The UK's Skilled Volunteer Network — Surrey Pilot 2025
No vulnerable person should live in an unsafe home because they cannot afford a tradesperson.
Community Trades connects trusted organisations — Age UK, hospices, district nurses, social workers — with skilled volunteers who give their time to help. Practical help. No bureaucracy. Real difference.
We are not another charity. We are an operating system that coordinates kindness.
Simple. Trusted. Effective.
Three steps from a referral to a safer home.
01
A trusted organisation refers someone
Only approved organisations can submit a job — Age UK, hospices, social workers, district nurses. The person needing help never has to ask for it themselves.
02
We review and publish the job
Our team reviews every referral, writes a clear job description with no personal details, and publishes it to verified volunteers nearby.
03
A local tradesperson steps forward
A verified, insured volunteer sees the job, claims it, and gets it done. Photos and notes are submitted. The story is told.
For tradespeople & companies
A rainy day.
An early finish.
A cancelled job.
Instead of heading home with time to spare, there could be someone nearby who needs exactly what you can do — and it would take you two hours.
Community Trades turns wasted capacity into something that matters. Browse jobs near you by county and trade. Claim one. Do it. Feel good about it.
Individual volunteer
“I finished a job by 1pm on Friday”
Browse nearby jobs. Claim one that fits. Help someone on your way home.
Company pledge
“We pledge two volunteer days a year”
Your company registers, pledges time, and your team picks up jobs as a crew. Recognition included.
Quiet week
“January's always slow for us”
Keep your team busy and your community better. A quiet week becomes a meaningful one.
Small jobs. Big difference.
These aren't luxury renovations. They're the repairs that stop someone falling, let them get to their front door, or mean they can stay in their own home rather than go into care.
Most jobs take two to four hours. Many need only basic tools and a willing pair of hands.
Every job tells a story
When a volunteer completes a job, they upload photos and a few notes. Those stories are what grow the network — recruiting more volunteers, more companies, more referrers, more suppliers.
“I finished early on a Thursday. Fixed an elderly lady's handrail in 90 minutes. She cried when I left. Best afternoon of my career.”
Carpenter, Guildford
“We pledged two days as a company. Our team did three jobs in one day. They talked about it for weeks. Worth more than any team-building exercise.”
Managing Director, roofing company
“We'd been trying to get Mr Harris's steps fixed for months. Community Trades had someone there within a fortnight.”
District Nurse, Surrey
Illustrative stories — real experiences shared with permission
For referral organisations
You know who needs help.
We know who can provide it.
If you work with vulnerable people — elderly, disabled, terminally ill, or in financial hardship — and you can see they need practical help at home, you can refer them through Community Trades.
- Age UK & Age Concern
- Hospices & palliative care teams
- Macmillan & cancer support
- District nurses & occupational therapists
- Social workers & councils
- Food banks, churches & veteran organisations
How referring works
- 1
Register your organisation
We'll approve you within a few working days.
- 2
Submit a referral
Describe what's needed, add photos, confirm consent.
- 3
We take it from there
Admin reviews, publishes the job, a volunteer claims it.
- 4
You're kept in the loop
Track status in real time. Get notified when it's done.