Garden volunteering at Fulham Palace is an exciting practical outdoor role and has been running since 2012. Garden volunteers assist in the practical skilled care, maintenance and development of the horticultural features and garden at Fulham Palace.
This London based horticultural volunteering position will provide a unique opportunity to be part of the Fulham Palace gardens team including permanent staff, garden apprentices, garden trainees and other garden volunteers.
Volunteers will gain gardening experience in a historic garden open to the public.
The horticultural work is varied and covers garden maintenance across the whole 13 acre site including tending to the beds in the walled garden to maintaining woodland and meadow areas.
In view of the climate emergency, Fulham Palace is enhancing its environmentally friendly practices and looking to increase biodiversity and wildlife in the garden even further.
What’s in it for you?
- to carry out horticultural tasks in a beautiful environment, tending to the garden areas at Fulham Palace;
- to attend a regular, physically active group session, mostly working outside;
- to be involved in making a difference and helping improve the garden at Fulham Palace;
- to meet like-minded individuals and become part of a fun and social team;
- to be involved with a positive and engaging volunteer culture including social events, outings, forums and our volunteer portal where volunteers are able to contribute blogs; sign up to sessions and access all the information you need as a volunteer online;
- a reference when you have volunteered with us regularly for 6 months
- supporting the garden team in a variety of seasonal garden tasks including:
- weeding, leaf raking, bulb planting, mulching tidying and path maintenance, lawn edging;
- clearing overgrown areas – keeping on top of the ivy and other invasive species;
- woodland management – planting, coppicing and grubbing out;
- meadow management – re-sowing, cutting down and raking;
- seasonal potting on, seed sowing and pricking out;
- using organic growing techniques and sustainable garden practices;
- most tasks are physically demanding and require manual dexterity;
- working outside for most of the time unless the weather is bad and then inside work may be organised;
- working in mixed groups with other garden volunteers;
- instructions, supervision and training will be provided on site;tools, gloves and other PPE are provided.
• full induction including health and safety procedures, fire safety and customer service
• all new volunteers have an introduction period, this is a settling in time of around 2 months. At the end of this an appropriate person will catch up with you. This is an opportunity for both parties to reflect and make any reasonable adjustments to the role that are needed
• access to our volunteer’s website, the “Volunteer Portal”, including a blog, downloadable resources, rota and events page
Time commitment
• prompt start at 10.15 till 15.30 (full day)
• prompt start 10.15-12.30 (half day am)
• prompt start 13.30-15.30 (half day pm)
• lunch break 12.30-13.30
• confirm your attendance on an online rota on the Fulham Palace volunteer portal at least 48 hours before the session.
• due to popularity one volunteer can usually attend up to one session per week