Wandsworth Care Alliance

Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIO) Network Meeting recap September 2025

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The VIO Network meeting was held online on Wednesday 10th September where we joined by speakers, job coaches Chance James and Emma Buckell of Shaw Trust who spoke on Volunteering Without Barriers: Neurodiversity and Engagement Lead Cassim of Kooth who spoke about Mental Health in volunteering.

In the meeting Shaw Trust speakers gave a presentation and discussed the ways in which organisations can incorporate methods to support neurodivergent volunteers through communication that supports the needs of neurodivergent young people, identifying and removing barriers whilst creating adaptions in volunteering opportunities. Shaw Trust shared that they are happy to offer free training to help build inclusivity in the workplace.

Kooth who support children and young people between the ages of 10 – 25 across 6 SWL boroughs gave a presentation on the services that they provide. A free online, safe and anonymous counselling and emotional wellbeing support platform. Kooth who open 365 days a year provide different types of practitioners for the needs of all young people who are referred to them or get in touch. Kooth believe that no problem is ever too small to speak with them about.

If you would like to get in to contact with any of the speakers, you can contact the speakers by their email addresses.

Chance James – chance.james@shaw-trust.org.uk
Emma Buckell – emma.buckell@shaw-trust.org.uk
Cassim Kaweesa – ckaweesa@kooth.com

Sustainability September; Sustainable Volunteering Opportunities in Wandsworth

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If you’re passionate about sustainability, community, and making a positive impact, there are plenty of volunteering opportunities and local initiatives in Wandsworth that align with greener living. From digital support to gardening, cooking, and waste reduction, here’s how you can get involved.

Volunteering opportunities

Digital Champion – Tech-Your-Time: Help bridge the digital divide by volunteering as a Digital Champion. You’ll be supporting people to gain essential digital skills, enabling them to access services, stay connected, and feel more confident online.

One-Off Volunteering Day – Pick and Pack Baby Bank Helper: Join a local baby bank for a day to sort, pack, and distribute essential items for families in need. A perfect short-term opportunity with a big impact.

Client Gardener Support Volunteer: If you love being outdoors, you can support clients with gardening, helping them connect with nature while maintaining community green spaces.

Community Growing Sessions

  • Every Sunday, 10 am – 12 pm: Join weekly gardening sessions that focus on growing food together and sharing skills.
  • Mindful Growing (Tuesdays, 12.30 – 2.30 pm): Combine sustainability with wellbeing by engaging in mindful gardening practices.

Wandsworth Digital Champions: Become part of a wider network of volunteers helping residents develop digital confidence and independence.

FoodCycle – Cooking or Hosting: Contribute to FoodCycle in SW11 by cooking or hosting free community meals made from surplus food. It’s a great way to fight food waste while bringing people together.

Sustainable charities and businesses

Curating Space to Grow – Paradise Cooperative Charity Wandsworth: A green hub for community-led food growing, education, and sustainability initiatives.

The Friends of Wandsworth Common: Support conservation and community projects to keep Wandsworth Common thriving as a shared public space.

Waste Not Want Not (Battersea): An initiative tackling food waste by redistributing surplus food to those who need it.

Reuse Workshop – WRWA: Hands-on workshops where you can learn practical upcycling and reuse skills while reducing waste.

Richmond Furniture Scheme: A social enterprise giving furniture a second life, reducing landfill waste, and supporting vulnerable people.

First Mile – Business Waste Solutions: Helping local businesses recycle more and send less to landfill with sustainable waste collection services.

Upcoming events

The Good Life – Sustainability Skills Workshops

Practical workshops designed to help you develop hands-on sustainability skills, from growing food to reducing waste at home.

Sustainable September – Green-Focused Events Across Wandsworth

Wandsworth’s “Sustainable September” returns with over 80 events and activities celebrating environmental action. Wandsworth Borough Council
Highlights include:
• Balham Big Green Fair (6 September) Wandsworth Borough Council
• Paradise Cooperative Harvest Festival (7 September) Wandsworth Borough Council
• Sustainable Saturday Spectacular (13 September) Wandsworth Borough Council
• Southfields Harvest 10th anniversary (27 September) Wandsworth Borough Council
• Nature walks, repair and recycle cafés, recycled art, community growing, fruit pressing and lots more.

Why get involved?

Sustainability starts with community. Whether you have an hour a week or just a day to give, volunteering locally helps reduce waste, supports biodiversity, and builds stronger social connections. By engaging with these opportunities, you’ll be part of the growing movement for a greener, more resilient Wandsworth.

Your guide to volunteering in Wandsworth: 5 steps to get started

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Are you thinking of volunteering? Then we want to help highlight some key steps to help you find the best volunteering opportunities to suit your interests, experience and capabilities.

  1. Think about your interests
    Before applying for a volunteering opportunity and in order to choose a suitable opportunity it is always helpful to identify what your active interests are. Oftentimes volunteers will choose a volunteering opportunity based on what they have an interest in and what they know or feel like they will be best at.
  2. Think about your capabilities
    In the early stage of applying for a volunteering opportunity, it is always good to consider your strengths so that you, the organisation, and the work your volunteering to help can get the best out of your abilities and experience.

