YORK GATE VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR/ADMINISTRATOR

(Three year funded project)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

ABOUT PERENNIAL

Perennial is the national occupational charity for people who work, or have worked in horticulture. Founded in 1839, its main purpose today, as then, is to help those who are in need because of old age, disability, illness, poverty etc. Its nationwide team of caseworkers, supplemented by specialist debt advisors, provide advice and assistance to clients. The charity pays out some £0.5m annually in financially assistance, by way of grants and more regular benefit, including help forchildren. The charity has a small portfolio of retirement accommodation, and undertakes a range of training initiatives through the Lironi Training Fund.

In parallel and as a complement to its main work caring for gardeners in need, the charity cares for two gardens. These are situated at York Gate, Leeds, given to the charity in 1994 by the late Sybil Spencer, and Fullers Mill Garden, Suffolk, given to the charity by Bernard Tickner. Both gardens, although very different, are outstanding examples of late 20th century gardens created by their owners. In both gardens the charity opens them regularly to the public, works with volunteers, and promotes training – as well as raising the profile of the gardens themselves, and of the charity’s work more generally.

ABOUT YORK GATE

York Gate is an outstanding example of late 20th century garden design. Further details are available on the website, so this is but a brief summary. In, broadly, the arts and crafts style it was developed in the years between 1951 and 1991 by Frederick and Sybil Spencer, together with their son Robin Spencer. It was Robin Spencer who provided, in the late 1960s and 1970s the additional creative impetus behind the garden, prior to his premature death in 1982. The garden was handed to Perennial for preservation by Sybil Spencer on her death in 1994.

Horticultural the garden consists of 13 rooms, each of its own character, but subtly and cleverly interlinked on its one acre site. Innovative in its time for the use of recycled materials and experimental in its choice of subject and approach, the garden features unusual topiary, a miniature pinetum, a woodland dell, the celebrated herb garden, a white garden, vegetable plot as well as herbaceous borders, shrubs, etc. A 21st century addition to the garden, replacing an unsatisfactory area, was designed by Alistair Baldwin in 2003 (‘Sybil’s Garden’) with a contemporary edge harmonising with the original creation of the Spencers.

PRESERVING AND MAINTAINING THE GARDEN

The policy of Perennial is to preserve the garden within the spirit of its creation – maintaining and retaining the essential structural features, replacing and replenishing where necessary, but allowing for variation in the planting and design of the shorter term planting.

In parallel Perennial needs to preserve and interpret for visitors as much information as possible about the visiting of the garden and the background to it creation. This is the task of the National Heritage Lottery Fund-funded project.

A VIABLE VISITOR ATTRACTION

The focus of Perennial’s work is on the garden itself – it is the garden which is being preserved, and as a horticultural charity, the standard of the garden is the essential yardstick for success. However to make the garden viable, and to achieve its object of helping the public, Perennial needs to encourage visitors, to develop the number of visitors, to provide them with a good visitor experience.

Reliant on the input of volunteers visitors are welcomed to the garden, offered the opportunity to buy refreshments, plants, gifts, cards etc. A growing range of courses and other events take place in the garden.

THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Approximately five years ago Perennial decided to preserve the garden for the long term, subject to feasibility, when the specific requirements of the will of Mrs Spencer for preservation had elapsed in 2014. The charity therefore embarked on a programme to upgrade the whole site. This included a refurbishment of the garage to provide a shop and visitor admission facilities, together with fully accessible toilets. The dwelling house in the middle of the garden was reconfigured to afford a café, together with meeting, volunteers, administrative and storage facilities on the first floor rooms. At the rear of the summer house the `field room` was built providing the facility for the mounting of short practical hands on type courses (e.g. pruning techniques, propagation, garden photography etc.) and other educational, fundraising and general events. The total cost of this plan has been in the region of £400,000, with the works mainly undertaken in the winter of 2014-15, but follow-up works continuing though 2015 into 2016 and perhaps beyond.

The aim of this investment was to increase the number of visitors, to put the financial operation of the garden on a sustainable long term footing, as well as to provide proper opportunities for the general public, for volunteers and for those learning from the gardens (as trainees or as people attending short courses etc.).The building work was completed (in the main) by Summer 2015, and the challenge is now to develop the way we work to make the very best use of them.

