Voluntary Action South West Surrey

To maintain and develop an outstanding, growing group that caters for the community in which it is based providing even more Scouting for even
more young people.

Our mission is to drive the transformation of lung health. We strive for a world where lung health is prioritised through better understanding, research, treatment and support.

Therefore we fund cutting-edge research, and provide advice and support for the 12 million people who will get a lung condition during their lifetime.

We also campaign for clean air and better NHS diagnosis and treatment. 

Care for Guildford - we are a local award winning charity enabling people live independently with dignity. Through our of team of volunteers we

• provide a reliable, caring service taking people to and from essential medical appointments who would otherwise struggle. Our clients often have no-one else to call on, cannot manage public transport or are unable to afford taxis. Many clients have complex health conditions and struggle to attend the appointments they desperately need without our help.

• offer a shopping service that also provides friendly social contact to those living alone, allowing our clients to stay independent and remain in their home.

We are very flexible, no firm commitment is required, allowing us to work around your availability, however limited that maybe be.

If you can offer a friendly face, often at a difficult time in a client’s life - why not consider joining our amazing volunteer team. We promise you will make a real difference to our clients lives.

If any of the roles below are of interest, we would love to hear from you.

Web site: Care for Guildford                           

Email: volunteer@careforguildford.onmicrosoft.com

Our purpose

To be a force for good by transforming lives through exceptional home from home care for children with all disabilities and their families.

Our Vision

Our doors will always be open to families in need throughout the South East, by being a much loved and supported charity.

Our Values

Our aim at Cherry Trees is to offer the opportunity to children with learning and physical disabilities, most of which are severe, to enhance their quality of life by providing a safe, home-like environment whilst also providing their parents with a meaningful break.

We help people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.

We have a town centre location in Haydon Place, Guildford, offering a telephone,  and appointment service five days a week.

We use the information we gather carrying out this work to campaign for social justice, so that individuals do not suffer through a lack of knowledge or an inability to express them selves effectively.

We provide an increasingly vital front-line service for those in the greatest need in our local community.

The benefits of our work are not limited to improving our clients’ financial situation but also contribute to improving their health, reducing their stress and improving their confidence in dealing with their own problems.

Community Angels are trained befrienders who offer six months of weekly face-to-face support to adults of all ages in Guildford borough struggling with loneliness and/or social isolation. 

If you have a couple of free hours a week and enjoy listening and getting to know people, we'd love to hear from you. We provide training to get started (2 x 3 hours sessions), match you carefully with someone to befriend and provide ongoing support while you are volunteering with us.

Hear what our volunteers say on https://youtu.be/5MAb_UVTcc0

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

Supporting Community Wellbeing Through Crafts

We are the Crafting Wellness Group based in Guildford, Surrey (UK). We have noticed that there aren’t many third spaces to socialise without some sort of cost or purchase and with the rates of loneliness on the rise it feels like the right time to create these spaces ourselves.

Our intention is to provide free social groups in Guildford where you can bring your current project or learn a new craft.

There are several studies that show hobbies such as knitting or crochet can help soothe your nervous system, increase concentration and support fine motor skills. 

Our social groups and workshops are open to anyone over the age of 16 with any skill level. We will do our best to make the groups as accessible as possible, we are disability confident and LGBTQ+ friendly.

We also support seasonal working.

Crossroads Care Surrey is an established charity of over 30 years, offering a range of support services to carers and the people for whom they care.  We are committed to supporting people at an earlier stage in their care journey and recognise there can be a considerable length of time between a person needing some care and support periodically and them needing full time, round-the-clock care.

Community Support Volunteers will support Crossroads Care Surrey by providing the delivery of essential shopping for cared for people and carers that are struggling with the weekly shop or collecting prescriptions. With access to your own vehicle, you will receive requests made by the Community Support Co-ordinator to complete a shopping trip to help the people Crossroads Care Surrey support in your community.  

Befriending Volunteers will support befriending service to the people we support, enabling them to benefit from knowing there is someone there to listen, understand, be their friend and check in on their wellbeing. Calls could last anything from 10 minutes to half an hour and you will need to ensure that you can listen with understanding and patience and then respond appropriately.

