Its a sad fact that members of the LGBTQ+ community suffer disproportionately from poor mental health.

elop is an LGBT+ mental health and wellbeing charity that offers a range of free and low cost services and resources to support LGBT+ people of all ages.

A charity close to my heart, and that I have volunteered for since 2021 and been a Trustee of for the last year.

Their low cost, pay what you can, counselling service has grown from two volunteer counsellors seeing six people a week, to a team of 40 volunteer counsellors seeing more than 150 people a week, this is in excess of 5,500+ people a year.

Their most important achievement has been their support to keep people alive at points of crisis and they regularly work with people at the point of desperation in their lives,

• whether this be due to their experiences as LGBT asylum seekers- and the horrendous ordeals they have fled from in countries around the world;

• young people facing violence at home when they come out to family,

• older people facing bereavements and isolation ,

• the devastation that drugs and alcohol can have on the lives of our community members

• people in crisis due to enduing mental health concerns

• the impact of hatred on the trans community – the list could continue.

Their work is not over until we have ended the inequalities faced by LGBT people and improved the mental health of our community.