Welcome to Hastings & Rother Gay Helpline

(The Helpline was founded in 1987 as Hastings Befrienders)

"The fact that not everyone can have the confidence to say for whatever reason I am what I am, accept me for the person that I am, don’t expect or force me to be someone I am not is surely a condemnation of  a society that regards itself as civilised."
The above quote is from Paul Broadhurst's, our chairman's highly-praised welcome speech made at the
 25th Anniversary Celebration on 28th September 2012, and can be read in full on the 25th Anniversary page. 

The Helpline is completely independent and the only one in East Sussex

Ways in which we can be contacted

We are currently unable to receive communications by post so please contact us by one of the following means -
 
By phone: 07941 014 013 Calls are answered live on Wednesdays between 7pm & 9pm. At other times please leave a voicemail message or send a text and we will get back to you. We check the phone daily.

By email: hargh@live.co.uk 

By using our Contact form: Click on the Contact form page.

Over 50's Get-togethers

From 2 pm to 4 pm

A problem that many people encounter as they get older is loneliness and with it a sense of isolation. For LGBT people these feelings can be especially acute, and to help combat them we provide monthly afternoon get-togethers where people can meet to obtain information and socialise. Newcomers are made to feel very welcome.
    

How we deal with enquiries

Phone calls are answered by our trained, empathetic, non-judgmental volunteers.We provide information services and 'a listening ear' for LGBT people of all ages, their families and friends.When necessary, we can direct callers or enquirers by other means to the appropriate agency.  

Victims of homophobic hate incidents can contact us in confidence, and we can assist with the reporting process. Please see the Hate Incident Reporting page.We are represented on the East Sussex Anti-Social Behaviour & Hate Crime sub-group that has produced a toolkit to help people to report incidents. 

Over 50's get-togethers                                                     in 2019

We will be meeting throughout 2019 on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons  in various cafes in Hastings & St. Leonards. Please email or phone for details of the next date and venue.