Voluntary Action South West Surrey

Volunteer Title: Men in Sheds Volunteer

Volunteer hours: 1 or 2 mornings or afternoon sessions each week (3 hour sessions). Fridays and other days possible.

Reporting to: Shed Co-ordinator (staff)

Location: Men in Sheds workshop, Merrist Wood College, Holly Lane, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 3PE

Main Role:

A volunteer who really enjoys woodworking and has good woodworking skills is needed to help in our Men in Sheds joinery workshop supervising / supporting woodworking projects and working as a team with other volunteers and the Co-ordinator.

This will include working with hand tools, power tools and small woodworking machines.

Essential Skills:

Experience in a woodworking environment with specifically woodworking expertise.

An understanding of Health and Safety or willingness to learn.

A willingness to pass on skills and knowledge to Shed members / participants.

Has good communication and organisation skills.

Willingness to work independently and as part of a team.

Desirable Skills:

An interest in wood work, furniture making, cabinet making.

A knowledge / understanding of issues that face older people.

Be reliable, trustworthy and competent. 

Provide occasional absence cover.

Note: Training will need to be undertaken in the Workshop on the use of all woodworking machinery.

Expenses: Age UK Surrey will reimburse any agreed expenses including travel.

Enquiries to: volunteer@ageuksurrey.org.uk

Volunteer Driver Role Description

In this vital role supporting our communities, you would use your own vehicle to take up to 3 passengers to a range of different appointments in Guildford and occasionally, further afield. You will be working with adults some of whom may be considered vulnerable, so a firm commitment to safeguarding is essential. You will need to agree to a DBS check for Adults with a request for a check against the barred lists. We will also need you to provide two references as part of our Safer Recruitment process.

A responsible attitude is vital along with a good driving record. Your vehicle should be presentable, fully insured (with a MOT where applicable), road legal and well maintained.

You will receive mileage expenses based on the mileage that you travel from and back to your home at 45p per mile. 

You will live within 3 miles of the town centre.

Location

The volunteering will take place in Guildford and occasionally beyond, but you decide when and where you are happy to drive to. It's that flexible.

Volunteer Tasks and Responsibilities:

• happy to be contacted by our appointments co-ordinator regarding journey requests we have received – this could include via WhatsApp messaging - all during weekday office hours.

• being prompt and on time for all pick-ups and drop-offs

• being courteous, friendly and professional at all times

• having a conversation and listening to passenger stories.

• contacting Care for Guildford if you have any questions or concerns.

• letting Care for Guildford know, as soon as possible, if you can no longer undertake a journey

• immediately feeding back any Safeguarding concerns to us

• cash handling with passengers that make a donation towards the cost of their journey

• completing accurate expense claims, submitted on a regular basis. Assistance is available if required.

Time Commitment

This is a fully flexible role, supporting a wide range of passenger journeys. We provide journeys 5 days a week but it is completely up to you when you volunteer and how often. Some of our volunteers only manage to make one trip a month which is not a problem. We will work around you.

We do not charge you for any of the training.

Volunteer Specification

We ask that volunteers are:

• caring, considerate, patient and understanding

• flexible, reliable and helpful

• confident in engaging with all kinds of people in a friendly manner

• want to help people

• able to comply with all policies and procedures in every aspect of the role

Recruitment, Support and Training

All volunteers will be asked to:

• participate in an interview with one of our Trustees

• agree to a DBS check being carried out by us

• participate in any training arranged by Care for Guildford

If you love driving, want to help others in a way that fits in with your other commitments, this role could be for you. Please click below to be taken to our online application form. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our team on 01483 566635

What we do…

At Care for Guildford, we operate a shopping service for local housebound residents, mostly older people, who are unable to shop for themselves,. This is only made possible thanks to our team of volunteer shoppers. During 2023, we helped an average of 13 clients living in and around the town, making over 600 shopping trips.

