Southmead Development Trust (in partnership with Alive) are looking for new volunteers for our gardening group! As our group is growing (like our lovely plants), it would be great if more people could join us to support the facilitator to run our weekly sessions.
Whether you’re Alan Titchmarsh, or you don’t know your runner bean from your baked bean, everyone is welcome to join us on Thursday afternoons, 1.30pm – 3.30pm in the Greenway Centre’s kitchen garden (outside the café).
Come along and learn new skills, grow your own food, make friends and create some beautiful gardens. You don’t need any specialist knowledge just an open mind and willingness to get stuck in. All are welcome and specialist tools are available for those who may struggle with mobility or bending. We can also provide gardening gloves.
Experience
Essential:
• To be compassionate, respectful and able to relate to vulnerable people
• Excellent communicator and ability to adapt the way you communicate to meet the needs of
different client groups
• To be able to act on own initiative
• To be reliable and committed to regularly attending a session
Desirable:
• Experience of supporting vulnerable people who have health or social care needs (at home or at work)
• Some personal or professional experience of caring for or supporting people who have dementia
• Basic gardening knowledge and skills – you do not need to be an expert
• Passion for or an interest in growing, nature or wildlife
Main Tasks and Responsibilities
• To be available for 2 hours, at least once a fortnight.
• To be able to travel independently to one of the care homes we work with.
• To commit to volunteering in the role, wherever possible, for a minimum of six months.
• To attend an induction training session.
• To attend regular volunteer meetings.
• To work with and support those attending the group and to be involved in developing their own therapeutic garden.
• To be enthusiastic about gardening and enable users to get involved in as many garden tasks and activities as they want or are able to.
• To offer companionship and a listening ear to users of the garden.
• To be willing to share your knowledge and skills in the garden, as well as to listen and learn from service users.
• To have a sense of humour and fun and ability to share this with other
• To contribute to the debriefing sessions with Southmead Development Trust staff after gardening activities and contribute to monitoring when required.
• To stay in touch with the Volunteer Manager and provide feedback when requested.
• To provide two references, preferably including one manager who knows you from your current or past employment or volunteer experience.
What do other volunteers say about this role?
“I love every minute of it, it’s becoming the highlight of my week”
“There is good support to volunteers during sessions. It is rewarding working with residents”
“It’s such a rewarding volunteering experience. I leave sessions in a better mood than I was in when I woke up that day. It totally lifts my mood”
If you would like to know more about this role or are ready to apply please contact Colette Brown on colettebrown@southmead.org or call or 07732 954624.
Thank you for your interest.