Centenary Fields Legacy

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Centenary Fields Legacy: To mark the conclusion of Centenary Fields, the Fields in Trust World War I commemorative programme, communities across the UK will demonstrate their gratitude to the WWI generation with a series of events and activities on these legally protected parks and green spaces. Fields in Trust will reveal the story of one Centenary Field each day in an online interactive map. Staring on 8th August the Centenary Fields legacy programme will run until the anniversary of Armistice Day on 11th November. This campaign is in delivered in partnership with the Royal British Legion’s “Thank You” project highlighting the nation’s gratitude to the generation who served in WWI.

Stories featured will highlight the contribution of individual combatants, those who returned – and many who did not. We will also look at memorials to the fallen, ranging from simple village stone cross to more intricate commemorative sculpture. We will explore how these parks and green spaces served the War effort – for example providing timber for trenches. We will also address the contemporary resonance – communities doing something now to remember the sacrifice of 100 years ago.

Centenary Fields Legacy

The Centenary Fields Legacy campaign will start on Wednesday 8th August by featuring War Memorial Park in Coventry. This large 120-acre site was the location for the launch of Centenary Fields in July 2014 by Fields in Trust President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge. His Royal Highness laid a wreath at the foot of the war memorial, took part in sport and educational activities and helped local school children plant poppy seeds. Speaking at the launch in 2014 Fields in Trust President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, said:

“The Centenary Fields programme aims to save in perpetuity scores of memorial spaces around the country.  Each moment of play or leisure that takes place on a Memorial Field is, in a way, an act of remembrance. I am delighted that Fields in Trust have identified these Centenary Fields as a vital part of our national heritage and well-being, which we cannot take for granted.  I encourage local authorities to support this cause and to safeguard these living spaces of remembrance for generations to come.”

As the programme reaches its conclusion, communities across the UK will be making significant anniversaries with events at parks and green spaces to say thank you to the WWI generation, Whilst online, a Centenary Field will be revealed on our website map each day at 11 am, (see www.fieldsintrust.org/centenary-fields-legacy). The stories of each of the sites, and those individuals commemorated there, will be shared in local press coverage and social media as the green spaces around the UK are revealed.

Fields in Trust’s Centenary Fields programme legally protects parks and green spaces in perpetuity. The Centenary Fields legacy project honours the memory of the World War I servicemen and also those – military and civilian – who played their part on the home front to build a better life for the benefit of generations to come.

 Centenary Fields protected as part of the programme include war memorials, parks and recreation grounds, memorial gardens, playing fields or other green spaces with a significant World War I link. The Centenary Fields legacy project contributes to the Royal British Legion’s Thank You movement. These important spaces form a vital part of local heritage and play a key role in making the First World War relevant to today’s generation – fully embracing the spirit of this centenary year.

Fields in Trust Chief Executive Helen Griffiths comments:

“Congratulations to the parks and green spaces selected as part of our Centenary Fields legacy project. These sites will be included forever in our national programme to commemorate the centenary of World War I. Dedicating these spaces not only commemorates the sacrifices of those who gave their lives during the conflict but also ensures that future generations have valuable places to enjoy as a living legacy.”

The Fields in Trust Centenary Fields programme publicly demonstrates our gratitude to the World War I generation in a unique way. Protecting parks and green spaces means local communities will always have somewhere for play, sport – or a quiet moment of reflection.

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Benefits Of Germinal’s New Ryegrass

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Benefits Of Germinal’s New Ryegrass: On Thursday 6th September, Germinal will be attending the FutureScape Scotland show, incorporating ScotHort, at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, with a focus on its upgraded range of landscaping mixtures, with a particular emphasis on the inclusion of new-for-2018 creeping perennial ryegrass cultivar, Zurich, which offers increased wear tolerance and fast sward recovery.

Zurich scores 6.5 for live ground cover and 6.3 for visual merit, making it one of the best-performing creeping perennial ryegrasses on Table S1 of the BSPB’s Turfgrass Seed 2018 booklet.  It is a fine-leaved variety that also exhibits high resistance to insects and nematode attack due to naturally high endophyte levels, as well as good persistence and a creeping growth habit which aids sward recovery.

Benefits Of Germinal's New Ryegrass

Zurich now features as standard in three of Germinal’s landscaping seed mixtures; A3 Embankments and Drought, A18 Road Verge & Embankments and A19 All Purpose Landscaping (see below for full specifications).

“A3 has traditionally been the industry’s go-to seed mixture for stabilising embankments due to its high percentage of creeping fescues and bentgrasses which bind the soil together,” explains Richard Brown, Amenity Sales Manager for Germinal.  “The addition of Zurich gives this popular seed mixture the added benefits associated with a perennial ryegrass: speed of establishment, the ability to germinate in colder temperatures, and the ability to rapidly recover from damage caused by excessive wear.  For A18 and A19, the addition of Zurich further enhances the ability of these mixtures to recover from wear with minimal intervention.