If you love helping others and want to make a difference in the lives of housebound people in your community, this role may suit you.

Volunteer Shopper Role Description

In this vital role you will, not only help clients stay independent and well by doing their shopping, but also enrich your own life with new experiences and friendships.

You will either go shopping for them or you may be asked to arrange and collect online orders and drop them off at their homes. You will be working with adults some of whom may be considered vulnerable, so a firm commitment to safeguarding is essential. You will need to agree to an enhanced DBS check for Adults with a request for a check against the barred lists. We will also need you to provide two references as part of our Safer Recruitment process.

A responsible and caring attitude is vital along with access to a vehicle.

You will receive mileage expenses based on the mileage that you travel from and back to your home at 45p per mile.

Location

The volunteering will take place within a 2 mile radius of Guildford town centre.

Volunteer Tasks and Responsibilities:

• happy to be contacted by our shopping co-ordinator regarding shopping requests we have received - all during weekday office hours.

• being courteous, friendly and professional at all times

• agreeing the shopping list with Client

• go shopping for a Client either in person or using online shopping facilities and drop the shopping off at the Clients home

• letting Care for Guildford know, as soon as possible, if you can no longer undertake a shopping request

• immediately feeding back any Safeguarding concerns to us

• cash handling in some cases with Clients who wish to pay for their shopping in this way

• keeping accurate records

• completing accurate expense claims, submitted on a regular basis.

Time Commitment

The time commitment varies depending on the needs of the person you are matched with and your availability. Generally, we ask for a minimum of one hour per week.

Volunteer Specification

We ask that volunteers are:

• caring, considerate, patient and understanding

• flexible, reliable and helpful

• confident in engaging with all kinds of people in a friendly manner

• motivated to help people

• mindful of infection control and good hygiene at all times

• able to comply with all policies and procedures in every aspect of the role

Recruitment, Support and Training

All volunteers will be asked to:

• participate in an interview with one of our Trustees

• agree to a DBS check being carried out by us

• participate in any training arranged by Care for Guildford

If you love shopping, want to help others, this role could be for you. Please click below to be taken to our online application form. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our team on 01483 566635

Join us as a Cherry Trees Champion Collection Tin Distributor in Surrey and Hampshire!

Are you keen to get out into the local community, helping fundraise for Cherry Trees then this volunteering opportunity is right for you.

We are look for friendly, reliable and organised individual to help distribute our collection tins in the local community, businesses and services across Surrey and Hampshire, to maximise fundraising and awareness.

You are required to distribute and collect if/when required, to build a rapport with the supporter, and to take the full collection tin to the Cherry Trees fundraising team in either East Clandon or Goldcrest Lodge.

18+

ID badges & tins provided with authorisation letters

Hours to suit

A full overview of Cherry Trees will be provided by our friendly fundraising team. 

If you are interested in finding out more, then please click on the 'Fill in an Application' link and we will get back to you.

As a Parent support group volunteer at our monthly get together in Guildford on a Wednesday morning , you’ll support parents of deafblind children of all ages in a group setting. A friendly face at the group, you’ll welcome and talk to people to help them feel comfortable, encourage conversation and make sure they’re offered refreshments. You’ll also help set up and tidy away at the end of the group.

There is also an opportunity to work with our Schools Liaison Officer to help contact and organise external speakers to attend the group.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for you to meet new friends, learn new skills, have fun and make a difference supporting your community. We reimburse all travel costs and provide full training and ongoing support.

Your involvement in this role will ensure parents of deafblind children are able to meet others in a similar situation, access the support and information they need and enjoy meaningful activities. You’ll be great for the role if:

You have good verbal communication and listening skills

You enjoy meeting new people and being part of a team

You are aware of or are willing to learn about deafblindness

You can demonstrate empathy and compassion

You are over the age of 18

To find out more - click here

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. Please click 'fill in an application' to find out more or apply. 

🎨 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!

Volunteer with Haslemere Town Council – Make a Difference in Your Community!

Haslemere Town Council organises a variety of events throughout the year, and we’re always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help make them a success. From car boot sales and Christmas carolling to marshalling Remembrance Sunday, there’s something for everyone to get involved with.

Volunteering is a fantastic opportunity to connect with your local community, support meaningful events, and work alongside our friendly Council team. Whether you're looking to gain experience, meet new people, or simply give back, we’d love to hear from you.

Council staff will always be on hand to support and guide volunteers, ensuring you're comfortable and confident in your role—no experience is necessary, just a positive attitude and willingness to help.

All events take place in Haslemere, which is easily accessible:

• By car: Haslemere has a variety of car parking options. 

• By train: Haslemere Station is on the mainline between London and Portsmouth.

• By bus: Regular services include:

  • Stagecoach 19 (to Farnham/Aldershot),

  • Stagecoach 23 (to Liphook/Alton),

  • Stagecoach 70/71 (to Guildford/Midhurst),

  • Stagecoach 123/113 (to Alton/Grayshott).

If you’re over 18 and would like to be added to our volunteer list, please apply to register your interest—we’ll be in touch with more information.

Our busy cafe needs volunteers to assist with serving, making drinks, taking out meals, washing up and cleaning. It is open from 9 am to 2.30 Monday to Friday and volunteers usually stay for 2 to 3 hour shifts.

No experience is necessary as all training can be given what you will need is a friendly personality and positive attitude. 

Become a Home Visiting Volunteer and Make a Difference

Home Visiting Volunteers come from many different backgrounds and vary in age but all are either parents themselves or have parenting experience and are carefully selected for their friendliness and understanding.  They provide informal, friendly emotional support and practical help to families. 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.

All our home visiting volunteers attend a preparation course, undergo an enhanced DBS check and provide two references before being matched with a family who they will visit once a week, for approximately 2-3 hours.

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

Requirements and Commitment:

• You must be a parent or have parenting experience
• As a Home-Start volunteer you will support a family by visiting them at home for around two to three hours once a week
• You should be able to commit at least one year of your time to Home-Start
• You should have a non-judgmental attitude and understand about the pressures of bringing up a family
• Be able to attend our free Volunteer Preparation Course with other new volunteers
• Have an understanding of and abide by our Confidentiality and Safeguarding policies
• Be able to undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check

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. 

The Organisation

LinkAble is a Woking based charity that has been supporting children, teens and adults with learning disabilities for over 30 years. We are passionate about supporting people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live joyful and purpose-driven lives. The LinkAble community enjoys activities every day of the week and during school holidays in our fully accessible and inclusive centre in Woking. 

Aims of the Role

To support the running of our busy play and activity sessions for children, young people and adults with learning disabilities by driving 1 of our 3 minibuses. Sessions run during the day, in the evenings, at weekends and in school holidays. We are looking for a team of drivers with varying availability but particularly school holidays.

Key Tasks

• Drive one of our minibuses to various local community venues such as Brocketts Farm where are children, young people and adults are visiting.
• Wait at the venue and drive the minibus back to The Link where it will be parked.
• Report any issues with the vehicle or the journey to the Group Leader for the session.
• Complete vehicle checks.

Required Skills

• Physically fit and a careful driver who is confident in driving larger vehicles.
• Volunteer drivers do not need to have completed Midas Minibus training but do need to be over 21, have been driving for 3 years and have a clean driving license. Some vehicles require a D1 license.
• Be confident interacting with children, young people and adults who have learning disabilities, with support.
• Committed to safeguarding principles, reporting and to following the Safeguarding Policy.
• Commitment to equality and diversity and following policies and procedures.

Benefits to you

• Work as part of a friendly and welcoming team.

• Gain experience of minibus driving.
• Reference provided for all volunteers who have been in post for 6 months.
• Satisfaction from knowing supporting people with learning disabilities to live fulfilling lives.
• Paid DBS check, induction and training.
• Expenses paid according to our volunteer policy.

Next Steps

• Send us your CV or email us detailing your skills and experience.
• We’ll conduct an informal interview to find out about your skills and reasons for volunteering.
• We’ll ask you to come along to one of our sessions and meet the people we support.
• We’ll support you to apply for a DBS which is required for this role.

Location

2 Board School Road, Woking GU21 5HE. A short walk from the town centre. Limited parking available. Please note that our offices do have some stairs.

Role Purpose

Our Event Volunteer role is vital in ensuring that we can help families of seriously ill children keep moving forward. From Cheer Squads - providing encouragement at cheer points for those participating in challenge events; running stalls at markets and events; helping with bucket collections; attending local events to raise our profile to getting into character as ‘Mo’ our owl mascot. The gift of your time is invaluable to our charity.

What we are looking for in our volunteers

We are looking for enthusiastic, friendly, trustworthy people who enjoy being in a group with other volunteers. Depending on the event, you will need to be able to withstand all weather conditions and be happy to be on your feet… or not! Flexibility, self-motivation and the willingness to motivate others are all great traits for Event Volunteers.   

What’s in it for you?

You will be part of the Momentum team of volunteers and will meet plenty of other like-minded, friendly people at whatever event you choose to get involved in. You will gain satisfaction knowing that you have made a difference to the participants and raised the profile of Momentum at the event.

Hours required

Hours will vary, but it could be anything from 2-6 hours per event. This is an ad-hoc role and we will keep you informed of dates/times that we are looking for volunteer support. We will contact you when we need you and you are under no obligation to accept if you are otherwise busy.

Location

The locations will vary but much of our work and events are based in Surrey, Sussex and South West London.

How we’ll support you

There will be a key point of contact for you from the Momentum office and we’ll give you all the information you need prior to the event, such as meeting points, required resources and points of contact.

All our supported children are given a pebble painted with a character/design of their choice. 

We are always looking for people to paint these pebbles for us.

This is super flexible and can be done at home in your own time!

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

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.

Repairing household items that are brought in by visitors to our monthly Repair Café. These could be all manner of things, but the main types of repair are electrical, e.g. lamps and other small household items; sewing (with or without a sewing machine); mechanical, bicycles, garden tools and toys.

So, if you have any of these skills, we'd love to hear from you. The time commitment would be just one morning a month at The Hive Community Centre in Guildford. There is plenty of free parking, and we will provide free drinks and biscuits.

Helping with administration behind the scenes, checking emails, communicating with other members of the team and liaising with the core team to ensure that things are kept on top of between the sessions. This role can be done remotely, with just a visit to the Repair Café session once per month to see everyone and make sure we are all kept informed. The role would be for around one day per week, but can be broken up to suit you.

Each year we organise and attend lots of external events out and about in the community and need volunteers to support these.

From selling new and second goods at our community pop up charity shops, attending show's and festivals to supporting our annual Stride for Cancer Care sponsored care, serving walkers with snacks and drinks at the aid stations to cheering people over the finishing line and handing out medals, your support is vital and we could not do all that we do without the wonderful support of volunteers.

If you would be interested in joining us to help support our events programme please get in touch!

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!

If you have ever wanted to make a difference for the environment but not known how, volunteering with Zero Carbon Guildford  is one of the best things you can do.

There are many different ways you can get involved as a volunteer; you could become one of our speakers helping us to spread our message, help with our Saturday town centre outreach, you could join one of our projects such as the library of things, water rangers or the community fridge.  Or if you have limited time available for volunteering you can become one of our supporters and help us champion our work.   No prior experience or knowledge is needed as we will give you training, but you do need to be passionate about the environment and want to help us achieve our aim of helping Guildford reach carbon neutrality by 2030.   

To find out more about how you can get involved, fill in our application form and we'll be in touch soon. 

Minimum age for volunteering is 14 and Duke of Edinburgh students are welcome.