New Forest Day Opportunities Craft Assistant
New Forest Day Opportunities Craft Assistant
Location: Minstead, New Forest
Hours: 37.5 per week
Timings: Monday – Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm
Salary: £12.25 per hour (Subject to pay review April 26)
Use craft to support creativity, confidence and independence
We’re looking for a Craft Assistant to work alongside our Craft Instructor, supporting inclusive, meaningful craft sessions for adults with neurodiverse disabilities.
This hands-on role involves working with natural materials and traditional skills such as felting, textiles, paper making, willow work, spinning and natural dyeing, supporting individuals through the full making journey, from ideas and making to finishing and preparing items for sale.
The role includes:
- Supporting engaging, person-centred craft sessions
- Encouraging creativity, wellbeing and work-based skills
- Helping produce high-quality craft items for sale
- Supporting volunteers and working as part of a wider team
- Recording progress using digital systems
- Taking part in team rotas and supporting wider service activities
Personal care may be required.
About you:
- Strong craft practice you can share or demonstrate
- Experience supporting adults with neurodiverse disabilities
- Person-centred, inclusive approach
- Confident using digital recording systems
- Full driving licence and DBS check
Desirable: experience leading craft sessions, felting, or sustainable/traditional crafts.
Why join us?
You’ll be part of a supportive, values-led organisation where creativity genuinely changes lives — all set in the beautiful New Forest.
Apply now and tell us about your craft practice and passion for inclusive creativity.
What Benefits can we offer you?
- 33 days holiday inclusive of Bank Holidays pro rata
- Refer-a-Friend scheme worth £750!
- A Celebration Day’s Leave for Your Birthday pro rata
- Death in Service Insurance
- Company Pension
- An easy to access Health Care Scheme
- Cycle to Work
- Free Parking on-site
- Blue Light Card Eligibility
- Furzey Gardens Membership
- Hanger Farm Membership
- Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay
- Company Sick Pay
If you would like to apply for this role please fill out the Online Application Form
Our Vision at Minstead Trust is to live in a society where people with learning disabilities enjoy fulfilling lives of their own choosing.
As a trust, our mission is to support people with learning disabilities to fully develop their individual potential by providing opportunities, enhancing life skills, ensuring informed choice, and influencing society.
- We appreciate each person. Everyone is different – we respect and celebrate this.
- We’re always learning. We all have something to offer and more to learn.
- We’re always improving. Striving to give our best and to have more impact.
- We push for change. We will challenge society to be fully inclusive.
- We find the joy in everyday life. We have the freedom to be ourselves and enjoy what we do.
We are not licensed to sponsor employees for visas; therefore, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. You need to have, or be able to obtain, right to work in the UK in order to take up this position.
All staff working for, or on behalf of Minstead Trust, understand their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding adults at risk and know who to escalate concerns to within Minstead Trust.
Due to the nature of this employment sector your application is subject to a successful Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS).
No terminology in the advert you have seen is intended to discriminate on the grounds of age, gender, race, colour, religion, disability or sexual orientation, and we will gladly accept applications from all sections of the community.
We are only able to accept direct applications at this time; no agencies please.