Voluntary Action South West Surrey

Description :

Volunteers are needed to help and encourage the clients of the Artventure Trust to:

• draw, paint, create recognisable objects using a variety of materials

• participate in simple physical activities such as walking, movements to music, drama, gardening etc.

Groups of up to 10 learning disabled participants attend the group each day.

Volunteers can be flexible in the days they come, but commitment is appreciated.

When Required :  Monday-Friday

Sessions run from 9:30-2:30pm Monday to Friday during term time.

Commitment: Part Time

Areas of Interest :  Art and Culture, Disability, Mental Health

Types of Activity :  Art, Community Work, General and Helping

Skills and Qualifications :

Volunteers should be interested in visual arts and caring for disadvantaged people. However, artistic skill is not essential - a caring approach is much more important, as is flexibility, initiative and a willingness to 'muck in'. Volunteers carrying out this role will be required to have a DBS check.

Additional/Specific Suitabilities :  16+

 Expenses:    Reasonable travel expenses

Training:    Initial supervision

 Directions :

At St Peter's Comprehensive School, located on Horseshoe Lane off the Epsom Road A246 in Merrow. Artventure occupies an artistically decorated building to the left side of the campus as viewed from Horseshoe Lane. The site is easily accessible by public transport.

Recruitment Method :

DBS Check, Informal Discussion, References

If you are interested,have any questions or would like to apply contact Mariann by completing the online application.

Our volunteers help with all manner of growing tasks; we have something to suit all abilities. Things our volunteers get up to in the field include:

Sowing seeds in the polytunnel
Potting on plants
Planting out seedlings in the field
Preparing the soil for planting, using a broad fork and rake
Weeding, tidying and maintaining the crops
Harvesting the crops (Wednesdays and Thursday morning); picking and digging up the veg required that week
Weighing out veg for each member's bag
Building infrastructure (e.g., a shed), creating structures for the children’s area, or repairing wooden items. 
Topping up vegetable beds with manure or compost

Tea and lunch breaks are an important part of the day, when we all sit together to chat and enjoy tea, coffee, and biscuits—provided free by the farm. 

We welcome volunteers Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm (or 4pm in the winter).  All abilities are welcome and we don't ask for any commitment, just come when it suits you. It is good to let us know you are coming on your first visit by sending an email to: volunteering@farnhamcommunityfarm.com 

Join us throughout the summer on Friday from 10am-2pm

• Relaxed, free drop-in sessions with no commitment
• For family members of all ages and abilites
• Berry and plum picking and farm jobs for all ages
• Crafts table
• Tea, coffee and biscuits at our morning break, all provided free by the farm

Guildford Action, with its homeless day service and family outreach team based at in Guildford, now has a garden allotment for the people it helps.

A couple of volunteers are needed to help get it up and running and then to look after it all with assistance by staff at Guildford Action.

The allotment is at the new site at North Moors, Slyfield.

To apply, or for more details, please fill in the application form on the right and we will get back to you.

🎨 We’re looking for a creative soul!

Love getting crafty? Want to share that joy with others in a relaxed, friendly space?

We’re on the lookout for someone who can help us run arts and crafts sessions for people who come to our day service. Whether you love painting, collage, knitting, card-making, seasonal crafts or just getting stuck into something creative – we’d love to hear from you!

👐 What you’ll be doing:

• Helping plan and run chilled, creative sessions

• Encouraging people to have a go – no experience needed!

• Being a friendly face, supporting others to express themselves

• Setting up and tidying away (we all know crafts can get a bit messy!)

• Most importantly – creating a space where people feel welcome and valued

🧶 What we’re looking for:

• Someone who enjoys being creative

• A good listener who’s kind and patient

• You don’t need to be a professional artist – just happy to share and connect

• Willing to get involved and have a giggle along the way!

💛 What’s in it for you?

• A chance to brighten someone’s day

• Be part of a warm, welcoming team

• Make new connections and maybe pick up some crafty skills too

• That great feeling of doing something that really matters

• Free Lunch & Travel Expenses

All our volunteer roles are about making people feel seen, supported and valued while they’re with us – your time, your creativity and your kindness really can make a difference 💫

Interested? Give us a shout – we’d love to have you on board!

Location: Remote (Work from Home)
Time Commitment: Flexible; events run at a variety of times including Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 10 AM and other monthly events (weekends/evenings).
Minimum Age: 18+

About Us:
The Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary is a charitable organisation dedicated to holistic healing and well-being. We offer both in-person and online healing events, ensuring accessibility to all.

Role Overview:
We’re looking for tech-savvy volunteers to help run our live online healing events via Zoom and Facebook Live. You’ll ensure smooth streaming, support hosts, and troubleshoot technical issues. No prior experience in healing is needed—just a passion for helping and a knack for technology!

