Surrey Community Action

What Surrey Community Action does

Surrey Community Action is an independent charity established in 1950 and headquartered at Astolat, Coniers Way, Guildford, United Kingdom (registered charity number 1056527). It operates with a dual institutional mandate as both a Rural Community Council and a Council for Voluntary Services, supporting the voluntary, community and faith sector across the county of Surrey. The organisation's portfolio of community-facing services includes the coordination of over 100 volunteer-led Good Neighbour Schemes providing transport and daily living assistance to elderly and vulnerable residents, the Warmth Matters energy-advice project, Gypsy Roma Traveller outreach (400 families supported in 2025-2026), Rural Housing Enabling, and Community Buildings Advice for village halls. It also runs an annual Charity Mash-Up conference, a free jobs board, a community hall finder directory, and training programmes.

Underpinning these are fee-based Business Services targeted at charities and community groups: Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks (175 completed in 2025-2026), payroll processing, meeting room hire at the Astolat headquarters, correspondence address services, and sector research support. The technology stack consists of standard website-based service delivery and database systems with no proprietary platform identified; the Community Hall Finder and Good Neighbour Scheme search tools are built on the geodirectory search function of the website.

Revenue is generated through a combination of charitable activities, grants, donations, and fee-based services, with the most prominent activity metric being 3,500 annual enquiries to the Good Neighbour Schemes team. The organisation is governed by a board of trustees led by President Michael More-Molyneux, with Tom Gill currently serving as Interim Chief Executive following a leadership transition from Jason Gaskell. Core strategic partners include Surrey County Council, multiple borough councils (Guildford, Mole Valley, Waverley), the University of Surrey's Centre for Britain and Europe, and the Association of British Insurers.

Name

Surrey Community Action

Legal name

Surrey Community Action

Website

https://surreyca.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Surrey Community Action is an independent UK charity (est. 1950) supporting Surrey's voluntary sector through Good Neighbour volunteer schemes, community buildings advice, fee-based business services (DBS, payroll, meeting rooms), and outreach projects for vulnerable, rural, and GRT communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community and Voluntary Sector Support Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

Keywords

• Voluntary sector support
• Community transport services
• Charity advocacy services
• Rural housing enabling
• Community buildings advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Guildford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Activities and Project Services: Revenue generated through offering fee-based services to the voluntary sector including DBS checks, payroll services, meeting room hire, correspondence address services, and research support. Additional funding from grants and donations as a registered charity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Surrey Community Action is an independent charity that supports voluntary and not-for-profit groups across Surrey with advice, advocacy, training, and fee-based business services (DBS checks, payroll, meeting room hire). It also runs direct community support programmes including Good Neighbour Schemes (volunteer transport for elderly and vulnerable residents), Warmth Matters (energy saving advice), Gypsy Roma Traveller outreach, and Rural Housing Enabling, and maintains a searchable directory of community halls.

Product overview

Surrey Community Action operates as a countywide independent charity offering a portfolio of interconnected community support services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Good Neighbour Schemes (volunteer transport and support for elderly/vulnerable people), a Community Hall Finder directory, Warmth Matters (energy advice), GRT support, Rural Housing Enabling, and Community Buildings Advice. These are supplemented by Business Services (DBS checks, payroll, meeting room hire) and advocacy/training services. The organization functions as a membership body and service provider to the voluntary, community and faith sector across Surrey, coordinating forums, conducting research, and providing a Jobs Board and Events programme including the annual Charity Mash-Up conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drive Into Action: Good Neighbour Scheme volunteer driver recruitment campaign
• Good Neighbour Schemes
• Warmth Matters
• Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Support
• Charity Mash-Up
• Talking Shop
• Surrey Charities Forum

Products and services

• Good Neighbour Schemes

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,500 enquiries handled by Good Neighbour Schemes team annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• QlicminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 September 2026Qlic, a charity I.T. provider, sponsors the annual Charity Mash-Up event organised by Surrey Community Action, providing support for the event's technology and promotional activities.
• Surrey County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatutory partner for local government representation and coordination. Surrey Community Action influences actions of local government and works with councils on rural housing initiatives.
• Guildford Borough Council, Mole Valley District Council, Waverley Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership on the Surrey Rural Housing Statement to support rural communities across Surrey by improving access to affordable homes and strengthening partnerships.
• University of Surrey - Centre for Britain and EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Bridges and Beacons' State of the VCSE Sector Report highlighting the vital role of Surrey's voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
• Association of British InsurersminorOthersMany insurers have signed up to the ABI's pledge not to charge a premium for volunteer drivers using private cars, supporting the Good Neighbour Schemes network.
• Statutory Bodies and Funding BodiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks to influence actions of local government, funding bodies, businesses, health and well-being providers, and a wide range of other partners.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CVS Cheshire East: Local Council for Voluntary Service providing infrastructure support, volunteer coordination, business services and training for the voluntary sector in Cheshire East. Functionally identical role to Surrey Community Action's supporting-the-sector activities.
• Community First Yorkshire: Yorkshire-based infrastructure charity combining Rural Community Council and CVS functions, supporting community buildings, village halls, and rural housing. Operates the same dual-role model as Surrey Community Action in a different region.
• Action Hampshire: Countywide infrastructure charity for Hampshire's voluntary sector, performing the same Council for Voluntary Services role as Surrey Community Action across an adjacent South East county. Direct functional peer with matching services (volunteer transport, community building advice, DBS, payroll, advocacy).

Regional players

• Citizens Advice Surrey: Regional advice and advocacy network covering Surrey, providing direct advice services to residents. Comparable to Surrey Community Action's direct-support and advice services to vulnerable residents, Gypsy Roma Traveller communities, and rural residents in the same county.

Broad incumbents

• ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England): National umbrella for Rural Community Councils, with a strong focus on community buildings, rural housing, and village hall support. Direct overlap with Surrey Community Action's Rural Housing Enabling, Community Buildings Advice, and rural advocacy programmes.
• Community Action Network (CAN): National membership body for local Community Action charities (CVAs/Rural Community Councils) across England. Directly comparable as the umbrella/federation that Surrey Community Action belongs to, with the same dual CVS/RCC role and sector-support remit at a national level.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): National membership body for the UK voluntary sector, providing research, infrastructure support, policy advocacy and sector intelligence. Comparable to Surrey Community Action's "Increase Understanding" and advocacy/representation functions, but at a national scale.

Emerging players

• Volunteer Centre Surrey: County-level volunteer-matching and infrastructure charity in Surrey, coordinating volunteer-driven services across the same geographic footprint. Adjacent peer with overlapping volunteer driver recruitment and Good Neighbour Scheme coordination activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/surreyca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surrey-community-action

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surrey Community Action