Registered Charity
About us
Who we are
Elmbridge CAN is a community-based, volunteer-powered charity, based in Elmbridge, Surrey, UK. We aim to build a culture of welcome to all displaced people within our local area and support them as they build new lives here.
We were formed in 2016 in the midst of the Syrian refugee crisis and have grown significantly to meet the needs of further arrivals, particularly those people displaced by the withdrawal of US and European forces from Afghanistan and those who have left Ukraine following the Russian invasion. We have a small paid staff team (equivalent to 5 FTE), and a volunteer board of 6 trustees. We have over 80 active volunteers and support approximately 300 displaced families, all of whom have been through their own unique and difficult journey. Our work includes running community ESOL classes and local drop-in hubs, and supporting a number of individual one-to-one volunteer placements where community members help with job searching, homework help, local orientation and much more.
