GGM Group Celebrates Successful Customer Innovation Events

GGM Group Celebrates Successful Customer Innovation Events

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GGM Group Celebrates Successful Customer Innovation Events

Industry-leading manufacturers, customers and trade media come together to explore innovation, collaboration and to celebrate a landmark partnership milestone of 50 years in partnership with Kubota.

GGM Group Celebrates Successful Customer Innovation Events

GGM Group Celebrates Successful Customer Innovation Events

GGM Group is celebrating two highly successful Customer Innovation Events held recently at its Knottingley Service Centre and Leigh Sports Village, bringing together customers, leading industry manufacturers, and members of the trade press for two days of innovation, networking and equipment demonstrations.

The events provided customers with a unique opportunity to engage directly with some of the industry’s most respected manufacturers, gaining first-hand insight into the latest developments in grounds maintenance, turf care and associated technologies. Attendees were able to explore new equipment, discuss emerging industry trends and discover practical solutions to industry challenges, designed to enhance operational efficiency and performance.

The strong attendance from customers across the arboriculture, sports turf, local authority, contractor and amenity sectors highlighted the growing demand for innovation and collaboration within the industry. Representatives from the trade press were also in attendance, helping to share insights and developments from the events with the wider grounds care community.

Chris Gibson, GGM Managing Director, said:

“We are delighted with the success of both Customer Innovation Events. Bringing together our customers, manufacturer partners and industry media created an excellent platform for sharing knowledge, demonstrating new technologies and discussing the future of our industry.

The positive feedback we received from attendees reinforces the importance of these events in helping customers make informed decisions and stay ahead of industry developments.

The events also provided a fitting opportunity to celebrate our remarkable 50-year partnership with Kubota, a milestone that reflects the strength of our relationship, shared values and commitment to delivering exceptional products, service and support to customers across the industry.”

The events also reinforced GGM Group’s commitment to supporting customers through innovation, expertise and strong manufacturer partnerships, ensuring access to the latest equipment and solutions available in the market.

GGM Group would like to thank all customers and members of the press who attended and contributed to the success of both events. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our manufacturer partners for their continued support and active participation, which played a key role in delivering engaging demonstrations, valuable industry insights and an exceptional experience for all attendees.

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RHS Badminton Flower Show to feature largest ever show garden

RHS Badminton Flower Show to feature largest ever show garden

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RHS Badminton Flower Show to feature largest ever show garden

RHS Badminton Flower Show adds to its horticultural line up with the RHS’ largest ever Feature Garden, created by award-winning designer Tom Stuart-Smith, and a planted exploration into the human mind designed by singer Will Young with plantsman and broadcaster Jamie Butterworth.

RHS Badminton Flower Show to feature largest ever show garden

RHS Badminton Flower Show to feature largest ever show garden

Measuring 2,400m2, The Julia Rausing Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith is the largest garden ever seen at an RHS Show and will be a celebration of the life and philanthropic work of Julia Rausing. Fresh from his gold medal winning garden at RHS Chelsea, Tom is now taking on the challenge of the largest garden at an RHS Show, equivalent in size to nine Wimbledon tennis courts, with its huge scale enabling meandering paths for visitors to be fully immersed in its planting.

The garden’s design is inspired by the pastoral setting at Badminton Estate and frames views over the lake and back to Badminton House. A central terrace and fountain will be surrounded by a flower garden in which woodland edge planting will be set amongst multi-stemmed trees with a dry meadow of drought tolerant perennials. This inner area will be enveloped by a wildflower meadow with lime trees and a wild beehive.

Tom Stuart-Smith said: “It is an honour and a joy to design a garden to celebrate the legacy of Julia Rausing, whom I knew well. She loved gardens, and this is a tribute to her work supporting garden projects and causes across health, welfare, and the arts. Her generosity is reflected in a design where visitors are welcomed into the heart of the garden and can experience its beauty up close. After the show, the herbaceous plants will be sold to raise funds for Horatio’s Garden, a wonderful charity that has been supported by the Julia Rausing Foundation.”

Creating his first exhibit at an RHS Show, Will Young has collaborated with Jamie Butterworth to design Out of the Shadows, an exhibit interpreting Carl Jung’s ‘shadow self’, or the part of ourselves we keep hidden from the world, through planting. The exhibit will be formed by three planted cubes showing the journey from introspection and isolation to openness and the embrace of possibility.

Across the three cubes, shade loving plants gradually give way to airy grasses and flowers as light is let in. The first cube represents the hidden parts of out psyche with dense, layered planting creating a quiet atmosphere of seclusion. The second cube portrays a transitional garden with dappled shade and lighter planting, symbolising where the shadow self meets our conscious persona. The final cube follows a light, naturalistic planting scheme where shadows start to lift and new perspectives emerge.

Will Young said: “I’d been looking at Jungian shadow work for some time and thought it was fascinating and could translate so well into planting and a garden installation. I’d like people to see how density and shade can be beautiful and as a metaphor, encourage people to look into their own psyche as beauty often hides in the dark.”

Jamie Butterworth adds: “It’s a pleasure to be working with Will at RHS Badminton this year to deliver a planting installation full of amazing plants that visitors can incorporate in their gardens at home.  Working side-by-side in the garden, or outside space, sharing knowledge and discovering new planting combinations together is one of the best things we can do, it strengthens not just our mental health but our bonds of friendship too.”

