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                                                                                                                                               

The British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) is a voluntary membership-based, pro-public transport improvement association with several of its projects having a nationwide positive benefit and impact. Membership is open to all.

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

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.

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 any parent who is 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

Please see the volunteer roles listed for more detail.

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 Spike Heritage Centre is one of the few buildings remaining from Guildford's Workhouse in the Poor Law era, which housed the forgotten classes of Victorian England.  The Vagrants and Casual Ward, known as The Spike was built in 1906 to house vagrants and low paid workers.  After the Poor Laws ended in 1929, it continued as a night hostel until the mid 1960s. The NHS took over the site becoming St Lukes Hospital, operational until the mid 1990s when the new Royal Surrey hospital was opened.  The majority of the workhouse site was redeveloped, but due to the efforts of local campaigners, the Casual Ward was saved and remains as a historic building with lots of stories to tell. Individual visitors and groups are welcome to explore this unique building with guides providing the insight about how the poor were treated in a bygone age.