Buggy Driver Volunteer at Hillier Gardens

About the opportunity

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens (SHHG) have a world-renowned botanical collection within 180 acres situated near Romsey and is a registered charity. Originally the private garden of Sir Harold Hillier and his family they were given in trust to Hampshire County Council in 1977. Our Volunteer Scheme has been in place for over 20 years.

Our popular electric buggy shuttle service is operated by a wonderful team of volunteer drivers daily, between March and December (weather permitting). The service is operated from 11:30am to 3:30pm and is run on a donation basis only.

The service offers transportation between the Visitor Pavilion and the Garden Restaurant & Tea Rooms at Jermyn’s House, which are at the heart of the Gardens. This service helps towards ensuring these facilities and the Gardens are accessible for all our visitors. Depending on service demand during the day, volunteer drivers also provide short tours of the Gardens on request.

Tasks and duties

Provide a welcoming service and rewarding learning experience to our visitors who wish to use the electric buggy service. The buggy seats 5 passengers and operates on fixed routes across the Gardens including between the Visitor Pavilion and Jermyn’s House.

This includes providing our members and day visitors with information about the Gardens and if time permits, provide mini tours of the Gardens using the dedicated agreed routes.

The buggy is driven at a maximum speed of 5mph and is very simple to operate, full training will be given.

Commitment

Days and times are flexible, but we are looking for a regular weekly commitment, consisting of four hours per visit (11:30am to 3pm) between the months of March to December (weather permitting). The service is suspended during the months of January and February.

You will

• have previous experience of working in a public facing environment
• be friendly, enthusiastic, energetic, and fun
• be happy to work in a team as well as independently
• be comfortable speaking to groups of people of all ages
• deal skilfully and professionally with a variety of visitors under a variety of circumstances
• proactively keep informed about changes in the Gardens
• hold a current driving licence

Although training will be provided, it would be helpful if you are familiar with our Gardens and have a good level of knowledge about garden plants, wildflowers and/or wildlife.

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is committed to safeguarding children and adults and promoting the welfare of children and young people/adults and expects all employees, workers, and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

Further information on what a volunteer can expect and also what SHHG expects from our volunteers is set out in the volunteer handbook.