Big Leaf Foundation

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Big Leaf Foundation

Big Leaf Foundation is a charity working with displaced young people aged 15-25 living in Surrey🧡

06/10/2026

Reem joined Big Leaf as a Social Media Volunteer almost a year ago, and she's been an incredible member of our team ever since.

In our recently published annual review, she reflects on her journey with Big Leaf, from finding a community to becoming part of our Comms team.

🔸 Read Reem's guest edit on page 13: https://bit.ly/4e0ygqG

30/09/2026

Our regular football sessions in Redhill and Guildford give displaced young people a space to build friendships, develop confidence, and establish a sense of routine.

These spaces remain our busiest and often act as a gateway to our other projects and services.

"Playing football here has changed things for me. Before, I felt like a visitor in Surrey. But playing alongside local people, sharing a laugh, and winning games together has made me feel like I finally belong. I’m not just playing a sport, I’m making a home.” AA

🔸Read more about the Sports Programme on page 16 of our annual review: https://bit.ly/4e0ygqG

29/09/2026

Our April 2026 annual review is here🧡

It’s been a year of community, new opportunities and young people shaping Big Leaf.

From youth hubs, sport and music to casework, volunteering and young people’s leadership, take a look at what we’ve achieved together.

🔸Read the full review: https://bit.ly/4e0ygqG
🔸Stay tuned for more content from our annual review

24/09/2026

As we prepare for our next Music Connects project, we’re looking back at our last cohort and everything the young people created along the way.

With new funding from Youth Music and Arts Council England, we’re getting ready to welcome a new group of young people and start another creative journey through music.

Swipe through to see what we got up to last time🧡

23/09/2026

After the summer break, we were pleased to welcome young people back to our youth hubs for another Care Leavers workshop.

This session focused on finding work in the UK, with practical advice on everything from writing a CV to preparing for interviews.

The workshop was organised by Jessica and Rafaat and delivered by Martin, a Big Leaf volunteer and friend with experience in recruitment. Martin made the session practical and engaging, sharing useful tips and creating space for questions and discussion.

It was also particularly valuable to hear from Rafaat, who shared his own experience of looking for work and getting his first job in the UK. Hearing from someone who has been through that process himself helped make the conversation feel practical and relatable.

Thank you to Martin, Jessica and Rafaat for making the session possible, and to everyone who took part🧡

21/09/2026

We recently wrapped up our Unity XI Cricket project, which is part of the Sports for Connection programme.

It's been a wonderful project, bringing together displaced young people and local community members in Surrey through the love of cricket.

We're grateful for our partners, volunteers and young people who made this project a success. Special thanks to our funder, the Wisley Foundation, for supporting Sports for Connection.

Take a look at the matches we held in the carousel.

St George's Weybridge Always Georgian Surrey Police

18/09/2026

We’re always looking for ways to create meaningful opportunities for young people.

This summer, Haroon took part in a three-week voluntary work placement with Guildford Shakespeare Company, supported by our Care Leavers Coordinator, Jessica, and our co-founder, Vicki.

Read the carousel to hear about Haroon’s experience and the partnership that made it possible 🧡

15/09/2026

We're delighted to share that we have been awarded a two-grant from The National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All for our weekly youth hubs🧡

For over 6 years, our youth hubs have been a cornerstone of our work with displaced young people - providing a safe space for social activities, casework drop-in sessions and community meals.

We're incredibly grateful to the National Lottery Awards for all and players for making this work possible.

10/09/2026

Our Youth Hubs in Redhill and Guildford are back after the summer break.

Last week, our Redhill volunteer team came together to share a meal and plan for the upcoming term. We discussed new ideas for the hubs, including hosting rights workshops, writing projects, cooking classes and more.

Our volunteer team is made up of both people from the local area and young people who have come through our programmes and continued their involvement as volunteers. This mix of perspectives is fundamental to our work in these spaces. To make sure we remain grounded in what matters to young people, it is important to take time to reflect on our work, the connections it can build and how we can continue to ensure that young people arriving here in the coming year feel welcomed and cared for in their community.

Stay connected to see our new hub plans in action🧡

08/09/2026

We’re delighted to share that Youth Music has renewed its funding for Music Connects for a further two years.

Music Connects brings together young people from Surrey and displaced young people through a shared love of music. Over the course of the programme, participants build relationships, write and record a song together, and develop their confidence through performance.

We’re incredibly grateful to Youth Music and Arts Council England for continuing to support Music Connects and helping us create spaces where young people can connect, create and make music together 🎶

Address

Woking

Website

https://www.bigleaffoundation.org.uk/

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