Casgliadau Arlein

Cardiff FRIEND (an acronym of ‘Fellowship for the Relief of the Isolated and Emotionally in Need and Distress’) was founded in 1972, and was part of a network of FRIEND groups (there were 31 in 1995 with the London group set up in 1971), and affiliated to the National Association of Mental Health and the British Association for Counselling. Cardiff FRIEND provided support to the LGBTQ+ community via a telephone helpline service from an office in St Mary's Street, and later moved to the Rights Information Bureau on Charles Street. The group changed their name to Friend South Wales, and registered as a charity in 1993.