Robin House Garden Volunteer

Volunteer gardeners are an integral part of the hospice garden team, planting, clearing leaves, cutting grass and making the garden a welcoming and relaxing environment for children and families.

It’s important to CHAS that the garden looks its best at all times to help families relax as possible during their stay at the hospice and also fun for the children.

What activities will I be involved in? 

• Grass cutting
• General gardening: weeding, clearing leaves, tidying
• Assisting with planting, pruning etc.
• Assisting in the development of new areas of ground
• Keeping paths and driveways tidy
• Clearing snow and gritting drives, car parks and paths in winter, as necessary

What skills and abilities will I need to have? 

• An outgoing and friendly personality
• An enjoyment of gardening
• A flexible approach
• An ability to undertake physical work outdoors
• Adhere to rules around GDPR and a strong understanding of confidentiality
• Shared values with the organisation

How much time should I offer? 

You can volunteer for half a day or one full day per week (Monday to Friday). 

Where is the opportunity based? 

This opportunity is at Robin House Hospice, Balloch

What ongoing learning/support/guidance will I receive? 

It’s important to us that you feel happy, safe and confident in your role. As a CHAS volunteer you will be invited to complete a short core learning package that is tailored to your role prior to your first day.

Additionally, once you have started volunteering, we will also let you know about upcoming training dates that will be relevant to your role. Further Child Protection training (either online or face to face, approximately 3 hours in length) is mandatory for this role, to be completed within the first year of volunteering with us. There will also be opportunities to attend additional training such as Fire Evacuation (if you are based within a hospice).

Your Volunteer Manager will provide ongoing support and guidance to you in your role. We have also partnered with the Skills Network to offer all our volunteers the chance to develop new skills and explore further learning opportunities.

What are the benefits to me? 

• Learning new skills whilst having fun
• Getting more involved and making a real difference to the families of children with a life-shortening condition
  
• Adding to your cv
• Meeting new people
• Having fun!

What are the benefits to the children and families supported by CHAS? 

Families supported by CHAS are often under a lot of strain so having a beautiful garden in which to relax can make all the difference to their stay at the hospice.

What else should I know? 

You must be aged 16 or older for this role.

This role requires membership of the PVG scheme (children only). There is a simple form to complete and we will assist you with this. You may already have a PVG form – if so you will only need to complete an update form. The process won’t cost you anything and having a criminal record will not automatically exclude you from volunteering. We will assess each applicant on an individual basis.

We will pay your out of pocket expenses in line with the CHAS volunteer expenses policy.

CHAS is committed to providing a quality volunteering experience to all volunteers free from discrimination and prejudice. Ensuring that CHAS is an equal, diverse, and inclusive organisation will improve the quality of care we provide, help us reach more families and children, and maximise a wide variety of knowledge, experience and expertise.

We welcome volunteer applications from those who are refugees, asylum seekers, benefit claimants and those with a disability.

What's the next step?

If you would like additional information about the role please call 01577 866065 or email volunteering@chas.org.uk. If you’re interested in the role you can apply online