Abbot’s Hospital is a local charitable almshouse providing homes to 21 households in need, within a supportive and caring environment. The almshouse, opened over 400 years ago in the Grade 1 listed historic building fronting the High Street in Guildford. It is one of the few buildings in the town that has been used continuously for its original purpose since being built and is now a very special place in the town.

We are looking for volunteers to join our great team who not only support our residents but help safeguard the building for future generations. We have a variety of opportunities available for anyone wanting to make difference to peoples lives.

If any of the opportunities below interest you, do get in touch to find out more using the application link below.

Website :  Abbot's Hospital                                                                                                                                               

Action Tutoring unlocks the potential of children and young people who are facing disadvantage. We are tackling the attainment gap head-on by forging partnerships with schools nationwide. Our trained volunteer tutors are empowered to enable pupils to make meaningful academic progress, opening doors to future opportunities.

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.

The Trading Standards service exists to:

• Protect individuals, communities and businesses from harm and financial loss
• Help business to thrive by maintaining a fair trading environment
• Improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities
• Fulfil our statutory responsibilities to deliver consumer and public protection services across Buckinghamshire and Surrey

Our network of offices works with the Catholic community in England & Wales to raise funds and awareness of global poverty and injustice through parishes, schools and networks - working with thousands of volunteers and supporters.

Catalyst is a non-profit organisation working with people who are dealing with issues stemming from drug and alcohol misuse and mental health.

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.

Kindness Integrity, Commitment

Conquest Art is a unique Charity, inspiring people with disabilities and long-term health issues to discover their creative energy and build self-confidence through art.

GASP is widely recognised in Surrey as a provider of non-judgmental, caring and practical support. We deliver accredited courses in basic motor mechanics and practical engineering skills and contribute to students’ positive personal development. We do this by providing specialist, practical, hands-on learning within a focused, personalised and disciplined framework. This is either at our fully equipped custom-built workshop in Albury (near Guildford) or through our mobile unit, which enables us to bring the courses out to schools and
youth organisations across Surrey.

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

We are a very well established Sea Cadet unit that has been in operation since 1942. We were recognised in 2010 as one of the best units in the southern area. This is not only because of our central location, right in the heart of Guildford, but because of our ethos and commitment to provide top notch activities for young people.

Our superb location, perched on the banks of the River Wey near the National Trust's Dapdune Wharf, is so close to the water that you can touch it. And this fits well with our aim; to give young people the opportunity to get out onto the water, gain confidence and have a lot of laughs at the same time.

We want to keep our cadets active both on an off the water. Long evenings in the Summer months mean loads of time on the water: Kayaking, sailing, rowing and driving power boats. Then when the nights draw cold and you think that all we can do is in a classroom you find we keep active: rock climbing, leadership games and activities and sports games.

We currently have 65 cadets, male and female aged between 10 and 18, of whom 16 are Royal Marine Cadets.

We have a wide range of facilities and instructional staff which means we can offer you the opportunity to learn new skills in a safe environment whilst having loads of fun!

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.

Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.

"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.

Cook together. Live well. Care more. 

We are a new local community project dedicated to creating a better food culture. Our mission is to inspire individuals and communities to access and enjoy better quality, plant-rich food—leading to healthier, happier, more connected, and sustainable lives.

We:

• Inspire healthier, more sustainable lifestyles through the art and science of plant-based cooking.
• Connect people across cultures, ages, and backgrounds through shared food experiences.
• Empower communities with practical skills in nutrition, cooking, and mindful living.
• Celebrate diversity, sustainability, and the cultural heritage of plant-based cuisine from around the world.

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.

To provide model making hobbies to Former and Current Armed Forces and emergency Service personnel as a meaningful activity. And to promote the model making hobbies

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

The Coalition is run and managed by Disabled people for Disabled people. 

We enable and empower Disabled people and those living with a long-term health condition to be an active and central part of the community.  

We proactively work with health, social care and community partners to co-produce services, strategies and policy.  

We campaign for choice and control to achieve our legal rights and entitlements.  We identify and respond to gaps in support to meet the needs of Disabled people.  We spotlight, celebrate and champion equity, diversity and inclusion.

To develop the literacy, confidence and perseverance of children who are falling behind in class and have fewer opportunities in their personal lives, so they can succeed at school and beyond. 

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.

The Treloar Trust provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities from all over the UK and overseas. Our aim is to prepare these young people for adult life, giving them the confidence and skills to achieve their full potential.

Our Vision

A world where physically disabled young people take control of their lives and achieve their aspirations

Our Mission

To enable physically disabled young people to achieve their aspirations by:

• Providing personalised learning, therapy and care
• Supporting transition into adulthood
• Promoting independence and inclusion

Our Values

We are Inclusive

Everyone – regardless of physical ability, where they live or socioeconomic background – should have the opportunity to take part in life. We treat our Beneficiaries with the same dignity as their non-disabled peers and work to remove barriers in their way.

Our students and Beneficiaries are always at the centre of everything we do. Before we make decisions, we ask, “How will our students and Beneficiaries benefit from this?”

We act with Integrity and Respect

Physically disabled young people should be free to direct their own lives. We listen to young people’s views and support them to make age-appropriate choices about their daily life and informed choices about their future.

We celebrate and promote diversity, value and support each other, and treat everyone with mutual respect. We support a culture of openness, honesty and transparency, where the safeguarding of our students and wellbeing of our staff is paramount.

We strive for Excellence

Physically disabled young people and their families deserve outstanding care and support. We work to make sure all our services are excellent and actively challenge each other to ensure continuous quality improvement.

We continually innovate to ensure that our Beneficiaries receive the cutting-edge, excellent support they deserve.

West Horsley Place is a Grade I listed mediaeval manor house and estate of great beauty and historic significance. The manor house dates from 1425, though there has been a building on site since Saxon times. Our recent work to conserve and maintain the house has made our principal rooms safe and comfortable for public access, but the house remains on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.  

The West Horsley Place Trust aims to bring the house, gardens, 380-acre estate and eight Grade II listed outbuildings back into good repair and to improve people's wellbeing through art, culture, heritage & nature.

We will give people freedom to explore and discover, to create stories and become part of ours. 

VISION

• To bring about a quiet revolution in the way an historic house and estate is managed
• To be a place that improves people’s wellbeing through culture, heritage and nature

MISSION

• To be sustainable, financially, environmentally and socially
• To be a catalyst for creativity
• To conserve the listed buildings in our care so that they are no longer on the Historic England ‘at risk’ register
• To provide learning and engagement opportunities in culture, heritage and nature
• To broaden our audience by being welcoming, inclusive and accessible
• To enhance the natural landscape through increasing biodiversity and habitat connectivity