Voluntary Action South West Surrey

The Artventure Trust enables people with learning difficulties,physical & mental disabilities to explore the visual arts.  We aim to help vunerable people integrate into the community.  Working alongside practising artists & others with a variety of skills & experience, we combine to give a flexible & fun approach to the creative process.

Brightwells Gostrey has been in the heart of the community for older people for over 30 years.  We provide a warm and friendly environment for senior citizens to meet. Offering a variety of vital activities and services including freshly cooked meals, daily activities, craft workshops, grandparent and toddler groups, outings and much more. We are proud to bring a sense of belonging, companionship, fun and enjoyment to those in their golden years.

We also provide a Community Meal Service, ensuring those who need it, regularly receive a nutritious freshly cooked meal and pudding. All dishes are prepared from scratch in our kitchen. However, it is far more than just a meal we are delivering.  Our team of volunteers are a friendly face to many, helping to reduce social isolation, something which has become so much more important in the recent months.

S W Association For Mental Health

(Canterbury Care Centre)

The Canterbury drop in day centre runs a service for adults who are suffering, or have suffered with mental illness who live in the South West Surrey area (Guildford, Farnham, Haselmere and surrounding villages).  On offer are social activities, a friendly atmosphere, informal help and advice, creative arts and writing, massage and physical activities.  Refreshments and lunch are also provided.  The centre is open on Mondays from 10am-3pm and Thursday and Friday from 10am-1pm.  You may drop in to the centre or be referred by your GP, Social services or Guildford CMHT. A lunch is provided at low cost.

Catalyst (formerly SAdAS) is a non-profit organisation working with people who are dealing with issues stemming from drug and alcohol misuse and mental health – including housing, involvement with criminal justice, relationships with family and friends and getting back into work.

Guildford-based for over 30 years, we work throughout Surrey and its borders in partnership with a wide variety of statutory and non-statutory organisations and bodies to provide support.

We believe change is achievable when facilitated by skilled professional staff and volunteers offering a friendly, respectful, non-judgemental and personal approach.

It’s not just about what we offer, but how we offer it.

As a mental health charity, we aim to promote mental health and wellbeing throughout the Coast West Sussex area.

Respecting individual needs and the rights of individuals to have control of their lives, we aim to empower people with mental health needs to be as independent as possible and help them to benefit from optimum support and activities in their community.

We are committed to challenging stigma and barriers in the community, for people with mental health needs.

We provide or support 7 projects throughout the Chichester area helping people to:

•  Strengthen their self-esteem and self-confidence.
•  Build and maintain strong personal and social relationships.
•  Enjoy positive community experiences.
•  Achieve their personal and social goals.

Our projects in the Chichester focus on these areas:

•  Work with older people
•  Work with young people
•  Work in the community

Community Angels is one of three projects run by Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy (GTCC).

GTCC exists to:

Show Compassion, Offer Care and Support Community:

Each of our projects begins with showing compassion to others at their point of need and seeking to understand their situation without judging. We respond by offering care which may include emotional or practical support as appropriate. We work collaboratively with others to support community in Guildford by connecting with those facing isolation, welcoming those who feel rejected and embracing difference and diversity.

Crossroads Care is Surrey's leading charity providing respite care support to Carers. We've been working across Surrey for over 30 years, with our core purpose being to improve the quality of life of unpaid carers and those they are caring for. 

COVID-19 Emergency Response

As a result of Coronavirus, Crossroads swiftly implemented a response by providing essential shopping and prescription collection services to carers and to other vulnerable people that were isolated at home. We provided regular wellbeing calls to check in on people to see how they were coping and to offer support with shopping. We're now developing a volunteer based Outreach Support and Telephone Befriending with Digital Tech project largely in response to Covid, but which enable us to continue to support people who need it with shopping and prescription collections, and also with support in learning and using digital technology.  We are seeking new volunteers who are interested in providing Outreach Support and / or Telephone or Digital Befriending.

As an Outreach Support Volunteer you would support people living in the same borough as yourself with shopping and prescription collections. We would provide you with appropriate PPE and pay any related fuel costs.  

As a Befriender you would support carers and other older people, or those being cared for, who are feeling isolated and alone and who would benefit from having someone to speak to simply to chat about life, the weather, local services and events etc. We're interested in hearing from volunteers who are relatively IT savvy and would be able to connect to our Cloud based phone system to make telephone or virtual calls to clients. We'd also like volunteers to get involved with an exciting new Befriending with digital tech project, through which you would be able to support people in learning to use, or building confidence in using laptops, smart phones and tablets. Even if you're not computer savvy, but would benefit from being a befriender yourself, please get in touch.

