GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces

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GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces: A suite of equipment from GKB Machines has been entrusted with prolonging the longevity and boosting the performance of five artificial playing surfaces at Ipswich School.

Installed by dealers Ernest Doe in September 2024, a Quick Brush, Rotobrush and GKB Deep Clean are bringing new-found time-savings and efficiency to both routine and more intensive maintenance.

GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces

GKB Machines delivers top class artificial surfaces

Rated the number one independent school in Suffolk and Norfolk, sport forms a major part of the curriculum for the students at Ipswich School. Keeping an array of natural and all-weather surfaces in top-flight condition for cricket, hockey and winter sports is a team of eight headed up by Grounds Maintenance Manager Syd Townsend. “The all-weather pitches across our Westwood campus and Rushmere Sports Centre have been installed over a number of years and the time was now right to invest in equipment to optimise their performance and protect our investment” he explains.

“We previously didn’t have any mechanised attachments or equipment, so we were drag brushing the surfaces manually which was labour intensive and restricted us from being able to conduct operations as often as we’d like.” For a solution, Syd spoke with local dealers Ernest Doe who brought in a selection of machines from the GKB synthetic portfolio for the team to trial on their facilities. “It was important that anything we purchased would work with our existing tractors. Of the four machines we demoed, we purchased three of them and in a short period of time, they have already proven their worth.”

“The Quick Brush and Rotobrush are in use regularly, standing up the fibres and redistributing the sand dressing. The Rotobrush does a fantastic job of the perimeter areas, in particular, agitating any moss and bringing it to the surface for collection with the Deep Clean.” Syd continues, “We’ll be using the Deep Clean during school holidays to give the pitches a more intensive renovation, on top of the more routine collection of leaves and other detritus.”

“A large proportion of our synthetic pitches are surrounded by overhanging trees. The days of using a blower or manually raking up leaves have gone, and we can now quickly and effectively collect these and other smaller particulates in a more sustainable way.”

While each machine has been well received, Syd considers the combination of equipment to be the golden ticket to perfecting the performance of the playing surfaces. “Not only has the kit delivered exactly what we hoped, the service and training we received from Ernest Does and GKB was outstanding. Despite having to reschedule our training day due to unpredictable weather and staff holidays, both companies were incredibly flexible. On the day all eight operatives had the opportunity to ask any questions and undergo full training to ensure they were confident with the equipment which will all help us to achieve the very best results.”

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GroundsFest Academy Launches with Successful First Event

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GroundsFest Academy Launches with Successful First Event: The first ever GroundsFest Academy event has been hailed a huge success, as delegates from across the industry gathered for a free day of hands-on education at DLF UK’s state-of-the-art facility. With a packed schedule of insightful sessions and interactive learning, the event marked the beginning of a new era in accessible, high-quality training for the grounds care and landscaping sectors.

The day kicked off with a welcome reception and a full introduction to DLF and the hosts for the day, followed by a series of educational activities including seed and grass plant identification, germination tests, and a pre-germination session. After a tour of the DLF site, the afternoon was dedicated to sowing, aftercare and maintenance techniques, rounded off with a recap and open Q&A.

GroundsFest Academy Launches with Successful First Event

GroundsFest Academy Launches with Successful First Event

Each session was designed to give attendees practical skills and a deeper understanding of seed science – knowledge they could take away and apply immediately in their work. From seasoned professionals to volunteers and educators, the event offered something for everyone.

David Newell, Deputy Head Groundsman at Reading FC, praised the event’s unique approach:

“You never know what to expect from a new event but it has been really educational. It’s different to anything you get anywhere else – learning all about the different varieties of seed, what they do and why they do it, has been fantastic. The wildflower seeding talk was very educational too. Our football club wants to start doing that, so hopefully I can take that back and give something back to Reading FC.”

For Jo Shepherd, Horticulture Apprenticeship Skills Coach at Windsor College, the day was a valuable upskilling opportunity:

“I teach horticulture apprentices – many of them love turf – and my background is more in garden design and maintenance, so I wanted to upskill myself to better support them.

