Role:         Community Gardener (Self-employed, part-time)

Salary:     £20 per hour

Contract:  Self employed October 2025 - March 2026

Hours:      12 hours per week, Tuesday 1 - 4pm, Wednesday 10am - 1pm, Thursday 10am - 1pm, Saturday 11am - 2pm. 

Location:  Octopus Community Network Community Plant Nursery, Islington

Octopus Communities say:

About the role: 

We are seeking to engage an experienced community gardener who is passionate about involving the community in growing plants, herbs, vegetables, and composting. The Community Gardener will support the implementation of a seasonal programme of winter and spring planting, engaging with a network of community growers in Islington. The pro-active engagement of volunteers, residents and families is integral to this programme, so that they can engage confidently and work independently, understanding the practicalities of gardening and horticultural practices.

You will be responsible for planning and facilitating practical workshops, engaging and leading volunteers, and helping to maintain the Community Plant Nursery over the winter and spring period. These workshops and hands-on sessions will focus on facilitating the development of basic gardening skills, with an emphasis on plant cultivation and habitat development. Additionally, you are encouraged to incorporate creative elements from your expertise, such as developing the Woodland Garden as a food forest, along with foraging, and engaging in nature-based crafts, for example, making seasonal festive wreaths, bug hotels and bird feeders.

Using the Community Plant Nursery as a focal point, Octopus has developed an interrelated range of food growing, community gardening and nature-based projects that seek to engage people of all ages and backgrounds, including:

• Weekly volunteer groups that encourage community participation and provide a restorative space for those who with additional needs or socially excluded.
• Accredited orchard courses for adults that provide a detailed insight into how to create and maintain community orchards.
• Environmental education for teams of visiting school students who learn about food growing, urban woodland creation and management, sustainability and the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems.

The ideal candidate will be a confident communicator and an organised self-starter with demonstrable experience in sound horticultural practices (particularly food-growing) who thrives in taking the initiative to deliver creative, experiential workshops within a community setting. The successful candidate should be able to communicate clearly, work methodically to encourage participants to improve their confidence and ability to apply their skills and exchange their know-how with others.

A key aspect of the Community Gardener role is the engagement and training of local volunteers – some of whom may be vulnerable – to grow food in a practical and experiential context. You will relish the challenge of getting people of diverse backgrounds excited about gardening, nature and food growing.

This is an immensely rewarding self-employed role working in a dynamic community setting built on an ethos of dignity and inclusivity, that would suit a committed individual who is willing to go the extra mile. Through their activities, the Community Gardener will be able to convey the Octopus’s passion and commitment to facilitating community empowerment, the ‘right to grow’ and transforming the lives of vulnerable people.

We are an equal opportunities employer and committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people. The post is subject to pre-employment and DBS checks.

How to Apply 

Download the full information pack and person specification below, and send the following to info@octopuscommunities.org.uk. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  

• Up to date CV
• Cover Letter (up to 2-sides A4) demonstrating how you meet the essential and desirable criteria