Rigby Taylor’s Amenity Supplies Deal

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Rigby Taylor’s Amenity Supplies Deal: Clive Liddiard is a grounds professional who knows what he wants, when he wants it and what he wants it for! It’s a vision that has underpinned his illustrious career, first as a greenkeeper and, more recently, as a groundsman – which has included winning an IOG Industry Award.

And it is a strategy that he is now successfully applying at Framlingham College in Suffolk.

Rigby Taylor's Amenity Supplies Deal

His expert outlook explains why he has signed a three-year preferred supplier deal with Rigby Taylor for all the amenity supplies, including line-marking machines and paints and aerosols, that he and his team of eight groundsmen will need to improve and maintain the standards of the college’s rugby, football and cricket pitches, as well as tennis courts.

The agreement – which he affirms “will bring the sports fields and horticultural areas up to scratch and consistently playable and well-presented” at the college’s two sites (the main college campus and the nearby junior school) is, he says, a win-win situation.

Clive, who in January 2018 was appointed head of grounds at the independent school’s sprawling 108-acre Suffolk site which accommodates pupils aged three to eighteen, adds: “Rigby Taylor get a firm, long-term contract for a set of products and I get all the best products at the best possible price – along with superb and reliable back-up from Rigby Taylor’s technical sales representative, Mark Keysell!”

Clive’s shopping list includes the R9 and R5 seeds (100% ultra-fine rye and 100% fescue blend, respectively), Crossbar selective herbicide and Chikara contact/residual herbicide, as well as Gallup Biograde Amenity foliar-applied herbicide and the Qualgex surface biocide, plus two iGo Advance and an iGo Mini Exclusive line-markers and Impact line-marking paint along with a variety of loams and dressings.

Speaking at an ‘Innovation, Education and Demonstration’ event of Rigby Taylor’s line-marking products at the college – which included GPS line-marking and the award-winning Impact paint technology – Clive commented:

“I haven’t got an enormous budget, but I wanted the best array of products possible to create the ‘perfect picture’ for an outstanding college estate that was founded in 1864 in memory of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Consort.

“It embraces a Victorian school building and a lake, and it overlooks a 12th century castle. We also have a range of sports fields including 17 grass tennis courts and two astro turf pitches (both floodlit).

“The use of these products will not only improve the facilities but, in turn, will also enhance the work of the grounds team. They are a very experienced group and they know what to do and when to do it, but there’s no doubt that with Rigby Taylor’s help we will all see further improvements in the results of our efforts.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Wildflower Project Makes The Grade

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Wildflower Project Makes The Grade: Brunel House in Bristol has recently undergone an ecologically friendly landscaping project, with urban biodiversity at the forefront of the project.

Formally offices and now a new Unite Students property, Brunel House in Bristol will house 246 students who will enjoy a landscape that offers an urban habitat for insects, bats, swifts and other wildlife.

Wildflower Project Makes The Grade

Key to the central landscaping design of this new development is the incorporation of a wildflower meadow, supplied by Wildflower Turf Ltd at the request of construction specialists the RG Group.

Following the RG Group’s winning submission at the 2017 CIRIA BIG Biodiversity Challenge Awards, award sponsors Wildflower Turf Ltd were contacted by Sustainability Consultant Colorado Goldwyn with a view of utilising the RG Group’s prize to enhance the Brunel House project.

As well as donating 200m² of Wildflower Turf Landscape Turf, the Hampshire-based wildflower experts also assisted the project with specialist consultancy, recommended and supplied additional turf to meet the project’s requirements, and provided Accredited Partner training to the project team.

Colorado Goldwyn of EQ Consultancy said, “The combination of Wildflower Turf Landscape Turf and Species Rich Lawn Turf has pulled the landscaping scheme together beautifully and allowed for a flow of biodiversity throughout the differing levels of the landscape design.”

The wildflower-led landscaping initiative has focussed on assisting rare invertebrates such as the rare Carrot Mining Bee and Small Blue Butterfly. Additionally, and in collaboration with the RSPB, a number of other recommended ecological initiatives were also defined and adopted as part of the landscaping design.

Wildflower Project Makes The Grade

As well as providing an aesthetically pleasing landscape for the incoming student population, local wildlife habitats have been protected, with the project on track to receive an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating.

James Hewetson-Brown, Managing Director at Wildflower Turf Ltd said “The ecological prosperity that a wildflower meadow can bring cannot be understated, and urban biodiversity projects such as this stretch widely to encompass both social and health benefits.”

Hewetson-Brown continued, “It is anticipated that the local student population will benefit, not only from the beautifully landscaped areas that will promote wellbeing and social interaction, but by gaining a sense of responsibility as they become interested in, and involved with, the protection of local wildlife.”

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