Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

Main Purpose of the Job

The main purpose of this role is to lead and deliver ongoing gleaning activities with groups of volunteers on farms in and around Bath & NE Somerset, to maintain current relationships with farmers, volunteers and food projects, and to develop new relationships with local growers for future gleans.

 

Requirements for the role:

• A passion for food justice and an enthusiasm for getting people outdoors onto the land.

• A vehicle and driving license (many of the farms are in remote places, as well as the requirement to deliver fresh veggies to food projects).

• A flexible approach to working (as the role is seasonally variable).

• A willingness to work on your own initiative, as a lot of the work is self-directed.

• Applicants must be based in Bath, ideally within a 30 minute commute of the city centre.

 

Core responsibilities for this role are:

• Liaising with farmers/food producers to understand their needs and identify gleaning opportunities.

• Organising and facilitating groups of volunteers to harvest produce on farms, prioritising the safety, wellbeing and experience of the volunteers and the farmer.

• Arranging donation of the produce and organising the redistribution to local food projects.

• Record keeping of gleans and collecting feedback from volunteers, growers and food projects.

• Collection and distribution of already-harvested surplus from farms.

• Development of existing relationships with growers and food projects.

• Delivering the aims and requirements set out in grant applications.

• Recruitment of new volunteers to support the growing network in Bath.

• Outreach to local farms to establish new relationships.

• Promotion of gleaning activities on social media.

 

Optional activities include:

• Fundraising, including securing grant funding for future gleaning work.

• Networking and collaborating with other gleaning groups, food projects and affordable food networks.

• Supporting organisational development e.g. developing and trialling income streams.

Key outcomes:

• Gleaning days successfully delivered approximating one per week during peak harvest season and one per month off-peak.

• Farm surplus rescued and redistributed to key local food projects.

• Strong relationships established with new food producers/food projects.

• Provision of opportunities for new volunteers to get involved.

 

About Avon Gleaning CIC

Avon Gleaning began in September 2020 as a community organisation which harvests surplus farm produce and redistributes it to local food projects. In 2025 we became registered as a CIC (Community Interest Company). Six years of working within the food justice landscape in the Avon region has shown a need for the work that Avon Gleaning does and we have been lucky to receive a number of grants to fund our work during that time.

Our core values are centred around connection, education, sustainability and sharing. We aim to provide a platform for people to connect with food, farming and each other, while building community. We are working towards food justice in our local area by helping to alleviate food poverty with fresh, nutritious produce from local farms. We are also taking positive climate action by reducing the level of human-edible food waste on farms and reducing food miles.

 

Position in Avon Gleaning Network

The Bath & NE Somerset Coordinator is responsible for maintaining and nurturing relationships with volunteers, growers, food projects and food networks in Bath & NE Somerset. The new coordinator will be supported by the rest of the Avon Gleaning team and full training will be provided. We are a small team with three part-time staff as well as our board of directors.

 

Funding for this role

This role is funded by a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. 

 

General points

• Administration such as managing the shared email account is required to engage with regular communications. Use of a mobile phone is also required.

• Candidates need to be based in or very close to Bath and ideally would have connections with food projects or farms/growing projects in this area.

• The role can be physically demanding and a moderate level of physical fitness is required.

• The peak gleaning season aligns with the harvest period, approximately Jul - Oct.

• Adherence to risk assessments, along with a proactive approach to health, safety and the wellbeing of volunteers is required for this role.

• Driving is an essential part of this role and use of a vehicle is required.

 

Terms and Conditions

This is a fixed term opportunity (August 2026 - August 2027). We would like to find someone who is looking for a long-term role, however continuation of employment beyond August 2027 will be funding-dependent and will be reviewed towards the end of the fixed role period. The role will initially be self-employed but it is likely that this will switch over to an employed PAYE role in the near future.

Pay: £16/hr

Hours of Work: Flexible hours usually totalling 8-12 hours per week, with more hours possible during peak season. Gleans are generally 9am to 1pm with redistribution in the afternoon. Hours are seasonally variable and may be less in winter and more during harvest season. Hours are recorded on a monthly timesheet and payment is monthly.

Holiday: Ideally not extended holidays around peak harvesting times.

 

Benefits: 

• Being part of a rewarding project promoting food equality and reductions in food waste in the local area.

• Flexible working hours and days - gleaning can easily fit around other commitments such as family or another job and you can choose the days you run gleans (taking into account farmer and food project availability).

• A small, friendly team with full training provided.

• Free fruit and vegetables!

 

Application Deadline: We are looking for someone to start as soon as possible. Applications will be processed and interviews scheduled on an ongoing basis until a suitable candidate is found. 

 

How to apply: If you are interested in applying for this role, please fill in the application form here

 

We welcome all applicants, particularly those currently marginalised and underrepresented in food and farming sectors such as (but not limited to) people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds and lgbtqia+ folks.

Application information

To view the full job description and to apply please click here for the application form.

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