St Mary's Secret Garden

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JOBS/VOLUNTEERING

Volunteering - general

Ecominds volunteering

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Volunteering - General

15 years ago the land which St Mary's Secret Garden occupies was overgrown and disused. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of local volunteers, some of whom still help out, the land was cleared and the beginnings of a community garden were formed. The time, experience and ideas of volunteers are a very important aspect to the development of our garden.

You do not need to have any specific skills to volunteer, however an interest in gardening, DIY, office administration, fund raising or publicity would be beneficial.

We are currently seeking volunteers for:

1. Work along side a horticultural specialist to support clients (Tuesday - Friday, half or full day).

2. Office administration e.g. particular project support and fundraising (flexible hours)

3. We cannot currently offer volunteer places for general gardening/maintenance.

If you are interested at volunteering at the garden please complete the attached forms and return to us at info@stmarysgarden.org.uk.

Volunteer form

4. Do you have direct experience of mental distress? If so, come along to our garden celebration and launch event on Monday September 5th. For more details, click here *New*

Currently we do not have vacancies for the following:
1. Supported volunteer programme.

If you want to find out more information on this programme or be considered in the future please contact us.

Some of our volunteers explain why they enjoy coming to St Mary’s.

Ita was involved in the original ground clearing project that setup St Mary’s and has been coming back ever since. Having been brought up on a farm in Ireland she could not wait to return to a "back to roots" horticultural lifestyle after a career in teaching. She enjoys planning and running weekly garden classes with disadvantaged clients. Ita says "Thursday's, my day at St Mary's is one of my favourite day of the week. I get such satisfaction from watching people and plants grow side by side. I definitely get as much out of volunteering as I put in even after all these years!"	Ita
Paul	Paul has been coming to the garden for 3 years. He is really good at keeping the place tidy and enjoys painting, sweeping, cutting hedges, mowing grass, watering plants and composting. Paul's really enjoys coming to St Mary's because it is friendly and sociable place. He has made lots of good friends at the Wednesday session.
Andrew has been volunteering at the garden for 3 years. Always a lively contributor he enjoys meeting lots of different kinds of people. He likes the friendly atmosphere in the garden. He has been getting involved in potting plants, pruning, planting, sculpturing and helping out with the summer flower shows. Andrew says “I recommend volunteering in the garden for a new experience and a chance to meet interesting people”.	Andrew
Julia	Julia has been volunteering at the garden for over 5 years now. She literally discovered the garden when she took a wrong turn one morning but has been coming regularly ever since! A natural leader, Julia has been involved in digging the pond, planting wild flowers and supporting the delivery of gardening courses for local residents. She enjoys the opportunity to be outside in the fresh air and get some exercise in a friendly environment.
Keith has been coming to the garden for 1 year. Having experienced a brain injury he finds working on projects in the garden very therapeutic. Projects he has worked on include bulb planting, pruning and sculpture work. Keith enjoys learning about different types of plants and how to grow them. He has put this acquired knowledge to good use in his mum's garden at home!	Keith
Lucy & Margaret	Lucy (right) started coming to the garden in October 2008. She provides support for volunteers with learning disabilities. Lucy enjoys helping people and also learning more about horticulture from the resident experts. Lucy says “I get immense satisfaction in working together on projects with disadvantaged volunteers.”
I was introduced to St. Mary's secret garden through a gardening course that I undertook in February 2008. I was blown over by this experience, firstly from the fact that this garden existed in the middle of an urban landscape and secondly that the garden has been run by one full time manager and two part time staff. I was determined to give some time to this project, and after finishing my course in May 2008, started volunteering one day a week, to help with fund raising projects and to help raise the garden profile. Since starting volunteering I have helped design basic garden courses, as well as keeping an eye on future fund raising. I always look forward to this day in the week and value the friendships I have formed there. I never think of myself as only a volunteer but as a respected member of the St. Mary's garden team. I urge anybody who has an interest in gardening, fund raising and promotion, to think about offering at least one day a week to this amazing, worthwhile project that bring pleasure and delight to the community that surrounds the garden.	Helen

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