Howardson Group Grows Scottish Reach with Expansion of Thomas Sherriff Partnership

Howardson Group Grows Scottish Reach with Expansion of Thomas Sherriff Partnership

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Howardson Group Grows Scottish Reach with Expansion of Thomas Sherriff Partnership

Howardson Group Limited has extended its reach across Scotland with the expansion of its partnership with leading groundcare dealer Thomas Sherriff & Co Limited.

Howardson Group Grows Scottish Reach with Expansion of Thomas Sherriff Partnership

Howardson Group Grows Scottish Reach with Expansion of Thomas Sherriff Partnership

Having already stocked Dennis mowers and SISIS equipment for over 20 years, Thomas Sherriff’s enhanced partnership with Howardson Group will allow it to offer products from the two renowned brands to customers in Midlothian, East Lothian, West Lothian, and the Scottish Borders. As a result, the East Lothian-based dealer will now be able to offer Dennis and SISIS products across its full territory, from North Yorkshire to the Forth Bridge.

Thomas Sherriff’s portfolio spans the full Dennis range, allowing the company to meet all manner of groundcare needs across landscaping and sport, and includes the new ES-34SL lightweight battery mower from the Dennis E-Series. The company also supplies the full range of SISIS maintenance equipment, allowing end-to-end groundcare requirements to be met through one dealer.

The move forms part of Howardson Group’s strategic growth plan, which aims to bring the company closer to its customers through the improved availability of local sales, servicing, and after-sales support across the UK.

Like Howardson Group, Thomas Sherriff is a historic company founded on the principles of British innovation. The company can trace its roots all the way back to 1816, when the company’s namesake and founder, Thomas Sherriff, began making agricultural machinery. Today, the company has evolved into the preeminent dealer of agricultural and groundcare machinery in the region, operating across six sites in North East England and South East Scotland.

Ewen Wilson, Area Sales Manager for Howardson Group, said: “The East of Scotland is a key region for us as a business, so we’re thrilled to be enhancing our support for our customers there through Thomas Sherriff.

“The partnership between our two companies goes back over 20 years, and Thomas Sherriff really is a household name in the area, so their team was very much the natural choice for the job. With Thomas Sherriff, I’m confident that the next few decades will be just as successful as the last, with our partnership growing even further.”

Harry Pattinson, Turf Development Manager at Thomas Sherriff, said: “We are pleased to announce our recent appointment as a Dennis and SISIS dealer from our Haddington outlet, meaning we now have full Dennis and SISIS coverage for our whole area of responsibility.

“Both Dennis and SISIS brands are synonymous with quality, and they’re a favourite among customers for their versatility and longevity. Combined with the support of the excellent people behind them at Howardson Group, bringing Dennis and SISIS to the Lothians and the Scottish Borders really was a no brainer. This represents an important step in strengthening our capabilities, aligning and enhancing the products and services we provide to our customers.”

Find out more about Howardson Group.

Find out more about Thomas Sherriff.

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Origin Green-tech strengthens health and safety expertise

Origin Green-tech strengthens health and safety expertise

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Origin Green-tech strengthens health and safety expertise

Origin Green-tech is celebrating the achievement of Goods-In Manager Josh Hebden, who has successfully completed the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety.

Origin Green-tech strengthens health and safety expertise

Origin Green-tech strengthens health and safety expertise

The internationally recognised qualification provides a strong foundation in health and safety management and helps Origin Green-tech implement best practices to ensure the safety of all its colleagues. The qualification required a significant commitment from Josh, involving around 80 hours of classroom learning, 120 hours of self-study, plus extensive revision and assessment.

The assessment was split into two parts, including a 24-hour open-book examination and a practical workplace risk assessment. Josh completed his exam late into the evening before getting up at 5am the following morning to proofread his answers ahead of the 9am submission deadline.

Josh comments, “My interest in health and safety has grown since Origin took over, particularly through my role where I oversee a busy environment which involves vehicles, forklift trucks, delivery drivers and pedestrians.”

After completing the IOSH Managing Safely course in 2025, Josh wanted to build on his knowledge and included the NEBOSH qualification as a development goal in his annual review. With the support and encouragement of the Origin Health & Safety team, he was able to take that next step.

