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Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey
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Volunteering

Home » Get Involved » Volunteering

Why volunteer?

Volunteering is at the heart of everything we do to support and empower people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted and Deafblind to live independent and full lives. Becoming a volunteer can be a rewarding way to reach out to people in your community and unlock your own potential.

Volunteering is rewarding

If you speak to people who already volunteer they will tell you they do it because they love it. And that’s what we hope you will say if you volunteer for us too!

Michael volunteers as a befriender.

“My role is very rewarding – people are so pleased to receive a call. Sometimes they just want someone to listen to them, sometimes we have a chat, but we nearly always end up having a laugh.”

We offer volunteering roles as;

Each role has varying amounts of time and input required.  Job profiles for some of the roles are available on the links above. We are sure there will be something to suit you.

We offer training, support and reimbursement of out of pocket expenses to our volunteers. All our volunteers are DBS checked and references are taken.

Finally, we hold regular catch up meetings across the county, produce the inVOLve newsletter and hold an annual celebration ceremony for our volunteers. Also, we are always eager for ideas and feedback on how we can improve our support for volunteers. So, please let us know if you have any thoughts or comments.

Meet Katie

Katie Wilson (Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager) heads up our Volunteering Team and oversees the recruitment and coordination of all activities relating to volunteers. Katie is great to talk to if you’re thinking about volunteering for Sight for Surrey and need some further information. Katie can be emailed at kwilson@sightforsurrey.org.uk or call our Helpdesk on 01372 377701 and ask to speak to her.

What next?

If you think you would like to become a volunteer please fill out our registration form and one of the volunteer team will get back to you to discuss your application.

    Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey
    Register of Interest in Volunteering
    All information on this form is treated in strict confidence

    Name*

    Address*

    Telephone - Home*

    Telephone - Other

    Email Address*

    Name and telephone number of emergency contact:*
    If Deaf, please provide a text number

    Any medical condition we should be aware of Yes/No*
    If typing yes, please give a brief description

    Which type of volunteering are you interested in? (please tick any that apply)

    References
    Our service users can be especially vulnerable. This is why we ask you to supply us with the names of two people (not relatives) that have known you for at least 2 years and who can be contacted for a reference.
    Reference 1
    Name:*

    Address:*

    Relationship to applicant:*

    Telephone Number:*

    Email:*

    Reference 2
    Name:*

    Address:*

    Relationship to applicant:*

    Telephone Number:*

    Email:*

    Disclosure and Barring Checks
    Because the work of Sight for Surrey involves one to one contact with vulnerable people, certain volunteer roles are considered exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders Act 1974. Any and all convictions must be declared and none of these may be considered “spent”. Sight for Surrey will apply for a ‘Disclosure’ from the Disclosure & Barring Service, which will reveal if you have a criminal record or not.
    Are you willing to do this? Yes/No*

    Have you ever been convicted, warned, reprimanded or cautioned of a criminal offence or been found liable in a civil court? Yes/No*

    If yes, please provide details below. These will be dealt with in strictest confidence.
    NB. Having a conviction will not necessarily prevent you from becoming a volunteer.

    Date of Birth:*
    (allows us to start your DBS application once interview process is completed)

    Car Insurance
    It is the volunteers’ responsibility to notify their insurance company that they are driving in a volunteering capacity and to ensure they hold the correct car insurance to carry out voluntary work on behalf of Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey.
    Do you have a full driving licence? Yes/ No*

    Do you have any endorsements on your licence? Yes/No

    Sight for Surrey is an equal opportunities employer.
    In compliance with the provisions of Section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 the following questions are asked for a specific purpose.
    In the interests of monitoring our procedures for equality, we would be grateful if you could return this form. This form will be treated in strict confidence.
    Tick as appropriate:
    Gender:

    Gender Identity: Do you identify as transgender?

    Sexual Orientation:

    What age group do you belong to?:

    Please describe your marital status:

    How would you describe your ethnic origin?:

    What is your religion?:

    Do you have any disabilities or special needs?:

    If Yes, please give details:

    Advertisement Source: Please state where you saw the role advertised:

    Thank you for your co-operation.
    General Data Protection Regulation 2018
    Information on our database is strictly confidential and we do not pass any personal data or information about you to outside organisations or individuals without your express written consent. Please indicate if you agree that we may:
    Keep basic information from this form on our database Yes/No

    Sign you up for our regular email newsletters Yes/No

    The information on this registration form is correct to the best of my knowledge and I accept the conditions contained within it.
    You will be confirmed as a volunteer for Sight for Surrey following the result of the disclosure and a photo ID badge will be issued to you.
    Signed and Dated - Please type your name as signature with todays date



    Volunteer case study

    Image shows Patrick and Susan, Home Visitor Volunteers for Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey. Both are wearing blue t-shirts with the charity's logo and the couple are standing against a coloured wall smiling at the camera.

    Patrick and Susan moved to the UK in July 2022 and immediately set about immersing themselves in the local community. They found out about volunteering opportunities with Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey after attending the Working Together for Woking event.

    Susan and Patrick are both Home Visitors for Sight for Surrey, and Patrick is also a Volunteer Driver.

    Patrick said, “I get great satisfaction from being a Home Visitor, we help each other out, it is good for the heart, mind, body and soul. I can serve the community and do something meaningful. The amount of satisfaction I get from volunteering is once in a lifetime. It is not like going to a class, or a lesson, we do not want the hour to be up! My wife and I both have the time to give, so why not volunteer?”

     

    Susan said, “we meet a nice lady, she is quite open-minded, and although we don’t speak perfect English, she is very patient. We talk and talk, all she wants is someone to listen to her, so we lend her our ears. I like helping people it makes me happy so I like volunteering as it helps me, and it helps others too, we both benefit.”