Identifying grasses was a great experience; it’s much harder than plant ID. Seeing the site and understanding the production side was really helpful too.”

The event also attracted professionals from outside of traditional turf roles. Rich Young, Product Director at Mowd, highlighted the networking and CPD value:

“DLF are one of our seed suppliers, so seeing their operation and the science behind it was eye-opening. It’s reassuring to know our customers are getting the best. But for me, the value came from networking and learning – that’s going to benefit me and the business throughout the year.”

Mike Green, a volunteer groundsman at Winterborne Cricket Club, represented the grassroots level of the industry and found the day equally rewarding:

“Free educational days like this are a massive help for volunteers like me. I picked up loads of useful info, spoke to people working in sports turf, and just found the day incredibly beneficial. It’s been a really successful day for me.”

The GroundsFest Academy is the latest initiative from the team behind GroundsFest, made possible through reinvestment of profits from the show directly back into the industry.

Bradley Tennant, Director of Education for GroundsFest Academy, said:

“There’s a big skills gap in the industry, and the GroundsFest Academy has been created to help address that. Whether someone is new to the sector or has decades of experience, these events are designed to support ongoing development. Seeing everyone smiling, learning and sharing knowledge today has been incredible – and it’s just the beginning.”

Matt Gresty, MM and Designer Sales and Brand Manager at DLF UK, added:

“We felt honoured to be asked to host the first event. It’s great to show what we do, but even better to contribute to education and understanding in the industry. It is good to give something back to the industry. From wildflower seeds to sports turf, we want to help people improve their work through better knowledge.”

This is just the first of many free educational events from the GroundsFest Academy, with future events already planned.

Keep an eye out for announcements on upcoming GroundsFest Academy events – and take your place at the forefront of industry education.

Registration to GroundsFest 2025 is now open. Please visit www.groundsfest.com

You can also follow GroundsFest on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @GroundsFest for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

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Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance: Keswick’s two flagship parks – Hope Park and Fitz Park – nestled in the heart of the Lake District in Cumbria, are setting the standard for sustainable grounds maintenance thanks to the exceptional performance of three Dennis ES-510 battery-powered mowers.

The move to electric machinery was spearheaded by Christine Fawcett, Parks Manager at Keswick Town Council, following the council’s bold step to declare a climate emergency. “Keswick Town Council and Keswick Parks declared a climate emergency six years ago,” Christine explains. “So obviously things had to change with fossil fuelled maintenance machinery, and we started looking for battery alternatives.”

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

The parks team had been long-time users of the petrol-powered Dennis FT510, known for its reliability and versatility – particularly its interchangeable cassette system. When Dennis introduced the battery-powered ES-510, which retained compatibility with the same range of cassettes, the transition was a natural progression.

“We’d built up a full suite of cassettes over the years,” says Christine. “From scarifiers to brushes, verticutter, sorrel roller and cutting cassettes – we rely on all of them throughout the year to deliver high standards of turf care. When the ES-510 came out, it looked like the perfect time to make the change to battery. And because the cassettes were compatible, we didn’t need to start from scratch.”

In fact, Keswick’s parks team became the first users in the UK to adopt an electric Dennis machine three years ago and now operate three ES-510s across both Hope and Fitz Parks.

Hope Park is a popular destination for visitors, featuring a nine-hole pitch and putt course and a large putting green. Fitz Park, affectionately known as the ‘people’s park’, is home to a bowling green, five grass tennis courts, an 18-hole putting course, and serves as the base for local sports clubs including Keswick Football Club, the bowling and tennis clubs, athletics, and cricket. Both parks are owned by charitable trusts and maintained by a dedicated in-house team overseen by Christine.

One ES-510 can handle a significant workload in a single day – cutting the bowling green, two grass-court tennis courts, and nine holes on the pitch and putt – with the battery lasting comfortably through the day. “It gets charged overnight and it’s ready to go again the next day,” says Christine.

