Volunteering for Garden Organic
Volunteer at our organic gardens
You can play a part in our vital work by helping out at one of our sites in Warwickshire, Kent or Essex, or by promoting Garden Organic locally.
We currently have more than 80 volunteers working at our sites, but we have many more opportunities than people at the moment.
Our volunteers help us to spread our message, improve our gardens, raise income and enable us to do things that would not happen otherwise.
You can help contribute to our development by becoming a volunteer, and some of the roles available are listed below.
Gardeners
All three sites welcome regular volunteers who want to help in the gardens. You don’t need to be an expert as you’ll be shown what is required and how we approach each task in an organic and sustainable way.
Time required: Ideally suited to people who can help regularly because then you can help work on a particular area or garden and become familiar with it.
Guides
Volunteer guides are required at Garden Organic Ryton to take round pre-booked coach parties and weekend tours. Guides play a key role in explaining the organic approach and our mission to interested visitors, many of whom are new to gardening and organics. Training is given as well as annual updates on new developments, so you don’t need to be an expert before you come.
Time required: Tours last one to one-and-a-half hours. We require guides on weekdays for pre-arranged parties, and at weekends for special events days, and from Easter to September. The more guides we have, the more we can share the work around.
School visits
We are developing our team of volunteers to help us to offer more school tours of Garden Organic Ryton and the Vegetable Kingdom. Guides will take school parties in small groups round the gardens and the interactive Vegetable Kingdom exhibition. Training will be given on working with children in the context of the exhibition.
Find out more about volunteering for our Education Programme here.
Time required: Must be available during term time. School tours will usually be between the hours of 10 am to 3 pm. Hours will be flexible and the more volunteers we have, the more choices volunteers will have on how and when to help.
Events
We are increasing the number of events being held at our gardens and are looking for volunteers to help out on the day. This could include a range of activities from car park duty to admissions, information service to manning a stand. Events are held at Garden Organic Ryton.
Time required: Major events are advertised in The Organic Way and on the events page of this website. Your help for a whole or a half day would be great – and we will build in breaks so that you can visit the event yourself.
Admin
More activity generates more admin. If you’d be happy volunteering to be indoors, we can offer a range of admin. support tasks at Garden Organic Ryton.
Time required: There are both regular opportunities and ad hoc requirements.
Heritage Seed Library
A volunteer for HSL may be a gardener, but may also offer admin/research support based at Garden Organic Ryton. Find out more about volunteering for the Heritage Seed Library here.
Time required: Variable; HSL has peaks of activity – for example, when the catalogue goes out, or for gardening activities through the growing season and on to seed-saving.
International Programme
We need a long term, experienced volunteer to help with our tropical information and advisory service. Find out more about volunteering for our International Programme here.
Time required: Variable; Ideally between 1-3 days a week on a long-term basis (minimum 1 year).
Community outreach
Organic Food for All Mentors
Organic Food for All is a community-based initiative to enable and encourage people from socially excluded communities, on low incomes, ethnic and refugee communities to begin to grow their own organic vegetables and fruit. Mentors are volunteers who know how to grow fruit and vegetables and want to help others to do the same. Mentors receive training in organic techniques and establishing and running projects. There is back up advisory support from the OFfA team.
Time required: Two days for initial training, followed by regular activity with the group. The aim is to have at least two mentors per project to enable flexibility.
Organic Food for All Administration
Organic Food for All (OFfA) is a sucessful social project that supports volunteer gardening mentors. As the project grows OFfA's small team needs more admin support.
Time required: Ideally 1 day a week.
Summary of role by location
Garden Organic Ryton
- Gardeners
- Guides
- School guides
- Event helpers
- Admin
- HSL helpers and gardeners
Audley End Organic Kitchen Garden
- Gardeners
Nationwide
- OFfA Mentors
Top of pageGarden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
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