Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Community Gardener

Streatham Common Community Garden
Streatham, London

Posted: 17 Dec 2024

Deadline: 6 Jan 2025

Compensation: £22 per hour

Paid Part-time Fixed term / contract

Job description

The Community Gardener will run two of our exciting projects, the Learner Plotters’ project and the Little Growers’ project giving adults and children the chance to learn gardening skills in an amazing setting.

Contract Type: Self employed, 7 hours per week, at £22 per hour.

Contract Duration: From February 2025 to 30th November 2025.  

Contract Delivery: Each Sunday at the garden from 10.30am to 3.15pm, plus there is administration and preparation time, which can be undertaken on other days to suit you. Total hours will be 7 per week, noting that at the start of the contract actual hours may be slightly more, during the recruitment of participants, but will be fewer once projects are up and running.

What You Will Be Doing

• Running the Learner Plotters’ project. Recruiting participants and organising an induction session, supporting people with a mixture of workshops and individual guidance.  You will also maintain communication with participants to ensure that plots are fully utilised throughout the year.
• Running the Little Growers’ project.  Recruiting participants as well as the preparation and delivery of activities for children on a weekly basis.
• Opening and closing of the garden on a Sunday (alongside a Trustee) and ensuring appropriate health and safety measures are taken throughout the session.
• The design and delivery of a range of practical gardening workshops for Learner Plotters. Where appropriate, these workshops may be available to other garden volunteers.  (Please note, the Community Gardener may work alongside other provider(s) who may deliver additional workshops commissioned by Trustees).
• Working with Trustees to run occasional events at the garden on a Sunday.
• Ordering compost, seeds, plants, and any other essential equipment which are required to deliver the projects and maintaining appropriate records.
• Assisting the Trustees in evaluating both projects, to meet funders’ reporting requirements.
• Taking photographs, updating the social media accounts, and providing content to the Trustees for newsletters and other communications.
• Providing to Trustees a short monthly email report on the progress of the projects.
•  Undertaking a half yearly evaluation of the projects.

What We Are Looking For

• Practical understanding and experience of gardening, and growing food. A gardening qualification is an advantage but not essential.
• Ability to plan and deliver the projects and workshops, as well as undertaking related administration.
• Strong people skills, to work with a diverse range of people, including those with English as a second language, children /young people, and those with additional needs.
• Experience of working with and recruiting volunteers. Note, experience with volunteers is an advantage but it is not essential if you can show other relevant experience.
• Ability to communicate effectively and persuasively, both orally and in writing.
• Understanding of, and commitment to diversity, equal opportunities and safe work practices including safeguarding.
• Able to work effectively on a self-employed basis with minimal direction.

Application information

To apply for this contract, please send us your current CV and a covering letter by email to streathamcommunitygarden@gmail.com, by 6th January 2025 using the header Community Gardener – Recruitment.

 Noting:

• The letter should tell us how your skills and experience match what we are looking for.
• Please provide the email contact details of two referees, one of whom should be your most recent employer/ contract manager.
• Before starting, you will need to have a satisfactory basic DBS check. Costs would be reimbursed by the Garden.
• We plan to hold interviews on site, Sunday 19th January or Sunday 26th January and will aim to give you at least 5 days’ notice if you are called for interview.

Any questions can also be sent to the same email address, noting that we are run by volunteers and therefore there may be a short delay in replying.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs