Gardener trainer jobs

Could you help people improve their health and well-being through gardening? Do you have experience of working in a community gardening or health and social care setting?

At Thrive, our Practitioners work with plants and people to improve an individual’s physical and psychological health, social interaction, skills and confidence.

are looking for an STH Practitioner to provide high quality and effective Social and Therapeutic Horticulture programmes for adults in our gardens in Beech Hill, near Reading and outreach settings.

Working alongside volunteers this role will support people with learning disabilities, autism, long term health conditions or disabilities.

Based at Thrive’s Reading Centre in Beech Hill. The role may include occasional work undertaken off-site in Reading and surrounding areas and occasional travel to the Thrive Centres in London and Birmingham. There could be an opportunity to work with children and young people with disabilities or PMLD.

Full or part-time options considered

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 Events Programme 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 Events Programme Manager and in collaboration with the wider Spinal Injuries team in Glasgow. These activities will mainly need to be held on a weekend afternoon which is a critical time 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 photography, printing, painting, ceramic 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 Events Programme 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 is 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

· Assist with ensuring the garden rooms are kept clean and tidy at all times
 

Safeguarding

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

· This post is subject to an enhanced PVG 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.

Person Specification
Key Criteria

Knowledge and skills
Essential
Experience of leading and managing teams
Experience of working with volunteers
Stakeholder engagement and networking
Delivering social events
Budget management experience
Good IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Desirable
Experience of volunteer recruitment and training
Voluntary sector experience
Experience of working with the NHS or in a health care setting
Knowledge and experience of managing petty cash
Experience of SharePoint
Knowledge of using social media to promote activities and events
Interest and understanding of wellbeing benefits of gardens
Experience of therapeutic activities
Digital photography

Qualities
Outstanding interpersonal skills, with the ability to successfully develop new working relationships
Excellent communication skills
Proactive, can-do attitude
Empathetic and kind
Calm under pressure
Ability to prioritise and adapt to the changing needs of each working day
Self-motivated and capable of working with the minimum of direction but understanding the limits of your knowledge and able to seek advice when required 

Other requirements
Flexible and able to work one weekend afternoon every week

CPAG is seeking an AI Coordinator for a two-year fixed term to support our work in the responsible use of AI. In this role, you will lead on planning, delivering, and monitoring AI projects in collaboration with our partner organisations. This work involves the ongoing protection of CPAG's intellectual property and reputation as a sector leader. You’ll carry out regular evaluation of each project and regularly update stakeholders with performance metrics, user feedback, and impact assessments.

This new role also involves developing training materials and delivering sessions to upskill CPAG staff in AI technologies, with tailored materials for the needs of different teams. You will ‘own’ and maintain the relevant internal policy documents and processes for AI use and will oversee the use and optimisation of AI tools across the organisation. Alongside colleagues, you’ll manage risk and compliance (including legal and ethical standards) to ensure responsible AI adoption that is fully compatible with CPAG’s mission. You’ll monitor developments in AI, assessing new products for risk and opportunity, and share lessons learned across the charity.

We’re looking for someone with strong project coordination skills, experience of managing multiple stakeholders, and a keen interest in and experience of AI and emerging technologies.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape CPAG’s AI work, helping the organisation innovate and support the sector responsibly while building practical AI capability across teams.

We welcome applications from individuals with the skills and experience outlined and we can be flexible about working arrangements. We operate a hybrid working system and would be happy to discuss any flexibilities required. CPAG is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion which you can read more about in the job pack.

For more information about this post and to apply, download the AI Coordinator job pack.

If you have questions or need specific arrangements or reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process please contact us.

Closing date for applications: Monday 1st December 2025 (midnight)

Interviews will be held on: Wednesday 10 December 2025