Joining the line-up of show features is Perfume Pavilions by Nicholson’s Garden Design, a sensory garden celebrating botany as the source of scent and perfume. The garden will feature lavender, honeysuckle, daphne, and phlox to immerse the space in scent whilst also entertaining the other senses with rustling leaves, flavour packed herbs, and colourful blooms.

These feature gardens and exhibits join a host of award-winning gardens, expert growers and nurseries, floral installations, talks stages, and live music.

RHS Badminton Flower Show runs from 8-12 July 2026 and tickets are available online at rhs.org.uk/badminton

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Matt Axton officially joins Bernhard Academy

Matt Axton officially joins Bernhard Academy

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Matt Axton officially joins Bernhard Academy

Bernhard Academy is delighted to officially welcome Matt Axton to the team as Programme Leader for Technical Training and Advisory, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Academy’s technical education offering.

Matt Axton officially joins Bernhard Academy

Matt Axton officially joins Bernhard Academy

Following the announcement of his appointment earlier this year, Matt has now officially started his role with Bernhard Academy, bringing with him extensive international experience in managing and maintaining golf course machinery fleets as well as leading technical teams.

With a career spanning leading venues including The Belfry, Copt Heath Golf Club and The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club, alongside international roles in Bahrain and Qatar, Matt’s expertise further strengthens Bernhard Academy’s commitment to delivering practical, industry-relevant training for turf professionals.

Matt also brings significant experience in equipment management, dealer support and industry collaboration, having played a key role in developing the Turf Equipment Technicians Organisation (TETO), helping create a strong community focused on knowledge sharing and professional development.

Speaking about officially joining the organisation, Matt Axton said:

“I’m incredibly excited to officially begin this journey with Bernhard Academy. The opportunity to support the industry through practical technical education is something I’m deeply passionate about, and I’m looking forward to helping professionals develop their skills and confidence at every stage of their careers and to raise awareness of equipment management as a rewarding career path.”

As Programme Leader for Technical Training and Advisory, Matt will lead the delivery and continued development of Bernhard Academy’s growing technical training programmes, supporting turf professionals, equipment technicians and organisations across the industry.

Sami Strutt, Education Director at Bernhard Academy, commented:

“We are thrilled to officially welcome Matt to the team. His technical expertise, industry knowledge and passion for supporting others make him an outstanding fit for Bernhard Academy. We are excited about the impact he will have as we continue to grow our technical education offering and support the future of the industry.”

Matt’s arrival comes during a period of continued growth for Bernhard Academy, with increasing demand for technical, leadership and management education across the turf industry. The Academy remains committed to creating accessible, practical and forward-thinking learning opportunities for professionals around the world.

To learn more about Bernhard Academy and its educational programmes, visit Bernhard Academy.

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GKB V-Strong puts scarification back in the hands of Leyland GC

GKB V-Strong puts scarification back in the hands of Leyland GC

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GKB V-Strong puts scarification back in the hands of Leyland GC

Renovation season at Leyland Golf Club has delivered impressive results following the investment in a V-Strong from GKB Machines. Installed in February 2026 by Balmers GM, the club’s first in-house scarifier quickly proved its worth surpassing the expectations of Head Greenkeeper John Edge – enabling him and the team to cover significantly more ground, with even better results, than ever previously achieved.

GKB V-Strong puts scarification back in the hands of Leyland GC

GKB V-Strong puts scarification back in the hands of Leyland GC

John has been at the 18-hole parkland course for the last two years, joining the club in its celebratory centenary year. Looking to deliver the consistent playing conditions expected by the 600 members, John immediately reviewed the maintenance and renovation programme, swiftly bringing in a contractor to give the greens a kick-start in the spring of 2024. “I’ve used various makes and models of scarifier previously, but this contractor came in with the GKB V-Strong and it blew me away” comments John.

“Firstly the speed at which it covered the greens was seriously impressive. But it wasn’t just speed, it was the fact that it simultaneously picked up so well. It got the job done efficiently and effectively and left the greens clean and ready for play almost immediately.”

Featuring GKB’s unique CombiRotor and heavy-duty steel blades, the V-Strong makes light work of scarifying golf greens and other sports surfaces – removing lateral growth and organic matter to depths of up to 40mm. After two further visits from the contractor, John was sold on having a V-Strong in his own machinery armoury. “The results spoke for themselves, and the General Manager and Chairman were both on board with us making the investment. We also received fantastic support from Dan Whalley and Andrew Meeks at Balmers who got the team primed and ready for the upcoming renovation window.”

And it’s fair to say, the anticipation was matched by impressive in-field performance! “We renovated all 18 greens at the start of April and, due to the speed of operation with the V-Strong, we actually managed to do all the approaches as well – getting the whole lot scarified in one day. We found we didn’t need to follow the machine with blowers because the pick-up was so good and, within a week, all the renovated areas were back in play. We knew the machine was good, but it truly did exceed our expectations.”

John continues, “Having our own machine will give us the flexibility to conduct scarification more frequently, and in the optimum windows for recovery – no longer limited by cost or contractor availability. We can spend a bit of time educating the team on the reasons why we scarify and transfer those benefits to other areas, such as the approaches, which we’ve previously not had the resources to scarify.”

“There’s no doubt in our minds that, with this machine, we’ll quickly reap the benefits in terms of both plant health and player satisfaction.”

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