LGBTQ+ mentors will use new skills to support others

Eight members of the LGBTQ+ community have been trained to support others across Hertfordshire.

Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund and Hertsmere Borough Council, they will use skills they have learned to mentor others.

Andrew Waite from LGBTQ+ not-for-profit organisation Impactful Governance said: "There's a whole range of really serious issues out there led by hate crimes and people feeling quite fearful of what's happening right now."

Jeremy Newmark, Labour leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, added: "By helping people develop confidence and skills to support others, it creates future mentors who will make a meaningful difference in people's lives."

The training programme was developed by Impactful Governance in response to evidence highlighting the importance of accessible peer support and mentoring opportunities within LGBTQ+ communities in Hertfordshire.

Waite said: "It's quite a hostile environment for people [at the moment] and we are seeing increased numbers being referred to us and also [we] get referrals from people leaving hospital after suicide attempts."

The mentors will receive their nationally recognised NCFE Level 1 qualifications later this summer before beginning their work in the autumn.

One of them, Morgan Stockbridge, said: "For me it was trying to get myself out there more as I've been quite a recluse, and I think being able to change people's lives for the better with the unique experience I bring as another queer person.

"Going outside can be a nerve-wracking thing, and that shouldn't be the case for anybody.

"So if I can help somebody that is nervous about just living life, then I'm doing a brilliant thing."

She added: "It's definitely just trying to be a change, a force for good, and it feels like now is a very apt time for us."

Impactful Governance also established the independent charity Impactful Lives in 2023 to provide additional support services, including suicide prevention, dementia support and hate crime reporting.

Another mentor Freya Saunders Martin said: "Sometimes I live in a bit of an echo chamber and that can feel quite safe, but actually the world is quite a scary place and I think this kind of service is needed now more than ever.

"We need community, we need like-minded people, and the support of each other and tools and resources like this are fundamental."

Recruitment is already under way for next year's course, which will offer more members of the community a chance to gain a nationally recognised qualification while developing skills to support others.

New mentor Kyle Martin added: "This is the first year I've actually felt a little bit more uncomfortable with things that have been going on, so hopefully what we're trying to do here can promote the message to the LGBTQ+ community and make people realise that what some of the media is publishing is not necessarily the truth."

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