Three Years of GIVE: From Small Acts to Lasting Impact

GIVE recently celebrated its third birthday as a registered charity, and that milestone reminded me of how far we have travelled.

13 March 2020 is a day I keep coming back to — a time that already feels unreal in 2026. There were conversations about entire nations being locked down due to a virus. I asked a local councillor whether we had any plans to support people if a lockdown happened in the UK. They, like most people, weren’t sure.

So when I got home, I put a message out on Facebook to friends, most of whom were in Woking, because I wanted to do something. I could see that people were going to be frightened, isolated, and in need of practical help. I felt the least I could do was to offer help publicly. I didn’t set out to start a charity; I just wanted people to know that I was there — to collect a prescription, pick up shopping, or call and say, “I’m here.”

That urgent, unplanned beginning became the Knaphill, St John’s & Brookwood Volunteers Support Group, and from that seed, GIVE grew into what it is today.

Those first weeks were chaotic but also strangely productive. We leafleted streets, set up a helpline and email, answered phones at odd hours, and learned how much a simple chat could steady someone. Most of us also learned about “Zoom calls”! I remember a couple of people calling me, suspiciously asking how I was meant to be helping and who I was. To be honest, I would have been suspicious too if I’d received a random leaflet through the door.

But word of mouth and social media helped, and we began this amazing journey. All the volunteers celebrated when we completed 1,000 tasks, and there was always someone willing to help.

As time passed, to my delight, volunteers kept turning up with their time, kindness, cups of tea, and even cake. What surprised me most was how many people wanted to help and how much they appreciated the group and framework I had created. That neighbourly response showed me that people needed more than practical support — they needed purpose and connection.

That understanding shaped GIVE. We focus on mental health and wellbeing while staying true to the community spirit that brought us together. When other voluntary organisations were winding down, we sowed the seeds for transformation.

GIVE, to me, is a promise to the community I live in. It is the promise that someone will try to help, that someone will walk with you for an hour, that someone will sit and make space for whatever you are carrying. It isn’t polished or perfect; it’s human. My hope is that it always remains that way.

It’s the small, steady acts of care that add up and make us feel valued — and make us feel that we add value: a weekly walk, an art session, a catch-up over a hot drink, a phone call that lasts a little longer because the person on the other end needs it.

There are moments I carry with me: the person who started coming to a walk and eventually began leading one for others; volunteers who found purpose through helping; the neighbour who said, “I didn’t realise I could ask for help.” Those moments are everything. They remind me that impact is measured in people’s lives, not in headlines or numbers.

Looking ahead, my hope is simple and stubborn: keep the heart and grow the reach. That means supporting more volunteers so they can keep showing up, building stronger partnerships across Surrey, and creating sustainable frameworks to ensure consistency — all while making early mental health support easy to find within the community. I want GIVE to be the place people think of first when they need someone to listen, and the place they think of first when they want to help.

If you have ever wondered how to make a difference, start small: send a message, give an hour, join a walk. If you need support, reach out — you do not have to do this alone.

Thank you to every volunteer, donor, partner, and neighbour who trusted this idea and helped turn a moment of crisis into something lasting. Our community and our charity are learning, growing, and still here.

With gratitude,

Sonal

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