Our wonderful member, Ted, won the Volunteers Award as part of the Reigate & Banstead Volunteer Awards. Unfortunately Ted wasn’t able to make the presentation evening in July so we asked the Mayor to pop in to the Belfry Centre to present Ted with his very much deserved award.  The Mayor said ‘It was an absolute pleasure to present Ted Pottage with […]

Surrey Coalition of Disabled People has won the Community Organisation: Disability Award in this year’s National Diversity Awards in association with HSBC UK. More than 85,000 nominees with 125 finalists in 10 categories were named in recognition of their dedication to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion. Surrey Coalition of Disabled People is a user-led charity […]

Members of the Coalition met with Zöe Frankling MP to discuss accessibility at train Stations. Our members met Zöe at Clandon Station and pointed out several issues with access to that station as well as discussing the wide ranging issues that can impact an individual’s ability to travel. Zoe has shared a video about the things […]

For the last year Is from Treloars has joined our Communications Team for her internship, as a Social Media Administrator.   During the internship Is interviewed Nikki, CEO of The Coalition, and Vikki, the Co-chair of the charity. As well as interviewing, Is edited the videos ready to be shared on The Coalition’s social media. Over the last […]

For International Assistance Dog Week, The Coalition and Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey are sharing advice on rights of entry for Assistance Dogs, how to act around an Assistance Dog and the impact access refusals can have on the handler. What is an Assistance dog? Assistance Dogs are highly trained to support Disabled people […]

About the focus groups: These focus groups act as a safe spaces for adults with learning disabilities and their Carers to share their experiences of using services in East Surrey.  The Coalition will use the focus groups’ findings to help Surrey Heartlands understand where services are working well and where they are not, and how they can […]

Our Wellbeing Get Together for June was a visit to Hampton Court Palace including a tour of the Tudor Palace. For an historic building a lot of care and thought has been given to making the buildings accessible. There is a good deal of information available on the website to help with planning your visit. […]

Surrey Coalition of Disabled People’s comment following the government vote on the proposed Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Universal Credit. The concessions that were announced earlier this week and during the debate in parliament, stating that existing claimants of PIP and Universal credit would be unaffected by the proposals is absolutely the correct course of action. […]

Megan, our Involvement Officer, shares her supercar driving experience. Due to being registered Severely Sight Impaired (legally blind) alongside other medical conditions, I am unable to hold a driving license on medical grounds. The head injury which caused my disabilities happened when I was just 15 years old, so I never learned how to drive […]

Did you know that this week (12th – 18th May) is Mental Health Awareness Week? The theme this year is community and bringing people together. It’s so important that we all take the time to look after our mental health. As we mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re reminded of the importance of finding moments […]

Nikki, our CEO, attended an accessible transport policy roundtable discussion on the Bus Services Bill. The Bus Services Bill is currently going through the House of Lords and will soon reach the House of Commons to be debated by MPs. This roundtable, chaired by Baroness Grey Thompson gave organisations an opportunity to share their views […]

Yasmin, our Involvement Lead and four of our members met up in the Discovery Centre at Newlands Corner for ‘Woodland Word Walking’ as part of Surrey Hills Society’s the Growing Together Project. Previously Coalition members had attended events like bird spotting at Frensham Little Pond and had a tour of West Horsley Place, and come […]

The Access to Food scheme closed at the end of March 2025.   Since April 2024, the Coalition – in partnership with Good Company and funded by Surrey County Council – ran the Access to Food scheme. The scheme funded a taxi ride to Disabled applicants nearest food bank, or in exceptional circumstances, a supermarket voucher.   […]

Some of our Coalition members, Yasmin, our Involvement Lead and Nikki, our CEO, were invited to a service to commemorate eighty years since nine airmen lost their lives in a bomber crash in Reigate, Surrey. An American Air Force B-17G flying fortress bomber crashed during bad weather in Reigate while returning from a mission over […]

Cuts to welfare benefits has dominated the headlines this week. Although we don’t really know the full impact yet, we do know that this will impact lots of Disabled people, people living with long term health conditions and their families. We will do everything we can to support our community and campaign for a fairer […]

Our latest Wellbeing Get Together was a visit to The Watts gallery in Compton for a tour of the exhibition “Flower Fairies, the magical world of Cicley Mary Barker” as well as the main gallery. George Frederic Watts OM was one of the most successful British artists of the 19th century. He painted portraits, landscapes, […]

Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of attending the Runnymede Civic Awards at Foxhills Manor. We nominated Jonathan Fisher for the Make a Difference Award and were really excited to hear that he had been shortlisted and invited to attend the awards evening. Many of you know Jonathan, he’s always very willing to help, he […]

It’s been over two years since we started working with Treloar’s and we wanted to fill you in on the latest updates. As mentioned in our previous blogs we work with Treloar’s on internships with their students, and we’re delighted to have Is currently with us on the Communications Team at The Coalition. Is started […]

Information about Occupational Therapy Surrey CIC – www.occupationaltherapysurrey.co.uk We are a not-for-profit organisation driven by a powerful social mission: to make occupational therapy accessible to all. What sets us apart is our commitment to employing individuals with lived experience, merging their personal insights with professional expertise to deliver holistic and effective solutions. The concept of […]

Our Involvement Team have created a list of free Christmas events and lunches across Surrey over December. PDF version: Word version:

Following extensive engagement and consultation regarding changes to a section of London Road in Guildford, Cabinet Members at Surrey County Council have decided not to proceed with a major part of the scheme.  Residents and people who travel through the area were invited to give their views on a proposed new cycling and walking route […]

Despite Disabled people being substantially over-represented amongst people using food banks, there is little research into the accessibility of food banks. In May 2024, The Coalition contacted all Surrey’s providers of food banks with an accessibility checklist. 17 out of 39 (43%) food bank providers responded. The Coalition found: The Access to Food scheme provides funding […]

It’s Purple Tuesday, a day to raise awareness about the importance of businesses improving customer experience and accessibility for Disabled people. Did you know: Source: Hello can I help you and Purple Tuesday We have created a video about how you can make your store or business environment accessible for Disabled people. Coalition members have […]

In August 2024, The Coalition took part in Surrey Hills Society’s Growing Together session in Knowle Park, Cranleigh. Coalition members and staff got involved by identifying and responsibly picking wildflowers to make clay and flower pressings, and solar prints. Growing together is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, […]

Happy World Mental Health Day! Here at The Coalition we offer a range of different services including: Tech Angels, Get More Active Get Together sessions and The Independent Mental Health Network. We understand how important it is for Disabled people to get out and about in their community to improve their mental health and wellbeing. […]

The Coalition and Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey are launching a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of including an SMS contact detail and hearing loop at establishments. One in three adults in the UK are Deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.* In Surrey there’s an estimated 66,000 people who are digitally excluded […]