Experienced gardener jobs

Purpose

Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS’s spinal injury centres.

The Patient Experience Manager will be instrumental in supporting patients and families use of the garden. 

Along with the Head Gardener, you will be responsible for the smooth running of a thriving, vibrant garden ensuring the patient and their family are appropriately supported throughout their time in the spinal unit. 

This role requires you to manage a team of volunteers and work closely with the Head Gardener who maintains the horticultural standard of the garden and delivers therapeutic horticulture sessions.  You will be managed by the National Patient Experience Lead.

You will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with clinical and non-clinical NHS staff, corporate sponsors, funders, the Fundraising team, the Communications team and the National Patient Experience Manager. 

The gardens have been beautifully designed and maintained, and the role of the garden needs to reflect an appropriate environment for patients and their families at all stages of their stay.  From the initial welcome, to ensuring the contact and relationship is consistent with activities to suit their needs.

You will be responsible for developing and delivering social activities, supported by the charity’s National Patient Experience Manager and in collaboration with the wider Spinal Injuries team in Cardiff. These activities will mainly need to be held at the weekend or in the afternoons which are critical times in the garden when most patients are available and often have friends and family to visit. Currently the Events programme includes seasonal celebrations and social and craft activities. External facilitators also deliver workshops and live music performances.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a confident, proactive individual who is efficient, well organised and has outstanding communication and relationship building skills. You will need to be adaptable and friendly and confident working with a wide range of people including people with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers and many different teams within the charity.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

People with spinal injuries

· Develop relationships with patients and families to ensure the best experience for them in the garden at every stage of their stay

· Maintain a consistent social and arts activity programme appropriate for the current patient group, liaising with the National Patient Experience Manager and managing the volunteers accordingly

· Organise a programme of seasonal events, reflecting the needs of patients

· Work with the Impact Manager to monitor patient experience and the impact of the garden

·       Ensure the garden is managed to allow the correct balance to be in place to benefit both patients and external parties (major donors, trusts, corporate groups and other visitors)

NHS staff

· Develop and maintain productive and collaborative relationships with NHS clinical teams and voluntary services

Volunteers

· Recruitment and training of new volunteers

· Manage the team of volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden with patient experience at its core

Fundraising and Communications

· Work with fundraising managers, Head Gardener and volunteers to develop opportunities to generate income in the garden through friends, corporate friends and third-party fundraising

· Support corporate sponsor events and fundraising opportunities

· Represent the garden and charity at key events

· Promote the local social media accounts and provide regular updates for content

· Interviews with press/media as required

Administrative

· Ensure all administrative tasks associated with the role are monitored, completed and maintained

· Manage the garden budget along with the Head Gardener

· Collate and bank donations and manage petty cash

· Assist with ensuring the garden room is kept clean and tidy at all times

· Collate data showing usage in the garden and volunteer hours

Safeguarding

· Comply with all safeguarding policies and report any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead immediately

· This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check

Assist the Patient Experience Lead with any other tasks as required.
It should be noted that the list above is intended to give an overall view of the position and should be taken as guidance only.
 

Please see the full Person Specification in the Job Description attached.
Essential

• Flexible and able to work to suit patient requirements

Closing date: 5th February 23.30 
The first round of interviews will take place on the 18th February

Job Title: School Gardener for Young Marketeers Leeds

Position Type: Freelance

Reports to: Project Coordinator

Based at: Home-working and at schools in Leeds

Working Hours: February – July 2026:  

16 x school gardening sessions at £110 per session plus 2 days planning @ £220 = £2200

3.5 days @ £165 for delivering 8 x school assemblies and attending Market Day  = £577.50

Total:  £2777.50

Contract: Temporary

Job Purpose

· To deliver Young Marketeers gardening sessions and assemblies in eight Leeds primary schools

Background to School Food Matters

At School Food Matters we believe that school food can unlock a happier, healthier, more sustainable future for every child. We want a school food system that delivers for all children, so they can enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food and leave school with an informed and positive relationship with food. To achieve this, we campaign for a better school food system, bringing the voices of children, parents, and teachers to government policy, and deliver fully funded food education programmes in schools across the country.

Young Marketeers

This much-loved programme was started in London in 2012. It is now running in about 125 primary and special schools across England.  This is the fourth year it has run in Leeds. The programme provides hands-on opportunities for children from primary schools to grow fruit and veg from seed to sell at their local market. Young Marketeers is also a platform for School Food Matters to promote food education to schools and communities as a way to support children to live happy and healthy lives. Children learn the art of growing veg from seed, and market traders will share their secrets on how to create a winning market stall. Primary schools will be visited by our gardener in March/April and then again in May/June and receive further tips on how to ensure a bumper crop. Then in July, they head to the market to sell their produce, and to meet the Mayor!

Key Tasks include:

· Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project

· Plan and deliver

o One assembly in each school

o Two food growing sessions in each school with a class of 30 children (divided into 2 groups of 15)

· Attend Market Day in the city centre in July with all schools

• Complete monitoring and evaluation forms in accordance with instructions from our Evaluation team
• Take photos of workshops and events where possible
• Keep Project Coordinator and Leeds Project Officer fully updated on progress

· Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures

• Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

Person specification

Essential

· Experience of delivering food growing sessions to children

· Knowledge of fruit and vegetable growing

· Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail

· Ability to work in a team, and seek help when needed

· Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude

Desirable

· Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation

· Experience of working in primary schools and engaging children

· Experience of building relationships with partner organisations and individuals

Lindengate is a mental health charity that supports children and adults of all ages with their mental, physical, and social wellbeing through nature-based activities.

Working under the Horticulture, Conservation & Site Lead, you will apply your horticultural and conservation expertise daily to run volunteer sessions, facilitate group activities, support training delivery, coordinate garden and conservation projects, and contribute to plant and produce sales — all while supporting wellbeing through nature.