Volunteer Gardener

The buzz of bees, the scent of flowers, the satisfaction of a productive veg patch - Gardeners know the joy of being outside. If that sounds like you and you've got green fingers, why not put your planting passion to good use by joining our volunteer team? Our Blue Cross sites have lots of green space. We like to keep them looking great but we also need to make sure they are safe for our pets, our team and our visitors. This is a really varied role. One day you might be planting up some flower beds with spring bulbs or summer bedding. The next you might be weeding and keeping any unruly plants in check. Depending on the site you might be taking out species which could pose a hazard, like ragwort. We're very keen to make our sites attractive to wildlife so you might be helping to create a wildflower zone for pollinators. Some of our sites even have their own veg patch for growing healthy treats for the pets in our care. It's a busy role but we can be flexible around your availability. If this role sounds like nectar to you, why not click apply and we'll take it from there.

Volunteer role

Volunteer Gardener

Volunteer manager

Volunteer Coordinator

Where you will be based

Property/on-site

Why we want you

Here at Blue Cross we are lucky enough to have some beautiful land around our sites. This role helps keep it looking beautiful and safe for our pets and teams. In this role you'll be supporting the work of our contractors to ensure basic gardening task are carried out in a timely manner. This could be anything from planting up spring bulbs, refreshing the planters ahead of a site open day, sweeping and composting leaves to growing vegetables for our pets to enjoy. It could also involve removing plants which could be harmful or invasive if they get a foothold. Blue Cross is committed to environmental sustainability ensuring our land is as biodiverse as possible. This role will help us to reach our climate goals by creating safe green spaces to enhance the lives of our pets, teams and visitors, both human and wildlife alike.

What you will be doing

• Weeding and tidying
• Planting and caring for plants
• Pruning plants using hand tools
• Seasonal tasks such as collecting leaves
• At some of our sites, you might also be growing vegetables or removing ragwort
• Supporting our aim to increase biodiversity at our sites
• Disposing of garden waste inline with our policies and procedures
• Mowing the grass using a push lawnmower

The skills you need

• Experience and enjoyment of gardening
• Willingness to follow our Health and Safety Policy and ways of working
• Good communication skills

What's in it for you

• You'll be actively helping us to help pets in need
• You'll join a team of like-minded people
• You'll meet new people and get involved with your local community
• We'll provide you with all the training you need to perform your role safely
• You'll get to learn new skills and share your current ones
• The role will help you keep fit and active
• We're flexible and can work around your availability

Disclaimer

In this role you'll be part of a team helping to keep the outside spaces at our sites looking great and, in some cases, being productive spaces too. You'll need to be able to follow our Health and Safety Policy and Operating Procedures and we may ask you to undertake specific training before you're able to do particular tasks. In this role you will not be expected to use ladders, perform any 'at height' tasks or use power tools. We will provide you with any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) you may need for your role. We believe that every pet should enjoy a healthy life in a happy home, and we always seek to involve the best people who share our values and commitment so we can continue to help and support pet owners across the UK to achieve this. At Blue Cross, we want you to feel that you belong, without the need to hide any part of who you are. Diversity and inclusion at Blue Cross means creating an organisation where all people, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, nation or country of origin, disability, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds are welcomed, respected, supported, and have access to equal opportunities. We are working hard to reflect the world we live in and the communities we serve at every level of our organisation. As much as we have made positive advances, we consider diversity and inclusion to be a work in progress - a continual commitment that remains a priority for all of us. If you would like to talk to us about any accessibility needs that we can support with in terms of our volunteer recruitment processes, then please do get in touch. You can email and we can organise for the right team member to get in touch with you for a discussion.

Drake House, Langstone Business Village, Newport, Newport, NP18 2LH, United Kingdom