“I am the lead Groundsperson for the Trust, a position I have held for the last three years.  Day-to-day I lead a small team of gardeners who perform general maintenance and carry out reactive work to the exterior of our trust’s various sites.

“Before working here, I was site manager at Deverell Barracks with the Ministry of Defence.  I joined the NHS following redundancy and very much landed on my feet in coming to this trust.  I was attracted to work for the NHS because the values that the organisation have in general are unique, always available and very much reflective of my own.

“As a groundsperson, it is especially rewarding to know that each day I am helping to create a vision for staff, visitors and patients. This will usually come from a design or a plan that I alone manage, often with limited or no resources.  Thinking outside of the box in order to create a sanctuary for others makes this job a particularly varied and interesting role.

"The team I work with is a small one, just the three of us, known as the three musketeers - who make working here all the more enjoyable.  I’m proud to be able to call the gardening team my friends.

“What really strikes me about our work is that what we do is evident and apparent.  Our work is the first point of contact for staff, patients and visitors and a pleasing environment can be the difference between how a person might receive news or a colleague might approach work - appearances really do matter!

“The impact our work has on the environment is extremely humbling and you would be forgiven for thinking an army of people has been in, rather than just the three of us.  This makes the job all the more satisfying.  It’s that sense of satisfaction being an NHS employee gives that makes it an easy organisation to recommend to anyone considering joining the service.

“I feel very honoured to be working for an organisation that does so much for so many, and it always fills me with a great sense of pride to be able to tell people that I work for the NHS.

“While there may be difficult times ahead with uncertainty seemingly all around, I believe it has never been more important to keep smiling and keep doing what we do”.