David Thornton

I am a multi-experienced, dedicated person, with excellent communication skills. I am a keen and patient problem-solver. I'm gregarious, meticulous and enjoy interacting with work colleagues, clients, contractors and partners to find agreeable solutions and provide excellent service.

Self Employed, occasional/part-time gardener - Thornton's Horticultural - Alton

(2026-01)

I have over 20 years experience within the horticultural industry, more specifically regarding 'soft' landscaping i.e. the care and maintenance of plants, shrubs, beds, borders, fruit trees and vegetables. I also spent time in Southern Italy and Northern Spain taking groups on nature and botanical tours. I have always kept my self employed status as a gardener alive, and, although I have taken on other nongardening roles, I have recently gone back to do what I love and know best, and it is what I feel is fulfilling for me.

• Experience and knowledge of lawns, hedges and general grounds maintenance
• Take on other tasks such as fencing replacement or repairs, re-pointing brick/paving, pressure washing and minor, domestic internal maintenance and repairs

Royal Mail Delivery Driver (Temporary) - Royal Mail - Hampshire

(2025-10 - 2026-01)

A temporary contract: parcel and mail sorting with delivery. Creating transport schedules, liaising with customers and contractors, working to definitive targets and achieving expected goals.

Site Operations Manager - Eibe Play Ltd - Godalming

(2025-02 - 2025-09)

My role had various responsibilities, essentially the company designs, manufacturers and installs children's play areas. My direct remit was the overseeing of multiple sites across the UK. From a pre start budget stance, through to delivering the new, finished projects to the customer.

• Organised all the materials and their logistics, the budgets and their margins and all sub contractors
• Liaised directly and regularly with the customer
• Ensured the health and safety of the projects, from PPE to method statements, risk assessments, contract and tender agreements
• Kept the projects focused to tight timescales
• Customer base is generally Parish, Town, County Councils and London Boroughs along with Schools and Colleges

Senior Facilities Officer - Hampshire County Council - Hampshire

(2023-12 - 2025-02)

I was a Senior Facilities Officer, initially based at a dementia care home. This was a split hands-on/ maintenance role, as well as managing a small team and overseeing the admin linked to that. I then managing a different team of seven, overseeing six other buildings, of various complexities and sizes, across Hampshire.

• Responsible for all aspects of managing my team, their performance, training and wellbeing
• Undertook various day-to-day DIY/maintenance tasks
• Liaised with, and oversaw, all internal and external contractors, such as grounds maintenance, cleaners, plumbers, boiler engineers, electricians etc
• Procured various materials, services and equipment
• Responsible for the statutory health and safety checks, legionella compliance, fire safety, grounds maintenance contracts, plant room servicing, lighting, heating etc - all as determined by local government regulations

Building Maintenance Manager - Butcombe Brewery - Lower Froyle

(2023-05 - 2023-12)

This role is essentially a mirror image of the Greene King role below. The initial idea/remit being that I resolve the various internal maintenance, external grounds maintenance and construction issues of a local Inn/pub/restaurant/kitchen via my self-employed status. Once these issues were addressed the proposal was that I become a PAYE direct employee of the brewery.

However, the brewery has recently given extended contracts to several national sub-contractors covering all their 94 sites. Therefore, the workload and tasks available for quickly became significantly reduced to the point where the role was no longer viable.

Property Maintenance Manager - Greene King Ltd - Alton

(2021-03 - 2023-11)

I was responsible for the maintenance management of a 46-bedroom hotel, the bar, kitchen, and outdoor areas, working flexibly, generally 20 - 30 hours per week. This involved horticultural maintenance minor construction works, however, a major part of my role was liaising with and overseeing external contractors.

Self Employed - Thornton's Horticultural & Maintenance - Hampshire

(2014-11 - 2023-11)

External & Internal Hospitality & Private Maintenance (Horticultural & Construction). I ran my own Horticultural and Buildings Maintenance company; generally on my own, however at times with up to a team of five. I held contracts within a 20-mile radius of Alton, Hampshire. These contracts were for regular, private clients as well as local commercial buildings and external areas.

Customer Care Manager - Graduate Landscapes Ltd - Liphook, UK

(2019-09 - 2021-01)

Part-Time Horticultural Customer Care & Liaison Manager. Customer and Contractor Maintenance relations - Horticultural site surveys, client, and contractor meetings, producing written reports, telephone, and emails, problem-solving. Raising quotes for New Business, liaising with all parties to provide mutually agreeable solutions. (I was made redundant in January 2021 due to Covid-19 having an adverse effect on their company).

Procurement Manager - The Nurture Group Ltd - Weybridge, UK

(2010-02 - 2014-11)

Responsibility for purchasing logistics, negotiation, and procurement for the group. Working in conjunction with the public, suppliers, and principal contractors to meet budgets, frameworks, and programmes. Communicating with directors, contracts managers, site managers quantity surveyors and estimators regarding project schedules, attending/chairing meetings to determine job specifications, budgets, timescale requirements and logistics.

My position as Procurement Manager held extensive responsibilities. I was involved with projects of differing complexities, sizes and timescales. My remit lay within both direct and indirect procurement of all soft and hard landscaping materials and services as well as sub-contract labour/packages.

My annual spends on direct and indirect landscaping materials and packages was more than £6m. Company turnover was more than £25m

BA - Literature and History - University of Liverpool (1994-09 - 1998-07)

AS Level - Environmental Science - Farnborough College of Technology (1992 - 1994)