HORATIOS GARDEN STOKE MANDEVILLE
We’re looking for a talented, enthusiastic Gardener to join our team at Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville to help nurture and develop one of the region’s most exciting and ambitious hospital gardens, designed by Joe Swift. This isn’t just a maintenance role — it’s your chance to lead a garden that changes lives by providing a sanctuary for patients, visitors, and staff alike.
Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS’s spinal injury centres. The Gardener will be responsible for managing and caring for the garden and supporting the patients who use it. You will run a thriving, vibrant sanctuary which meets the needs of the charity’s beneficiaries.
The charity is growing. We have eight garden projects open and are fundraising for our ninth garden in Middlesbrough.
This role is a fantastic opportunity for a confident, experienced gardener with an interest in gardens and wellbeing, and a passion for people as well as plants. If you think you would thrive with us, we want to hear from you.
Key details
- Salary: £31,500 FTE (increasing to £33,600 FTE on completion of successful probation)
- Location: The National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury
- Contract type/hours: Permanent, 3 days a week
What you’ll do:
- Manage a dedicated team of gardening volunteers, sharing your knowledge, passion, and creativity to nurture both people and plants.
- You’ll work closely with the designer Joe Swift and the Director of Gardens to evolve the garden with flair, sustainability, and seasonal drama.
- From contemporary borders and the wildflower meadow to raised beds and the glasshouse — you’ll ensure everything flourishes to the highest horticultural standards.
- Be a driving force in eco-conscious gardening, water management, and biodiversity initiatives. Innovation is encouraged.
- Run 121 and group gardening sessions for people with spinal injuries, host garden tours, and mentor the next generation of horticultural talent with a WRAGS trainee.
We are looking for someone who has:
Essential skills:
- A seasoned horticulturalist with RHS Level 2 qualification or equivalent hands-on experience
- Proven leadership skills with a knack for team development and motivating others
- A creative thinker with a strong eye for design and planting combinations
- Passionate about sustainability and ecological best practices
- A brilliant communicator with the ability to foster positive working relationships
Desirable Skills:
- RHS Level 3 Horticultural qualification
- Experienced in delivering therapeutic horticulture sessions or workshops
- A professional and confident public speaker, with the ability to lead garden tours and talks
- Proven experience of recruiting and training volunteers
- Great IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365 – Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
We are looking for someone who is:
- Flexible and able to adapt to changing priorities
- Empathetic and kind
- Self-motivated and capable of working with the minimum of direction but understanding the limits of your knowledge and able to seek advice when required
- Able to meet the physical demands of the role
What we offer
- The chance to lead one of the region’s most talked-about gardens
- A talented, supportive team who love what they do
- Access to training, workshops, and horticultural events
- Opportunity to shape and evolve a garden that tells a story
As a Charity we are committed to creating and promoting a culture that protects and preserves the welfare of the vulnerable people in our care. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining and evaluating information from and about candidates including criminal record checks, to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work for our Charity.
How to apply
Please write a one page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this role and send this along with your CV to kath.moss@horatiosgarden.org.uk
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of society.
NOTE: DBS, medical and reference checks will be conducted as part of the recruitment process