STAFFING

The cover staffing consists of:-

  • The Head Gardener and Site Manager, Adam Bowley. Responsible for everything that goes on at York Gate, and the line manager for all staff, his primary focus as a trained and experienced horticulturist is on the maintenance and development of the garden itself to the highest standard.
  • Part-Time Gardener – works under the Head Gardener on the maintenance of the garden.
  • Café Manager – Responsible for the café operation
  • Volunteer Co-ordinator/Administrator – Responsible for volunteers and the public facing activities.

THE NATURE OF THE ROLE

This post is in part – approximately half - funded through the generosity of the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF). Alongside that funding is funding provided by Perennial from its own resources.

The Heritage of York Gate – NHLF funded

The focus of the National Heritage Lottery Fund project, extending over three years, is around the history and interpretation of the garden to visitors. Information relating to the creation of the garden is dispersed and scanty and personal memories and involvement with the Spencer family are fading. The context of the garden within the history of garden design has not been explored sufficiently. The task for this post will be to recruit volunteers, many of which will also wish to give help to York Gate in other ways as well, to join existing volunteers in researching, interpreting, and presenting the story of the garden. In so doing policies for the recruitment, support and training of volunteers and the implementation of those policies will be required. The NHLF project funding, in addition to the direct work with the volunteers, will need to sustain a range of administrative activities which directly or indirectly underpin the involvement of volunteers throughout this site, and support other parts of the NHLF funded work, such as the replacement of heritage items. Especially towards the latter stages of the project, when the task broadens, recruitment and sustainment of a Friends Group, preparation and support of volunteers for continuing involvement, rise in importance.

During the time of the project, the post holder will need to ensure that the requirements of the funding are monitored and reported to the NHLF

Administration and Co-ordination; managing the public facing activities

In Perennial’s funding will enable the post holder to undertake a range of volunteer and public facing activities, closely integrated and integral with the NHLF project itself often using the same volunteers and resources co-located on the site. These activities, many of which are of an administrative nature include the preparation and support of volunteers undertaking the entry roster and manning the entry, administrative and day by day front of house responsibility during the opening season around the entry and shop areas, encouragement of volunteers to undertake fundraising activities by direct leadership of such activites (e.g. Harrogate Flower Show plant crèche). Dealing with people who vist directly will feature highly, whether an individual with a query on an general open day, the welcoming of a coach group, or attending to the requirements of a visiting film crew. In the winter time activities like booking of groups, letting of field room, organising activities to promote the garden, and a range of general administration e.g. stocktake will feature during the times when the garden is closed.

The staff team at York Gate is small and the roles of the various staff members are interdependent. It should be noted that the post holder will share in the responsibility of being the responsible staff member on site during visitor openings, requiring dealing with the public and ensuring their visit is safe and enjoyable. This may involve physical preparation, removal of litter or obstructions. This, together with the need for occasional and basic cover for other roles during holiday periods (e.g. watering, receiving deliveries etc), means that it should be noted that a reasonable level of physical fitness is required to satisfactory undertake this role.

THE PERSON

The person specification is attached. A wide range of background experience and skills may be relevant to the post, but in very important is experience with working with others, particularly volunteers, in a way which inspires and supports them. It should be noted that the nature of the National Heritage Lottery Funded project is to achieve the outcomes through volunteers, and whilst an interest in garden history and in research the past is desirable, the post does not require the skills of a professional archivist, designer, or author.

HOURS OF WORK

The standard hours of work are in the winter Mon-Fri, but in the summer it will be necessary to work on the days the garden is open, i.e Sunday- Thursday. In particular it should be noted that the minimum requirement on Sundays will be the hours of opening, effectively 12-5pm (except annual leave and by arrangement, for special reasons). Applicants must be able to commit to this working pattern requirement.

INFORMAL DISCUSSION: INTERVIEWS

Informal enquires may be made of Adam Bowley at York Gate.

Closing date for applications:Tuesday 2nd March 2016 at 12 noon.

Interviews: 15 March 2016 (tbc)

FURTHER INFORMATION