Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard is recruiting for 3 roles to strengthen trauma-informed support for LGBTQ+ people across Sussex: Sexual Harm Support Worker, IDVA, and Domestic Abuse Outreach Worker (West Sussex). Details + apply: https://www.switchboard.org.uk/about/jobs/ Please share.
Only 2 days until our FREE WEBINAR on Understanding Gambling in LGBTQ+ Communities
Join Recover with Pride for a national webinar exploring research, lived experience, and inclusive support pathways.
🗓️ Thu 5 March 2026
⏱️ 10.00-12.00
Register here: www.bit.ly/understanding-gambling-harms-LGBTQ
Understanding Gambling in LGBTQ+ Communities.
Join Recover with Pride for a national webinar exploring research, lived experience, and inclusive support pathways.
🗓️ Thursday 5 March 2026
⏱️ 10.00-12.00
Register here: www.bit.ly/understanding-gambling-harms-LGBTQ
Switchboard announcement graphic. Text: “Welcome Switchboard”. “We are proud to announce that Switchboard are a committed signatory of the Workplace Charter to Reduce Gambling Related Harms…” Photo of four people standing in front of Recover with Pride and Switchboard banners. Switchboard logo and “A Charter to Reduce Gambling Related Harms in the Workplace” icon, with multiple partner logos along the bottom
Switchboard has signed the Workplace Charter to Reduce Gambling Related Harms.
We’re committing to safer workplaces, open conversations, and better support.
Thank you to Beacon Counselling Trust and Nicola Jaques MBE for their guidance.
This sits alongside our wider LGBTQ+ gambling harm work.
Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day had simple aims: care, connection and practical support, all in one place, without pressure.
Thank you to everyone who came along.
Full post on our Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn accounts.
Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard is recruiting for 3 roles to strengthen trauma-informed support for LGBTQ+ people across Sussex: Sexual Harm Support Worker, IDVA, and Domestic Abuse Outreach Worker (West Sussex). Details + apply: https://www.switchboard.org.uk/about/jobs/ Please share.
Mindful Crafts • Claudette
Claudette will be running relaxed craft sessions at Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day. A chance to sit down, focus your hands, and let your mind settle. No experience needed.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Blood Pressure Checks • Helen
Helen from the Switchboard BOLD team will be offering free blood pressure checks at Winter Wellness Day. A simple way to check in on your health without fuss.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Testing shouldn’t feel intimidating.
Dom from Terrence Higgins Trust South will be offering free rapid HIV testing at Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day. Quick, confidential and handled with care.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Reiki • Jan
Jan will be offering Reiki sessions at the Winter Wellness Day. A gentle relaxation practice to help your body settle and your mind slow down. Sessions are calm, with a light-touch or no-touch approach depending on you.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. All free.
The Jesus Deck • Michael
Michael will be offering reflective card sessions at the Winter Wellness Day. These are not Tarot or fortune telling, but conversation-led readings designed to help you explore your story from a different perspective.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. All free.
Aesop H Wellness • Rich
Rich will be offering free head and shoulder seated massages at Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day. A short, focused session to ease tension, release tight shoulders, and give you a moment to reset.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Audiology Support • Patricia
With over a decade of experience, Patricia is fully qualified, HCPC registered and DBS checked. She’ll be bringing her mobile ear wax removal service and can also help with hearing aids if needed.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Tarot Readings • James & Lucie
At Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day, James and Lucie will be offering relaxed tabletop tarot readings throughout the day. A quiet moment to reflect, talk something through, or see things from a new angle.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Lightning Like Scissors • Buck & Kaia
At Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day, Buck & Kaia will be offering free haircuts and styling rooted in queer care. An affirming, relaxed space to sit down, be yourself, and leave feeling more like you.
Sat 21 Feb, 10-4pm The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Understanding Gambling in LGBTQ+ Communities.
Join Recover with Pride for a national webinar exploring research, lived experience, and inclusive support pathways.
🗓️ Thursday 5 March 2026
⏱️ 10.00-12.00
Register here: www.bit.ly/understanding-gambling-harms-LGBTQ
Lightning Like Scissors • Buck and Kaia
Buck and Kaia will be offering free haircuts and styling throughout the day. Whether it’s a tidy-up or something new, it’s a relaxed space to sit down and feel a bit more like yourself.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
A warm meal can change the feel of a whole day.
