Anyone aged between 16 and 30, interested in garden design and fancying working outdoors in some of Scotland’s most stunning scenery – is just who ProjectScotland wants to hear from.
The charity – which helps young people to get on in life through volunteering – is looking for a Volunteer Gardener, on behalf of the social enterprise company, Venture Mòr, to help on projects in the grounds of Hartfield House, Applecross.
This dream role in Applecross – a beautiful and tranquil peninsula on the coast of Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands – is for the right young person looking to build on their skills and experience while also giving back to the local community.
Venture Mòr are looking for someone who is passionate about gardening and horticulture with a good eye for detail, open to living and volunteering in a rural community.
In return, the Volunteer Gardner will have the opportunity to contribute to the development and maintenance of the gardens around Hartfield House, previously a hunting lodge on the Applecross Estate and now a youth hostel.
Working alongside a landscape gardener and a botanist, the role includes creating new shrub beds, planting boxes, grass cutting, weeding, grounds maintenance and creative input into the on-going edible garden project in a remote and beautiful part of Scotland. The role is ideal for someone creative who has ideas on how to make the garden come to life, while ensuring it remains practical for growing food and camping.
The experience could not be a better learning one – with experts alongside t0 advise and guide; and offering the sort of job where the results of achievment are visible.
ProjectScotland offers 16-30 year olds full-time, three-month quality volunteering opportunities with great organisations. Seven out of ten ProjectScotland volunteers go on to work, to education or training following their time with the charity.
Louise Orr, Volunteer Coordinator at ProjectScotland, says the position as a Volunteer Gardener is a great opportunity for a young person looking to gain experience in the field, so to speak: ‘Through our partnerships with organisations like the Venture Trust, we’re able to offer quality volunteering opportunities to young people in all parts of Scotland. Many of our volunteers take these opportunities to gain hands-on work experience to then go on to a full-time position, further education or training.’
Venture Mòr was established in May 2010 as a social enterprise company wholly owned by Venture Trust. The company’s strategy is to further the innovative and transformational work of Venture Trust by generating new sources of income and employability opportunities for former participants.
The charity’s expertise and experience in personal development and working in Scotland’s wilderness environment are then harnessed for commercial activities by Venture Mòr.
All ProjectScotland volunteers receive a travel allowance; are offered a mentor; and are invited to a series of job-focussed workshops designed to help them plan for the future.
Every 16-30 year old interested in the Volunteer Gardener position can apply online here.
