Garden Coordinator, Horatio’s Garden Wales

Job role 

Salary: £16070 (FTE £28030)

Location: The Welsh Spinal Cord Injury and Neuro Rehabilitation Centre, University Hospital Llandough, Cardiff.

Contract type: Permanent Part Time

Hours: 21.5 hours a week

Closing date: Sunday 13 April, 2025

Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity creating and nurturing beautifully 

designed gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. We are seeking a friendly, 

organised and energetic person with a warm and welcoming manner for the new 

role of Garden Coordinator.

The Garden Coordinator will join a team of several other dedicated staff across the 

charity's existing projects. You will work closely with the Head Gardener, Arts 

Programme Manager and a team of volunteers to nurture the beautiful garden for 

people with spinal injuries and their visitors.

You will be responsible for the administration of the garden and coordination of 

the large group of volunteers. With the Head Gardener you will also arrange 

seasonal events for patients, their friends and family throughout the year.

Supported by the central Arts Programme Manager you will also be responsible for 

organising and running a range of social and creative activities for people with 

spinal injuries and their families and friends to enjoy creating an uplifting, 

friendly atmosphere in Horatio’s Garden and garden room. These sessions will 

need to be held on a weekend afternoon which is a critical time in the garden 

when most patients are available and often have friends and family to visit.

Currently the Arts programme includes crafts, quizzes, seasonal celebrations with 

lunches, in addition sessional creative experts also deliver glass fusing 

workshops, felting, printing, talks, painting, ceramic workshop live music 

performances.

You will need to be a highly organised person with great IT skills and a proactive 

can-do attitude. You will be confident working both independently and as part of a 

team in the garden.

The role is part-time, 21.5 hours a week as follows:

• 17 hours, over 2 or 3 week days, to provide garden and arts administration 

• 4.5 hours, one weekend afternoon, to provide arts/creative programme

You will need to be flexible with your availability.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a confident, self-driven individual who is 

efficient, well-organised and has an outgoing personality. You will need to be 

adaptable and happy working with a wide range of stakeholders including people 

with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers and many different 

teams within the charity. An understanding of the healing benefits of gardens 

would be beneficial.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Volunteer coordination, training and recruitment

• Support the Head Gardener with administrative duties

• Ensure the garden and buildings are presented to a high standard at all 

times, including sharing in the upkeep and cleanliness of the kitchen and 

garden room 

• Develop administration methods to support the efficient running of the 

garden 

• Provide support to plan and run events in the garden

• Support visitors to the garden, booking in visits and assisting with garden 

tours

• Collating the banking of donations and managing petty cash

• Creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, encouraging people with 

spinal injuries and their families to engage in the Entertainments 

Programme that are organised in the garden

• Coordinating catering arrangements and serving food and drinks

• Making posters and advertising events and activities via word of mouth

• Visiting wards to help patients to come out to the garden and garden room 

in hospital beds or wheelchairs.

• Handling the administrative side of the role, including risk assessments, 

ordering materials and budget-monitoring

• Working directly with patients and with the Arts Programme Manager to 

plan activities that reflect the patients’ interests

• Booking high-quality speakers, entertainers and freelance creative people 

to run sessions

• Working alongside session facilitators to support them. 

• You will also be required to run sessions yourself, organise social activities 

and run quizzes

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

Essential 

• Outstanding interpersonal skills with experience of stakeholder 

engagement and networking

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

• High level IT competency, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365 

including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint

• Experience of planning and event organising

• Confident working alone and as part of a team

• Excellent time management skills

• Outstanding attention to detail

Desirable 

• Highly competent administrative experience, at least 2 years

• Experience of working with the NHS or in a healthcare setting

• Bookkeeping

• Experience of volunteer coordination and recruitment

Qualities 

• Upbeat and outgoing personality with brilliant people skills

• Professional and confident with a proactive, can-do attitude

• Empathetic and kind

• Calm under pressure and able to thrive in a busy role

• Ability to prioritise and adapt the programme to suit the interests of 

changing patient groups

• 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

The role is a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic all-rounder to be involved in 

a dynamic charity, helping to make a difference to people who have experienced 

spinal injuries.

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. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors 

of society. 

APPLICATION

Please write a one-page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this 

role and send this along with a one-page CV by clicking "Apply" now!

NOTE: DBS, medical and reference checks will be conducted as part of the 

recruitment process.