Volunteer Gardener

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers. 

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness. 

About the role 

We are looking for Volunteer Gardeners and Gardening Group Leads to support our service at Weavers Croft Wellness Garden in Stroud, Gloucestershire. For these roles, you should be able to commit to a minimum of 3 hours per week. 

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role.    

About the service 

Our service is open on Tuesday and Friday 9am - 3pm, with the possibility to expansion to five days a week. Our garden is a beautiful walled garden, and we are developing the grounds and activities we provide on-site. The garden is open to the local community and provides a way of improving mental health and wellbeing. Opportunity to mentor and coach individuals and small groups in gardening skills is part of the role. 

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Gardener

Our volunteers take a guiding role around the garden this could be, for example, either leading a small group such as a weekly gardening session or leading a peer support group. The Garden has scope to consider a range of differing gardening activities to meet the needs of the community and volunteers play a pivotal role in ensuring the production of fresh vegetables. If you believe you have the skills, or would like to develop the skills, then please get in touch. 

What will make you a great fit for this role? 

• Previous experience of leading groups 

• Gardening and/or craft knowledge or a skill that would benefit a long term group activity 

Who are we? 

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.” 

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ ), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.