As a church, we have been called to serve Guildford and the surrounding areas in any way we can. We currently support a number of organisations who are offering hands on support to those who need it most, we call them our Local Partners.
Local Partners
Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy (GTCC)
What is the focus? GTCC was set up by a cross-denomination group of Christians from Guildford churches in 2008, including a number from St Saviour’s who played a key role in its inception. It is a registered charity and has grown from its initial base of around 25 Street Angels to around 130 volunteers across three projects in 2021. The ministry of each project is based on a common theme – to care for the vulnerable and needy in our community, freely and without judgement.
What is GTCC called to?
Care on the streets – Street Angels are out in the town during the night caring for people who become vulnerable for various reasons.
Care at home – Community Angels come alongside, befriend and support people who are lonely and isolated, and help them build connections.
Care in the workplace – Volunteer Chaplains regularly go into agreed workplaces to offer a listening ear, support and the opportunity to be prayed for.
What is the need/opportunity?
The Chaplaincy has a dedicated team of four part-time staff and relies entirely on donations to cover its costs. The work on the ground is delivered by our amazing team of volunteers. Local churches are key to this support, in prayer, giving and raising volunteers. St Saviour’s has consistently played its part, and is responding specifically by establishing a new Community Angels ‘Hub’, rooted in our parish, but linked in with the wider community outreach championed by the town-wide team.
For more information visit www.gtcc.org.uk or click here to watch Street Angels latest video.
The Matrix Trust
What is the focus? The Matrix Trust is a small Christian youth work organisation working to support and nurture young people in Guildford who may be “on the margins” socially, or in terms of educational/emotional development. Our youth workers work in schools offering one to one relational counselling, as well as a range of group work activities. Recent developments include the opening of a community café, The Hideaway, at the Pavilion in Allen House grounds, which, in addition to being a great addition to Guildford’s café culture in a lovely setting, will offer employment and apprenticeship opportunities for young people. And after school hours it will become our new youth work hub for young people from across the Borough.
What is The Matrix Trust called to? Although we are an overtly Christian organisation, we very much work with and engage with the wider community, and we are not “church-based” but feel that our work really reflects God’s love for all of Guildford’s young people
In addition to a) our youth work in schools, b) a growing offer of detached youth work, and c) the youth hub at the Hideaway, we have recently become a member of the Surrey Wellbeing Partnership: this is a group of local youth organisations who have contracted with the local Health Trust to provide early intervention mental health services for young people across Surrey. We will be almost doubling our staff team to deliver these services, and it is really exciting to be part of this new partnership.
What is the need/opportunity? If you would like to get involved there are lots of volunteering opportunities, and we always need financial support because only a small part of our work in schools is funded and we are reliant on the wonderful generosity of many friends (and churches including St Saviours, thank you!) in Guildford and around. And if I may mention it, just now we are looking for a significant gift of about £20k to enable us to complete the final phase of the Pavilion refurbishment: this will enable us to have a separate meeting room available to hire to community groups or local businesses, which will generate income to support our youth work objectives.
If you’d like to know more, please visit their website: https://matrixtrust.com/ or contact the church office.
North Guildford Food Bank
North Guildford Food Bank was set up in 2012 to show God’s love by supporting those in financial crisis in Guildford and surrounding villages. They became a registered charity in 2020. Supported by financial and food donations, They provide food parcels to an average of 40 households each week. Demand in recent years is now three times that in pre-covid years and so the charity has had to grow and adapt to meet this need.
Jessica Povey jessica@ngfoodbank.co.uk (who is a member of St Saviour’s Church Family) is the manager (part-time) of North Guildford Food Bank and with a full-time administrator, they work with 115 volunteers, over 450 donors and 135 referral agencies to support those in need.
What do you do?
Every client who comes to collect their parcel is warmly welcomed, offered a hot drink and chocolate biscuit. Dedicated cafe listeners offer a listening ear and where appropriate offer signposting to other agencies who may be able to support the client. The volunteers pray for the clients needs that have been brought to them at the end of each session. We aim to offer a relaxed environment where everyone is loved and valued for who they are, without judgement.
Food parcels contain sufficient food to last around a week. This includes bought fresh food including fruit, vegetables, bread, dairy products and eggs, along with long life products. We also provide fuel vouchers via our partner the Fuel Bank Foundation for those on prepayment meters and fuel support and advice via Energy Manage CIC for those who are billed for their energy.
Our aim is to provide short term support and we work closely with the referring agencies to ensure that clients do not become dependent on food bank support and can move forward with dignity.
Why you do what you do?
Even though Guildford is perceived to be an affluent area, there are still many who live in poverty. Some of our clients have to make decisions between cooking dinner or putting the heating on, or between food and transport to work. For those carefully managing a tight budget, an accident at work, or a breakdown of a car or washing machine can mean it is impossible to get through the next few weeks without our support. We also support those who are rebuilding their lives; following fleeing domestic abuse, leaving the care system or leaving prison.
How can we support you/get involved?
In order to balance our stock levels, 60% of our food (including fresh produce) is purchased from donor funds and 40% comes from donated items from the local community. We spend an average of £1,800 per week on food. Financial donations also support the day to day running of the food bank.
We are currently engaging Energy Manage; funding their time and providing a budget to support our clients with their fuel bills.
For details of how to donate please visit https://northguildfordfoodbank.co.uk/food-donations/
Please support us by praying for:
- Continued provision for the ongoing running of the food bank and fuel support for our clients.
- That our clients are able to access and engage with support that helps them move away from crisis.
- Our volunteers, who give up their time to work together to support our clients.
- Our small number of employees who have to juggle multiple priorities on a daily basis.
For more information visit https://northguildfordfoodbank.co.uk/ and follow us on Facebook for regular updates about our work https://www.facebook.com/NorthGuildfordFoodBank.
If you have questions about our charity (Registered Charity Number 1188640), please email northguildfordfoodbank@gmail.com.