July 11, 2018 - Turf Matters

Rugby Club Devastated By Pitch Fire

July 11, 2018/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Rugby Club Devastated By Pitch Fire: A Swansea rugby club’s bosses are “devastated” after one of their pitches was set alight in a suspected arson.

The second pitch belonging to Vardre RFC, based in Clydach, was badly burnt during the fire on Sunday.

South Wales Police are investigating the fire after Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue service were called at about 13:30 BST.

The club spends up to £5,000 a year over the summer to fertilise and reseed the pitches.

“We are worried that it will affect our season and prevent players from all ages enjoying the sports they love,” the committee said.

By the time fire crews arrived, the committee said the pitch was “completely burnt.”

“We are extremely proud of the quality of our pitches,” a spokesman said.

“These facilities are used by the mini, junior, youth and senior section of not only Vardre RFC, but Clydach FC as well.

“The second team pitch is also our only floodlit pitch so is vitally important in the season when the evenings are darker, and we require the floodlighting to train.

“It’s completely heartbreaking and frustrating when so many good people volunteer their time and effort to improve facilities and provisions for the local community and a mindless, selfish few continually vandalise the Vardre RFC playing facilities.

“Currently, we are unsure how long and how much it will cost to get the pitch back to its original state.”

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Reesink Reliability Seals The Deal

July 11, 2018/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Rosie Duckworth

Reesink Reliability Seals The Deal: Orsett Golf Club in Essex has long been a Toro customer and plans on keeping it that way for the next four years as it signs its third lease deal with Reesink Turfcare. This is thanks to Toro putting in the hours and keeping its residual value, as well as having Reesink supporting it with back-up.

Set over 112 acres of undulating heathland, the par 72 Championship course has a demanding layout of over 6,600 yards, and as a result the machines are expected to work hard, as course manager Perry Lowe explains: “This is a really big course and the machines are used heavily. Toro gives us a good amount of hours yet keeps its residual value, which is an important factor in our four-year machinery replacement programme. In the last four years, we’ve had hardly any issues, but the peace of mind we get from having Reesink for backup should we need it is really important.

“We’re almost 100 percent Toro here. We feel it has the edge with having Reesink as distributor. When Reesink took over as distributor for Toro three years ago, we wondered if things were going to change and if it would affect how things work. But we’re more than happy with the customer service, the speed with which any problems are dealt with is incredible – the next day and it’s sorted.”

This latest four-year deal includes the Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420, Reelmaster 3575-D, Groundsmaster 3500-D, Groundsmaster 4000-D, two Reelmaster 3100-D mowers, a Multi Pro 5800-D, GreensPro 1260 and a ProCore SR72 aerator.

Perry concludes: “It’s important we maintain course standards for our members. The results we get from Toro and Reesink have grown better every year and that is why we stick with them time after time.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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£2.6m Pledged For Trees And Green Spaces

July 11, 2018/in Industry News, Press Release/by Admin

£2.6m Pledged For Trees And Green Spaces: Trees and green spaces will feature in a number of projects which will receive an investment £2.6 million from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) over the next two years in order to improve Wales’ environment.

The projects were selected under the four themes of reducing the risk from environmental hazards; improving habitat management, biodiversity and connectivity; improving access to the outdoors; and using the environment to support the economy and develop skills.

Among the successful bids are:

Roots and Water, a project by Severn Rivers Trust with the Woodland Trust to raise awareness of the importance of tree planting for multiple benefits such improving air quality, reducing flood risk and creating habitats for wildlife in the upper Severn area of mid-Wales. They will work with landowners, volunteers and community groups to plant native hedgerow trees and propagate the black poplar tree.
Shared Spaces, a project run by Hay-on-Wye Town Council to create green corridors in and around the town to link wildlife habitats and so tackle the decline in biodiversity, with wooden sculptures and interpretation boards on the route’s wildlife.
Nature for Health, a joint venture by Denbighshire Countryside Services and the Denbighshire County Council Housing Department, which will use environmental social prescribing and GP referrals to encourage communities to access and enjoy their local green spaces.
Gower Hedgerow Hub, to address the over 800km of hedgerows on the Gower peninsula recorded as in poor condition, by engaging and training landowners and volunteers to create an intact, continuous hedgerow to act as a wildlife corridor.

Chair of NRW’s Strategic Funding Board Rhian Jardine said: “We need to make the most of our resources and we must find new, innovative ways to deliver the best outcomes for the environment, for wildlife and for people.

“Our commissioning approach, where we set out the challenges for specific areas of Wales, generated interest across all sectors, and we have several partners who will receive funding for the first time.”