Our History
Safe Haven–Cornwall was founded by Paul (Paula) and Jackie (Pixie) Swarbrick in 2015. At that time, it didn’t have a name and it was initially purely a social event that they put on in a venue they had at their home, called The Batcave. Paula is Bi-gender and was well aware that there was nowhere that transgender people could go that was safe, private and friendly in Cornwall, so used to run monthly coffee days in 2013 to give local people on the gender spectrum somewhere to go and meet others socially. Due to work commitments, these stopped in 2014 and restarted in June 2015.
Jackie and Paula held the first evening party, which they called ‘Sugar & Spice’, in July 2015. It was attended by 15 gender variant people, and through word of mouth the numbers started to increase every month. People would phone or just turn up at their home because they needed someone to talk to who understood. It quickly became clear that a regular support group was needed.
Our “Safe & Sound Support Group” started in 2016, to offer support to transgender and gender expansive people, and those questioning their gender. In 2017, “Family Matters Support Group” was established to give partners, parents, family member and friends of gender expansive people somewhere to talk about how things are for them. We started to get a lot of young people wanting support, and “TransTeenKernow” started in 2018, for young people up to the age of 21. We then saw the value in everyone meeting together to share experiences and “One & All Support Group” came into existence, once a month we combine all the groups together. From these very grass roots origins, the group has grown and evolved organically to provide support, advice, friendship and social events for transgender, non-binary and gender questioning people, their partners and family members.
The name of our organisation, Safe Haven - Cornwall, came about in 2016 when one of the group said coming to The Batcave was their Safe Haven, and it seemed like an appropriate name for what was becoming quite a big organisation. In July 2018, Safe Haven – Cornwall appointed a board of trustees, and became a non-profit making organisation. We were then able to apply for funding, and in March 2020 became a registered charity, as a Community Interest Organisation.
Over the last 9 years, Safe Haven – Cornwall has continually developed and grown to meet the needs of the transgender and gender expansive community, and will continue to do so. Safe Haven – Cornwall is run entirely by volunteers; until 2018 Jackie and Paula ran it single handed until it just got too much for 2 people. We now have a team of 7 trustees, and a group of volunteers who help run our fund raising and information stand at events across Cornwall.