Our Companion Volunteers provide visits upwards of 1 and a half hours.  Companionship visits are generally provided by our team of volunteers and are geared up towards people in the early stages of their caring journey, and their loved ones who do not – at this stage – require round-the-clock or specialist support.

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.

Deafblind UK is the UK’s only charity specialising in supporting people with any level of deafblindness. We support people to live with their condition and to build their confidence and independence. We offer understanding and advice as well as practical support, residential support, care and social opportunities. We also lead research to help the world live better with deafblindness.

Come and join our new volunteer team in Guildford.

We rescue surplus food from businesses, supermarkets and farms. This food is nutritious, in date, and safe and includes a high proportion of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and fish. If we did not rescue this food, it would be at risk of going to waste. Instead, we deliver it to charities, schools, food banks, community pantries and fridges and other organisations serving vulnerable people.

Our new warehouse in Guildford will provide us with increased capacity for frozen and chilled food. By opening this warehouse, we aim to increase the amount of food we can save and eventually increase the number of charities and community groups we can work with in Surrey.

Our food is a vital lifeline for vulnerable people in our community. Children and families, people on low incomes, people who have lost their jobs, the homeless, refugees, domestic abuse survivors, the elderly and key workers all rely on our food.

About Girl Guiding - Guildford Division

Through fun, friendship, challenge and adventure we empower girls to find their voice, inspiring them to discover the best in themselves and to make a positive difference in their community.

The Green Hub Project for Teens is a local community project serving Surrey & Hampshire and surrounding areas. It supports young people (10-18) facing social, emotional and mental health challenges, along with their families and carers. In addition, Green Hub works to promote awareness and understanding of mental health and emotional wellbeing for young people in the broader community.

Green Hub’s purpose is to achieve positive, measurable outcomes for teen mental health, including self-love, active lifestyles, social interaction and inclusion, as well as the development and application of a range of learned skills. Green Hub achieves this through its Teen Garden  social prescribing programme, talks and support groups within the local community, along with sharing useful information via the website.

To enhance the lives of all those we come into contact with.

Do you love gardening? Do you like helping those in your community? Then we have the perfect project for you!

We are looking for volunteers to help those in their local community, who are not able to upkeep their gardens. We are aiming to start the project in Merrow during the Springtime. This is a pilot project and in the future, we would love for it to be rolled out across all the wards of Guildford.

Our Mission is to share God’s love in the community
We aim to be an open, welcoming Christian church
Serving one another and our neighbours
Working for justice and peace in God’s world.
Our faith may be 2000 years old but our thinking is 21st Century.
Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

Our Mission:

To offer inclusive activities which support the educational, training, employment, cultural and recreational needs of the local community.

Our values:

To offer inclusive activities which support the educational, training, employment, cultural and recreational needs of the local community.

To make a difference

About us

The halow project is a growing community-based charity, situated in Guildford, Surrey. We support young people, aged 16+, with a learning disability on their journey into adult life.

The young people we work with want the opportunity to:

• Build relationships
• Become part of the community
• Find meaningful employment
• Have a home of their own

We believe that the young people we support have the right to be part of and respected in their communities and are entitled to a life they choose in ways which best suit them. halow is committed to developing creative opportunities and removing social barriers.

We value and support the contribution of volunteers and local groups who play a vital role in fostering community spirit and delivering projects that enhance the Town of Haslemere. 

Our role is to represent and serve the parish residents by providing quality services, protecting our environment, supporting community well-being, and promoting the unique identity and heritage of our area. We are committed to transparency, inclusivity, and working in partnership to deliver sustainable and positive outcomes for all residents.

Sign up to our community newsletter on our website homepage https://haslemeretc.org/. 

We are a non-government funded community centre with a wide range of daily activities to suit all needs. With a warm welcome and lots of fun activities, we strive to offer a place for people of all ages to come and enjoy.

The Haslewey is a completely independent organisation and a registered charity that runs as a business. To enable us to continue to benefit the local community, we are heavily dependent on income we generate from our services and events.

