Stories About Our Work

What type of projects do we support?

Our key focus is to raise funds to support faith-linked projects and groups within the area of the Diocese of Guildford; projects that address needs at a local level and are committed to their local communities. A full list of recently supported projects can be found at the bottom of the page, but here are a few examples of projects we have recently been able to help:
 

Riverview School, Ewell Breakfast Club

This school, hidden behind the facade of leafy Surrey, serves a very mixed and deserving community, with some of the pupils living in extreme actual and emotional poverty.

Recognising that many of them arrive at school without having had any breakfast, significantly contributing to their lack of concentration and their general wellbeing, the staff and trustees have started a Breakfast Club, where children can have a proper meal in a calm environment, before they start the day.

A grant from the Bishop of Guildford's Foundation will mean that four children for whom this service would be unavailable due to their parent's inability to pay, will be able to benefit from the service.
 

The Vine Day Centre, Aldershot

The Vine Day Centre for homeless and vulnerable people over 25 years old is a project that worked in partnership with the Foundation in 2008. It provides a place to go, a hot meal at very low cost, and support and advice for people who are homeless in and around Aldershot. Many have been in and out of prison from their younger years or have a history of addiction. In these circumstances, it is not easy to find work, but The Vine is able to help them with skills such as learning to read and write and to look for employment. The Vine also offers help, counselling and referrals to other professionsal organisations.

It has temporarily returned to its original home, the Aldershot Baptist Church, whilst repairs are made to its base at the New Testament Church of God.

The Vine works with people whose lives are, or have been, chaotic and who need intensive support. Jackie, one of the clients, has a history of being abused, living in foster care, running away repeatedly, and becoming pregnant at 15. She struggled to cope and, at age 20, her two children were taken into care and then adopted. She started to live on drugs, partly to escape from violent relationships, and has lived in several refuges and then ended up living on the streets. Several prison sentences followed, but now, age 31, she is trying to sort her life out. She comes to The Vine regularly, enjoys the art sessions, and has decided to try the counselling offered. Her motivation is to get her third child, a daughter, back from care. The Vine is an essential service for people like Jackie and for the wider community.

Cool2Care, Shamley Green

Cool2Care is a new innovative Social Enterprise which supports families with disabled children or young adults. The Bishop of Guildford's Foundation was able to help fund training for those working with, and caring for, disabled children. Cool2Care recruits, trains and places skilled care-workers and personal assistants to work with disabled children in a family setting. Care support at home helps all the family - the child gets a friend to interact and play with, and the parents get regular breaks and support with caring. Parents can select the care-worker for themselves. Cool2Care will act as "matchmaker", linking family and care-worker who can agree terms of employment. All care-workers receive specialised training in care for disabled children.
 

Street Angels, Guildford

The Bishop of Guildford's Foundation was instrumental in the set up of this groundbreaking project in 2008. Street Angels are volunteers who believe that people deserve care and love in their time of need. Those needs could be as a result of homelessness, intoxication, drug abuse, assault or any other issue which has caused personal distress or the potential for physical harm. They help people whoever they are and whatever their situation, for example by listening, caring, offering practical help or by referring people to other (specialist) agencies who can help them. Street Angels operate under the management of the Town Centre Chaplaincy, with volunteers representing people of different faiths and none. Volunteers are over 18, CRB checked, interviewed and trained.

The Guildford Street Angels' programme operates with support from Surrey Police and the Safer Guildford Partnership. Initially, Guildford Street Angels was operating on Friday nights from 10pm until 4am, when all the bars and clubs are closed. This was expected to expand to cover Saturday nights as well.

Street Angels (and similar programmes such as Street Pastors) have been springing up across the UK over the last 2-3 years. They make a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in towns and centres (particularly in the vicinity of bars and clubs) by providing a calming presence on the streets late at night. For more information, please visit the Guildford Street Angels website.

Youth Café, Stoneleigh

Opened in the town's central shopping area, the New Trix café in Stoneleigh helps to tackle the lack of facilities, growth of youth crime and corresponding anxiety amongst the rest of the community. The project started following an open meeting convened by the former incumbent of St John's Church.

With strong support from the Bishop of Guildford's Foundation, Guildford Diocese, police and local councillors, the Stoneleigh Youth Project invited young people onto the committee and asked them to take a leading role from the early stages. It was clear that the young people wanted, more than anything, somewhere they could meet their friends informally without being 'organised' and so the concept of a café was born. They have developed the ideas, designed the logo, chosen the name and decorated it. New Trix is open from 4-6pm Monday to Friday to cover the after school gap, with a view to opening one or two evenings a week and possibly at the weekend in the future.

