BRAVE fundraisers walked across hot coals for the 40th anniversary of a charity helpline as volunteers remembered the early days of the service.

The Brighton LGBT Switchboard is a telephone and internet helpline for people needing support and advice abound their sexuality or gender identity and also operates specialist counselling services.

A total 23 volunteers took on the challenge, including Jenny Bennett, 60, of Norfolk Square, Brighton, who has been involved with the switchboard since 1985.

She said: “When I started we had to be anonymous, because you couldn’t tell anyone or let your employer find out.

“It has changed completely. There was so much prejudice 30 years ago and it was before HIV, so the calls were completely different.”

Jenny recalled levels of prejudice experienced by the LGBT community when the switchboard started.

She said: “To discover you were gay meant suddenly realising that you would have to keep your whole way of life secret.

“You didn’t speak openly about it, and I remember we would sit in gay bars and every time somebody came in you would look round to find out who it was.

“It was a completely different lifestyle, but we looked after each other – you were all family.”

When she started many callers were concerned about coming out, where to go and even blackmail.

She explained: “Coming out was a huge issue, and it is still a major issue, but because of the prejudice it was frightening to tell your family in case they didn’t understand, and you didn’t dare tell your employer.

“Because the age of consent was 21 for men we would get calls about blackmail, when younger guys under 21 had affairs with older men and then use it against them.”

Today calls to the Switchboard often deal with mental health and emotional support, as well as transgender issues.

“People often just really want to chat, and need help to sort out what is going on in their head,” Jenny says.

They also receive more calls from older people who are lonely and don’t know where to go, or would like somebody to visit them.

The calls can be very emotional, and the switchboard has a counsellor for volunteers to discuss difficult calls they have had but Jenny says she tries to leave things in the office.

She added: “Hopefully we’ll go on for another 40 years. I would be a hundred then but I can’t see myself stopping any time soon.”