Volunteers’ Week is a time to recognise and celebrate the incredible people who give their time to support others in our community. At ECL Walton, our volunteers bring warmth, creativity, and compassion - qualities that make a real difference every day. One of our wonderful volunteers, Claire, who supports a weekly art class, beautifully captures what volunteering means to her: “One of the loveliest things I’ve learned from working with people with learning disabilities i

When I first moved down from Aberdeen with my family, it felt like a new and exciting adventure, but it also meant leaving behind familiar faces and places. Arriving just before the Covid pandemic, provided an extra challenge to work through. Once life became normal again, I realised I wasn’t very familiar with the local community or the incredible organisations working within it. Determined to change that, I started searching online for volunteering opportunities, hoping to

April marks World Autism Acceptance Month, a time to move beyond simply raising awareness and focus on creating spaces where autistic people are genuinely included, valued and empowered. At AllSports, a session run by Elmbridge Community Link (ECL), that sense of empowerment sits at the heart of everything we do. This year, ECL’s theme of “I Can” has shaped our sessions in a particularly meaningful and inspiring way. I’m George Miller, and I facilitate AllSports alongside Chr

I joined the Board of Trustees at ECL six years ago because I could see what a fantastic charity it is and what a positive impact it has. Outcomes for people with learning disabilities and/or autism are worse by almost every metric when compared to the general population. They face poverty, discrimination, complex health issues and a shorter life expectancy. At ECL, we enhance the lives of people with autism and/or learning difficulties in a wide variety of ways and it is imp