Gardener

Gardener – Horatios Garden, Stoke Mandeville

Employer

Horatios Garden

Location

The National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury

Salary

£31,500 (rising to £33,600 on completion of successful probation)

Contract type / Hours

Permanent, full time

Place of Work

Onsite

Closing date

Purpose

We’re looking for a talented, enthusiastic Gardener for a prestigious role in our garden at Stoke Mandeville at the National Spinal Injuries Centre.

Horatio's Garden is a nationwide charity improving the lives of people with spinal injuries by creating and expertly staffing beautiful gardens.

The Gardener will be responsible for nurturing and developing one of the region’s most exciting and ambitious hospital gardens.

This isn’t just a maintenance role — it’s your chance to play a major part in a garden that changes lives by providing a sanctuary for patients, visitors, and staff alike.

Team Structure

You will be joining a friendly and talented team of expert gardeners across our other gardens around the country.

In the Stoke Mandeville garden you will work with a full‑time Patient Experience Manager, a part‑time Garden Coordinator and a team of volunteers to nurture the beautiful space for people with spinal injuries and their visitors.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Horticulture
• Maintain high horticultural standards at all times to keep the garden looking its best all year round.
• Work to the garden maintenance plan, agreed with the designer, to develop and implement seasonal growing plans to ensure year‑round colour.
• Organise and implement a regular programme of propagation to ensure successional planting and provide a regular supply of plants available for sale.
• Monitor and manage pests and disease, and ensure any treatment required is implemented in a timely fashion.
• Ensure all gardening is undertaken in accordance with our sustainability guidelines and ecological best practice.
• Maintain high standards within the greenhouse to keep it clean and tidy at all times, full of interest and an inviting space for patients to engage in garden therapy sessions.
• 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.
• Run a varied programme of therapeutic gardening sessions for people with spinal injuries.
• Volunteers
• Manage the team of garden volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden.
• Recruit and train new volunteers.
• Maintenance
• Ensure the timely maintenance of all buildings, fixtures and fittings in the garden, including regular servicing and repairs.
• Administrative
• Ensure all administrative tasks associated with the role are completed and maintained, with assistance from the Garden Coordinator.
• Assist with ensuring the garden room is kept clean and tidy at all times.
• Health & Safety
• Maintain all tools and equipment in safe working order.
• Ensure all work in the garden is completed in a safe manner.
• Safeguarding
• Comply with all safeguarding policies and report any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead immediately.
• This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

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
• Solid practical experience as a gardener.
• Experience of garden management.
• RHS Level 2 or equivalent Diploma in Principles and Practices of Horticulture.
• RHS Level 3 or equivalent.
• Excellent plant knowledge.
• Excellent knowledge and experience of plant propagation.
• Knowledge and understanding of pest and disease and systems of management control.
• Experience of delivering Social and Therapeutic Horticulture sessions.
• Interest in, and understanding of, sustainable and ecological best practice in gardens.
• Experience of working with and managing volunteers.
• Experience of recruiting and training volunteers.
• Confident working with and supervising contractors.
• Experience of building maintenance.
• Very good IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.
• Experience of using Share Point.
• Knowledge of using social media to promote activities and events.
• Interest in the wellbeing benefits of gardens.
• Experience of working with the NHS or in a health care setting.
• Voluntary sector experience.
• Qualities
• Professional and approachable.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to foster positive working relationships.
• Confidence and ability to lead garden tours and talks.
• Proactive, can‑do attitude.
• Empathetic and kind.
• Calm under pressure.
• Flexible and able 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.
• Able to meet the physical demands of the role.

As a charity we are committed to creating and promoting a culture that protects and preserves the welfare of the vulnerable people in our care.

Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining and evaluating information from and about candidates including criminal record checks, to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work for our charity.

Application

Please write a one‑page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this role and send this along with your CV to

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of society.

NOTE: DBS, medical and reference checks will be conducted as part of the recruitment process.

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