Gardening for Life Volunteer

Age UK Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are looking for enthusiastic and organised individual to join our Gardening for Life initiative on a volunteer basis.

Gardening for Life is part of our Active Living Gardening service, designed to support older people to stay well, connected, and active through gardening and nature-based activity. This volunteer role will help the team research, plan, and develop a range of exciting Gardening for Life projects that promote wellbeing, bring people together, and build community partnerships.

Current and emerging projects include our Hub Garden Club, where day centre clients take part in therapeutic gardening sessions supported by staff and volunteers; Victory Veg, a grow-your-own initiative providing guidance to help people grow vegetables at home or on their allotment; Community plant sales and swaps, which raise funds for Gardening for Life projects and encourage engagement.

A key part of this role will also be to assist the Team Lead in developing the Gardening for Life Network, a future initiative to link individuals, volunteers, and organisations with a shared interest in wellbeing through gardening. Together, these projects aim to reduce loneliness, boost wellbeing, and encourage people to thrive through meaningful outdoor activity and social connection.

Role Requirements:

· A keen interest in gardening or nature (extensive knowledge not essential

· Good general IT skills and confidence using Word, Excel, and email

· Flexible and friendly with the ability to talk to a wide range of people by phone

· Passion for supporting wellbeing and reducing isolation through meaningful activity

You will be provided with:

· Guidance and support from the Active Living Gardening Team Lead

· Induction and training relevant to the role

· Access to Age UK Cornwall resources and templates

· Opportunities to attend project meetings and plant sale events (optional)

Main Duties: You will be part of a dynamic team working to support the development of nature-based projects that help people of all ages and abilities to connect, grow, and thrive.

Specific Responsibilities:

· Attend regular one to one meetings with the Active Living Gardening Team Lead to plan Gardening for Life Projects and brainstorm new ideas

· Research and compile useful data and contacts to support project development

· Help set up meetings between project partners, Active Living Team (gardeners) and Team Lead as required (attendance at meetings optional but welcome)

· Help with the coordination and logistics of plant sale events (attendance at plant sale events optional but welcome)

· Help to coordinate and gather content for the Active Living Gardening quarterly newsletter Flourish & Bloom

· Support our Active Living Gardening Team Lead to measure quality & satisfaction

Personal qualities most suited to this role:

· Friendly and proactive

· Reliable and well-organised

· Comfortable working independently and as part of a team

· Motivated by making a difference in people’s lives through gardening and community

Expenses and insurances:

· Age UK Cornwall & IOS reimburse volunteer expenses

· Age UK Cornwall & IOS will not be responsible for costs relating to your own equipment or equipment insurance

· Age UK Cornwall & IOS will insure the mobile phone it gives you for the duration of this project

· Age UK Cornwall & IOS insure you for the time you are volunteering with us.

Core Training for all roles (if not already completed):

· Safeguarding

· Health & Safety

· GDPR (data protection) and Confidentiality

· Boundaries

· Lone Working

Training specific to this role:

· Specific GDPR (data protection) and confidentiality considerations

· Use of Google Forms, Excel and Teams (as appropriate)

Responsible to:

· Active Living Gardening Team Lead

Start Date:

As soon as possible

When:

We can discuss this with you, and are flexible to meet your needs.

When: