© 2010 Coventry & Warwickshire Friend

is a voluntary organisation offering information, support and befriending to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans people throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.

 

We also offer support to people affected by issues relating to sexuality, such as the families of gay people.

We are staffed almost entirely by volunteers, all of whom identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual themselves. We also employ a part time administrator

 

Services

The services that we currently provide are:

Help line - open on weekday evenings from 7.3Opm-9.3Opm.

Face to face befriending.

Regular social events

  (including Sunday afternoon socials, at least one per month).

Weekly social evenings in Rainbows.

Regular newsletter

Walks and cycle rides (Usually in the summer!).

 

There are a number of ways in which your business can support London Friend. These include:

Make a donation: If you have a trust or a charitable committee why not donate to London Friend.

Gifts In Kind: It doesn't have to be cash. Could your company print our Annual Report and Accounts, or headed paper, or leaflets?

Sponsorship opportunities: London Friend can provide companies with the opportunity to support our valuable work whilst offering unique business benefits. These include:

• Sponsor our website via our sponsors' page and we will provide links to your site.
• Sponsor our collecting tins.
• Sponsor our collecting buckets: Our volunteers regularly go to London pubs and clubs to raise money for London Friend.
• Sponsor our T-shirts.
• Sponsor our information programme or our events.
• Sponsor our events

 

 

For more information on how your business can benefit from supporting London Friend, please contact a member of staff during office hours on 020 7833 1674 or email us at office@londonfriend.org.uk.

 

 

Supporting London Friend

London Friend relies completely on donations in order to continue its important work in supporting the lesbian, gay & bisexual community. London Friend would like to thank all its donors for their kind generosity.

Online Donation To London Friend
If you wish to make a donation to London Friend, please click on the button below.

Top of Form 1

Bottom of Form 1

Support London Friend By Buying Online
Do you buy anything online? If so, you can raise some extra money for London Friend. If you access a company website, like Amazon for example, through http://buy.at/londonfriend and make a purchase, a percentage will be donated to London Friend. The percentage varies from company to company. As well as Amazon, other companies participating include John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse, Marks & Spencer and many more. Please bookmark http://buy.at/londonfriend.
Shopping in this way imposes no extra cost to you and helps raise some much needed funds for London Friend. Also, please let your family and friends know about this, as the more people use this facility the more money is raised.

 

Single Donation Form
To donate to London Friend please download and print our donation form, sign it and send it to London Friend, 86 Caledonian Road, King’s Cross, London N1 9DN.
All cheques and postal orders should be made payable to “London Friend”.

Donation Form (87kb)

Of The Just Giving Scheme
London Friend has recently become a member of the JustGiving website, whereby people who are undertaking charitable events can create a webpage to allow others to support them with their chosen challenge through sponsorship. No more using paper-based forms or chasing supporters for their money: just a few clicks and it’s done. They can even use credit cards; the transaction is not considered a cash one. It’s the quick, easy & hassle-free way of raising funds for London Friend. For more info, please go to http://www.justgiving.com/.

Ebay For Charity
No doubt you have all heard about the online auction site Ebay. However, did you know that sellers are able to donate a percentage of their final sales figure to a charity of their choice? Not only that: Ebay will match the sellers' percentage figure and donate it from the final selling fee, meaning the charity benefits twice! It is also possible to reclaim Gift Aid if the purchaser agrees to provide their details, increasing the donation even more! For further information, visit http://www.ebay.co.uk/community/charity/.

Next time you sell using Ebay, remember the charities option!

Regular Contributions To London Friend
Making regular contributions to London Friend is easy. You have complete control and can cancel your payments at any time, but a regular contribution will provide vital resources for our services. Please download, print and complete our standing order form. Please send this form to London Friend, 86 Caledonian Road, King’s Cross, London N1 9DN.

Standing Order Form (84kb)

Gift Aid
Make your money work harder. If you are donating to London Friend and are a UK taxpayer, please sign the declaration with the single donation form or the standing order form. London Friend will be able to claim back 28p on every £1 that you donate to us, at no extra cost to you!

Give As you Earn (GAYE)
GAYE is an easy and convenient way for you to give to charity. This scheme authorises your employer to deduct your donation from your pay. You have complete control and can cancel your gift at any time.

GAYE Information (278kb)

In order to read documents in PDF format, you need Adobe Reader. If you do not have this software on your computer, you can download it free.

Alternatively, you can also make a donation by requesting a donation form, by e-mailing us at office@londonfriend.org.uk. You can also call us on 020 7833 1674.

Legacies (Making A Will)
Everyone should have a current, valid will to avoid potential problems. This is especially the case with lesbians, gay men and bisexual people. You might not think you need one, or maybe you just don't want to think about it, but, without a will, those close to you may be left with huge headaches and expensive legal bills.

If you die without a will, your family doesn't have to let your lover know when your funeral is.

Why You Should Make A Will
As the law currently stands, if you die without a will, the law won't recognise your partner or friends. In cases where there is no will, the law of "intestacy" applies, according to which your assets will go to certain relatives (in a set order), because that is believed to reflect what most people would want. This may not reflect the wishes of lesbians or gay men. Legislation is being considered to offer inheritance rights. However, it has not been introduced.

There is, however, more to a will than just property. A will is your chance to make sure things happen the way you want them to. These could include:

• Appointing an executor for your will to carry out your wishes
• Organising your funeral
• Appointing a guardian for any children you may have
• Making sure your money goes to the right individuals and charities

How Do I Go About It?
It is advisable to have your will drawn up by a solicitor. If you don't have one, look in the gay press or contact your local switchboard or lesbian line.

Who Can Help Me?
The following people can point you in the right direction and give you contact details for gay or gay-friendly solicitors:

• London Friend: 020 7837 3337 (7.30pm-9.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)
• London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard: 020 7837 7324
• Lesbian and Gay Bereavement Project: 020 7403 5969