Community Garden Co-ordinator - Netherton Feelgood Factory : Job Details

We are looking for a forward-thinking person with horticultural skills to take forward the Netherton Community Garden on its journey to becoming a Green Community Hub in South Sefton. Candidates should combine a passion to help communities adopt more environmentally-friendly lifestyles with strategic planning skills to move the project towards greater financial sustainability.

The Netherton Community Garden started life in 2016 as a vision to develop a piece of waste urban land into a garden that could be enjoyed by the community and that also would produce fresh fruit and vegetables to promote health and awareness of growing skills.

Since then, and thanks latterly to a National Lottery grant, the garden has begun to develop as a Green Community Hub with the aim of enabling local people to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. The garden has a positive impact on the local community by providing a meeting place, a venue for skills training and a place to promote positive mental and physical health. It is well used and valued by local residents.

This will be a great opportunity for someone interested in horticulture and the environment to work with a local community that struggles to adapt to the green agenda. The ideal candidate will need, however, to understand that it is imperative that the garden continues to move onto a business footing to ensure its long-term survival.

Job Purpose:

The co-ordination of the Netherton Community Garden to:

• promote its movement towards greater financial stability through encouraging income generation
• operate within the Feelgood Factory as a member of the community team, facilitating at least one group aimed at socially isolated people.
• train, facilitate and manage volunteers and community groups to deliver projects in the Netherton Community Garden which support the Garden’s overall vision of promoting a greener local community.

Garden and maintenance

• To work closely with the Community Garden Steering Group and the staff of the Feelgood Factory to maintain the Community Garden, leading on overall scheduling for dedicated work and seasonal priorities
• To work closely with the Chief Executive in identifying and implementing moves towards making the Community Garden more financially sustainable.
• To oversee planting and re-planting areas throughout the year on an
• agreed schedule
• To oversee and undertake general garden maintenance, including weeding, hedge trimming, strimming and leaf blowing
• To ensure that tools are in good working order and deal with any defects immediately

Garden project facilitation

• To work with the Steering Group to develop the practical concept of the Community Garden and work with the local community to attract people into it.
• Lead on the development and subsequent delivery of garden based training and community programmes, within agreed budgets and schedules
• Ensure that volunteers are trained in the safe use of tools and equipment and supervise this where applicable
• Work with the Feelgood Factory and other local groups in recruiting local volunteers to be part of the project
• Work with the Steering Group and the Feelgood Factory to coordinate and deliver community growing days and garden-based events
• Work with the Feelgood Factory marketing team and other colleagues to ensure effective communication of the Community Garden
• Work with the Steering Group and the Feelgood Factory’s Fundraising team to undertake fundraising for the Netherton Community Garden, researching opportunities and providing materials for applications

Qualifications & Training

Good standard of general education to at least A level standard

Horticulture skills training

Knowledge, Skills, Experience

Experience of gardening/horticulture

Strong communication skills, with a confident, articulate and approachable manner

Experience of working with a wide range of people

Knowledge of health and safety issues, particularly relating to gardening

Ability to manage own time effectively

Ability to communicate with people from a wide range of different backgrounds

Experience of working with partners on the development and delivery of projects

Other General Competencies

Physically able to lift garden machinery.

Ability to work as part of a team and under own initiative

Genuine desire to help local communities to adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles within their own financial and practical capabilities.

Willingness to work in a flexible way in line with the requirements of the post. This may involve some evening and weekend work

Ability to keep records of work undertaken

Ability to recognise discrimination in its many forms and put equal opportunities policy into practice

The Community Garden Co-ordinator will be part of the Community Team within the Netherton Feelgood Factory.

The Netherton Feelgood Factory is a community-led healthy living centre. The organisation operates in a recognised area of deprivation and uses a community development approach to enable local people to improve their health, wellbeing and quality of life. The Feelgood Factory objectives are to reduce health inequalities by:

• Improving access to services and information,
• Developing and providing activities and services to encourage healthier lifestyles, improve health and wellbeing and prevent illness,
• Developing initiatives to meet local needs.

The Feelgood Factory is based in a purpose-built facility that was opened in 2004 after planning and fundraising by the local community. The centre acts as a one-stop shop for advice services and also provides a range of health-related activities for all ages.

The Feelgood Factory provides services for the whole community, from childhood to old age, in order to promote health and well-being in the most holistic way possible. Our programmes of activities are delivered both in the centre and, through outreach work, elsewhere in the area.