At this very early stage of the project Homes for Farnham consists of a small group of people, who care about Farnham, the future of the town and the people in it. As individuals we are rooted in the Farnham community and have set up Homes for Farnham as a not-for-profit voluntary organisation for local people to learn about Community-Led Housing and how this new approach is able to build affordable homes. We’ve been inspired by other community housing groups elsewhere who have successfully completed projects providing affordable homes fully accountable to local communities. We are developing Homes for Farnham as a local housing hub to which anyone living or working in the Farnham district who faces housing issues is invited to join and share their experience

"There for parents when they need us most, because childhood can't wait"

Parents Supporting Other Parents - a simple idea that really works!

Home-Start Guildford has been supporting local families across the Guildford Borough for over 25 years. 

We're a non-judgemental organisations that helps local parents who are struggling, for any reason. Some of those reasons may include; multiple births, mental health, an abusive partner, isolation, mental or physical handicap, or the pressure that loss of employment brings to a family.

What we do

Our charity provides a preventative service that aims to support families who are struggling by offering regular volunteer support to parents with at least one child under the age of 5, usually referred to us by Health Visitors.

We provide one-to-one support for parents:
Our volunteers visit the family’s home for a couple of hours every week.  They tailor-make their support to the needs of the parents and children. Volunteers are very committed and will keep visiting until the youngest child turns five or starts school, or until the parents feel they can stand on their own two feet.  Parents and volunteers often develop a deeply trusting relationship which can lead to powerful change within the family.

We also run two family groups for referred families, one in the Pirbright Community Centre and the other in the Guildford Family Group, Hazel Avenue.

Our values

• We offer families choice
• We work in partnership - with each other, with families and with other agencies
• We work in a spirit of openness, encouragement and enjoyment
• We are flexible and responsive to the needs of families

Volunteering Opportunities 

There are several ways that you can help in a voluntary capacity:

• by supporting a family as a Home-Visiting Volunteer
• by helping at one of our Family Groups
• by joining the Trustee Board
• by becoming a Friend of Home-Start Guildford
• by supporting us as a Digital / Office Volunteer

Please see the volunteer roles listed for more detail.

We support people with a learning disability and autistic people to create the life they want to live by providing opportunities that develop skills, confidence and lasting friendships.

Our vision is that every child receives one daily meal in their place of education and that all those who have more than they need, share with those who lack even the most basic things. Working together with those who share our vision, we believe there is no good reason why this cannot be realised.

Mary’s Meals is a global movement supported by people from many walks of life and different backgrounds. Our mission is to enable people to offer their money, goods, skills, time, or prayer, and through this involvement, provide the most effective help to those suffering the effects of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest communities.

MCR Pathways supports vulnerable young people in the care system, those who have previously been in the care system, or those who have other hardships in their lives to realise their full potential. We do this by providing mentoring in school during term time to help these young vulnerable students to reach their full potential in school and life despite their difficult circumstances. So they are defined by their talent and not their circumstances. We are looking for volunteer mentors for these young people, for one hour a week, for a minimum of one year, in your local area. You could really change a young persons future!

At MCR Pathways our aim is to help young people unlock their potential, no matter their circumstances. Working together with our inspiring mentor community and partners, we can help young people to realise their skills and progress onto a positive destination. Our vision is for all young people to experience equality of education outcomes, career opportunities and life chances.

Helping families of seriously ill children to keep moving forward

From hospital to home and beyond, we’ll be with you and your family every step of the way.

Our core values show the way we all work together to bring forward the day when no one fears Parkinson's.

• People-first

We're a strong movement for change, informed, shaped and powered by people affected by Parkinson's. We value and support each other. 

• Uniting

We're people with Parkinson's, scientists and supporters, fundraisers and families, carers and clinicians. We're working, side by side, to improve the lives of everyone affected by Parkinson's.

• Pioneering

We innovate across everything we do. Creative, courageous and with pioneering spirit, we strive to continually improve. 

• Driven

We live and breathe our purpose. We set clear goals and strive to deliver the greatest impact for everyone affected by Parkinson's.

Police Care UK is a charity for serving and veteran police officers and staff, volunteers, and their families who have suffered any physical or psychological harm as a result of policing.

We are independent of the police service, and are funded entirely by donations and fundraising – we receive no money from government or forces for our work.

As we get older, our social circles diminish, and we find ourselves with fewer and fewer people to turn to. Imagine realising one day that all your friends and family have gone from your life. Loneliness can be cruel, and it affects millions of people over 75 who live in social isolation.

Re-engage is making life less lonely for thousands of older people every year. Older people tell us that our volunteer-led activities make them happier and more able to trust others.

Our mission is to work within communities to end social isolation and loneliness in older people.

Guildford Repair Cafè runs every third Saturday of the month at The Hive Community Centre in Guildford from 10am to 12 noon. A friendly group of volunteers run the café and help repair small household items, from clothing to electricals and toys to gardening tools. The Repair Café is supported by Guildford Borough Council and the ‘Rotary Club of Guildford Wey’

Over the years our skilled repairers have helped save thousands of products from landfill and have given a new lease of life to some much-loved items, as well as more practical objects. Recently we were able to repair a small wooden stool that its owner had bought on honeymoon many years before, and countless lamps are now shining brightly again, thanks to our electrical specialists.

So don’t be shy, pop in for a free cuppa, and see what its all about, or message us if you have an item for repair. It’s always worth checking before the next session to make sure that we have the right repairer available on the day. Even more importantly, we’d love to hear from you if you have repairing skills that you’d like to share

Receive a warm welcome at Rosamund Guildford Community Garden, where a vibrant community of volunteers comes together. Our mission is to create a nurturing natural space, inviting both novice and passionate gardeners to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and wildlife.

We grow produce in tune with nature, using no-dig methods, slow natural enrichment and non-mechanisation. The Garden has many environmental features including a Roundhouse crafted through traditional methods, a pond fed by rainwater, two polytunnels, beds for growing, wildlife havens and a diverse orchard with a variety of trees. 

We run regular sessions at the garden on Tuesday and Sunday afternoons between 2.30 and 4.30pm. We also have monthly Big Job Sundays for large projects or tasks that require a big group. If you’d like to come and join in one of our sessions, just drop us an email to check it’s going ahead. To become a member of the garden we ask for a nominal sign-up fee of £20 for the year, and you will be added to our garden chat and google group, as well as having free access to the garden outside of the group sessions. It’s best to try out a couple of taster days before committing to becoming a member, to make sure it’s right for you.

We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you at the garden.

Rowleys Centre for the Community  is situated in the heart of the centre of Cranleigh. We pride ourselves on being a community venue offering many additional advantages to the local community beyond the purpose for which it was initially intended.  Providing high quality services to maintain and improve the health and wellbeing of our local community is at the heart of what we do.

Purpose

Rowleys primarily offers a place for the older population to socialise, keep physically active, stay connected and acquire new skills, which has a positive impact on their overall health and wellbeing and supports reducing social isolation.

Whilst our main aim is to promote the wellbeing of all older people and assist them in making later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience we would like to ensure the Community Centre is open to all and available for other groups to utilise outside of the core offer.

The Royal Air Forces Association (or RAF Association), is a membership organisation and registered charity that provides welfare support to the RAF Family.

The RAF Family includes all serving and ex-serving personnel and their dependants. To be eligible for welfare support, for both themselves and those who depend upon them, service personnel need to have served a minimum of one day in the RAF.

The Association exists in the recognition that RAF personnel and their immediate families dedicate their lives to their country, and to ensure that such a sacrifice does not result in suffering, poverty or loneliness.

Whether it’s an injured airman fighting to get back on his feet, a young child missing their parent away on overseas operations, or a World War II veteran needing a shoulder to lean on, we are here to help all generations of RAF Service personnel and their families.

We are working to deliver exceptional care in a welcoming and safe environment for patients at Royal Surrey Hospital.

