Local helplines and support groups

Northern England

• Cheshire
  • Warrington – Gay and Lesbian Youth Support Services – part of Warrington Youth Service
• Cleveland
  • Middlesbrough – Mesmac North East – community support service for gay and bisexual men
  • Middlesbrough – Parents Enquiry North East – helplines and support for parents of gay children
• Durham
  • Darlington – Gay Advice Darlington (registered charity 1070857)
• Greater Manchester
  • Manchester – BiPhoria – bisexual social and support group
  • Manchester – Icebreakers – support group for gay and bisexual men
  • Manchester – Lesbian and Gay Foundation (registered charity 1070904)
  • Manchester – Manchester Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (registered charity 1064050)
  • Manchester – Manchester Parents Group – support and information for parents of lesbian, gay and bisexual children
  • Manchester – SM Dykes
  • Manchester – The Village Citizens Advice Bureau
  • Stockport – People Like Us – LGBT social group
• Lancashire
  • Blackburn – Lancashire Friend (registered charity 1053328)
  • Chorley – Project Oscar – support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people
  • Lancaster – Lancaster Lesbian and Gay Switchboard [server not responding]
• South Yorkshire
  • Sheffield – Gay Sheffield
  • Sheffield – Northern Support Group for Lesbian and Gay Foster and Adoptive Parents (registered charity 1097424)
  • Sheffield – Sheffield Gayphone [website blocked] (registered charity 1087419)
• Tyne and Wear
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne – Mesmac North East – community support service for gay and bisexual men
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne – Outpost Housing Project – accommodation advice and support for young lesbians and gay men
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne – Parents Enquiry North East – helplines and support for parents of gay children
• West Yorkshire
  • Bradford – Bradford Lesbian and Gay Switchboard
  • Halifax – Gay and Lesbian Youth in Calderdale (registered charity 1110577)
  • Leeds – Leeds Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Switchboard
  • Leeds – Yorkshire Mesmac (registered charity 1040407)

Central England and East Anglia

• Buckinghamshire
  • Milton Keynes – Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire Lesbian and Gay Link (registered charity 1092917)
• Cambridgeshire
  • Cambridge – 2BYouth (registered charity 1097096) – support and friendship for young people in Cambridgeshire discovering their sexuality
• Derbyshire
  • Derby – Derbyshire Friend (registered charity 1088868)
• Essex
  • Basildon – Basildon and Thurrock Friend (registered charity 1103367)
  • Colchester – Colchester Gay Switchboard (registered charity 1006244)
  • Leigh-on-Sea – Gay Essex Men’s Social and Support Group (registered charity 1006244)
• Gloucestershire
  • Gloucester – GAY-GLOS – formerly known as Gay and Lesbian Friend Helpline (Gloucestershire)
• Leicestershire
  • Leicester – Leicester Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Centre
  • Leicester – Trade Sexual Health Project [no content] (registered charity 1081552)
• Norfolk
  • Norfolk: BLAH is part of The Norfolk Area LGB Project working together since 2007 to provide social & peer support groups for young gay, lesbian, bisexual people or those questioning their sexuality from 14-25yrs old. http://www.blahyouth.co.uk/
  • Norwich – Norwich Lesbian Line
• Northamptonshire
  • Northampton – Northamptonshire Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Alliance
• Nottinghamshire
  • Nottingham – Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (registered charity 1114273)
• Oxfordshire
  • Oxford – Oxford Friend (registered charity 299903)
• Staffordshire
  • Stoke-on-Trent – North Staffordshire, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Switchboard (registered charity 1079198)
• West Midlands
  • Birmingham – Birmingham Parents’ Support Group – for the family and friends of lesbians and gay men
  • Birmingham – Lesbian and Gay Switchboard West Midlands [no content] (registered charity 1027658)
  • Coventry – Coventry and Warwickshire Friend

Southern England

• Avon
  • Bristol – Bristol Lesbian and Gay Switchboard
• Berkshire
  • Reading – Berkshire Gay and Lesbian Information Network (registered charity 1100758)
• Cornwall
  • Redruth – Gay Men’s Health Programme
  • Truro – Broken Rainbow Cornwall (registered charity 1106588)
• Devon
  • Exeter – Intercom Trust (registered charity 1072772) – LGBT helpline covering Cornwall, Dorset, Devon and Somerset
• Dorset
  • Bournemouth – Dorset Lesbian and Gay Helpline (registered charity 1043192)
  • Bournemouth – Over the Rainbow – gay men’s health project
• East Sussex
  • Brighton – Brighton Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (registered charity 1088133)
• Greater London
  • London – Brothers and Sisters Club – for deaf lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
  • London – Families Together London – for the families and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
  • London – Galop (registered charity 1077384) – offering advice and advocacy to those affected by homophobic or transphobic hate crime in the Greater London area
  • London – London Bisexual Group
  • London – London Bisexual Women’s Group
  • London – London Friend (registered charity 299307)
  • London – London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (registered charity 296193)
  • London – Project for Advocacy, Counselling and Education (PACE) (registered charity 801271) – promoting lesbian and gay health and wellbeing
  • London – Stonewall Housing – offering housing advice and advocacy to LGBT people in London
• Isle of Wight
  • Newport – WightOUT Helpline
• Kent
  • Maidstone – Kent Lesbian Line [no content]
• Somerset
  • Taunton – Somerset Gay Health (registered charity 1019099)
• Suffolk
  • Ipswich – Suffolk Gay and Lesbian Helpline (registered charity 1099683)
• Surrey
  • Woking – Outline (registered charity 1080970)
• Wiltshire
  • Swindon – Gay Men’s Health Project
  • Swindon – Pride Youth (registered charity 1107610)

