Oxford Friend

News

• Text us your donations! [7 June 2011]

  Wonderful news! Donating to Oxford Friend couldn't be simpler! We've recently set up a new service (courtesy of Vodafone), whereby you can text us a donation. You can donate in sums of £2, £5 or £10.

  As a group of volunteers, we rely heavily on donations to help keep the line open - to allow us to provide the best quality LGBT related support, listening and counselling service to Oxford's community.

  Simply text 'LGBT01 £5' to 70070. When a donation is made, it is deducted from your mobile phone credit or added to your mobile phone bill. You'll also be given the opportunity to add Gift Aid - meaning we will benefit from an extra 25%. What a clever idea!

  Please note, 5% of your donation will be given to Vodafone for operating the service. For more information, go here: https://justtextgiving.vodafone.co.uk/

• Are you following us on Twitter? [11 Aug 2010]

  Not only has Oxford Friend joined Facebook and YouTube, but we are now tweeting and sending our messages further afield into the world wide web using the social media tool, Twitter. Follow us here!

• Did you know we're celebrating our 30th Birthday this year? [01 Jun 2010]

  Come and find out more about us and Oxford's LGBT history at Oxfordshire Studies (above the Central Library in the Westgate Centre)

  The Centre for Oxfordshire Studies, at Oxford Central Library, is once again hosting a display celebrating over 600 years of LGBT life and culture in the County. It is an official event of this year's Oxford Pride Festival. All the highlights (and a few lowlights!) of the local queer experience are included: saucy scandals which rocked the University of Oxford during the eighteenth century, Oscar Wilde at Magdalen College, the formation of the local gay scene in the 1970s, the development of Oxford Pride, and, of course, 30 years of community service by Oxford Friend. The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, received by Friend in 2006, has been loaned to the display where it can be viewed with other great items from Friend's history. Oxfordshire Studies is located above the Central Library in the Westgate Centre. It is open from 9-5 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The display runs until 3rd July.

  Opening times here.

• Thank you! [24 May 2010]

  Thanks to all of those that came and spoke to us over the weekend, on our visits of the local LGBT venues. If you didn't get chance to pick up a leaflet, or didn't see us, don't forget you can contact us on 01865 726893 or you can email us on ************@oxfordfriend.co.uk - we're here to listen.

  (click on email address to reveal it)

• All fixed! [03 Mar 2010]

  We are pleased to announce that all problems with our email service have now been fixed. Email us on ************@oxfordfriend.co.uk.

  (click on email address to reveal it)

• Email service [29 Dec 2009]

  Unfortunately we must announce that our email service is temporarily out of action. All emails received will be answered in due course, but please note that it make several weeks to get a response. We are very sorry for any difficulties this may cause to our service users.

• Oxford Pride [09 Nov 2009]

  We are very grateful for the generous donation given to Oxford Friend by Oxford Pride at their AGM on 29th October 2009.

  This will certainly help us to continue to run our service during this period of time when donations to charities are generally at a reduced level. We look forward to Oxford Pride 2010 which is scheduled to take place on 12th June.

  Find out more here.

• Daily Info [08 Nov 2009]

  We would like to offer our thanks to Oxfordshire Community Foundation who have very kindly awarded a grant to Oxford Friend to enable us to pubicise our services in the well known advertising poster, Daily Info, which is displayed widely across Oxford and surrounding areas.

  The online version of the poster can be downloaded here.

• Watch Oxford Friend [20 Aug 2009]

  By the way, did you know Oxford Friend has uploaded a YouTube video recently? Have a look:

• Friendly Facebook [31 July 2009]

  Oxford Friend now has a Facebook page. Not just for fun though. We hope to expand our online profile to raise awareness and bring our services to more people.

  

• Laura Wilkinson's success at Blaydon Race 2009 [15 June 2009]

  We are happy to report that Laura Wilkinson has so far raised £275 for Oxford Friend. On the 9th of June, she finished 6 miles in 58 minutes. Well done! And a big thank you from Oxford Friend. Laura's Just Giving page is still open BTW, feel free to support her and us. :-)

• Oxford Pride 2009: rainy but successful [11 June 2009]

  Despite the rain we from Oxford Friend think this year's pride was a great day. Our (in)famous tombola was a big success. Not only were we able to present ourselves to the Oxford gay community, we also raised a bit of money to keep our telephone helpline in the air.

• Oxford Friend supported at Blaydon Race 2009 [24 May 2009]

  We are delighted to learn that Laura Wilkinson has chosen Oxford Friend as her charity to support at Blaydon Race 2009. If you would like to support Laura (and Oxford Friend), visit her Just Giving page.

  

• 2009 Publicity Campaign [18 May 2009]

  Keen to ensure our services are also known to those who do not regularly use LGBT venues or read alternative press, since April this year, Oxford Friend has been running an advertising campaign within Oxford's buses, using very distinctive eye-catching posters. We are pleased to report that this has had a very positive effect, with an increase in our call rates of over thirty percent, reaching members of the community who may otherwise have been unaware of us.

• Oxford Pride 6th June [14 May 2009]

  Oxford Friend will be at this year's Oxford Pride on Saturday 6th June, at Oxpens Field, beside the Ice Rink. Here we will have a stall in which you can meet members of the team, enquire about becoming a volunteer, enjoy the fun of taking part in our tombola with the opportunity to win some lovely prizes, collect leaflets and other give-aways and have the opportunity to make donations to our funds if you wish. We hope you can join us. Find out more by visiting the Oxford Pride website.

• Display of LGBT history in Oxford [13 May 2009]

  Oxford Friend will be represented in a unique display documenting six hundred years of local LGBT history in Oxford. It will chart the breadth and depth of the queer experience in the city that Oscar Wilde called 'the capital of romance'. Items from Oxford Friend's 30-year history will be on display, including the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (received in 2006). The display will open on Tuesday 19th May and will run throughout June at the Centre for Oxfordshire Studies (above the Central Library).

  Opening times here

• Recruitment campaign - New Members training on 21st June 2009 [10 May 2009]

  If you would like to become a volunteer for Oxford Friend, we will need to receive your application by 11th June, so that we can arrange an interview before the training for new volunteers takes place on Sunday 21st June. Find out more about being a volunteer and how to apply by clicking here.

• Oxford Friend featured in The Oxford Times [10 Dec 2008]

  Oxford is no Brighton, London or Manchester. It can still be a difficult place for some people to come to terms with their sexuality especially if being part of the local 'gay scene' does not appeal. [read further]

Also see our History page.