Grounds Person

**JOB TITLE**: Grounds person /Farm Maintenance Worker

**EMPLOYER**: Acorn Venture Association

**LOCATION OF WORKPLACE**: Acorn Farm

Depot Road

Kirkby

Merseyside

L33 3AR

**RESPONSIBLE TO**: Directly to Horticultural Unit Manager

**RESPONSIBLE FOR**: Maintaining and developing the farm site to meet appropriate Health & Safety Standards. **Individuals with disabilities should be involved at every stage.**

**MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES**:
**Repairs, Maintenance and Development**

To respond quickly to any requests to carry out repairs both on the farm site and in the farm building.

To maintain the farm site to a high standard

To assist with the planning and implementation of new developments on the farm site. e.g. animal housing

To assist with the conversion of the lambing shed into a Haunted House for our Halloween Event and a Santa’s Grotto for our Christmas Event.

**Day Services**

To maximise the input and involvement of individuals with disabilities on placement at Acorn Farm in all aspects of grounds/farm maintenance on a 6:1 ratio.

To provide individuals with real and meaningful choices with regard to their placement at Acorn Farm.

To listen, support and counsel the individuals with whom you work by working with them and not for them.

To contribute to the development and effective delivery of support plans, risk assessments and reviews.

To plan and implement activities for service users suitable for wet weather e.g. construction bird boxes and hutches

To keep a daily record of service user attendance.

**General Maintenance Tasks**

To mow, strim, hedge trim, weed and spray as required to ensure the farm grounds are kept to the standard expected of a visitor attraction

To ensure path edges are swept on a regular basis to prevent debris from building up.

To do a monthly check of path edges and gateways and remove any nettles liable to sting visitors

To plant up flower beds and borders around the site including car park

To ensure visibility splays at main entrance are kept clear of vegetation

To empty all bins on the farm site as required

To litter pick on an on-going basis

To ensure picnic tables and benches are washed on a regular basis

To remove admission stickers from farm property

To maintain bark surface on children’s play areas and top up as needed.

To paint wooden equipment on children’s play areas as required [Wendy house, Tractor and Trailer slide etc.]

To timber treat all animal shelters as required

To maintain sand surface in horse riding arena and top up as needed

To timber treat/oil benches and picnic tables as required

To paint other structures e.g. pig wall, admissions kiosk as required.

To maintain the Woodland Walk including the path edges and numbered posts. To make the area as nature friendly as possible with the inclusion of bird and bat boxes and bug hotels.

To fill in potholes forming on the car park

To oil padlocks and bolts on a regular basis

To clear farm building gutters on an annual basis.

To clean light covers in farm building on an annual basis.

To check and refill wasp traps on a regular basis from early spring to late autumn

**Tools and equipment**

To repair and maintain all tools and equipment belonging to the farm. To record such maintenance in the appropriate way. To remove from use any faulty tools or machinery.

To control maintenance tools and equipment including the introduction of an inventory system.

To ensure only properly trained and competent persons use machinery, all machinery guards must be tested before use and the test recorded in the appropriate place

To keep all Equipment and Machinery Inspection and Maintenance Records up to date.

To ensure that all tools and equipment are put away in the correct place after use

**Maintenance Inspections**

**Weekly**

To carry out and record weekly tests on both fire alarm test points.

To carry out and record weekly tests on panic alarms installed in the accessible toilet, shop and kiosk

To carry out and record weekly inspections of play equipment and surroundings

**Monthly**

To carry out and record monthly inspections of riding arena surface to ensure it is free of tripping hazards. To repair/top up surface as required.

To carry out and record monthly inspections of picnic tables and outdoor seating and to repair as needed.

To carry out and record routine monthly inspections of all access equipment (ladders) and repair/replace as needed.

**3 monthly**

To carry out 3 monthly inspection of perimeter security fence and to repair as needed.

To carry out 3 monthly inspections of all livestock fencing and replace/repair as needed

To carry out 3 monthly inspections of all pathways and rectify any potential tripping hazards

To carry out 3 monthly inspections of mesh on overflow car park surface and secure down as required

**Other**

To open and close security shutters at the start and end of the day.

To sweep up and remove spilt animal feed from gateways at the