What You’ll Do:

• Set up and manage Zoom meetings and Facebook Live sessions
• Provide real-time technical support during live events
• Monitor audio, video, and streaming quality
• Save and organise event recordings for future use

Skills & Requirements:

• Confidence using Zoom and Facebook Live (training provided)
• Ability to problem-solve technical issues quickly
• Clear communication skills to support event hosts
• Reliability and attention to detail

What We Offer:

• Full training and support from our friendly team
• The chance to be part of a meaningful cause
• Flexible volunteering you can do from home
• A great way to develop tech and event production skills

Interested?
We’d love to hear from you! 

Join us in bringing healing to more people, wherever they are!

🌟 Could You Be a Lifeline for a Local Family? Become a Home-Visiting Volunteer 🌟

Do you have parenting experience and a few hours to spare each week? You could make a world of difference to a family going through a tough time.

At Home-Start Guildford, our home-visiting volunteers offer friendly, informal support to families with young children. Whether it’s holding a baby so mum can shower, playing with toddlers so a parent can rest, or simply being a listening ear - your time and empathy can change lives.

Home-visiting volunteers come from many different backgrounds and vary in age but all are either parents themselves or have parenting experience. They provide informal, friendly emotional support and practical help to families. 

Why Volunteer With Us?

• 🤝 Make a real difference in your local community
• 🎓 Free training and ongoing support
• 🚗 Travel expenses reimbursed
• 🧠 Learn new skills and build confidence
• 💬 Join a warm, supportive volunteer network
• 🎉 Enjoy social events and specialist talks

What We’re Looking For:

• Parenting experience (you don’t need to be a current parent!)
• A commitment of 2–3 hours a week for at least a year
• Willingness to attend our preparation course and ongoing training
• A kind heart, a listening ear, and a non-judgemental attitude

We’ll support you every step of the way - with training, supervision, and thoughtful matching to a family who will benefit from your unique experience.

Volunteers take their own individual skills and experience to the families they visit. Talking and listening can empower families to overcome their difficult situations. Visits might include holding the baby while mum has a shower, playing with twin toddlers while mum has a sleep, taking parents shopping and showing them how to budget, being a listening ear to relieve isolation, modelling positive parenting and play.

What we offer you:

• An ongoing commitment to help volunteers fulfil their roles to the best of their ability
• Comprehensive and up-to-date information about Home-Start
• Individual interview with one of our co-ordinators before commencing training
• Free initial training before you commence as a home-visiting volunteer
• Opportunities for regular ongoing training
• Appropriate support and supervision, both individually and at volunteer support group meetings
• A thorough matching service when matching volunteers to new families 
• Re-imbursement of travel expenses
• Annual volunteer social events 

If you would like to find out more, to make an enquiry, please fill in an application and someone will be in touch with you. 

Are you are keen to help local people living with Motor Neurone Disease in the Guildford and surrounding areas?

We are seeking people who are able to provide support to families living with MND in Guildford and the surrounding areas. Support volunteers can provide face to face home visits, email and phone support, helping people to have the best quality of life for as long as possible.

You'll need to be caring, reliable and able to carry out home visits on your own. This is a challenging but rewarding role and you will be supported by your local branch and regional staff team.

We will do a DBS check, reimburse expenses and provide training and support.

If you would like to have an informal chat about this role please click on the application tab and we will be in touch asap. 

Oakleaf are looking for volunteers to run activities with clients. 

Oakleaf Enterprise is a Mental Health Charity based in Guildford.  We support adults with their ill-mental health. We do this through three main pathways: work-related training, wellbeing activities and counselling.  

We are continuing to expand our activity offerings and would love to recruit some volunteers to help us run them.  If you have an hour a week, and a skill/passion you think our clients would benefit from let us know!

An understanding and compassionate nature towards ill-mental health is essential and a DBS check will be required. 

If you'd love the chance to share your skills, interact and help our clients then please do get in touch for more information. 

Client Services: Client-Services@Oakleaf-Enterprise.org

Oakleaf are always looking for volunteers to assist with our Fundraising Activities. 

Oakleaf Enterprise is a Mental Health Charity based in Guildford.  We support adults with their ill-mental health. We do this through three main pathways: work-related training, wellbeing activities and counselling.  

Whether its our annual quiz night, a fire-walk, a dinner dance, a community awareness event we are continuing to expand our volunteer database and would love to recruit some volunteers to help us execute our events.  If you have a free evening once in a while and would like to support your local Mental Health Charity let us know!

Please contact our Community & Events Fundraising Manger: JaneFelton@Oakleaf-Enterprise.org

We currently have vacancies for volunteer receptionists to assist us with an immediate start.   

Full reception training will be given and appropriate safeguarding adults and GDPR training. 

We will require an Enhanced DBS check which Oakleaf will arrange.

