Voluntary Action South West Surrey

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. 

We will change the lives of disabled people using expertly trained dogs to improve physical, emotional and social wellbeing. 

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.

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.

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.

The goal of Guildford Health Walks is that everyone will have access to a short, free and friendly health walk within easy reach of where they live, to help them become and stay active; and we couldn't do this without all the amazing volunteers that make our health walks possible. 

From volunteer walk leaders and assistants, volunteers do a fantastic job in supporting and developing the national Walking for Health initiative. I'd love for you to be a part of that too!

Guildford Health Walks currently has five walk groups in Guildford. The groups are: Boxgrove Park, Merrow Down, Shalford, Shere, Spectrum leisure centre, Worplesdon and Whitmoor Common.

The walks are aimed at people recovering from illness, or people wanting to get a bit more active.

Leading walks is a fun way of giving something back to your local community. You will make new friends and discover lovely outdoor places. 

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.

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

Hive Helpers' Mission is to:

INSPIRE care for pollinators - through beekeeping and connecting with the local community

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IMPACT positively on local habitats - through nature conservation and raising awareness

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IMPROVE mental and physical wellbeing - through mindful and empowering outdoor activities

Our Mission

Over the next five years and beyond, our mission is to close the gap in end of life care. Between now and 2028 we'll design and deliver services providing the best possible care and support to people living with any terminal illness, and those close to them. And we'll play a leading role in shaping the end of life system across the UK; driving research, influencing public policy, campaigning for change, and fighting for better services – so everyone has access to the end of life care and support they need.

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.

Oakleaf Enterprises is an independent registered charity whose purpose is to support people with mental health issues to lead independent, productive and fulfilling lives.

The charity’s aim is to transform the lives and futures of adults managing their mental ill-health and help them secure the skills, confidence and training needed to return to the workplace. This pathway is delivered via three main focuses: Work-Related Training, Wellbeing Activities, and Counselling Services.

To provide a clear, accessible pathway for Surrey-based survivors of rape and sexual abuse, through confidential and specialist person-centred services. To work to reduce perceived stigmas associated with rape and sexual abuse through education and awareness raising.

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.

Our volunteers can visit on a flexible basis and there are different ongoing projects that might appeal. Once signed up, our doors are open for volunteers to explore anytime, and we host regular volunteer groups on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Additionally, join us for our monthly 'big job' days over the weekends.

The aim of the Surrey Coalition is to campaign and promote the rights of disabled people to have equality of opportunity and to live independently.

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, Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm, 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.surreydrugandalcoholcare.org.co.uk

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.

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 14-19 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 organising ‘taster 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.