• Up-to-date and accurate information about local groups, venues and events.
• Offers of accommodation (flat and house shares) for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.
• Donations or fund-raising ideas to help us continue our work. It is extremely difficult to raise the few thousand pounds a year we need. Why not join the Friends of Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Lesbian and Gay Switchboard who contribute a small amount each month by standing order? Contact us for details.
• Feedback (positive or negative) about the effectiveness of our service.

• New volunteers, particularly women and people from all ethnic groups.                

7, Mansfield Road has wheelchair access.

You will need to use a database, expect to deal with a wide range of issues, have a sympathetic phone manner and respect the confidentiality of all callers. If you feel that you could help us with your time and skills, call us for further details.

To become a volunteer, you yourself must be lesbian, gay or bisexual. You will need to take part in our Training Programme – which usually begins in the Autumn of each year, though some years there is also a Spring training programme.

Those who successfully complete their training are expected to staff one of the phone lines about once every two or three weeks, attend a monthly general meeting and assist from time to time with one of our Working Groups. We ask our volunteers to agree to a Criminal Record Bureau check.

The Working Groups are: Information, Training, Standards, Administration, Publicity and Fundraising. The monthly meetings are part business, part on-going training and part social.

Apart from the satisfaction of helping those who phone in, or write or e-mail, what else do volunteers get out of being involved?

• discounts at some gay venues
• travelling expenses
• learning new skills
• use skills that you already have in new contexts
• using experience on CVs
• meeting other like-minded volunteers
• take part in social activities
• making new friends
• network with people from other voluntary and statutory organisations
• being among the first to hear about important new developments