PRO­UD­LY BAKING FOR PRI­DE

PROUDLY BAKING FOR PRIDE

Many conversations start over cake and coffee; be it at home, in the office or in one of our bakeries. Here at Ole & Steen, we know there's power in conversation and believe our bakeries and baked goods can help facilitate many of them, both the smaller and bigger chats - after all, much like cake, a problem shared is a problem halved, right?

But there's one cake which we know truly brings people together. By name and by nature, our Social’s bring crowds around tables, desks and kitchen counters, and we like to think that's when these magical moments happen. They bring a sense of community and togetherness, which of course, is never done in silence! Our Socials help conversation flow. But this Pride month and beyond, we encourage that to flow a little further, and to those that need it.

This Pride month, we’re donating £1 from every Whole and Half Social to Switchboard, the LGBTQ+ listening service. This is the second year running in which Ole & Steen have supported Switchboard through Pride month and beyond. Find out more about Switchboard and our partnership below.

ABOUT SWITCHBOARD

Switchboard,the national LGBTQ+ helpline, provide a confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental listening service to the LGBTQIA+ communities across the UK, via phone, instant message and email.
It's one of the UK's longest-running, volunteer-led charities, serving the LGBTQIA+ communities.

Their volunteers, who all identify as LGBTQIA+, have conversations with an average of 15,000 callers a year across phone,instant messaging and email, from all across the UK and beyond, who wish to discuss issues ranging from sexuality, gender identity, mental and sexual health,isolation and more.

Switchboard was established in 1974 to provide vital signposting and information to LGBTQIA+ communities, they are a service open to all. Whether this is a personal challenge or one facing a friend or family member, they provide a confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental service and are there to listen and support people to make informed decisions for themselves.
Every call is unique, and Switchboard prides itself on responding to the changing needs of the LGBTQIA+ communities by providing a service that’s continually evolving and relevant.

The milestones of the LGBTQIA+ communities can be traced in the calls Switchboard has taken over the decades, such as being there since the first days of the AIDS crisis - and they’re still here now. For almost fifty years, Switchboard volunteers have responded to heartbreaking calls on loss and despair to triumphant messages of acceptance and love. While they don’t know what issues the coming decades will bring, they're determined to be here, answering people’s calls, all the while.