Intercom remembers with grief all those who died in the Holocaust and other genocidal crimes around the world, and sends our respect and sympathy to survivors and the bereaved.

This year the Roma Gypsies are at the forefront of our mind, as a result of having been at the launch, last night in Exeter, of the immensely moving DVD documentary Porrajmos: the untold story of the Gypsy Holocaust (Plymouth and Devon Race Equality Council, 17 mins). This was created by local Gypsies in the South West, partly on location at Auschwitz-Birkenau. We hope this will be widely viewed across the South West.

What is 2012 going to bring? Yes, we've been wondering about that too!

These are certainly difficult times of rapid change. However, within the third sector The Intercom Trust has one advantage: very little of our funding has ever come from the public sector. This means that when there are savage cuts in public funding of charities and social enterprises, the Trust is less affected than others.

We continue to provide:

- help, information, support and advocacy for individuals*
- support for the community Collectives and local LGBT community initiatives,** and
- strategic partnership resources for our partners across the South West peninsula. (Mainstreaming equality, Impact and Needs Assessments, diversity-proofing, community consultation, and much more).***

One sad development has to be noted: at the end of March, we shall have to say good-bye to Sue Robinson, our much-loved full-time community support worker and advocate in Dorset Bournemouth and Poole. This was a limited-term pilot project, and the contract has come to an end. If the national finances were different, we would have hoped to see a new project being commissioned at the end of the pilot, but as it is... that's not going to happen.

So from April we shall not have a full-time community advocate in Dorset Bournemouth and Poole, but we shall maintain the helpline, and we shall also do all we can to keep other services running for those most in need. We hope to have some help in all this from our colleagues in the public sector.

Our community support and advocacy work in Cornwall Devon Plymouth and Torbay is not affected (it's got different funding).

* Our helpline numbers:
- 0800 612 3010 (Cornwall Devon Plymouth & Torbay)
- 01305 266642 (Dorset Bournemouth and Poole)
** See www.lgbtcollective.org.uk.
*** main office number 01392 201015.

Our latest newsletter (February 2012) is now available for download on our Bulletins page.

Intercom is a lesbian gay bisexual and trans community resource in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, providing help against homophobic and transphobic prejudice, crime and discrimination (including bullying, harassment, abuse, attacks, and threatening behaviour), helping to develop the LGBT communities, providing professional training and consultancy, and working in partnership with local government, the police, health, etc.