We're also looking for new Trustee's to join us now, so if you're interested in supporting us in leading the development of respite services for carers in Surrey, please enquire through our website www.crossroadscaresurrey.org.uk

We are also always looking for people that are interested in other volunteering roles, including by offering support in care or club settings, in the community or in the head office.

If you are interested in becoming part of our Surrey wide team and being involved in providing support to your community, please email us at enquiries@crossroadscaresurrey.org.uk to request a volunteer pack.

We'd love to hear from you... if you have a good understanding of what it's like to be a carer and are looking to give something back through volunteering.

Somewhere to turn when someone dies

Cruse is a national charity that provides advice, information and support to anyone who has been bereaved (children, young people and adults), whenever or however the death occurred. The service is provided by trained, experienced volunteers and is confidential and free.

Dolphin Swim Sessions aim to facilitate friendly, inclusive swimming sessions for anyone who feels that joining the sessions would benefit their physical or mental health. No referral is required, anyone is welcome as are carers. Sessions are used as rehabilitation after surgery, for management of various mental health conditions, for on-going physical maintenance, weight loss, etc.

www.emergeadvocacy.com

Emerge is a Christian based charity that supports young people who are struggling with self-harm or feeling suicidal and have found themselves at A&E in Guildford as a result.  We are youth workers who will be there for young people in crisis late in the evening and also during (often intense) multi-disciplinary professionals meeting during the day.  

We make tea, help people breathe through panic attacks, make mind maps and listen, listen, listen.  

We seek to be a voice of hope, even in the bleakest of situations.

The overarching aims of Family Action's Social Prescribing service in North East Hampshire and Farnham are to:

• Improve health and wellbeing outcomes for residents in the area
• Reduce inappropriate demand for health and social services
• Enable residents to be proactive in managing their own health and wellbeing
• Help people to access the right support
• Be accessible to as many people as possible within the community

Headway Surrey supports people with acquired brain injuries and their families and promotes understanding of the implications of acquired brain injury throughout Surrey.

The National Autistic Society is here to transform lives, change attitudes and create a society that works for autistic people.

We transform lives by providing support, information and practical advice for the 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK, as well as their three million family members and carers. Since 1962, autistic people have turned to us at key moments or challenging times in their lives, be it getting a diagnosis, going to school or finding work.

We change attitudes by improving public understanding of autism and the difficulties many autistic people face. We also work closely with businesses, local authorities and government to help them provide more autism-friendly spaces, deliver better services and improve laws.

The National Autistic Society is here to transform lives, change attitudes and create a society that works for autistic people.

We transform lives by providing support, information and practical advice for the 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK, as well as their three million family members and carers. Since 1962, autistic people have turned to us at key moments or challenging times in their lives, be it getting a diagnosis, going to school or finding work.

We change attitudes by improving public understanding of autism and the difficulties many autistic people face. We also work closely with businesses, local authorities and government to help them provide more autism-friendly spaces, deliver better services and improve laws.

To work with partners to ensure that those, in Surrey and beyond, who have missed out on learning in the past, have opportunities to learn and to reach their full potential.

Send Family Link exists to meet the needs of adults and children visiting relatives or friends in HMP Send. We aim to offer a safe, pleasant environment where all visitors are met with dignity and respect,provided with the facilities they need and offered information, support and the opportunity to discuss any difficulties they have in confidence.

Our mission is to relieve the distress of people who have suffered rape and/or sexual abuse or assault, and to educate the public.

SSAFA provides lifelong support to anyone who is currently serving or has ever served in the Royal Navy, British Army or Royal Air Force.

We're ready to help you and your family, whenever and wherever you need us.

Surrey Drug & Alcohol Care is a registered charity which has been set up as a result of a need in the county of Surrey for a confidential Freephone help line for substance misusers and those with mild to moderate mental health problems, their families, friends and colleagues, aiming to make a difference to their lives. Trained volunteers respond to the distress caused by substance misuse or mental health on a high quality help line that is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, emphasising empowerment and self-help.

Objectives:

• To provide information about county and countrywide resources and support to persons and organisations helping people experiencing the effects of substance misuse.
• To promote mental health well being county-wide.
• To promote, liaise and exchange information with relevant agencies both within the Surrey area and outside.
• To raise public awareness of the continuing impact of substance misuse.
• To advance the education of the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol amongst those young students in full time education in Surrey and professional groups.
• Website: www.sdac-helpline.co.uk
• Join us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/610138639182651/

The Cedar House Support Group is for women who are experiencing postnatal depression. The group provides a safe and supportive environment where mothers can get together with others who may be feeling similar to themselves. This helps their recovery by normalising feelings and reducing the sense of isolation that postntal depression can bring.