Annual Report
2024 - 2025
We are proud to present our latest annual report, highlighting the work of the organisation, alongside our annual finances, from the period of April 2024 and March 2025.
Chair of the Board's Report
Navigating our role in an ever-changing landscape has had its highs and lows. This year has been no exception—from the fantastic news of securing another successful Big Lottery funding bid to the challenges of adapting to the closure of our North and Central Guildford Social Prescribing Service due to PCN restructuring. While this presented difficulties, we have also embraced new opportunities, launching two exciting Social Prescribing pilots for probation and forthcoming acute care at Royal Surrey. We have high hopes for both, and the probation pilot is already making a meaningful impact.
This work lies at the heart of VASWS, yet our role isn’t always well understood. We operate beyond formal public sector boundaries while deeply connected to them, breaking down silos and broadening perspectives on what community means and what it can deliver.
Looking ahead, uncertainty remains a major theme. The challenges we face—rising community needs, managing complex caseloads, and navigating shifts in funding amidst the cost-of-living crisis—are nothing new. However, it’s vital that we respond collectively rather than retreating into sector-specific concerns. The upcoming devolution in Surrey will undoubtedly bring change, and we must ensure that the voices of our communities are heard and represented. For VASWS, this means standing firm in our advocacy while safeguarding our core mission.
In light of this, the board made the important decision to expand our membership, inviting applications over the summer of 2024. I am thrilled to share that in the financial year we successfully recruited outstanding new trustees, all of whom have already made a fantastic start in their roles. Their dedication will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen VASWS, and we are off to a great start with a full review of our internal policies.
After six years on the board, I feel the time is right for fresh leadership and a new approach. I am delighted to announce that, following a thorough selection process, Valeria Locatelli was unanimously voted in as the new Chair in 2025. As the board moves forward, it will be crucial to revisit our purpose, ambitions, and direction— especially in times of uncertainty. By sharing challenges equally across the sector, we can better work towards the outcomes we seek for the people and communities we serve.
It is customary for an outgoing trustee to extend their thanks, and I wholeheartedly do so. But beyond that, I want to say what a true pleasure it has been to work alongside such dedicated board members, staff, and volunteers. VASWS has navigated a challenging period, and it is thanks to the incredible people here—both paid and voluntary—that we have overcome obstacles together. You never gave up, and you met each challenge with resilience and determination. For that, I am deeply grateful, and I feel privileged to have stood alongside you.
- Debbie Hustings, Chair of the Board of Trustees
ARCHIVES
Take a look back at some of our highlights from across the years in our Annual Reports from previous years.
At Voluntary Action South West Surrey, we recognise that correct data handling is key to building trust with our clients and partners. We take our data protection responsibilities seriously and recognise that providing privacy information is one of the key requirements of the UK GDPR. Our privacy notice lets individuals know what is happening with their data. We hope it gives reassurance that we’ve thought about how it will be kept safe, whether it is shared with anyone else and what happens with it when it is no longer needed.
Data protection is everyone’s responsibility, so every organisation – however small – needs a privacy notice when processing people’s data. A privacy notice is sometimes known as ‘fair processing information’, ‘privacy information’, or a ‘privacy policy’. All of these terms refer to information about why we require personal data, what we plan to do with it, how long we’re going to keep it, and if we’ll share it with anyone else.
We have a Data Protection Complaint form available for anyone who wishes to raise concerns about how Voluntary Action South West Surrey has processed their personal information. This can be downloaded here.