Education is a key project aim and the Educational Gardener will provide a wide range of horticultural, educational, training and volunteering opportunities for local people of all ages and backgrounds including: long-term unemployed young people, individuals returning to work, young people in formal education, children & adults with additional support needs and older residents living in social isolation. Your role will promote life-long learning through providing educational aids, activities, displays and teaching both informally and formally through providing structured demonstrations and classes to community and school groups in good horticultural practice including, but not limited to: organic growing, bee keeping, orchard management, recycling, composting, propagation, horticultural maintenance and vegetable / fruit production.

You’ll have a strong passion for horticulture and inspiring others to learn more about, and engage with, the natural world around them. You will have excellent communication skills and have experience of working collaboratively with a range of partners and stakeholders to deliver joint activity. You will have strong organisational skills and be able to plan, coordinate and deliver a range of activities tailored to a wide range of diverse audiences. You will have experience of working with volunteers and will be able to develop and grow our volunteering capacity and opportunities. You will work closely with the Development Manager to ensure the local community are aware and engaged with the programme of activities being offered at the Horticultural Centre through regular communication and marketing materials.

The Haven is an award winning charity which aims to improve the quality of life of people affected by a range of life limiting conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Information and support is provided, to clients and their families, by a multidisciplinary team of nurses, therapists and volunteers. Our aim is to support our clients to understand all aspects of their illness, treatment and care; to improve their emotional wellbeing and ability to manage stress and to sustain carers in their caring role. The Haven has been recognised nationally through attainment of the King’s Fund/GSK IMPACT Award and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

In April 2016 a brand new custom designed building opened in Forth with the aim, via a 3 year development plan, of becoming a vibrant hub from which to deliver an increased range and number of Haven services to families across rural Clydesdale. The ‘Be Included Be Involved’ Project is a new initiative designed to increase access for people living in Forth and the surrounding areas of Clydesdale to a range of volunteering opportunities.

Volunteers are a very important part of The Haven team who work as part of a multidisciplinary team with nurses and therapists to ensure our clients receive the highest standard of care. Volunteer opportunities within The Haven, such as Peer Support Volunteers, Volunteer therapists and a range of additional volunteering opportunities allow people to learn new skills, build confidence and develop experience in a health care setting and as a result move them further towards their personal volunteering/career aspirations.

Through the delivery of an exciting new initiative, the “Be Included - Be Involved” project, and with the support of key partners, we aim to establish self-sustaining, robust volunteering pathways and 30 volunteering opportunities. This will allow us to increase the range and number of services we deliver to families affected by Life Limiting Illness in Clydesdale.

Be Included Be Involved offers the potential for a highly motivated, empathic and compassionate individual to join our multidisciplinary team to support the successful development and delivery of the project and associated outcomes. This is an ideal opportunity for a recent college or university graduate to develop a range of skills in an intern/project assistant role or equally for a confident and skilled administrator to undertake a new challenge as part of a project team.

This post will be based within The Haven Centre at Forth (36 Manse Rd, Forth ML11 8AJ).