FISH Volunteer Centre

02/09/2026

There is a terrific article on the FISH Volunteer Centre Home Visiting Scheme in this week’s Henley Standard.

Rita Hadgkiss, who runs the scheme, talks about what a lifeline it is for lonely and isolated people in Sonning Common and surrounding villages and how rewarding the volunteers who befriend these people find it. We are actively seeking more volunteers to make sure that we can fulfill every request for home visits.

The article, by Melissa Paulden, is well worth a read. It’s in the Sonning Common section of the newspaper.

You can also find more information about the scheme on our website at https://fishvolunteers.org/

17/08/2026

FISH VOLUNTEER CENTRE

VOLUNTEER CASHIER WANTED
A flexible role, requiring a few hours a week that you can do mainly from home.
Are you organised, trustworthy and comfortable with numbers and spreadsheets? FISH is looking for a volunteer cashier to help support our local community.
The role includes:
• Check and verify driver job sheets
• Count, reconcile and bank money
• Update spreadsheets with transaction details

Work in your own time, with guidance from our Treasurer.

INTERESTED?
Please phone or email for more details or to apply.
0118 972 3986
[email protected]
FISH Volunteer Centre • 82 Lea Road, Sonning Common, RG4 9LJ

Free volunteer-run transport, driver service, and home visiting for residents of Sonning Common and surrounding villages.

11/08/2026

No one went home hungry at the FISH Volunteer Centre August Tea Party yesterday. A fabulous array of sweet and savoury cakes, tarts and scones were provided, all baked by our very talented volunteers. There was much conversation and laughter as everyone enjoyed meeting up with their friends and neighbours.

Local author Tom Fort gave a very interesting talk about what makes Sonning Common Village so special and also how Heath & Watkins became such a vital part of the community. Like most of us, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Our tea parties are held in the village hall on the second Monday of every month between 2pm and 4pm. Everybody is welcome and transport can be provided. There is no charge, though donations are welcome.
Please visit our website on https://fishvolunteers.org/ or call our office on 0118 972 3986, Monday to Friday between 9.30 and 12.00 if you would like to find out more about what we do or how you can help us.

05/08/2026

Big thanks to the lovely Joe and SecureHeat for your support 😁

02/08/2026

At the FISH Volunteer Centre AGM this week, we reflected on a very busy year supporting Sonning Common and surrounding communities. Here are some of the highlights of the past year:

• We have helped nearly 300 clients over the last 18 months, driving them to and from appointments.
• In 2025, we fulfilled 941 driver jobs by 44 drivers for 163 clients.
• This year to mid July, we have fulfilled 572 driver jobs by 45 drivers for 120 clients
• We have 113 volunteers but we need more in order to support these clients and fulfill all the booking requests.
• We have 21 clients (and one on the waiting list) who have regular home visits.
• We have 20 volunteers who are paired with those who want home visits.
• The minibus made 218 return journeys, covering 6,501 miles and taking 1,656 passengers on shopping and leisure trips.

We could not achieve all this without our team of wonderful volunteers and we would like to thank each and every one of them. If you would like to find out more about what we do and how you could help, please look at our website on https://fishvolunteers.org

Full minutes from the AGM will be available on the website in the coming days.

30/07/2026

At a lively AGM this week, FISH Volunteer Centre celebrated the contribution of Richard McQuillan, who is standing down as Chairman after seven very successful years in the position. Richard has overseen many changes during his tenure including a new minibus, a new office and a new shed for wheelchairs, whilst co-ordinating all the different departments in the charity. He has also attended meetings with numerous charitable organisations and brought back a lot of very useful information. Richard was presented with two beautiful wine glasses, engraved with the FISH logo, and a very good bottle of red wine to go in them. We thank him for everything he has done for FISH over the past seven years.

Our new Chairman is David Whitehead. David brings to his new role his wide experience of finance, marketing and managing teams, gained running IT businesses for most of his working life. For six years he has been the FISH cashier, a responsibility he will continue until a replacement is found. He has also been instrumental in developing and launching the new website. We wish David every success in his new role.

25/07/2026

A very enjoyable day was spent at Millets Farm Centre this week. Our FISH clients visited some of the many attractions there, which include a farm shop, other independent retailers, a garden centre, animal enclosures, the maize maze plus a restaurant and snack shack.
FISH organises shopping and leisure trips every month with transport provided by the FISH minibus. There is also a special trip every month with the next one going to Kew Gardens in August. Full details are posted on Facebook and on our website https://fishvolunteers.org/ Trips can be booked by phoning our office on 0118 972 3986 Monday to Friday from 9.30 to 12.00.

23/07/2026

A reminder that FISH Volunteer Centre is holding its Annual General Meeting next Wednesday 29th July at 1pm in Sonning Common Village Hall. Everyone is welcome and it’s a great opportunity to find out about what FISH does to support Sonning Common and surrounding villages and our plans for the future. There will also be people there to talk to about volunteering opportunities.

20/07/2026

Bus trips for August. Please call the office to book

16/07/2026

Are you interested in volunteering in your local community but don’t know where to start or how much time you can commit? Why don’t you check out the various opportunities we have at the FISH Volunteer centre that provides support for people in need in Sonning Common and surrounding villages. Our volunteers say they get a huge amount of satisfaction in helping the people they live amongst.

We have a variety of roles, such as driving clients to medical appointments, visiting people in their homes, supporting our tea parties or helping in the office. And if you are not sure which would be right for you, we can arrange a taster session where you can try out a role with one of our experienced volunteers to see if it fits. Our opportunities are very flexible. You don’t have to commit to specific dates and you can pick and choose when and how often you want to help out. We are also looking for people with an interest in photography and marketing who could help out on an ad hoc basis

You can get more information on our brand new website https://fishvolunteers.org or by ringing the FISH office on 0118 972 3986, Monday to Friday between 9.30 and 12.00.