Do You Want to Volunteer? There’s So Much to Choose From!

Published on: 13 Jul, 2023
Updated on: 14 Jul, 2023

Latest news and volunteer roles available promoted by Voluntary Action South West Surrey.

Volunteering is a great way to spent some time helping others, and can also lead to learning new skills and making new friends.

Voluntary Action South West Surrey is a charity serving the boroughs of Guildford and Waverley that helps people find volunteer roles, while supporting many organisations, groups and charities that rely on volunteer help.

Voluntary Action’s latest free booklet, Volunteering It’s for Everyone, lists plenty of different ideas for volunteering. Copies are being distributed to libraries, community centres, and related outlets.

Voluntary Action’s latest free booklet, Volunteering It’s for Everyone.

Copies are also available at Voluntary Action’s office at 39 Castle Street, Guildford GU1 3UQ. Call 01483 504626, for details. Email: info@vasws.org.uk

The booklet has been funded by Surrey County Councillors Julia McShane and John Robini from their Your Councillor Community Fund, and the Stoughton Area Community Fund.

Here are details of just a few of the many and wide-ranging volunteer roles available in the Guildford area, and being promoted by Voluntary Action.

British Heart Foundation Charity Shop, White Lion Walk, Guildford needs volunteer cashiers plus stockroom helpers.

Minimum age is 16 and Duke of Edinburgh Award participants are welcome.

Visit the store to find out more.

Citizens Advice South West Surrey is the new merger of Citizens Advice Guildford & Ash and its branches in the borough of Waverley.

Its advisors help people resolve legal, financial and other problems by providing free independent and confidential advice.

There are a number of different volunteer roles, from advisors, assistants, accessors, receptionists, fundraisers and engagement officers. Click here for website: Volunteer – Citizens Advice South West Surrey (casws.org.uk)

Community Angels are volunteer befrienders to older people and vulnerable adults who may be facing loneliness, isolation, illness, disability or other difficulties in life.

Support is personalised and ranges from chatting over a cup of tea to going for walks, trying a new activity, or accessing other types of help. Some adults may require short-term support through a difficult time, whilst others may benefit from longer term visits.

Volunteers need to be able to commit to regularly visiting someone in their local area. A weekly commitment of an hour or two is ideal but befriending on a less frequent basis can be discussed.

To find out more visit Community Angels – GTCC – Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy

Conquest Art is a charity inspiring people with disabilities and long-term health issues to discover their creative energy and build self-confidence through art. It has a group that meets on Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm at St Catherine’s Village Hall. Guildford.

It is looking for volunteers who are interested in art or who have practical art experience. But most of all enthusiasm, to help create a friendly welcoming environment where members feel relaxed and able to make the most of their time there.

Click here for volunteering details.

Crossroads Care Surrey needs volunteers for shopping and prescription collections. It provides appropriate PPE and any related fuel costs.

Befrienders are also needed to support carers and older people, or those being cared for, who are feeling isolated and alone who would benefit from having someone to simply chat to. Volunteers who are IT savvy and able to connect to their Cloud-based phone system to make telephone or virtual calls to clients would be very welcome.

For details call 01372 869970, or send an email to: enquiries@crossroadscare.org.uk

If you enjoyed volunteering to those in greatest need during the worst of the Covid crisis and now miss the sense of reward and satisfaction from your involvement in community help groups why not consider continuing your support by joining Guildford Lions Club. The club has been active in volunteering and fundraising in Guildford since 1967.

To find out more, click here.

Guildford Club for Disabled meets on Thursday afternoons at Jacobs Well Village Hall.

Volunteer drivers are needed to transport people to and from meetings.

To find out more go to www.guildfordclubfordisabled.org.uk

Oakleaf Enterprise is a mental health charity based in Guildford that support adults aged 16 to 67 with their mental ill-health through three main pathways: work-related training, wellbeing activities and counselling.

The charity is expanding its online activity offerings and is recruiting volunteers to help run them. If you have an hour a week, and a skill or passion for crafts, knitting, positivity or similar, send an email to: emilykocher@oakleaf-enterprise.org

The Canterbury Care Centre, Waterden Road, offers a service for adults who are suffering or have suffered with metal health illness. There are social activities in a friendly atmosphere, informal help and advice, creative arts sessions, and more. Refreshments and lunch are also provided. Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles. Click here for details.

The Oxfam Charity Shop in Guildford’s Upper High Street is looking for volunteers aged 16 and over with common sense and a pleasant demeanour.

Visit the shop for details and to apply.

The Phyllis Tuckwell Charity Shop, Quarry Street, Guildford needs volunteer cashiers, plus stockroom helpers. To find our more, visit the shop.

Rosamund Guildford Community Garden has a one-acre garden on the eastern edge of Guildford near Pewley Doen. There is an expanding vegetable plot, fruit cages, orchard and two polytunnels and its aim is to work sympathetically with nature with no chemicals.

There are variety of gardening roles for volunteers including weeding and general garden maintenance, helping with planting of seeds and tress, manuring and harvesting, and small building projects.

To find our more go to guildfordcommunitygarden.org.uk

The Samson Centre for multiple sclerosis, Riverside, Bellfields, Guildford provides essential services, not available through the NHS and without government funding, that help its members live the best life they can with MS.

It has an oxygen therapy suite and requires additional volunteer operators.

This involves learning how to operate its oxygen chambers, log individual details on its oxygen therapy online system. Also to meet and greet oxygen users, put them at ease and help them into the oxygen chambers, helping fit their oxygen masks when needed. There is always a lead operator and a second operator on duty for all oxygen therapy sessions.

The centre also has a small garden and volunteer help to look after it is welcome.

Click here for website.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices is a children’s charity hospice caring for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families. They are seeking volunteer gardening, catering and housekeeping assistants, drivers and also retail assistant at its fundraising shop in Guildford High Street.

To find out more see Volunteer – Shooting Star Children’s Hospices

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

New volunteers are always welcome and there are a number of roles available, including helping run the community fridge at its shop in Friary Street, Guildford, which makes use of surplus food from supermarkets to make sure it reaches people who can use it rather than have it go to landfill.

Drivers with their own car are needed with collecting food from supermarkets.

The minimum age to volunteer is 14 years and the minimum time commitment is half a day per fortnight. Duke of Edinburgh Award students are welcome.

To find out more visit www.zerocarbonguildford.org

These roles and many more can be found on Voluntary Action’s website www.voluntaryactionsws.org.uk . On the home page click on the link “View local Volunteering opportunities”. You can also apply to the organisation, charity, and so on, direct via the website.