Volunteer Gardener

Location: Springhill Hospice. Hours: Ideally 4 hours per week in 1 day, or split over 2 days.

Volunteer Gardener Details

Our volunteer gardeners support the provision of a professional gardening and grounds maintenance service for Springhill Hospice and its local satellite sites. Springhill service-users include those with life-limiting illness, their carers and family members and, people with neurological health issues, such as dementia, visiting our day therapies centre.

This role will assist in the day-to-day upkeep of our award winning gardens, across all our green spaces including ornamental bedding, mixed shrub and herbaceous displays, woodland, and an allotment, greenhouses and polytunnels. Please note that some roles may be seasonal or AYR, and may be specialised if applicants have specific interests or skills e.g. composting, memorial plant care, crops, lawns, cut flowers, propagation. The hospice working environment will, at times, be physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also very rewarding and fun.

Duties

• Support the Head Gardener with new ornamental displays and projects.
• Undertake any necessary soil improvement such as digging, manuring and mulching; we follow an organic and mostly no dig regime to enhance biodiversity.
• Maintain the ornamental borders and beds by weeding, pruning and tying in new growth.
• Undertake watering when necessary.
• Monitor health of plants and report the presence of pests and disease; we promote natural predators and remedies.
• Assist in harvesting crops; most go to our hospice kitchen and some are presented for sale on our cart.
• Assist in up keep of composting systems.
• Assist Grounds Maintenance teammates in the up keep of garden furniture, structures, etc.
• Use PPE and equipment safely, keeping tools clean and reporting any faults to the Head Gardener.
• Support the promotion of the gardens through our guided tours, corporate volunteer days and Britain in Bloom competitions.
• Support initiatives to generate income, i.e. plant sales, garden memorial schemes and events.
• Awareness of safeguarding responsibilities for our vulnerable adults.
• Participate in meetings and training deemed necessary for role.
• Read, understand and comply with all Hospice policies and procedures, applying the principles appropriate to the role.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Essential - none
• Desirable - hold or studying a recognised horticultural qualification, such as RHS, City & Guilds in gardening

Skills

• Physically fit and willing to undertake gardening activities in all weathers
• Good plant knowledge and willing to learn more
• Friendly disposition, with good interpersonal and communication skills
• Emotional maturity, sensitivity and patience, and the ability to work with a range of people collaboratively
• The capacity to use your initiative and safely work independently
• Good organisational skills
• Competent digital skills as mobiles and emails are used for communicating within the team

Experience

• Essential - previous domestic or voluntary experience in gardening.
• Desirable - worked in a horticulture discipline for a minimum of 1 growing season, particularly in healthcare environments.

Springhill Hospice is an equal opportunities employer and has a No Smoking Policy.

The role is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service/POVA check. If you require more information on this please refer to

Training is crucial to the role.

Training Courses

• Induction & Tour - Required before starting: Yes, Mandatory: Yes, Frequency: Once
• Manual handling - Required before starting: No, Mandatory: Yes, Frequency: Once
• Working at Height Awareness - Required before starting: No, Mandatory: Yes, Frequency: Once
• Operator trained by Manager on the Stihl Battery Powered Equipment: Mower, Strimmer, Edger, Blower, Hedgetrimmers - Required before starting: No, Mandatory: Yes, Frequency: Once

Additional information

If this is of interest to you please contact our Volunteer Coordinator:
Email:
Call:

How to apply

To find out more, please fill out the below Volunteer Interest Form. Should you have queries, you can also contact our Volunteer Coordinator: Call , Email