Overview:

Provide general reception support for Oakleaf overseen by the client services manager.

Greet visitors and clients to the building, assisting with general enquiries and directing them to the correct service or department.

Ensure visitors sign in and sign out of the building so that Oakleaf are aware who is in the building at all times.

Monitor visitor movements whilst they are on site.

Receiving external telephone calls and transfer to appropriate staff member, message taking and provide  information regarding Oakleaf services.

Monitor staff Outlook calendars for whereabouts.

Being aware of and promoting Oakleaf services to new visitors and handing out promotional literature where appropriate.

Keeping hard copies of Oakleaf referral forms on reception to hand out to visitors enquiring about becoming an Oakleaf client, for them to take away and complete a daily appointment schedule for client activities, counselling appointments and maintenance visits is available each morning on reception.

Take card payments for services such as counselling and record each transaction.

Keep the reception folder updated with changes to staff and extension numbers.

Keep the reception area clean and tidy.

Monitor the car park to prevent blocking in.

Assist with adhoc administrative tasks.

Replenish supply of activities calendars in reception.

General:

Ensure maintenance of a safe and efficient working environment in accordance with current Health and Safety legislation including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, COSHH Regulations, Environmental Health and EC Directives.

Operate robust and safe levels of practice in regard to lone working.

Perform any other reasonable duties as may be requested by the chief executive.

This job description is an indicator of general areas of responsibility and will be amended in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation in consultation with the post holder.

Oakleaf are looking for volunteers to work in our Horticulture department with our team leaders and clients. 

Oakleaf Enterprise is a Mental Health Charity based in Guildford.  We support adults with their ill-mental health. We do this through three main pathways: work-related training, wellbeing activities and counselling.  

We operate a Gardening service, as a social enterprise, as a way of providing vocational training and work experience for our clients and volunteers. Our services raise funds to help keep Oakleaf operating. If you enjoy working in the open air, with a friendly team, and you have a day, or a half day, available per week, please get in touch.

An understanding and compassionate nature towards ill-mental health is essential. 

Horticulture Administrator: beatricecurtis@oakleaf-enterprise.org

PeerTalk groups are attended by people who live with depression, anxiety and similar emotional distress

Helping out means being part of a volunteer team to facilitate the peer support group meetings. The role does not involve offering advice, counsel or trying to ‘fix’ people but it does involve listening to people’s concerns and facilitating the meeting so that the attendees are able to support one another by sharing coping skills, encouragement and understanding.

“Talking to other people who have experienced the same mental health problems as you is really helpful. It resets my week so I can start again. I am so happy that I have found this group, it helps me in ways I cannot explain. It has changed my life for better : ) Thank you”.  - a PeerTalk attendee.

PeerTalk groups are attended by people who live with depression, anxiety and similar emotional distress

Helping out means being part of a volunteer team to facilitate the peer support group meetings. The role does not involve offering advice, counsel or trying to ‘fix’ people but it does involve listening to people’s concerns and facilitating the meeting so that the attendees are able to support one another by sharing coping skills, encouragement and understanding.

“Talking to other people who have experienced the same mental health problems as you is really helpful. It resets my week so I can start again. I am so happy that I have found this group, it helps me in ways I cannot explain. It has changed my life for better : ) Thank you”.  - a PeerTalk attendee.

Do you have 30 minutes either weekly or fortnightly to speak to an older person who is experiencing loneliness and isolation? If yes and like us you want to end isolation, we have older people waiting to be matched to volunteers like you! 

This role is flexible that can work around your own lifestyle and availability As a valued Re-engage Volunteer you'll receive training and support, as well as communication from the Re-engage team. 

We are looking for people who are friendly, good listening skills and patience and understanding. 

This is a rewarding role and if you feel you would like to be apart of the Re-engage volunteering community, we would love for you to apply! 

Just a couple of things...

• You will be over 18 
• We are unable to pay expenses for the phone calls, this is to keep our services free for older people.

About the Charity

The Cedar House Charity was set up for mothers experiencing prenatal and postnatal depression in 2004 and offers support to mothers by holding free weekly group therapy sessions. The groups provide a safe, supported, and confidential environment where mothers can get together with others who may be feeling similar to themselves and are facilitated by our specialist postnatal depression counsellor, Liz Wise. Liz has thirty years’ experience in facilitating groups, providing counselling and has personal experience of the illness. The groups aid their recovery by making them feel normal and reducing the sense of isolation that postnatal depression can bring.

​The charity has been running since 2004 in Surrey, and now also provides a support group in South London. Each group provides creche facilities and both this and the group are free of charge. We get no funding from the NHS or local authorities and rely solely on private donations, grants and fundraising events.

