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

Sufra NW London
Brent, London

Posted: 17 Apr 2025

Deadline: 1 May 2025

Compensation: £20 per hour

Paid Part-time Fixed term / contract

Job description

We are recruiting an experienced horticultural consultant who is passionate about involving the community in growing plants and seasonal produce. The Community Gardener will support with the planting and harvesting of fresh, seasonal and organic produce over the busy growing season over the Summer months. The consultant will support with providing volunteers, residents and families to understand the practicalities of gardening and horticultural practices. You will be responsible for planning and facilitating educational workshops, leading volunteers, coordinating the weekly garden market and helping to maintain the garden over the summer period. These workshops and sessions will focus on teaching basic gardening skills, with an emphasis on plant cultivation and habitat development. Additionally, you are encouraged to incorporate creative elements from your expertise, such as foraging or making seasonal jams and chutneys. Using the community garden as a focal point, the charity has developed an interrelated range of food growing and education projects that seek to engage people of all ages and backgrounds, including:

• A weekly garden market offering fresh produce on a pay as you feel basis to the local community.
• A growing club that encourages community participation and provides a therapeutic space for those who with additional needs or socially excluded.
• Accredited horticultural courses for children and adults that provide a detailed insight into gardening, ecology and nutrition.
• Forest Schools that engage young people in child-centred inspiration learning process, which offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions.
• Environmental education for teams of visiting school children who learn about sustainability and the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems.

The ideal candidate will be a confident communicator and an organised self-starter with demonstrable experience in horticulture (particularly food-growing) who thrives in taking the initiative to deliver creative, educational workshops within a community setting. The successful candidate should be able to communicate clearly, work methodically to encourage participants to improve their confidence and learn new horticultural and gardening skills while meeting other members in the community. The Community Gardener will engage and train local volunteers – some of whom may be vulnerable – to grow food in a practical and experiential context. You will relish the challenge of getting people of diverse backgrounds excited about gardening and food growing. This is an immensely rewarding self-employed role working in a dynamic charity built on an ethos of sharing, hospitality and inclusivity, that would suit a committed individual who is willing to go the extra mile. Through their activities, the Community Gardener will be able to convey the charity’s passion and commitment to supporting vulnerable people and demonstrate the impact of growing nutritious food in improving food security in Brent and transforming the lives of beneficiaries.

For further details on the consultancy scope of work visit Community-Gardener-Consultant-Brief-2025.pdf

Application information

For those wishing to express an interest in this role, please submit the following documents by email to admin@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk

1. An up-to-date CV
2. A Covering Letter of how you meet the essential criteria (no more than 2 sides)
3. Equal Opportunities Form (also available on our website) 

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs