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FairWays Foundation nears $300,000 in grants

FairWays Foundation nears $300,000 in grants: As it enters its second grant cycle, the global foundation has now awarded over $272,000 / £200,500 worth of funds since launch.

Having received a 50% increase in grant applications over year one, The FairWays Foundation has awarded over $166,000 / £122,400 worth of funds in its second grant cycle.

FairWays Foundation nears $300,000 in grants

FairWays Foundation nears $300,000 in grants

The funds have been awarded to a varied cross-section of environmental projects in both the USA and UK.

The funds are available as a result of Aquatrols committing to transferring a percentage of sales to The FairWays Foundation. In the USA, Aquatrols customers are also able to donate points earned through the Approach points redemption platform, if they so wish. This has been seen as another way for the green industry to support conservation and environmental efforts.

Successful grant projects range from butterfly and bird garden rehabilitation, riparian restoration and establishing pollinator wildflower patches to assistance for turf acreage verification, a wash pad bioswale and general ecology improvements on course.

To view more information about all the projects that are being supported this year, click here.

Matt Foster, CEO & President of Aquatrols and President of The FairWays Foundation said “I could not be prouder of the efforts from the team at The Fairways Foundation. In 2 years, we will have awarded just under $300k to industry operators dedicated to making a difference in their community. That is no small commitment. We also understand making a difference locally takes tremendous grit from a local champion. It might be a green keeper or parks manager or a program volunteer. Regardless, without their will these projects would never move forward. Our message to those individuals out there with a will for a healthier environment is The Fairways Foundation can help with the way to get there. Please apply.”

The FairWays Foundation is now looking for ambassadors to help reach those who wish to champion environmental projects but are unable to proceed due to lack of resources. Find out how you can get involved here.

The 2022 funding cycle opens in April 2022. Find out how to apply.

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JCB serves up 10,000 meals

JCB serves up 10,000 meals: JCB’s ‘Food for our Communities’ initiative today served up a major milestone as the 10,000th meal was despatched from the company’s kitchens for those in need in Staffordshire.

Since the launch of the scheme  – the idea of Carole Bamford, wife of JCB Chairman Lord Bamford –  catering staff at the World HQ in Rocester have been busily preparing cottage pies, macaroni cheese and bolognese dishes for disadvantaged families and individuals across the region during the Coronavirus crisis.

JCB serves up 10,000 meals

JCB serves up 10,000 meals

Today the 10,000th meal was cooked and despatched from the JCB kitchen – just a month after the initiative started. So far, the team has used around two tonnes of potatoes, more than one tonne of minced beef and almost half a tonne of both pasta and onions to prepare the dishes.

In India – where JCB has factories in Delhi, Pune and Jaipur – the scale of the initiative is even greater and staff there have now prepared a staggering 100,000 meals.

Carole Bamford, wife of JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, said: “I’m very proud of all the work the teams in the UK and India are undertaking. Their efforts are making a real difference to the lives of so many people in our communities.”

Thousands of the meals made in Staffordshire are being distributed across Stoke-on-Trent by the Burslem-based Hubb Foundation, to children and families in need across the city.

Founder Carol Shanahan said: “You cannot underestimate the impact the JCB ‘Food for our Communities’ initiative is having on families in our city. Those receiving the food are just so very grateful that companies like JCB are stepping in to help at this time. It’s simply amazing.”

Since launch, the project has been expanded to include sandwiches and so far, more than 2,000 have been made for distribution to the homeless in Stoke-on-Trent and for inclusion in food parcels for vulnerable people in the Uttoxeter area. JCB is also supplying St. Michael’s Church Support Group in Rocester with 100 meals a week for villagers who are in need.

JCB Chef Alastair Rowe said: “It is very rewarding for the whole team to be involved in this project. We have had some wonderful feedback which shows our communities really do appreciate what JCB is doing at this time.”

As well as providing thousands of meals, JCB has also donated vital PPE to front line workers and JCB and its employees have volunteered to produce facemasks for the NHS. Inspired by these efforts,  JCB-sponsored athletes, slalom canoeist Adam Burgess and triple jumper Ben Williams, took on a marathon weight lifting challenge and have so far raised more than £2,400 for the Royal Stoke Hospital.

