Company sets golden charity goal

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Company sets golden charity goal: A company which helps JCB customers to buy their machines has set itself a golden charity goal in celebration of 50 years in business.

JCB Finance – one of the biggest lenders to the UK’s construction and agricultural industry – is marking its milestone ‘birthday’ today (February 12th) with a pledge to raise £50,000 for children’s charity the NSPCC.

Company sets golden charity goal

Company sets golden charity goal

The money will be raised by a series of fundraising activities throughout 2020 – and to kick-start the campaign, JCB Finance is donating a JCB 8008 micro excavator to be auctioned online, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Set up on February 12th, 1970 under the name JCB Credit, JCB Finance has expanded massively from its humble beginnings, with JCB Chairman Lord Bamford as one of its original Directors. Today, JCB Finance provides hire purchase and leasing options for UK business customers and supports the JCB UK dealer network, facilitating the purchase of more than 250,000 new and used JCB machines over the past 50 years.

JCB Finance Managing Director Paul Jennings – who has worked for the firm for 41 years – said: “As we turn 50, we want to say a special thank you to our customers and dealers for their trust in allowing us to handle billions of pounds over the years on their behalf. Some businesses have dealt with us for three generations, which reinforces our belief that our efforts are trusted as knowledgeable partners.

“There have been radical changes to the way business is done over the past half century but the core mission of JCB Finance has remained the same: to support JCB customers with fantastic finance options with speed, efficiency and fairness.

“Throughout our history, we’ve made sure that we keep the personal touch and even with today’s digital world, we are committed to having ‘boots on the ground’. Customers can choose how we serve them, whether direct, on-line, via the JCB dealer network or our team of Specialist Managers in the field.”

Last year, JCB Finance celebrated another milestone when, for the first time in its history, the amount being lent to fund the purchase of machines broke through the £1 billion barrier. The company also won the coveted International Asset Finance Network award European Captive Finance Lessor 2019.

JCB Finance’s auction for the JCB 8008 Micro Excavator goes live for pre-registration from Wednesday, 12th February and bids can be placed online from Thursday, 12th March. Visit www.jcb-finance.co.uk to pre-register and make your bid. The winning bidder will be announced on Thursday 23rd April.

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Relief fund for Ciara victims

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Relief fund for Ciara victims: Storm damaged pitches and facilities could be back in use sooner than expected thanks to a new emergency flood relief fund from Sport England.

The effects of Storm Ciara are still being fully assessed but, in an attempt to rectify the damage as soon as possible, local authorities and community sports organisations are being invited to apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to pay for emergency repairs.

Gale force winds and torrential rain have left pitches, pavilions and floodlights in a state of disrepair, with Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire among the worst-hit areas.

The grants, which will come from the Community Asset Fund, can be provided in as little as three weeks. But chief executive, Tim Hollingsworth, has highlighted where attentions should be focused.

“When flooding happens, the priority must be making sure people are safe, they can get back into their homes and vital public services are back up and running,” he said.

“But we know from the floods in 2013 and 2015 that flood water can cause significant damage to sports pitches and pavilions, changing and social facilities.

“We’re making emergency funding available now so when the time is right sports organisations can pay for rebuilds and repairs quickly.

“We want to ensure that the sports facilities in local communities that help keep people physically active are not forgotten in the floods so they are ready to use as soon as people want them.”

The grants could typically be used to restore grass pitches, to repair and decontaminate flood or wind-damaged clubhouses, replace damaged electrical systems or dredge blocked drains.

The Community Asset Fund was designed to help communities quickly respond to emergencies or unexpected events that stop people from being active.

From damaged sports club roofs to areas hit by flood damage, our team aims to provide quick responses to those most badly affected.

Yorkshire Sport Foundation chief executive officer Nigel Harrison said his organisation is working with local authorities, national governing bodies and partner organisations in the west and south of the county to assess the full extent of the damage.

“The impact is far reaching and covers large parts of the area,” he said. “We welcome Sport England’s early intervention, and we look forward to working with them to help get the affected clubs and facilities up and running again as soon as possible.”

Organisations that need assistance with their application should contact the Funding line.

While guidance on dealing with both the aftermath of flooding and mitigating damage can be found on the sustainability page.

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Bobcat appoints new dealer

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Bobcat appoints new dealer: Bobcat has appointed Peterborough-based RTC Plant Services Ltd (www.rtcplant.com) as the new Authorised Bobcat dealer for Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire in the UK.

RTC is now responsible for sales and service of the market-leading range of Bobcat skid-steer, compact track and all-wheel steer loaders, mini-excavators, telehandlers and attachments in the construction, rental, landscaping and industrial markets in the three counties.

Bobcat appoints new dealer

Bobcat appoints new dealer

Tom Calton, Managing Director of RTC Plant Services Ltd, said: “As one of the region’s largest independent sales, parts and service dealers, we bring a lot of local knowledge, expertise, experience and enthusiasm to selling and supporting the Bobcat range in these areas. Both I and my fellow Director, Dave Ellis, who heads up the sales side,  believe there are many fantastic opportunities to expand sales for Bobcat in this region in construction and rental markets as well as many other areas.”

A New University and Good Prospects

The fact that RTC has already been able to complete several sales of Bobcat mini-excavators so soon after being appointed bears this out – with a number of existing customers switching to Bobcat from other brands.

With the go-ahead being given for its first university to be built in the embankment area of Peterborough and new developments in infrastructure and other sectors, prospects are good not only in Peterborough, but also in the university city of Cambridge. Similar developments are underway and being proposed in towns such as Northampton and Corby in Northamptonshire and in Bedford and St Neots in Bedfordshire.

Ewen Gilchrist, Network Development Manager UK & Nordics for Doosan Bobcat EMEA, said: “From their outstanding facilities in the centre of Peterborough combined with good transport links, we are confident that RTC will provide the best possible service for both new and existing Bobcat customers in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. RTC has great local knowledge and a drive and passion for the Bobcat range that can only bring further success.”

The RTC 1996 Group: There’s Nothing We Can’t Service or Repair

Formed in 1996, RTC Plant Services is part of the group, RTC 1996 Ltd, along with its sister companies, RTC Hire Ltd and RTC Groundcare Ltd. Starting from a one man in a van business, RTC has grown rapidly into a highly professional organisation, supplying customers within a 100-mile radius of Peterborough.

As well as the Bobcat range of machines and attachments, RTC also offers a full selection of genuine Bobcat accessories and parts to support both new and existing Bobcat customers in its area. This is backed up by a stock of both brand new and second hand Bobcat machines for sale. Customers also benefit from RTC’s on-site service network, covering everything from emergency repairs to routine maintenance.

Tom Calton added: “We have four fully equipped service vans that allow our service engineers to visit customer’s premises and work sites throughout the region. We also have Class 2 trucks and other smaller lorries. From diggers to telehandlers, there’s nothing we can’t service or repair. Our fully equipped service department, with time served engineers, is more than capable of making sure that customers’ equipment is fully serviced and repaired.

“We also have a second to none parts department to cater for all parts requirements. With thousands of parts in stock, we can offer a prompt delivery service. Any parts that are not stocked we can usually get on an overnight service for dispatch the next day.”

The Bobcat Range

Bobcat offers 12 skid-steer loader models, complementing these wheeled machines with a selection of six compact track loaders.

The Bobcat mini-excavator range comprises 18 models with operating weights from 0.8 to 8.5 tonne, with the newest additions including the innovative R(Revolutionary)-Series models from 2-4 tonne.

The range of machines from Bobcat is completed by a choice of fifteen standard rigid frame telehandler models (as well as four models available as new Waste Expert telehandlers) and four rotary telehandlers, covering maximum lifting capacities between 2.6 and 5.0 tonne and maximum lifting heights from 6.0 to 24.1 m.

For use with these machines and covering a massive array of applications, Bobcat offers a market-leading range of over 130 different families of attachments, from angle brooms, augers, breakers, buckets, snow blowers to planers, trenchers and wheelsaws.

For more information about Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com

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Andrew de Wet joins Symbio

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Andrew de Wet joins Symbio: Andrew de Wet has been appointed by Symbio as Technical Sales Manager for the Midlands.

A former Golf Course Manager with a passion for sustainability and ecology, Andrew went on to launch a successful turf care and landscaping company before joining an organisation whose ethos and products he has long advocated. He is looking forward to working with a broad range of customers in his area which extends from Leicester to Birmingham, up to the Peak District and across South Yorkshire.

Andrew de Wet joins Symbio

Andrew de Wet joins Symbio

He comments, “Recognising that golf courses are such valuable urban ecosystems, good environmental stewardship was at the heart of everything I did as a greenkeeper. I committed to reducing inputs and with Symbio’s help I was able to, growing finer grasses in a healthier rootzone and redirecting that expenditure to other areas of the golf course. I’m looking forward to giving confidence and support to other turf managers looking to do the same.”

Established in 1990, Symbio was the first company to combine soil biology and chemistry to develop a range of industry-changing products, including Thatch Eater to convert thatch to plant food, mycorrhizal fungi to promote perennial grasses and in some cases more than halve fertiliser use; Liquid Aeration to oxygenate the rootzone, and compost teas to restore life to chemically damaged and compacted rootzones.

Andrew can be contacted on 07513 125554 and by email at andrew@symbio.co.uk

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Symbio appoint Biological Science Specialist

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Symbio appoint Biological Science Specialist: Symbio has appointed biological science specialist Dr Deidre Charleston, Ph.D. as Research and Technical Manager, bringing over 20 years’ extensive experience of field trials, data collection, new product development, testing of compounds and mixtures and fulfilment of UK and EU pesticide regulatory and labelling requirements.

Growing up in South Africa, the daughter of a game ranger, Deidre’s early experience of wide-open spaces and respect for the natural world later developed into a life-long passion for biological science. After graduating from university, her early career was spent working as a research scientist in Africa investigating ways to improve integrated pest management (IPM) in agriculture.

Symbio appoint Biological Science Specialist

Symbio appoint Biological Science Specialist

Her career path has included managing trials programmes at Microspore and Arysta Life Science as well as laboratory trials in plant pathology and entomology. At Scotts Miracle-Gro, she was responsible for managing the Levington Research station in the UK, running 100-200 field trials a year and leading international biocide projects.

Prior to joining Symbio, in her role as Curriculum and Quality Manager at Easton and Otley College, her responsibilities included academic and subject leadership for land-based studies, and delivery of plant and soil science, pest control and PA01 training for NPTC qualifications.

She comments, “I’m very excited about joining Symbio which really takes me back to my roots in scientific research but combines that with a focus on the value of education. My role has three key aspects to it. Firstly, to review our current product portfolio and run new, rigorous trials so that we are continually updating and adding to our knowledge with scientific data. Secondly to focus on education; making the science more accessible by running seminars and events, talking about soil biology and helping users understand how our products work best. The restrictions on pesticide use will only keep increasing so we need to be looking at equivalent, sustainable alternatives. Lastly, I’m going to be improving and developing new products, with science-based innovation that will make a difference to the way we manage sportsturf in the future”.

Dr Deidre Charleston can be contacted on Tel: 07968 344029 and by email at deidre@symbio.co.uk.

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