Community Worker on Lakeview Estate in Woking

The Foundation is supporting a much needed Community Worker on the Lakeview part of Goldsworth Park Estate in Woking. The Foundation provided £10,000 a year for three years, to help the Lakeview Community Action Group employ someone to co-ordinate their efforts and improve their standard of living. Lakeview is the most income-deprived area within Surrey, with high unemployment and high levels of crime, vandalism and graffiti. It also has a high proportion of single parent families. In a recent survey, 69% of babies born on Lakeview had single mothers. It has the lowest school attendance record in the area, and the highest social services caseload.

The Community Worker aims to empower people to take responsibility and to give them a voice, to provide opportunities for people to get involved in activities and learning opportunities, and to promote social inclusion, healthy living and basic life skills. So far, the activities developed include a youth club, a support club for people with mental health needs, IT training classes, development of new play areas, new community events, including an annual Fun Day and Litter Pick, along with surveys to discover how people want the estate to be improved. Other funds have been accessed, and support provided to other local groups including the Lakeview Islamic School and the Bengali Islamic Association.
 

Help for People affected by Dysphasia

Dyscover (www.dyscover.org.uk) is a Surrey based charity that helps people affected by dysphasia, the loss of language and the ability to speak, resulting from stroke, head injury or other causes. It provides practical support and training, as well as advice and access to social activities for dysphasic people and their families. It uses speech and language therapy, complementary therapy and supported social activities to help dysphasic people to restore their self-confidence and skills. The Foundation has supported the costs of different aspects of Dyscover's work.
 

Community Arts Project in Farncombe

The Watts Gallery (www.wattsgallery.org.uk) in Compton, working with St John's Parish in Farncombe, has developed a community arts project which the Foundation is supporting. The Gallery's artist in residence is working with groups from local estates, including a community action group and young people, as well as residents in a local care home, to involve them in developing new artwork, which will be displayed in St John's Church.

Family Support Worker in Leatherhead

North Leatherhead is one of the poorest areas in Surrey, with a high proportion of families in need of support. All Saints Family Project, located in Trinity School and Children's Centre, provides a range of services including nursery provision and learning opportunities for young parents. A much-needed Family Support Worker, funded by the Foundation, provides one-to-one support to young single parents, helping them learn parenting skills and linking them to other sources of help. She works with young women who have suffered violence, or cope with disabilities or mental health problems. Her work may involve counselling or even helping them learn to cook.

Some of the Projects and Organisations recently helped by the Foundation:

All Saints Family Project, Leatherhead - Young Parents Worker
Bellfields Family Support Worker
Bugs Club, Leatherhead - social club for Reception to Year 2 children
Camberley Churches Together - Community Worker
Cool2Care, Shamley Green - training for carers of disabled children
Connect Christian Counselling Service
Disability Challengers, Surrey - support for local disabled children
Discover, Walton-on-the-Hill
Farnborough Deaf Church - training support
First Base for the Homeless Friends of St Andrew, Box Hill - care team
Hart Community Outreach Project - Activity Bus
Love me Love my mind, Epsom - initiative for mental health week
Mental After Care Association, Normandy - Community Minibus
North Surrey Community Counselling Partnership, Hersham - service for mental illness
Oakleaf Enterprise - Guildford
Ockford Ridge Community Project, near Godalming
Pain Support Group, Worplesdon
Parity in Cove - working with physically and mentally disabled young people
Pitstop Sports, Leatherhead - drop-in centre for homeless and socially isolated
Priory School, Dorking
Riverview School, Ewell - Breakfast Club
Salvation Army, Guildford - Food Crisis Centre
Send Schools - Family Link Project
Step by Step, Aldershot
Space to Be, St Clare's, Park Barn, Guildford
St Mark's Shared Church, Bordon - Family Worker Project
St Michael's Nursery, Mickleham
St Paul's Nursery, Dorking
Street Angels, Guildford
The Cellar Café, Godalming - Homelessness Support and Free Meals
The Source Youth Café, Aldershot
The Sunnybank Trust, Epsom - Kites Club, for adults with learning disabilities
The Valley Trust Counselling Service
The Vine Drop-in Centre - for homeless people in Aldershot
Waverley Winterwatch
YMCA Foyer Project, Guildford

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