The machines play a crucial role in Keswick’s fine turf maintenance regime. Christine explains: “We start the season with light verticutting and brushing to clean the surfaces and remove debris. Once the season starts, we usually verticut every three weeks or so, depending on the weather. Cutting typically happens twice a week, usually on a Monday and Thursday. At the end of the season, we scarify the greens and tennis courts before overseeding in late September.”

For the team, the switch to battery has brought many advantages. “We really like the flexibility – you can adjust the walking pace, set the cylinder speed depending on the task, and even keep track of how far you’ve walked in a day,” Christine adds. “It makes the job easier and more tailored to the person using it.”

Now in their third season, the Dennis ES-510s are proving their worth across Keswick’s green spaces – helping the town meet its sustainability goals without compromising on quality. “The ES-510s have helped us maintain our sports surfaces to a high standard while reducing our environmental impact – and that’s something we’re really proud of.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on X and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub

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ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub: ICL Turf & Landscape UK & Ireland is encouraging turf managers, grounds professionals, and landscapers to access its free online Knowledge Hub, offering expert technical advice across all areas of turf and landscape management.

Now featuring over 430 articles, the Knowledge Hub covers topics including turf nutrition, water management, disease and pest control, product support, and application advice. Designed for quick and easy use, the platform helps professionals make faster, better-informed decisions.

ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub

ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub

“We wanted the Knowledge Hub to be a genuinely practical tool, not just a collection of articles,” said Kevin Whitby, Marketing Communications Manager at ICL. “It enables turf managers and landscapers to quickly find clear, trusted advice, whether addressing a specific issue or planning ahead.”

Fully open and free to access, the Knowledge Hub underlines ICL’s commitment to supporting the sector with practical technical information alongside its product range. Articles can be searched by topic, keyword, or product name.

The Knowledge Hub is available at:

https://icl-growingsolutions.com/en-gb/turf-landscape/knowledge-hub/

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Flood relief at Caersws Football Club

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Flood relief at Caersws Football Club: Caersws Football Club, founded in the late 19th century, adopted its present name in 1974 when it relinquished its amateur status. The club’s first successes came in the nineteen sixties, winning the Mid-Wales League and the Welsh Amateur Cup.

In 1992 they became founder members of the League of Wales and subsequently won the League Cup twice. The team plays at the Recreation Ground, Caersws, which accommodates up to 4000 spectators.

Flood relief at Caersws Football Club

Flood relief at Caersws Football Club

Situated close to the River Severn, the ground floods regularly when the river bursts its banks in winter months. But once the flood water subsided, the pitch would not be playable for up to 2 weeks due standing water on the pitch not draining away. This resulted in the club having to move matches to another club’s ground, which had a 3G pitch, to meet the demands of the league schedule. In the 2023/24 season, they managed only one game across three winter months (Nov-Jan). Playing elsewhere also meant supporters would not travel to games, so the issues mounted. Investigations into the causes revealed the pitch to be sitting on 0.7 metres depth of clay and constant rolling over the years had compacted the surface even further. Normal aeration would have no impact on the problem.

Caersws Club chair, Neil Lewis, had heard of the work by Terrain Aeration at other pitches and called them in to see if they could resolve the issue. Terrain has a unique system used for over thirty years with their Terralift machines. The Terralift features a JCB road hammer and probe, which reaches a depth of one metre where it releases a blast of compressed air. This fractures the soil, creating fissures to allow drainage, and as the probe is withdrawn, dried seaweed is injected. This has the effect of expanding and contracting with moisture and, in simple terms, keeps the holes open. The process is repeated on a grid system, usually at two-metre intervals, to interlink the fracturing. The probe holes are backfilled with an aggregate and the surface is almost immediately playable.

“This season we had only one first team and a second team game postponed,” says Neil Lewis. “We had the Ground Management Association come and take a core sample. They found even though the topsoil was wet, the soil at depth was dry. We have also had the pitch scarified to remove thatch, so next season will see it drain even better. The difference since Terrain Aeration did their work is incredible and we will promote them to other club and associations looking for a drainage solution. It saved money, there was no digging and being non-invasive, we were able to play a pre-season friendly the same night as the work was done. Why would you not do it?”

Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.co.uk

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