Today we are thrilled to be sharing the story of local resident Vanessa Busek who is launching the Volunteer TimeBank, a charity which is designed to connect volunteers with charities who need support. If you're involved in a local charity or organisation or think you may have an hour to spare to support a charity in need, it's worth reading on.

Over to Vanessa to tell us her story...

If someone had told me 25 years ago that I’d one day be running a charity in West Sussex, helping people connect through volunteering, I probably would have laughed. Back then, my life felt like a whirlwind of moving boxes, new countries, new cultures, and trying to keep up with an Army husband who was always one posting ahead of me. But life has a funny way of preparing us for what’s coming, even when we don’t realise it.

At my core, I’ve always been someone who enjoys helping others. For most of my life, that help happened in small pockets, usually for the people right in front of me. But now I’ve created the space to help thousands, and the journey has been nothing short of incredible. Want to join me?

I grew up in South Africa and met my husband Paul in Nairobi in 1997. He was a handsome young Royal Engineers sergeant (he had a lot more hair back then, but I still think he’s rather lovely). Before I knew it, I was packing my bags for a life that would take us across the world. From Loughborough to Germany, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and back again. I’ve moved house more times than I can remember, raised two wonderful children, and worn just about every hat imaginable: marketeer, instructor, fundraiser, counsellor, administrator, project manager, defender of the little voices, and chief community cheerleader.

Life as an Army wife taught me adaptability, resilience, and above all, the power of community. Wherever we landed, I found myself creating little pockets of belonging. In Cyprus, I founded a baby and toddler group called Little Monkeys for mums far from home. It grew into a much-loved community hub and was eventually incorporated into the local army school. I even set up a babysitting circle using old-school paper vouchers which, without realising it, became my very first 'time bank' - people sharing their time and skills, helping one another simply because it mattered.

Saudi Arabia brought a whole new chapter. Ten incredible years filled with friendships from every corner of the world, multicultural experiences, and opportunities to give back in ways I never expected. I organised charity Zumbathons for UNICEF, ran Spinathons, volunteered for the Poppy Appeal, taught children ballet and Zumba, managed sports facilities and retrained as an Intrinsic Biomechanics Coach specialising in exercise therapy. It was busy, stretching, joyful, chaotic, and profoundly meaningful.

We returned to the UK in 2019 - in one of the fastest international moves ever (dogs, kids, schools, houses… all organised in 23 days!) we landed in Haslemere. Finding a long lost brother, and his beautiful family in Petworth was a big pull to settling in the area, but that’s a story for another time. Then COVID hit. Like many others, I rolled up my sleeves and mucked in. Volunteering became a lifeline. It’s a brilliant way to meet people when you’re new to an area, and even more so when you’re all stuck indoors.

I helped at the Riverbank Medical Centre vaccination programme, volunteered through Midhurst Tennis Club, and joined the Midhurst Angels delivering groceries and medication to people unable to get out. It anchored me during a strange and unsettling time.

As my two children grew older, completed their education at MRC and Godalming College, headed off to university and gap-year adventures, I found myself wondering: What now? Like many women in their late 40s, I had decades of experience but not much of it captured “on paper”. I knew I wanted to do something meaningful, something that truly made a difference and I wanted it to be big.

And yes, my husband may have gently suggested it was time for me to 'get back out there and earn something'. So I thought: Alright then… watch me.

That spark became Volunteer TimeBank, a charity for all charities. What followed was months of research, planning, collaboration, finding the right people with the right skills, mind-mapping, scenario testing, strategy sessions, rethinking, rebuilding, screaming into the void, and then celebrating when pieces finally clicked into place.

We are now launching the dynamic yet, simple VTB platform, built for today’s volunteers and community organisations. Volunteers can match their skills instantly with charities that need them, log their hours, earn time credits, and even gain endorsed experience for CVs and university applications. Charities can reach more people, reduce admin, fundraise, grow awareness, and focus on what matters: helping their communities. Businesses can run their corporate social responsibility programmes all in one place. It’s a platform where everyone wins.

Our ethos at Volunteer TimeBank is simple: If you are fortunate, don’t build your walls higher, make your table longer. There is so much good in the world, and most of it happens quietly, in small moments, between ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Volunteer TimeBank simply helps those moments multiply.

Haslemere and the surrounding villages are full of kind, talented, generous people. I would love to see more of you join us. Whether you’re a charity looking for volunteers, a local business wanting to get involved, or simply a neighbour with a little time to spare, there is a place for you in the TimeBank community, with the ability to support all charities – or just your favourite – It’s your choice.

It’s easy to sign up and the cost is minimal, roughly the price of two cappuccinos, and £5 of that going directly to the charity you choose on our platform.

We are growing organically and partnering with incredible organisations along the way, creating programmes, community campaigns, and new opportunities to support one another. If you have an idea or a passion project, please get in touch. If we can’t help, we probably know someone who can.

Together, we can make this already wonderful community even stronger.