and Pride recipes* in the UK to Switchboard, a charity dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ communities. Your purchase will directly contribute to providing essential support and services to those who need it most. 🏳️🌈 Celebrate love and pride. ❤️Show your support. 🐱🐶 Enjoy tasty treats. Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes and let’s spread love together! *Total donation of £26,000. See lilyskitchen.co.uk/pride for more info. #LoveAndPride #LilysKitchen #SwitchboardCharity #Pride2024