    If you are unsure that you can fully commit to a long period of volunteering, it may be best to not apply for an opportunity that would like a volunteer to commit for a period of time. If you know that you have a lot going on or you are a full-time employee it may be best to realistically review your capabilities so that you don’t commit to more than you need to.

    If you see a volunteering opportunity that is of interest to you but you know you may not always be able to go to the location of the volunteering opportunity it may be best to realistically assess before applying or ensure that it is made to known to the organisation.

  3. Think about your availability
    When applying for a volunteering opportunity you will need to determine how much you can input into the work of volunteering, you will also need to be practical about the amount of time that you can commit to volunteering and the day/s.

    This helps the organisation you’re volunteering with know what you can do within the specific amount of time that you will be volunteering, how much training you will need and what will work best for both of you whilst you are volunteering.

  4. Think about your reasons for volunteering
    What are your reasons for choosing to volunteer? Is there a deep desire to see change, to offer your service to help others, to see improvement in your community, to make use of your skills, to help a specific cause that is close to you?

    Whatever the reason may be it is always good to allow the reason to help encourage and be the motivation for you whilst you volunteer.

  5. Apply for the volunteering opportunity
    Now you are ready to apply for a volunteering opportunity or a few on Volunteering Wandsworth and wait to hear back from the organisation! Of course, if you need any assistance whilst looking for a volunteering opportunity then you can always contact us by sending an email or giving us a call.

You can visit Volunteering Wandsworth to find your next volunteering opportunity.

If you would like to speak to a member of the team about volunteering you can email or call us on the following:

volunteering@wandcareall.org.uk
Jummy – 07396 712 267

Volunteering celebration event

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On Thursday 5th June 2025 in honour of our volunteering involved organisations and volunteers, we hosted a volunteer week celebration at Tooting Works.

We were joined by speakers from the community such as Carol Bennett of SW Ladies Boxing, Syeda Islam of Wandsworth Older People’s Forum, Rachel Perkins of The Furzedown Project and Asma Choudhry of Roehampton Women and Children’s Wellbeing.

With introductions and game icebreakers, all guests got acquainted. We heard speeches from our speakers on the work of their charities and speeches of appreciation towards the work of WCA and our team members.

Guests enjoyed a relaxed afternoon of discussing and celebrating the achieved works of volunteer involving organisations in the borough and our amazing Wandsworth borough volunteers.
Our raffle winner for the event picked at random selection was Syeda Islam!

Below are downloadable videos of our speakers sharing more information about what they do.

Rachel Perkins – Furzedown ProjectDownload
Asma Choudhry – Roehampton Women and Children’s wellbeingDownload
Syeda Islam – Wandsworth Older People’s ForumDownload
Carol Bennett -SWL Ladies BoxingDownload

If you would like to volunteer in the Wandsworth borough you can check out our Volunteering Wandsworth website here.

Ryan Jong; corporate world to volunteering

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After a long and successful career in the corporate world, Ryan Jong is embracing a new chapter, one that’s all about giving back. Having recently retired in December 2024, Ryan is looking to join Wandsworth Care Alliance (WCA) as a trustee, bringing with him a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on community support.

“I wanted to use my skills to give something back,” Ryan says. “Before retiring, I was a partner at a Big Four accountancy firm, where I built and led a department of 60 people. My background is in financial services, statistics, and risk management, areas that might not seem immediately relevant to the voluntary sector, but I’ve found there are more similarities than you might think.”

Although Ryan had always been interested in volunteering, Ryan’s demanding career and family life left little time for it over the past two decades. But now, with more time on his hands and a desire to stay purposeful in retirement, he’s diving into this new role with energy and enthusiasm.

Finding a suitable volunteering role

While exploring volunteering opportunities in Wandsworth, the trustee position at WCA stood out.

“I was looking for something where I could truly add value,” Ryan explains. “Given my past experience working closely with boards and governance, the trustee role at WCA seemed like a natural fit.”

Ryan acknowledges that, at first glance, his background in finance and statistics might not appear directly related to the voluntary and community sector. But he sees a deeper connection.

“The challenges that many charities and community organisations face today, particularly in times of economic uncertainty, aren’t unlike the challenges financial institutions faced during the 2008 crisis. It’s all about adapting, continuing to serve the public good, and finding sustainable ways to operate in uncertain times.”

Ryan’s advice to anyone potential interested in volunteering

When asked what advice he would give to others considering volunteering or a trustee role, Ryan is clear: “Just go for it.”

“Even if you don’t think you ‘fit’ perfectly, your experiences might still be valuable. Everyone has something to contribute. When I was building my team, I never wanted 60 clones of myself. I wanted different opinions, different perspectives. That’s what leads to better results.”

Looking ahead

Though he’s still new to the role, Ryan is excited about what lies ahead.

“It’s early days, but I hope to get to know WCA better and to make a meaningful contribution. My goal is simple: I want to leave WCA in a better place than when I joined.”

We’re excited to have Ryan on board and look forward to the impact he’ll make as part of our dedicated trustee team. If you’re inspired by his story and are thinking about volunteering or becoming a trustee yourself, take that first step, you never know where it might lead.

Get in touch with us at communications@wandcareall.org.uk

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