Charity support services
Voluntary service councils & community groups

Crawley Council for Voluntary Service

Provides advice and support to people looking to set up a small charitable project.

Crawley Council for Voluntary Service website

Mid Sussex (South) Council for Voluntary Service

Group whose members are many Mid Sussex charities.

Mid Sussex (South) Council for Voluntary Service website

Impact Initiatives

Brighton-based charity offering several different programmes supporting old people, young people, community groups and others here in Sussex. Impact Initiatives works with other local charities and organisations to set up and manage projects aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals and communities.

Impact Initiatives

West Sussex Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels deliver over 1,000 meals a day across West Sussex to some of the county’s most vulnerable residents. It is a vital lifeline for many people. The service provides a delicious well-balanced meal and, just as importantly, social contact for many elderly and housebound folk who might otherwise not see anyone else for days on end. Run by Royal Voluntary Service (formerly the WRVS) for over 75 years, the charity now urgently needs more volunteers to ensure the survival of the popular service.

Volunteers help to provide healthy, nutritious meals to the growing band of older people who wish to maintain their independence by remaining in their own homes, but struggle with shopping or cooking for themselves. Volunteers visit clients at home and heat up a pre-delivered meal, enhancing the mealtime experience by offering company and friendship, often over a cup of tea. The visitor also carries out a “warm and well check” to ensure the happiness, safety and well-being of our elderly neighbours.

This is an ideal volunteering opportunity if you want to develop your caring skills, make new friends and actively contribute to your local community. Volunteers, often new-retirees, are frequently surprised by how much personal satisfaction they achieve. Enriching the lives of older people is a particularly fulfilling and worthwhile role and, requiring just two hours per week, it’s certainly not onerous or arduous. The charity has a roster of volunteers to cover holidays and illnesses, so there’s no need to worry about missing the occasional week.

You’ll need a friendly personality and an understanding of older people’s needs with the ability to observe and identify areas of concern. You’ll have good communication and listening skills with a non-judgemental attitude towards individual circumstances. A car is particularly useful although several volunteers walk or use public transport, and it’s a task you can do individually or as a couple, or even with a pre-school infant in tow, with all relevant training provided by Royal Voluntary Service which also reimburses any expenses.

Loneliness and isolation have a devastating impact on a person’s health and wellbeing; something as simple as having a friendly volunteer pop in for a cup of tea or to watch TV together can make all the difference to their quality of life. As the saying goes, charity begins at home. If you’d like to help to make the world a better place there really is nowhere better to start than by helping to care for the elderly neighbours on your doorstep. Call today on 0845 600 5885 for a registration pack with specific details about the Meals on Wheel role and a DBS application form (the charity pays for the ID check) so you can get started.

Royal Voluntary Service website

Pulborough & District Community Care Association

Community care information

Pulborough & District Community Care Association is an umbrella organisation for several local charities.

These include the Lunch Club, Wednesday Club, Pop into Pulborough and the Sunday Open Door.

Pulborough & District Community Care Association website

The Volunteer Centre Brighton and Hove

The Volunteer Centre Brighton and Hove helps to identify volunteering opportunities for people that want to volunteer in not-for-profit organisations.

The Volunteer Centre Brighton and Hove website