Unfortunately, because of volunteer unavailability Icebreakers are not running the usual meetings at the moment. We hope to get back to normal meeting s soon.

Weekly meetings are now held on THURSDAY evenings at the LGBT Foundation Building, Fairbairn House 2nd Floor, 72 Sackville Street, Manchester, M1 3NJ and run from 7:30 to 9:00pm. At the end of the meeting members are invited to meet for a drink in the Molly House pub on Richmond street

Members drink tea and coffee and chat in an informal and safe setting. There are usually between three and five trained volunteers on duty per evening. Many of them came out through Icebreakers themselves.

On your first visit a volunteer will have a private one-to-one chat with you and tell you all about the group and what we can do to help you.

The volunteers are always on hand to create a relaxed atmosphere and answer any questions about gay life, what’s going on in Manchester, and the other services available through organisations like the LGBT Foundation.

Occasionally, meetings will include presentations about topics such as coming out or safer sex. We also invite guest speakers from groups or organisations that are of interest, such as OutDoorLads, the Police, Village CAB, FFLAG, Northern Waves and Pride Sports.

In some ways, what you get out of Icebreakers is up to you. As well as being a mutual support group, it’s a self-help group. But there is always a chance that you might not enjoy your first night. You might find yourself feeling nervous, for instance, or sitting next to someone with whom you don’t share any common interest. If that happens, please persevere and give us another go.

Meetings end at around 9.00pm, when most members and volunteers go to one of the gay pubs in the Village – the area of the city dominated by gay bars and businesses. Currently we go to The Molly House

But Icebreakers isn’t just about Thursday night meetings. It also arranges social events.

For more information about Icebreakers and to find out about coming to a meeting, contact the LGBT Foundation’s Help Desk service on 0345 3 30 30 30 (or 0161 235 8035). Operators are available to help between 10am & 10 pm Mon – Fri, 6 pm & 10pm weekends).

You can also e-mail the group at info@icebreakersmanchester.org.uk – this is normally checked twice a week.