Charity Trustee

Purpose of role:               

Key purpose of the charity trustee role is to function as one of the key decision makers of Cedar House, providing leadership, guidance, support and making decisions for the benefit of the charity and the work that it does. The charity trustee’s will safeguard the charity's assets – both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as its reputation. Cedar House is a small charity, and we rely on the time given generously by our volunteers, including our trustees. These roles require a positive, active input to the shared responsibility of overall governance and fundraising efforts, vital to keeping the charity going.

Key Responsibilities:      

Cedar House Charity Trustees are required to attend 3 board meetings per annum, where the financials including accounts, funding/grant applications and other related topics will be discussed. All trustees must be an active member of the board as it is small. The board members may also share the board roles including Treasurer, Secretary, Chair, safeguarding and communications/fundraising.

Key duties include:

• Ensure the charity is conducting its purposes for the public benefit
• Comply with the charity's governing document and the law
• Acting in the charities best interest
• Managing the charity's resources responsibly (including finances)
• Acting with reasonable care and skill
• Ensuring the charity is accountable.

Eligibility criteria:             

• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must not have been previously disqualified
• Fit the criteria of ‘fit and proper person’ under Finance Act 2010 HRMC
• Can undertake and pass Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
•  Able to travel to Guildford, Surrey for the 3 Trustee Board meetings per year

Key Experience:  

•  Worked in teams of people
•  Experience of making objective decisions, based on factual evidence
•  Understanding of financial information

If you are interested in supporting Cedar House and you are able to provide some time by volunteering, please click on the Fill in an Application button to volunteer or if you wish for further details.   

About the Charity

The Cedar House Charity was set up for mothers experiencing prenatal and postnatal depression in 2004 and offers support to mothers by holding free weekly group therapy sessions. The groups provide a safe, supported, and confidential environment where mothers can get together with others who may be feeling similar to themselves and are facilitated by our specialist postnatal depression counsellor, Liz Wise. Liz has thirty years’ experience in facilitating groups, providing counselling and has personal experience of the illness. The groups aid their recovery by making them feel normal and reducing the sense of isolation that postnatal depression can bring.

​The charity has been running since 2004 in Surrey, and now also provides a support group in South London. Each group provides creche facilities and both this and the group are free of charge. We get no funding from the NHS or local authorities and rely solely on private donations, grants and fundraising events.

Charity Trustee and Secretary

Purpose of role:               

Key purpose of the Charity Trustee role is to function as one of the key decision makers of Cedar House, providing leadership, guidance, support and making decisions for the benefit of the charity and the work that it does. The charity trustee’s will safeguard the charity's assets – both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as its reputation. Cedar House is a small charity and we rely on the time given generously by our volunteers, including our trustees. These roles require a positive, active input to the shared responsibility of overall governance and fundraising efforts, vital to keeping the charity going.

The Charity Secretary's overall role includes secretarial duties such as organizing board meetings, taking the minutes, managing correspondence, managing updates and background information required by the board of trustees, keeping records of membership, and other similar administrative responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:      

Cedar House Charity Trustees are required to attend 3 board meetings per annum, where the financials including accounts, funding/grant applications and other related topics will be discussed. All trustees must be an active member of the board as it is small. The board members may also share the board roles including Treasurer, Secretary, Chair, safeguarding and communications/fundraising.

Key duties include:

• Ensure the charity is conducting its purposes for the public benefit
• Comply with the charity's governing document and the law
• Acting in the charities best interest
• Managing the charity's resources responsibly (including finances)
• Acting with reasonable care and skill
• Ensuring the charity is accountable.
• Arranging 3 board meetings per annum to ensure all trustees are able to attend.
• Take minutes at board meetings, including any actions or follow up activity and share with the board after meetings.
• Arrange necessary paperwork for new trustees and leaving trustees.
• Update information packs for new trustees so they understand responsibilities.

Eligibility criteria:             

• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must not have been previously disqualified
• Fit the criteria of ‘fit and proper person’ under Finance Act 2010 HRMC
• Can undertake and pass Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
•  Able to travel to Guildford to attend the 3 annual trustee board meetings.

Key Experience:               

• Worked in teams of people
• Experience of making objective decisions, based on factual evidence
• Understanding of financial information

If you are interested in supporting Cedar House and you are able to provide some time by volunteering, please click on the Fill in an Application button to volunteer or if you wish for further details. 

We are looking for volunteers to work alongside teenage students and adults who suffer from a wide range of physical, psychological and developmental difficulties.

You will received great support from the team and a full induction.  No gardening experience is required, just a desire to be outdoors, have lots of fun and help people.

 Please click on the 'Sign up button' for more information

Guildford, Farnham,Ash, Aldershot, Pirbright, Woking, Godalming

We have seven compost bays which need regular turning.

Do you have an afternoon each week where you can help turning these bays?

If so, please get in touch and join our merry band of volunteers at The Therapy Garden!