Jenni Ferrans She/her

Jenni identifies as a lesbian and was born in 1957.  She moved to Milton Keynes in 1980 when she took a job with Marconi.  She came out in 1982, which was nerve-wracking because Marconi was a defence contractor and she could have been sacked. The lesbians formed a group in 1983 and then an Older Lesbians Group which ran until about 2010. There were gay discos at the OU, then at the Queen Victoria pub and the ballroom of Great Linford Manor. The women’s group ran a disco at Neath Hill Community Centre. There was a walking group that continued to the present time. She joined Switchboard as an operator. It was in The Bakehouse, as was the Women & Work Group. She helped Ben with the Women’s Newsletter (printed on a Riso machine) and took over when Ben left. It folded when photocopiers and email became available. She was with Switchboard when Q:alliance was formed. Gwilym Roberts raised funds and got a centre at Witan Gate. The group included counselling, legal and esteem-building experience and helped youth that had had traumatic experiences and was at risk. Switchboard got training from the Terence Higgins Trust and started the local AIDS Helpline; it was publicised as such on National AIDS Day. The Health Authority funded leaflets. Teams spread the message at gay events. Dr Vasco Fernandes, the Officer of Public Health, got the blood supply safeguarded. Ten years later, the figures for AIDS and HIV in Milton Keynes were much, much lower than for nearby towns. When she was active in the LGBTQ+ community, it was a welcoming, supporting and outreaching group. When she stepped back she found it difficult to keep in touch because most of the communication was on social media.