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# Switchboard to celebrate 50 years of LGBTQ+ community care with anniversary event
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/switchboard-to-celebrate-50-years-of-lgbtq-community-care-with-anniversary-event/
- Published: 2026-06-12T10:28:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-12T10:28:03.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: Community Corner

**Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard** is inviting LGBTQ+ communities to come together this summer for a special event celebrating 50 years of queer community care, connection and support. 

Taking place on **Thursday, 30 July** at **6-9pm** at **Brighton i360**, the free community celebration will bring together supporters, volunteers, service users, partners and generations of LGBTQ+ people connected to Switchboard’s history and future.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2026/06/484328260_1090491203122241_6753838501433711108_n-2.jpg)

Switchboard has supported LGBTQ+ people in Brighton & Hove through five decades of social change, activism and community organising. From its early years as a volunteer-run helpline through to today’s wide range of wellbeing, advocacy and inclusion services, the charity has remained at the heart of LGBTQ+ life in Brighton & Hove.

The anniversary event will feature drag performances from Ophelia Payne, awards recognising contributions to LGBTQ+ life in Brighton & Hove presented by **Amanda Collier** (*The Traitors UK*, Series 4), food from **Lunch Positive,** and space for reflection, creativity and connection.

**Rob Sainsbury, CEO** at Switchboard, said:“Reaching 50 years is a huge milestone for Switchboard and for LGBTQ+ communities across Brighton & Hove. 

"We want this event to bring people together to celebrate the friendships, activism, care and resilience that have sustained the organisation over five decades, and to recognise the role community continues to play in LGBTQ+ people’s lives today.”

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2026/06/527217063_18399729061191606_9196818244221538779_n.jpg)

The event forms part of Switchboard’s wider 50th anniversary programme, celebrating LGBTQ+ support, advocacy and community care in Brighton & Hove.

The celebration takes place ahead of **Brighton & Hove Pride** weekend and aims to welcome both longstanding members of the community and newer generations connected to the city’s LGBTQ+ life.

[**Free tickets are available via EventBrite**](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brighton-hove-lgbt-switchboards-50th-anniversary-community-event-tickets-1991551010684?aff=ebdssbcategorybrowse&ref=scenemag.co.uk)