Client Garden Support Volunteer

Client Garden Support Volunteer

Posted for Thrive

Posted by Volunteer North Hampshire

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We're looking for client support volunteers to assist the client gardeners and horticultural therapists at our garden in Beech Hill near Reading.

Working directly with our clients, volunteers support our horticultural therapists in delivering a high level of service to client gardeners with a disability or ill health. Our client gardeners come to our gardening programmes with a range of disabilities and health conditions and the programmes they follow vary from general gardening to working towards horticultural qualifications.

Some of the tasks you will do are:

• Working alongside client gardeners encouraging, talking, demonstrating, or guiding the individuals to a greater or lesser extent depending on their needs - sowing seeds, watering, planting out, weeding, digging, hoeing, mowing, pruning.
• Watching out for the Health and Safety of those you are working with.
• Helping to clear up after gardeners have left, briefing therapists on progress or any issues relating to the clients you have worked with.

Volunteers should be able to volunteer one day a week for a minimum of 6 months, 9.45am – 3.15pm

What skills do I need?

• Patience and understanding with a commitment to being supportive and companionable.
• Flexibility – task may need to change, and client gardener’s behaviour may be surprising or erratic.
• Reliability – for both the therapists and the client gardeners this is important for continuity and trust.
• Ability to explain tasks clearly and in simple ways.
• Some understanding of basic gardening skills
• Prepared to work outdoors in most weathers