Caroline's Volunteer Story
Caroline volunteers at Clem’s Garden providing gardening and administrative support.
How did you find out about volunteering?
From a friend in Sussex! She came across the Clem’s Garden website during her work and thought it might be of interest to me.
What type of activities do you usually do as a volunteer?
A range of gardening tasks involved in growing flowers – taking cuttings, potting on, planting, weeding, etc – as well as cutting flowers and preparing them to be put into bouquets or sold at the weekly flower stall at the garden. I’ve also helped with some administrative tasks.
What do you like about your volunteer role?
I enjoy gardening and love flowers and I find it so satisfying to see something I’ve planted grow and bloom. I also love being part of a friendly and supportive team, many of whom, like me, don’t have children or grandchildren. The whole Clem’s ethos is an important factor for me, with its emphasis on community and spreading kindness through flowers. I also like that we grow flowers in an environmentally sustainable way. Clem’s is just a really nice place to be – and a great bonus is that we get to take home some of the flowers that don’t make it into the bouquets or to the flower stall!
How has volunteering made a difference to you?
Volunteering at Clem’s has given me a new focus since I retired and I find it therapeutic – gardening is quite ‘mindful’ and calming. While I’m still no expert, I’ve learnt a lot about growing and arranging flowers. I’ve met some lovely people too. Through Clem’s I’ve also connected with another organisation, Ageing Without Children (AWOC), and I’m enjoying getting to know more new people through that.
Find a volunteering role
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