JCB’s kitchens in Staffordshire are being supported with the provision of food from organic farms at Daylesford in Gloucestershire. Daylesford – founded by Carole Bamford – has supplied organic beef mince to the project, with staff working seven days a week to support the food aid initiative.

In the UK, JCB is also working with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which is distributing JCB meals to vulnerable adults and children across the city.

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Toro give $500,000 to Coronavirus efforts

Toro give $500,000 to Coronavirus efforts: The Toro Company (Parent company of Hayter Limited) yesterday announced that it is giving $500,000 to assist families and communities worldwide that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grant funding from the Toro Foundation will span all regions where The Toro Company operates, and will focus on providing food, health and humanitarian assistance to helping people adversely impacted.

Toro give $500,000 to Coronavirus efforts

Toro give $500,000 to Coronavirus efforts

“Supporting our customers and communities is an important part of our culture and core to who we are as a company,” said Rick Olson, chairman and chief executive officer of The Toro Company. “Now more than ever, it is critical that we come together to respond to the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19 and to support those most vulnerable in our communities.”

The contributions include commitments to several global nonprofits that are assisting in the relief efforts. This includes the American Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Feeding America, the World Food Program, the United Way Worldwide, and United Way organizations in communities where The Toro Company’s employees live and work.

An additional element of the global giving effort includes a special program for its employees who wish to personally give to designated COVID-19 relief organizations. Under the program, The Toro Company will match employee contributions to a nonprofit organization of their choice in support of relief efforts.

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Charity chipping raises over £40,000

Charity chipping raises over £40,000: The Jensen team at Machinery Imports were delighted to return for the third year to Wiltshire College and University Centre in February, supporting a fundraising activity that has reached over £40,000 since December!

Delivered each year at the Lackham campus, Wiltshire College and Jensen join forces with Dorothy House to chip over 3,500 unwanted Christmas trees collected throughout January from the Wiltshire and Swindon area.

Charity chipping raises over £40,000

Charity chipping raises over £40,000

Dorothy House is a charity which provides end of life care and support for patients with terminal illnesses across Wiltshire and North East Somerset.

In January, their volunteers collected more than 3,500 Christmas trees, delivering trees to the Lackham campus where a Jensen A540 woodchipper, loaned free of charge from local Jensen dealer T H WHITE Groundcare, was on hand to reduce them ready for upcycling.

The session was delivered by Bill Johnston, business manager for Jensen in the UK, partnered by Stuart Fry, area sales manager at T H WHITE Groundcare, who not only managed the chipping of the trees but also demonstrated and taught safe industry practice to students and apprentices on Lackham’s Horticulture and Landcaping courses.

The tracked A540 was the perfect woodchipper for the task, with a hugely powerful feed roller grip, wide infeed hopper and 8-inch chipping capacity – making light work of the bulky trees and reducing them into a fine chip quickly and efficiently at a rate of 18m3/h. The chippings were then loaded onto trailers ready for use on woodland trail paths throughout the campus, making sure they found a second life and avoiding waste.

The A540 Spider is considered by many to be the ‘ultimate tracked woodchipper’. Its independently controlled hydraulic tracks make it agile, compact and manoeuvrable on flat, sloping and awkward terrain, whilst retaining superb stability and exceptional ground clearance.

“Each year we are delighted to return and support this excellent fundraising initiative in partnership with Dorothy House and the team at Lackham” commented Bill.

“Not only do we help transform unwanted trees into something useful, we provide the students with valuable, practical experience in woodchipper use and safety, and help Dorothy House with their campaign which is always hugely successful and of great benefit in our wider community.”

Fran D’Argenio, Marketing Officer at the college, added, “Lackham’s Horticulture and Landscape Gardening apprentices and students benefited hugely from the workshop, chipping some 3,500 Christmas trees. The learners gained real hands-on experience and invaluable industry knowledge, as well as participating in a great effort for charity which raised over £40,000.”

Find out more about the Jensen A540 and the wider range of towed, tracked and PTO woodchippers available from Jensen at www.jensenchippers.co.uk

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£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle: Highland Council is planning to use a £40,000 remote-control lawn mower to target difficult-to-reach steep slopes around Inverness – including at the city’s famous Castle.

While the lush green banks by the castle and the River Ness are regarded as a major tourist attraction, they come with serious grass-cutting problems.

