Founded in 2015, hundreds of volunteers have worked tirelessly to restore the 20-acre arboretum which had become overgrown, inaccessible and unsafe for the public to visit. We have been reducing brambles, rhododendrons and other invasive species, to allow native flora to thrive alongside our collection of exotic trees.

Alongside our woodland restoration work, we enable and empower people who wouldn’t usually access the countryside for wellbeing. The Hawthorn Project was founded in 2015 to support self-identifying women recovering from addiction or struggling with poor mental health. Our experienced session leaders create a safe space where women can be outdoors in nature. Together they learn new skills and connect with others, without the fear of being judged. Alongside this, we run Woodland Management Volunteer Days and the Woodland Wellbeing Project, which are open to all genders.

Tortworth Forest Centre CIC is a registered not-for-profit Community Interest Company (no: 09561405). We rely on public and corporate donations, grant funding and event ticket sales to support the restoration of Tortworth Arboretum and our community wellbeing projects. The land is owned and leased to us by woodlands.co.uk.

Skill & Competencies
Essential (we would like to hear from anyone who meets at least 70% of these requirements):
● Practical experience of woodland management, conservation or grounds maintenance.
● Experience leading a team of volunteers, ideally including people with complex emotional needs.
● Chainsaw Licence including competence using (cross-cutting and felling) and maintaining chainsaws, we will provide renewal of training and certification in line with legislation.
● Experience using grounds maintenance equipment such as trailers and brushcutters.
● Experience safely operating a winch for treework.
● Experience managing woodland/outdoor health & safety procedures.
● Able to manage several tasks at once, prioritising accordingly to meet deadlines.
● Calm, approachable and respectful of individual differences.
● Team player who can also work independently.
● Experience of using digital operational and record keeping systems .
● IT literate; competent with use of the Google Drive suite of programmes, plus Microsoft Word and Excel, email etc.
● This post is subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring service check.
● Full UK D1 drivers licence and willingness to drive our 3.5 tonne minibus with MIDAS Training provided.

Desirable:
● Arboricultural or Horticultural qualifications, such as knowledge of tree care, pruning and propagation or a Professional Tree Inspection qualification.
● Experience in supporting adults with complex emotional needs.
● Current 2 day Outdoor First Aid certificate.
● Knowledge of adult safeguarding.
● Able to curate engaging content for our website and social media.
● This role is primarily practical and on-site, but set-up for working from home for occasional desk-based tasks will be useful.
● Confident in public speaking and leading tours of the tree collection.
● Experience of networking, making connections and collaborating with relevant organisations and partners.

For more information, please see downloads. To apply, please send CV and covering letter to Amy Walsh, Managing Director at amyw@tortwortharboretum.org