Dedicated volunteers are a critical part of Thrive’s team. Through their time and generosity they help us make the most of our limited resources. Meet Caroline Payne from Crowthorne, Berkshire who volunteers at our Trunkwell Garden near Reading...
I have always been a keen gardener and as my four children grew up I started taking courses in horticulture and design to help me set up my own business. On one of my courses I met a Thrive volunteer who made me think about working in horticultural therapy. I applied to Thrive as a volunteer nearly two years ago and have loved every minute.
Tuesday is my regular Thrive day and I normally work from approximately 10.00am to 3.00pm. We start our day in the tea room at Trunkwell with the therapists, clients and other volunteers. We have a meeting, led by one of the clients when we are told which group we are to be in. Each group is led by a therapist and usually has about six to eight clients and a couple of volunteers. I work with people with a range of disabilities but whatever the clients’ specific needs the therapists, with our assistance, help to address them. They ensure there is a variety of tasks we can do in the garden to benefit every client and feel they have achieved something.
Great rewards
It’s such a great feeling to help people get involved and the rewards in volunteering in horticultural therapy are great.
I’ve been working with one client recently who was very reticent about joining in when he first came to Thrive, but in the last few weeks he has willingly joined in with us on our tasks. Last week we were looking at catalogues and thinking of what plants he would like in his plot. We cut the pictures of them out and stuck them on to a design of his plot. Although he finds communicating very difficult he sat with us at the meeting at the end of the day and was able to let us know he’d enjoyed his time. It was wonderful to get his response. These are some of the best moments – when you can see such a change in a client.
Volunteering and working in horticultural therapy may not suit everyone, but if you have time to give, enjoy working with people, love gardening and working outdoors in all weathers then why not give it a try?
Find out more
We are always pleased to hear from people who would like to volunteer not only by working in our gardens but in other ways too. Administrators; photographers; IT and business experts and corporations have all given their time generously to us over the years. If you think you would like to help please contact: Jan Panting, Corporate Volunteer Manager at jan.panting@thrive.org.uk or telephone: 01189