Lunch Positive will be serving freshly made hot meals and cake at Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day. Drop in, take your time, and enjoy something nourishing.
Sat 21 Feb, 10am-4pm, The Ledward Centre. Everything is free.
Switchboard’s Winter Wellness Day will have something to offer for everyone.
Body Bits Brighton - Lou Thomas is offering free massage sessions. Lou works in a trauma-informed way, so you stay in control. Choose seated or table and take it at your pace.
21 Feb, The Ledward Centre. Everything free.
Switchboard Winter Wellness Day treat: private Beach Box Spa on Brighton seafront, Sat 21 Feb, 5pm-7pm. 2 hours on site with 90 mins sauna time, plus Rich Aesop offering drop-in massages. Beach Box Spa, Banjo Groyne BN2 1EN. Book free: https://bit.ly/beach-box-spa
Recover with Pride LGBTQ+ gambling harm support. Text: “New LGBTQ+ gambling harm support service coming 2026”. “The UK’s first LGBTQ+ gambling harm support service”. “Created for the community, by the community”. “Peer-led Recovery Coaching, trauma-informed, and built on lived experience at every level, from governance and strategy to delivery and ongoing support”. Logos: Reframe Coaching, Switchboard, University of Brighton.
Recover with Pride LGBTQ+ gambling harm support. Heading: “Our Mission”. Text: “To deliver pioneering, peer-led gambling harm prevention and recovery services for LGBTQ+ communities, rooted in lived experience, dignity, and inclusion”. Logos: Reframe Coaching, Switchboard, University of Brighton.
Recover with Pride LGBTQ+ gambling harm support. Heading: “Our Vision”. Text: “A UK where LGBTQ+ individuals are free from gambling harms, supported by culturally competent, trauma-informed services that affirm identity and empower recovery”. Logos: Reframe Coaching, Switchboard, University of Brighton.
We’re proud to lead Recover with Pride, the UK’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ gambling harm support programme.
Working with Reframe Coaching and the University of Brighton, we’re creating trauma-informed, research-led support shaped by LGBTQ+ voices.
Follow for updates and referral info.
Yesterday we welcomed Nicola Jaques MBE from Beacon Counselling Trust to deliver specialist training to our team.
As we prepare to launch something new, we reviewed policies, strengthened our approach, and made sure everyone feels confident and informed.
Full announcement at 12pm. Don’t miss it.
☕️ Switchboard coffee morning at The Breakfast Club
Join us for Switchboard’s monthly coffee morning at The Breakfast Club in Brighton. A relaxed, social get-together in the city centre.
🗓️: Tuesday 10 February
⏰: 10am to 11:30am
📍: The Breakfast Club, 15-16 Market Street, Brighton BN1 1HH
LGBTQ+ History Month, and two bits of good news. 29 Jan: the High Court of England and Wales rejected a bid to bar trans people from Hampstead Heath ponds. 30 Jan: the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe backed a ban on conversion practices. Switchboard stands with trans communities.
February is LGBTQ+ History Month. As Switchboard marks 50 years, we’re sharing milestones from the last half century of LGBTQ+ history and the progress and resilience that shaped our community.
Winter can feel long, especially if you’ve been feeling cut off or low.
Winter Wellness Day is a free, gentle drop-in wellbeing day for LGBTQ+ people. Hot food, a calm space, and optional support. Come and go at your own pace.
At Switchboard, we hear how constant gambling ads affect LGBTQ+ people.
You can support action by writing to your MP. It takes less than one minute:
https://cega.org.uk/#write-mp
Every letter helps push for change.
Switchboard has joined the Coalition to End Gambling Ads. We’re the first LGBTQ+ charity to join.
“I’ve seen first-hand how relentless & predatory gambling advertising can be.” - Benjamin Howard - Gambling Harms Service Manager
We’re proud to stand with this campaign.
Find out more: cega.org.uk
Choosing Switchboard for LGBTQ+ inclusion training means investing in your own team and in wider LGBTQ+ community work. Our trainers bring lived experience, and your fee helps sustain our projects.
To find out more, contact training@switchboard.org.uk or visit www.bit.ly/TrainWithPurpose
Blue Monday is often called the worst day of the year, but there’s no scientific basis for it. Winter can still feel heavy. We at Switchboard believe mental health deserves care every day. If today feels hard, small supports matter. Reach out to someone you trust.