Josh added: “I don’t think I’ve ever done anything as difficult or challenging! Passing the qualification has given me a real sense of achievement, but more importantly it has completely changed the way I think about health and safety.

It’s taught me to look beyond the obvious, properly understand why things go wrong and take a more considered approach to managing risk. Most importantly, it has reinforced my belief that health and safety is all about people. It’s about creating an environment where everyone feels involved, valued and comfortable speaking up.”

The knowledge Josh has gained will support him in identifying hazards, assessing risk and putting practical controls in place within the Goods In environment, while also contributing to Origin Green-tech’s wider approach to health and safety.

Josh’s achievement reflects Origin Green-tech’s commitment to supporting colleagues in developing their skills and knowledge, while building a proactive health and safety culture across the business.

Origin Green-tech congratulates Josh on this significant achievement and the dedication he has shown in completing the qualification alongside his day-to-day role. His line manager Martin Rourke adds, “Completing the NEBOSH qualification is a fantastic achievement and a real reflection of Josh’s commitment to health and safety. What he has learned will be hugely valuable in his role as Goods-In Manager and will help us continue to strengthen our approach to safety across the business.”

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Italian style for new turf maintenance machinery

Italian style for new turf maintenance machinery

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Italian style for new turf maintenance machinery

A new range of high-performance Italian turf scarifiers and maintenance equipment is now available in the UK, from Techneat Engineering. The purpose designed and robustly manufactured Manotvani machines are hugely popular and highly respected across Europe.

Italian style for new turf maintenance machinery

Italian style for new turf maintenance machinery

The heavy-duty Mantovani scarifiers include pedestrian operated and self-propelled machines from 38cm to 60cm, designed for lawns and precision quality sports turf surfaces, along with a trailed 95cm machine with a mounted power source for larger areas, such as parks, gardens and sports fields.

The innovative self-propelled SC60-D, for example, features multiple renovation systems that can be configured for the required degree of scarification intensity on specific surfaces. Machines are supplied with swing-blades as standard, with the option for a fixed blade cassette  – typically for aggressive verticutting – or a combi cassette with swing blade and spring tines for scarifying, de-thatching and moss raking in one.  Powered by a reliable 4.1kw (6.5hp) Honda engine, the variable speed drive can operate at up to 4.5 km/hr.

Other models in the pedestrian range include the SC45 and SC38 popular for lawn and smaller sports turf maintenance. Featuring the same scarification options to suit specific surfaces, the machines incorporate independent wheels mounted on swing-arm axles, to remain parallel to the surface and maintain more consistent results.

The largest trailed SC95 scarifier is ideal for turf managers who don’t have access to a  tractor with a PTO function, but are now seeking to routinely aerate and renovate surfaces on a wider scale to promote turf health and sward density. Towed behind a tractor mower, for example, a 13hp mounted engine provides high capacity, cost effective scarification.

Commenting on the launch of the Mantovani range at GroundsFest 2026, Techneat amenity specialist, Richard Wheatcroft, highlighted: “Turf surface aeration and renovation has become increasingly important, to help recovery from cover loss during more frequent and intense heat and drought damage.

“Robust and reliable scarifiers are key to rapid and successful seedling establishment in the short windows when conditions are suitable, as well as part of an effective Integrated Turf Management (ITM) programme.

“The quality of the Mantovani engineering and innovative design features for their effective operation in practice, make the machines highly popular. Now they are available in the UK and backed with the renowned full spares and after sales support package from Techneat.”

In addition to the Mantovani scarifiers, the new equipment range also includes a mounted professional leaf and litter vacuum. Designed for rapid collection of material across a large area, the LVS-30 fits direct to the side or tailgate of an ATV or pick-up truck and  shoots collected materials direct into the vehicle load bed.  Ideal for parkland, car parks, large gardens, industrial areas and estates, it incorporates a powerful 9hp Honda engine, dual-belt direct drive and a lightweight 5m long, 180mm diameter pickup tube mounted on a swivel arm.

To find out more and to try out the Mantovani equipment range, visit the Techneat stand OSA70 at GroundsFest 2026, or get in touch via the website: https://www.techneat.co.uk/ground-care to book a demonstration trial.

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