Job Description

Gardener - Horatio’s Garden, Stoke Mandeville

Salary: £31,500 (increasing to £33,600 on completion of successful probation)

Location: The National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury

Contract type/ hours: Permanent, full time

Closing date: 12 July 2026

Purpose

We’re looking for a talented, enthusiastic Gardener for a prestigious role in our garden at Stoke Mandeville at the National Spinal Injuries Centre.

Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity improving the lives of people with spinal injuries by creating and expertly staffing beautiful gardens.

The Gardener will be responsible for nurturing and developing one of the region’s most exciting and ambitious hospital gardens. This isn’t just a maintenance role — it’s your chance to play a major part in a garden that changes lives by providing a sanctuary for patients, visitors, and staff alike.

The fully accessible garden has been beautifully designed by Joe Swift and includes a water feature and large garden room to give patients a warm sheltered place to enjoy the garden in all weather. There is an area of raised beds and a greenhouse where you will lead garden therapy sessions for patients, and a dedicated office space. 

You will be joining a friendly and talented team of expert gardeners across our other gardens around the country.  In the Stoke Mandeville garden you will work with a full time Patient Experience Manager, a part-time Garden Coordinator and a team of volunteers to nurture the beautiful space for people with spinal injuries and their visitors.

You will need to be adaptable and friendly, and confident working with a wide range of people including people with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers and many different teams within the charity.

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.

Team Structure

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Horticulture

·       Maintain high horticultural standards at all times to keep the garden looking its best all year round

·       Work to the garden maintenance plan, agreed with the designer, to develop and implement seasonal growing plans to ensure year round colour

·       Organise and implement a regular programme of propagation to ensure successional planting and provide a regular supply of plants available for sale

·       Monitor and manage pests and disease, and ensure any treatment required is implemented in a timely fashion

·       Ensure all gardening is undertaken in accordance with our sustainability guidelines and ecological best practice

·       Maintain high standards within the greenhouse to keep it clean and tidy at all times, full of interest and an inviting space for patients to engage in garden therapy sessions

People with spinal injuries

·       Develop relationships with patients and families to ensure the best experience for them in the garden at every stage of their stay

·       Run a varied programme of therapeutic gardening sessions for people with spinal injuries

Volunteers

·       Manage the team of garden volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden

·       Recruit and train new volunteers

Maintenance

·       Ensure the timely maintenance of all buildings, fixtures and fittings in the garden, including regular servicing and repairs

Administrative

·       Ensure all administrative tasks associated with the role are completed and maintained, with assistance from the Garden Coordinator

·       Assist with ensuring the garden room is kept clean and tidy at all times

Health & Safety

·       Maintain all tools and equipment in safe working order

·       Ensure all work in the garden is completed in a safe manner

Safeguarding

·       Comply with all safeguarding policies and report any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead immediately

·       This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check

It should be noted that the list above is intended to give an overall view of the position and should be taken as guidance only.

Person Specification

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. 

Application

Please write a one page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this role and send this along with your CV to [email protected] 

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.