Community Gardener

Community Gardener

Location: Webber & Quentin Estate TMO
Contract: 96 hours a year (with potential for more)
Salary: £20 per hour, responsible for your own tax and NI
Hours: 1 x Sunday and 1 x Monday per month OR 2 x Sunday’s/ month

Your contract will be with Webber & Quentin TMO, The Portacabin, Gray St, SE1 8UY, UK
(webberandquentintmo.org)

‘The TMO aims to be an equal opportunities employer’.

Webber Row & Quentin House Estate Tenant Management Organisation is a small estate of 163 homes built in the early 1900s. We have 3 gated community gardens and estate courtyards that run between the buildings on the Webber Row Estate. We also have a number of flower beds around the Quentin House Estate and car park.
We are currently recruiting a ‘Community Gardener’ to work within our Housing Estate. Along with regular gardening duties the work aims to provide education and direct community engagement and make W&Q TMO a beautiful place to live.
Project work available to the postholder is varied and will include community gardening; garden maintenance; occasional development and design of new garden projects in collaboration with community stakeholders; horticultural training; volunteer engagement.
You will utilise your excellent communication skills in engaging individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds and varied age groups, adapting gardening activities to ensure all can participate, including those with English as a second language.
The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing and cultivating a wide range of plants, overseeing volunteers within our Community garden and around the wider estates.

Duties covered would include, but not limited to:

● Weed beds (including small troughs), cut shrubs and prune roses in the main garden.
● Create sharp edges between grass and flower beds to create a neat effect.
● Keep all trellis climbers on the community garden arches tied in and cut to maintain the shape.
● Create and maintain a garden compost area in the main community garden at the back to rot down and recycle soft green weeds and re-use on the beds in Spring before mulching.
● Weed all planters and troughs in all courtyards, car parks and walkways (and balconies where appropriate), and water wherever possible in hot weather.
● Work with the TMO manager and the Garden & Social Committee for any one-off extra requests such as removing or changing a flower or vegetable bed layout following resident consultation. Any additional costs to be discussed and agreed in advance with the TMO.

Person specification

Experience
E1 Demonstrable experience of successful project planning from idea, through implementation to completion.
E2 Minimum three years’ horticultural experience with good technical knowledge of plants,
tools, horticultural processes and strong plant identification skills.
E3 Recognised Level 2 qualification in horticulture or a related subject.
E4 Experience of working with and supervising volunteers including an ability to teach
volunteers by example the principles of good horticultural practice.
E5 An understanding of how community-based organisations work and previous experience of working for, or participating in, a community-based organisation.
E6 Experience of working with disadvantaged groups/individuals and/or children.
E7 Experience of increasing biodiversity by way of plants
E8 Although not essential, recognised awards for successful projects is ideal

Skills and attributes
In addition, the candidate should be
S1 Genuinely excited by plants and keen to communicate this enthusiasm to as wide an audience as possible
S2 Able to work with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
S3 Aware of all issues affecting personal safety and the safety of others, including volunteers.
S4 Sensitive to community issues, values and demographics.
S5 Reliable and organised
S6 Friendly and approachable
S7 A confident and effective communicator both verbally and in writing
S8 Proactive and self-motivated
S9 Qualified First Aider desirable
S10 Commitment to CCRMO’s Biodiversity & Climate Action Plan

Webber Row & Quentin House Estate Tenant Management Organisation is a small estate of 163 homes built in the early 1900s.

‘The TMO aims to be an equal opportunities employer’.