Camberley Care Trust is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, Charity Number 1188130. Our successful volunteer car service has been operating for over 45 years, and our very popular subsidised handyperson service was reinstated in 2018. 2024 will be our 50th Anniversary year.
Camberley Care provides support to elderly, disabled and vulnerable members of the Camberley and Frimley community, providing practical help they need to live safely and independently in their own homes.
The core of our success is the provision of a car service that provides reliable, safe and low-cost transport, to help people with restricted mobility meet medical, family and social needs. We do not charge for this service but do ask for a donation to cover costs. The drivers are all volunteers and are entitled to claim expenses.
Our handyperson service offers an affordable home maintenance service for smaller jobs around the house, that typically take two hours or less to complete.
Camberley Care does not receive any direct funding from the government. We rely totally on donations from our clients, individuals, businesses, local churches, and other charities.
Our Values
- We care about what we do and the people we work with
- We put people first and treat our clients the way we would like our own loved ones to be treated
- We act with integrity and take pride in everything we do.
- We are passionate and determined about enabling people to live independently in their own homes.
Our History
Camberley Care started in 1974 when the minister of Camberley United Reformed Church started a project, which saw church members offer a telephone advice service, manned by willing volunteers, to assist the needy in our community. The idea soon found favour with the Frimley and Camberley District Council of Churches, leading to the establishment of Camberley Care. It soon became apparent that the vast majority of calls received were requesting support with transport needs and this led to the early days of our current volunteer car service, then known as “Care Cars”.
In 1987, with the organisation growing, the need for greater governance of operations was recognised. This led to the formation of a charitable trust, registered with the Charity Commission. To meet the need for support with home repairs, adaptations and maintenance, Camberley Care launched a handyperson service in 2000.
Surrey County Council supported the Handyman service until 30 September 2016 when their grant was withdrawn. The original handyperson service ceased operation during 2017 because of this withdrawal of funding.
Due to the growth in clients, trips and service administration, a part-time salaried Administration Manager responsible for the day to day running of the charity was employed. In November 2015 a second part-time assistant was employed.
The office became computerised in 2014 with the purchase and installation of desktop computer equipment for the office team. In 2015, with the increase in the client base, it became apparent that managing bookings manually was no longer possible; a computer system was introduced to enable the bookings to be handled more efficiently. The Charity Portal database was fully functional by August 2015.
In addition to providing secure, affordable car transport to residents of Camberley and Frimley, the Board of Trustees was pleased to reintroduce a rescoped handyperson service, which became fully operational by September 2018. This was possible following the transfer of surplus funds from Surrey Heath Carers, a local charity which ceased operations during 2017. Enhancements to the Camberley Care Trust Charity Portal were made during 2018 to administrate the newly formed handyperson service, as well as the requirements to become GDPR compliant.
In July 2020 Camberley Care Trust transferred operations to a newly formed Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) under the new Charity Number 1188130.
How we are Governed
Until July 2020, Camberley Care Trust (known as Camberley Care) was a registered trust with charitable status granted by the Charity Commission in November 1987, charity number 298419.
On 1st July 2020, Camberley Care Trust transferred to the newly formed Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Charity Registration Number 1188130. Although our official charity name remains “Camberley Care Trust” we use “Camberley Care” as our Working Name (duly registered with the Charity Commission).
Our Board of Trustees consists of a team of dedicated volunteers with a wide range of capabilities and experience. Our Chair and other Trustees provide governance and guidance to the rest of the organisation. We advertise any vacancies on the Board of Trustees through social and digital media channels as well as in traditional print media.
The smooth running of our Camberley Care support team, including our volunteer duty officers, is the responsibility of our Office Manager and administrative support, based in the Ian Goodchild Centre in Camberley.