From providing state of the art equipment and redeveloping wards, to investing in staff development and funding innovative research, our patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Working collaboratively with medical and support staff, we fund projects that make the biggest impact on the 260,000 people we treat each year – from babies, to children and young adults, to older people.

Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey is an inclusive organisation dedicated to enabling and empowering people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted and deafblind. We champion independence, where people thrive in their communities and achieve their aspirations.

SMART Cranleigh is a village initiative focused on promoting good quality of life for local people by enabling local organisations to work together more effectively. We aim to support community led projects that make a positive difference to the lives of local people. Our vision is to help local people connect with their community and empower them to find the local support they want. We are non-political, non-denominational and non-governmental.

The purpose of the charity is to advance the Christian faith in the area of benefit in accordance with the principles and practices of the participating Churches. In achieving its purpose, the charity will engage in a range of activities, either on its own or with others, including (but not restricted to): A) The celebration of public worship; B) The teaching of the Christian faith; C) Mission and evangelism; D) Pastoral work, including visiting the sick and the bereaved; E) The provision of facilities with a Christian ethos for the local community, including (but not restricted to) the elderly, the young and other groups with special needs; and F) The support of other charities in the UK and overseas. 

The Surrey Hills Society is an independent charity formed 15 years ago.  It promotes the positive enjoyment and care of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is in the course of being rebranded as one of the UK’s National Landscapes. We encourage those who live, work in, or visit the area to explore and learn about the special qualities and distinctiveness of the area.  The Society also uses its extensive network to actively promote the conservation and enjoyment of the Surrey Hills.

In June 2019 the Society was presented with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service which is the highest award for volunteer groups to recognise outstanding work done in their communities and is the equivalent of an MBE for voluntary organisations.

Our mission is summarised by four words: Conserve, Inspire, Educate and Enjoy.

For further information visit our website.

At TALK, we support people with aphasia by:

• Enabling you to practise all aspects of communication

• Familiarising you with strategies to aid conversation

• Helping you to rebuild confidence and self esteem

• Encouraging you to become socially independent

• Providing you with information, advice and ongoing support

• Helping you to live positively with aphasia following stroke

• Working closely with local speech therapists, the Stroke Association and other organisations supporting people with aphasia after stroke

Our vision is that everyone who becomes a parent feels confident, connected, and safe because we believe parents help build the foundations of the future.

Every year we support over 250,000 parents across the UK and Channel Islands on their unique journeys through pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and early parenthood.

We are the charity that supports people as they become parents.

The Therapy Garden is a registered charity based in Normandy Village, consisting of one acre of community garden which is managed by a team of horticulturalists, staff and volunteers to provide gardening and horticulture therapy to the more vulnerable members of society. We provide practical horticulture therapy to adults and young people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and physical disabilities.

Our ‘Green School’, enables young people aged 11-16 with learning difficulties such as autism, Down’s Syndrome and Asperger’s to achieve a City & Guilds qualification “Skills for Working Life: Horticulture” in a safe and structured environment. Students are referred to us and funded by mainstream and specialist schools in Surrey and Hampshire and many have gone on to achieve a college place or ongoing employment.

The Therapy Garden is currently days for other groups in the local community such as brain injury and stroke victims and Dementia sufferers and we are able to plan bespoke activities that are tailored to individual client needs.

Whitmore Vale Housing Association offers services to people with learning disabilities and we work alongside them to achieve the most out of their life. Through supported living and residential care we can meet a wide range of needs, supporting people with a mild learning disability, to those who have profound and complex disabilities. 

Membership is open to all visually impaired people living in Farnham, and, for as long as the member attends the Club, we also welcome their partner as a visitor.

There is no membership fee and no charge to attend our monthly meetings.

Zero Carbon Guildford is a charity set up to enable local community action to tackle the climate and ecological crisis and associated social issues.

Zero Carbon Guildford operates a Community Hub, in the centre of Guildford, to enable the community to come together to tackle these issues.  

The Hub includes a café, houses our many projects  and showcases ways local people can make changes to help Guildford's journey towards a zero-carbon future.