South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Wellbeing Gardening Group Volunteer – Tuesday PM (Tolworth Hospital)

The closing date is 10 December 2025

Job summary

Are you passionate about nature, creativity, and supporting mental wellbeing? Join us as a Wellbeing Gardening Group Volunteer at Tolworth Hospital, where you'll help service users engage in therapeutic gardening and creative activities that promote recovery, mindfulness, and connection. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a nature-based wellbeing group while gaining experience in a clinical mental health setting.

Career Progression pathways and development opportunities

We're committed to supporting volunteers in achieving their career goals. This role offers a pathway into Bank positions and includes access to ongoing training in key areas such as Safeguarding, Health and Safety, and Equality and Diversity. Volunteering with us provides valuable experience that can support progression into paid employment, and we're happy to provide references for volunteers who complete their volunteering.

Main duties of the job

As a Wellbeing Gardening Group Volunteer, you'll help facilitate weekly themed sessions involving planting, decorating, journaling, and harvesting. You'll support service users in engaging with nature and creative reflection, assist with setting up and tidying materials, and promote a calm, inclusive environment. This role requires empathy, reliability, and a passion for gardening or creative activities.

Flexible working

This role takes place on Tuesday afternoons, with a weekly commitment of up to 3 hours. Volunteers must undergo reference and ID checks and complete mandatory training before starting the role, which can take several months. Interviews are due to take place November 2025.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

About our location:

Tolworth Hospital, Surbiton

Tolworth is undergoing a major transformation to create modern facilities for five new wards, a central plaza, and a caf. It's close to the A3, Tolworth station, and a short bus ride from Surbiton station, with fast connections to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.

Date posted

08 December 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience Unpaid

Contract

Voluntary

Working pattern

Flexible working

Reference number

294-VOL-7601899-RN-A

Job locations

Tolworth Hospital

Surbiton

KT6 7QU

Job description

Job responsibilities

As a Wellbeing Gardening Group Volunteer at Tolworth Hospital, youll support weekly nature-based sessions that help service users stay engaged and promote recovery.

Youll build relationships, encourage participation in gardening and creative activities, and assist staff with setting up and running sessions.

This role requires empathy, reliability, and a commitment to personal development within a supportive team environment.

All public facing roles require a proportionate level of English language proficiency for written and verbal communication and the Trust is required to verify results of certain English language competency tests relied upon. When the fluency duty is met by the provision of a sign language interpreter, the interpreter should be registered with the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPD).

Job description

Job responsibilities

As a Wellbeing Gardening Group Volunteer at Tolworth Hospital, youll support weekly nature-based sessions that help service users stay engaged and promote recovery.

Youll build relationships, encourage participation in gardening and creative activities, and assist staff with setting up and running sessions.

This role requires empathy, reliability, and a commitment to personal development within a supportive team environment.

Person Specification

Criteria

Essential

Enthusiasm about working with people with mental health difficulties.
Reliability, being consistent and someone on whom others can count.
Being a sympathetic and supportive listener, and a good communicator.

Desirable

Having a hobby / passion / skill that you would like to share with others.

Person Specification

Criteria

Essential

Enthusiasm about working with people with mental health difficulties.
Reliability, being consistent and someone on whom others can count.
Being a sympathetic and supportive listener, and a good communicator.

Desirable

Having a hobby / passion / skill that you would like to share with others.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.