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

The local authority, while aware that keeping these areas well trimmed contributes significantly to the visitor experience, acknowledges that the safe maintenance of the banks has presented significant challenges.

Over the last three summers it had employed a contractor with specialist equipment to safely maintain the steep slopes.

But next week, at the City of Inverness Area Committee, councillors will be asked to consider buying their own machinery and completing the work in-house.

Purchasing the equipment would also allow enhanced maintenance of similar locations throughout the city.

The health and safety concerns associated with cutting the steep banks including the castle and river banks are being drawn to the attention of councillors.

They will be asked to approve the funding from the Common Good Fund for the 2019 season contractor, costing £14,430.

But officers are recommending the direct purchase of their own machinery at a cost of £40,000.

This would include a contribution from the Common Good Fund of £20,000. The remaining capital cost, plus the annual maintenance and operational running costs of the machine, would be met by the service.

In a report before the committee members, amenities manager Debbie Sutton says: “If the option to purchase a remote mower was approved then the added value this could facilitate would be cutting at numerous locations throughout the city including General Booth Road, Suilven Way, Leachkin Road, Scorguie Drive, Overton Avenue and Balnafettack Road.

“In addition to this, numerous other steep bank locations could be identified which have not previously been considered as safe to cut.

“Furthermore, outright ownership of this machinery would give the council greater control over the timing of the operation to ensure that it takes place at the most appropriate time rather than depending on the availability of the contractor.”

Over the last three years, a contractor has been engaged to cut the north side of the castle banks and the banks of the River Ness two or three times per summer using a remote-controlled mower.

Ms Sutton continued: “Whilst this has resulted in a high standard of maintenance of these areas, better value for money for the council could be achieved through the outright purchase of this type of machine.”

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£5,000 Funding Winners Revealed

£5,000 Funding Winners Revealed: Harrod Sport are proud to champion young local talent and have created the Ron Harrod Foundation to support promising local athletes, aged under 25, who face challenges funding their sporting career.

This year, Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo announced that three talented young athletes from Norfolk and Suffolk have been chosen to receive £5,000 of funding:

  • Jordan Catchpole – a 19-year-old para-swimmer
  • Serena Grace – a record-breaking 15-year-old runner
  • Kieran Mitchell – an 11-year-old skier

£5,000 Funding Winners Revealed

Kevin Utton, Director of Sports Sales & Marketing at Harrod Sport explains that: “Our judges simply couldn’t choose between all of the talent, so we are delighted to announce that we have three winners who will each share the pot and receive funding this year.”

About the winners:

Jordan Catchpole

Jordan dropped out of school on medical grounds, at the age of 14, having been diagnosed with autism and significant learning difficulties, but has gone on to win gold in the 100m backstroke for the GB team at the Japan Open Para Championship.

In 2018 he won silver medals in both 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle in the para-swimming European Championships in Dublin.

Tony Bush of Active Suffolk describes Jordan as “an excellent swimmer with an established track record. He has the potential to make the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and this funding could make the difference!”

“I haven’t had time to celebrate yet because I’m in heavy training at the moment – but I will! It feels good to be recognised and believed in. It makes all the hard work seem even more worthwhile,” says Jordan. “My main aim in 2019 is to qualify for this year’s World Championships in April and compete in September… I am targeting the podium again.”

Serena Grace

Serena began competing aged just 10 years old. In the last five years, she has represented the City of Norwich Athletics Club at County, Regional and National level. She has been Norfolk County Champion for the last three years in 60m, 100m, 200m and 300m in both U15 and U17 categories.

Her biggest achievement so far has been breaking the 300m County Championship record, which hadn’t been broken since the early 1990s – before Serena was born.

Anthony Ogogo said of Serena’s achievement: “Breaking a record that has stood for longer than she’s been alive is no mean feat. She must be extremely talented and hardworking.”

Serena was nominated by her mum, Vanessa Butcher who tells us that funding Serena’s athletics career as a single parent has been challenging: “I’ve often had to buy pre-owned footwear and equipment for her just so she can continue what she enjoys doing.

Anthony explains, “Without foundations such as The Ron Harrod Foundation, young athletes like Serena would not have the financial support to be the best that they can be.”

