Honouring Dale Wakefield: A New Room at the Vassall Centre

The Vassall Centre has a long history of championing accessibility and inclusion. Established as one of the UK’s first purpose-built barrier-free office and meeting spaces, it has for decades provided a welcoming environment for charities, social enterprises and community groups. Today, under the stewardship of Bristol Charities, the Centre continues this legacy, celebrating diversity, breaking down barriers and creating space for people and organisations to thrive.

In that spirit, the Centre is proud to announce the naming of a new meeting room in honour of Dale Wakefield (1941–2020), a pioneering LGBTQIA+ activist and founder of Bristol Gay Switchboard.

Born in Bishopston during the Second World War, Dale lived a life shaped by resilience, courage and a determination to create change. After raising two children and working in London as a prison officer, she returned to Bristol in the early 1970s. It was here that Dale first came out on the gay scene before becoming deeply involved in the Women’s Movement.

In 1974, while attending a Gay Women’s Group meeting in Clifton, Dale noticed the constant stream of phone calls from people seeking support, advice and a listening ear. Recognising the urgent need, she opened her own home in Totterdown to launch Bristol Gay Switchboard on 1 February 1975 – using her private phone line.

For more than three years, Dale and a team of volunteers answered calls from those who felt isolated, frightened or unsure where else to turn. She often took calls herself late at night, offering reassurance and solidarity at a time when being openly gay could mean facing hostility and discrimination. In 1978, the Switchboard moved to the newly established Bristol Gay Centre, though Dale remained actively involved until the early 1980s. She later also played a role in helping organise Bristol Lesbian Line.

She passed away on 5 September 2020 at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, bravery and grassroots action that transformed LGBTQI+ visibility and support in Bristol.

“I love that the Vassall Centre is a barrier-smashing place – not just physically, but socially too. Naming this space after Dale Wakefield is a powerful reminder of how one person’s determination can make life better for so many others,” said Charity Wallis, Director of Development at Bristol Charities.

The Dale Wakefield Room now stands as a lasting tribute to a woman who answered the call to help others, and whose life reminds us of the power of community to create lasting change.