Ireland

• Belfast – Cara-Friend
• Cork – Cork Lesbian Line
• Dublin – Dublin Lesbian Line
• Dublin – Gay Switchboard Dublin
• Limerick – Gay Switchboard Limerick

The Isle of Man

• Douglas – Carrey Friend / Isle of Man Lesbian and Gay Switchboard

Scotland

• Dundee – Diversitay (formerly Dundee Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Switchboard)
• Dundee – Gay Men’s Health Tayside
• Edinburgh – Gay Dads Scotland – social and support group for gay fathers living in Scotland
• Edinburgh – Gay Men’s Health
• Edinburgh – Healthy Gay Scotland
• Edinburgh – LGBT Youth Scotland
• Edinburgh – Lothian Gay and Lesbian Switchboard
• Edinburgh – Lothian Lesbian Line
• Edinburgh/Glasgow – Parents Enquiry Scotland – help, information and support for parents of LGBT children
• Glasgow – Glasgow LGBT Centre
• Glasgow – Strathclyde Gay and Lesbian Switchboard
• Glasgow – Strathclyde Lesbian Line
• Inverness – Rainbow Families Highland – for gay dads and lesbian mums
• Inverness – Reach Out Highland – advocates for sexual health and wellbeing
• Kirkcaldy – Fife Men Project

Wales / Cymru

• North Wales – Mesmac North Wales
• Bangor – North Wales Lesbian Line / Llinell Lesbiaid Gogledd Cymru
• Swansea / Abertawe – LGBT Cymru Helpline – a caring service for LGBT people in Wales

Former Helplines and Support Groups

The following organisations are no longer operating.

• Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (former registered charity 1088900)
• Friend Merseyside (former registered charity 518834)
• Friend Newcastle (former registered charity 1039879)
• Friend South Wales (former registered charity 1021791)
• Friend West Midlands (former registered charity 519959)
• Gay and Lesbian Switchboard (South West) (former registered charity 1029811)
• Lesbian and Gay Employment Rights (former registered charity 1102176)
• Lesbiline Merseyside (former registered charity 1089462)
• London Lesbian Line (former registered charity 293914)
• National Friend (former registered charity 296300)
• Norfolk Friend
• Parents’ Friend (former registered charity 1002640)
• Scarborough and Ryedale Gay Community Network (former registered charity 1088384)
• Solent Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (former registered charity 1064172)
• Young Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Peer Support Project (Manchester) (former registered charity 1076303)

Lost contact

The following organisations appear to have lost or never had a website. Some may have closed. Please e-mail webster@galha.org if you know the whereabouts of a current website for any of these organisations. Please note that this page lists websites only, not telephone numbers or other contact details.

• Bedfordshire Friend
• Bedfordshire Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Helpline
• Belfast Lesbian Line
• Bolton Friend Helpline
• Bolton Lesbian Line
• Borders Gay Switchboard
• Bradford Friend
• Bristol Lesbian Line
• Cambridge Friend
• Cambridge Lesbian Line
• Cleveland Lesbian Line
• Corby Lesbian Line
• Cornwall Lesbian Line
• Croydon Friend
• Derby Lesbian Line
• Dumfries and Galloway Lesbian and Gay Line
• East Kent Friend (registered charity 1015095)
• East London Friend
• Fife Friend
• Fire Brigades Union Lesbian and Gay Support Group
• Foyle Friend
• Friend Humberside
• Glasgow Lesbian Line
• Grampian Lesbian and Gay Switchboard
• Grimsby Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Helpline
• Harlow Lesbian and Gay Helpline
• Hastings Gay Helpline
• Hereford and Worcester Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (registered charity 1013658)
• Hertfordshire Lesbian and Gay Helpline
• Jewish Lesbian and Gay Helpline (registered charity 1008035)
• Leeds Lesbian Line
• Lesbian and Gay Bereavement Project (registered charity 1068838)
• Lesbian and Gay Switchboard Salisbury
• Lewisham Friend
• Limerick Lesbian Line
• Moray LGB Switchboard
• Moray Lesbian Line
• Newcastle Lesbian and Gay Switchboard
• Newcastle Lesbian Line
• North Staffs Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Switchboard
• Northampton Lesbian Line
• Northamptonshire Gayline
• Northamptonshire Lesbian Line
• Nottingham Lesbian Line
• Out in Portsmouth
• Outreach Cumbria
• Outside In (registered charity 1068527) – offering a helping hand for gay prisoners
• Peterborough Friend
• Portsmouth Lesbian Line
• Scunthorpe Gay Helpline
• Scunthorpe Gay Men and Women’s Group (registered charity 1020620)
• Shropshire Lesbian and Gay Helpline (registered charity 701393)
• South Essex Switchboard
• St. Helens and Knowsley Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Helpline
• Vivid Youth
• York Lesbian Line