Kieran Mitchell

Kieran is a talented young dry slope skier from Taverham, near Norwich. He plans to put the money towards a training/race camp with The Cross Collective, to allow him to compete abroad.

Judge Jack Herbert, P.E. Teacher at Pakefield Primary School, says: “He’s a young man with great potential who has already achieved so much. With funding, he could go far.”

Kieran has outlines his plans for the year: “I have just moved up an age group and I would like to do well again this season, but most of all I would like to do well in the British Championships this year. I am also hoping to attend all regional and national races and the all England championship later this year.”

Kieran was nominated by his dad, Dale, who explains: “I suffer from Multiple Sclerosis and no longer work so the main challenges for us are the funding of all the equipment Kieran needs, the different dry slope training camps and races in the UK he requires to keep him at a competitive level. He would not have been able to train and compete abroad without the help of this funding.”

How the winners were chosen

Following nominations from the public in autumn 2018, athletes were shortlisted by a judging panel including local Olympic Boxer Anthony Ogogo. Tony Bush from Active Suffolk and Jack Herbert, P.E. Teacher at Pakefield Primary. The winning athletes were then selected by Anthony Ogogo.

Reflecting on his involvement with the Foundation, Anthony said: “I was honoured to be asked to help pick some extremely deserving winners of the Ron Harrod Foundation grant. I too have been a young, aspiring athlete and I know the struggles that come with it, both financially and logistically. It truly was a pleasure selecting some well-deserved young athletes.”

About Harrod Sport

Harrod Sport began in 1954, when founder Ron Harrod invested £300 and started to convert old herring nets into sports and gardening netting in a factory in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Ron Harrod is a pioneer in goal post safety and became a co-founding member of the European Standards Committee (CEN Standards) in 1989. His son Chris Harrod (Chief Executive) currently represents the U.K. on the committee.

Ron Harrod, now 87, retired in 2005, but his children – Chris and Stephanie – ensure his legacy lives on, both in a business sense and with the ethos Ron maintained throughout the years that the ‘customer is king’.

In 2017, the company changed its name from Harrod UK to Harrod Sport.

For further information, please contact Molly Spring on molly@harrod.uk.com or 01502 583515.

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£18,000 Raised For Movember

£18,000 Raised For Movember: One of Kubota’s dealers, Lister Wilder, and its 60 strong ‘Mow-team’ has raised a remarkable £18,318 for the The Movember Foundation, making the company the 5th largest fundraiser across the UK to support the charity.

Formed of company directors, workshop engineers, sales team members and parts advisers, Lister Wilder employees donned great, and some not so great, moustaches throughout the month of November to help raise the awareness of some of the biggest health issues faced by men.

£18,000 Raised For Movember

Phill Hughes, Groundcare Sales Director at Lister Wilder and the company’s Movember Team Captain, said: “Working in an industry where the majority of our employee’s and customers are male, the charity really hits close to home and a lot of our staff were really enthusiastic about raising much needed funds for such a great campaign. We felt that participating in Movember 2017 would help to raise awareness of the issue within the workplace and remove the stigma that can surround health issues within males.

“In addition to raising a fantastic amount of money for a great charity, the campaign has helped to enhance our team spirit here at Lister Wilder. With so many employees participating and others providing encouragement, this has been a great opportunity for the whole company to come together for a common cause and creates a bonding experience along the way.”

Lister Wilder also offered its support to The Rich Brothers of BBC Garden Rescue, who travelled across six counties in two days to mow huge, precise moustaches into fields to raise funds for the ‘MOWvember movement’. Lister Wilder donated Kubota’s popular G23 ride-on-mower, allowing for exceptional power and efficiency for the busy occasion.

Dave Roberts, Managing Director at Kubota UK, said: “It’s fantastic to see Lister Wilder’s efforts result in such a tremendous outcome for an impactful movement.

“Kubota was delighted to be able to support Lister Wilder and we are thrilled to see how everybody can come together to recognise and fight against a worthy cause.”

The Movember foundation is the leading global organisation committed to focusing solely on men’s health, whilst raising funds to support the fight against prostate and testicular cancer.

If you’d like to donate to Lister Wilder’s Movember ‘MOW-team’, visit its fundraising page: https://uk.movember.com/team/2282728.

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