Garden Coordinator

Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. We are seeking a friendly, organised and energetic person with a warm and welcoming manner for the new role of Garden Coordinator.

The Garden Coordinator will join a team of several other dedicated staff across the charity’s existing projects. You will work closely with the Head Gardener, Arts Programme Manager and a team of volunteers to nurture the beautiful garden for people with spinal injuries and their visitors.

You will be responsible for the administration of the garden and coordination of the large group of volunteers. With the Head Gardener you will also arrange seasonal events for patients, their friends and family throughout the year.

Supported by the central Arts Programme Manager you will also be responsible for organising and running a range of social and creative activities for people with spinal injuries and their families and friends to enjoy creating an uplifting, friendly atmosphere in Horatio’s Garden and garden room. These sessions will 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 Arts programme includes crafts, quizzes, seasonal celebrations with lunches,  in addition sessional creative experts also deliver glass fusing workshops, felting, printing, talks, painting, ceramic workshop live music performances,

You will need to be a highly organised person with great IT skills and a proactive can-do attitude. You will be confident working both independently and as part of a team in the garden.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a confident, self-driven individual who is efficient, well-organised and has an outgoing personality. You will need to be adaptable and happy working with a wide range of stakeholders including people with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers and many different teams within the charity. An understanding of the healing benefits of gardens would be beneficial.

Key details 

• Salary: £16,070 (FTE £28,030)
• Location: The Welsh Spinal Cord Injury and Neuro Rehabilitation Centre,
  University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff
• Contract type/hours: Part-time, 21.5 hours
• Closing date: Sunday 13 April 2025

The role is part-time, 21.5 hours a week as follows:

• 17 hours, over 2 or 3 week days, to provide garden and arts administration
• 4.5 hours, one weekend afternoon, to provide arts/creative programme

You will need to be flexible with your availability.

Horatio’s Garden is a charity that creates and cares for beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. Leading garden designers develop the stunning sanctuaries for patients and their family and friends, creating an environment which becomes an integral part of their lives and care whilst spending many months in hospital. The beautiful garden includes stunning planting, a water feature and a large garden room to give patients a warm sheltered place to enjoy the garden in all weathers. The garden also features a large glasshouse, an area of raised beds for patients where garden therapy sessions will be held, and a comfortable office for garden staff.

We are looking for someone who has

Essential

• Outstanding interpersonal skills with experience of stakeholder engagement and networking
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• High level IT competency, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365 including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Experience of planning and event organising
• Confident working alone and as part of a team
• Excellent time management skills
• Outstanding attention to detail

Desirable 

• Highly competent administrative experience, at least 2 years
• Experience of working with the NHS or in a healthcare setting
• Bookkeeping
• Experience of volunteer coordination and recruitment

Qualities

• Upbeat and outgoing personality with brilliant people skills
• Professional and confident with a proactive, can-do attitude
• Empathetic and kind
• Calm under pressure and able to thrive in a busy role
• Ability to prioritise and adapt the programme to suit the interests of changing patient groups
• 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

Key responsibilities

• Volunteer coordination, training and recruitment
• Support the Head Gardener with administrative duties
• Ensure the garden and buildings are presented to a high standard at all times, including sharing in the upkeep and cleanliness of the kitchen and garden room
• Develop administration methods to support the efficient running of the garden
• Provide support to plan and run events in the garden
• Support visitors to the garden, booking in visits and assisting with garden tours
• Collating the banking of donations and managing petty cash
• Creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, encouraging people with spinal injuries and their families to engage in the Entertainments Programme that are organised in the garden
• Coordinating catering arrangements and serving food and drinks
• Making posters and advertising events and activities via word of mouth
• Visiting wards to help patients to come out to the garden and garden room in hospital beds or wheelchairs.
• Handling the administrative side of the role, including risk assessments, ordering materials and budget-monitoring
• Working directly with patients and with the Arts Programme Manager to plan activities that reflect the patients’ interests
• Booking high-quality speakers, entertainers and freelance creative people to run sessions
• Working alongside session facilitators to support them.
• You will also be required to run sessions yourself, organise social activities and run quizzes

The role is a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic all-rounder to be involved in a dynamic charity, helping to make a difference to people who have experienced spinal injuries.

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.

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

To apply, Please write a one-page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this role and send this along with a one-page CV.

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