“Zurich exhibits an excellent creeping habit, which binds manufactured soils together quickly and effectively thereby preventing gully erosion and loss of soil.  It’s ability to self-regenerate gives added protection during the winter and slowly helps damaged swards to repair themselves with minimal additional physical intervention.  It also makes the improved seed mixtures more effective in cooler temperatures at the beginning and end of the growing season.”

Germinal’s landscaping seed mixtures can be ordered online from the company’s new website (www.germinalamenity.com) which also contains all the information landscape architects need to optimise the performance of their amenity facilities: the website includes complete specifications and usage guides for Germinal’s Grade ‘A’ range of landscaping grass seed and wildflower mixtures for everything from low maintenance reclaimed land to saline road verges, shaded habitats, fine lawns and an array of natural habitats.  All product details can be easily cut and pasted into external documents, making it simple for landscape architects to insert them directly into the appropriate project specification.

“As well as constantly investing in research and development to bring first class grass and wildflower seeds and turf care products to the landscaping sector, we are also conscious of the constant need to provide the industry with the latest news and advice,” Richard Brown adds.

Benefits Of Germinal's New Ryegrass

“The new website has therefore been developed to make it easier for new and existing customers to keep abreast of our developing range of products and to enable them to specify the most appropriate products to suit each site’s individual requirements.

“We’ve populated the new website with a collection of advice guides and video resources covering a range of useful topics from simple over-seeding and sowing ‘how-to’ guides, to more detailed explanations of the importance of key success factors such as soil pH, the use and application of macro and micro nutrients and how to physically manage recently renovated and established swards and amenity landscapes.”

The website also contains a selection of standardised fertiliser plans – written and designed by Germinal’s FACTS (Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme) qualified experts – to enable everyone from novice gardeners to professional turf growers to get the best results from their amenity facilities.

The new www.germinalamenity.com website also features a ‘Product Selector’ tool which has been designed to make it as easy and simple as possible for landscape architects to find the most appropriate grass or wildflower products for each project’s specific needs.

A range of CPD resources and seminar details has also been added: landscape architects can contact their local Germinal technical specialist who will be happy to visit them to provide more detail on a range of topics such as how to establish and maintain wildflowers and understanding the latest plant nutrition protocols.

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ICL Schools Seminar A Success

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ICL Schools Seminar A Success: ICL’s sixth successive annual Independent Schools Seminar recently took place at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium. The event brought together turf professionals and provided an opportunity to network and enhance education and understanding on a range of different turf management topics.

Following an introduction from event organiser Emma Kilby, ICL Area Sales Manager for the Midlands and West, Gary Barwell, Head Groundsman at Edgbaston Stadium, kick-started proceedings by offering an insight into pitch preparations at the stadium as well as disclosing some of his team’s techniques.

ICL Schools Seminar A Success

In the midst of a particularly difficult summer, delegates welcomed the opening presentation by Dr Andy Owen, ICL International Technical Manager. Entitled ‘Growing resilient turf’, Andy focused on growing deeper rooted plants, which explored a number of strategies that groundsmen can apply in order to encourage rooting; explaining the importance of an integrated approach and that nothing should be undertaken in isolation. Furthermore, Andy went on to provide a plethora of hints and tips from research trials which included advice on best practice in utilizing nutrition, dealing with parasitic nematodes and ideal water management to get the best out of the grass plant.

Grass seed is an important aspect of ICL’s product portfolio and an essential part of the company’s integrated turf management solutions, and the next presentation ‘Seed for all Seasons’, provided delegates with a fascinating insight into this aspect of the business.

Simon Taylor, ICL Product & Business Development Manager, has more than 20 years’ experience in the grass seed sector and he revealed the opportunities for potential genetic improvements in finding new traits in varieties that could benefit the turf manager. He explained the motives behind looking at the best of what US and European breeding programmes offer and how the finest of those characteristics can be applied into various new blends.

A complimentary lunch signalled the halfway point before Alex Vickers, Turf Consultant, spoke in detail about his experience of helping to build a cricket pitch in Rwanda. In this humorous and thought-provoking presentation entitled ‘Making the most of what you have got – a lesson from Rwanda’, Alex explained how the team achieved fantastic results when faced with a near-on impossible task.

The presentation seemed to strike a chord with the delegates. “I really enjoyed Alex’s presentation and I think there is a great lesson to be learnt,” said Tom Brotherhood, First Team Cricket Groundsman at Loughborough Grammar School. “Just seeing how they managed to achieve what they did in Rwanda with basically half of the equipment compared to what we have was amazing. We are always wanting more of the best equipment and perhaps we take what we already have for granted. I think it showed how to think outside of the box when you find yourself in a difficult situation.”

Andy Richards, Grounds Manager at Shrewsbury School, was the next speaker to take to the stage. In this insightful presentation Andy revealed how he uses data recorded from his weather station and moisture metres to speak to the school’s sports department bursar about playing conditions and to identify what equipment he needs in order to continue to make improvements. Andy encouraged the delegates to follow suit claiming that just that little extra bit of information can be used to their advantage.

It was the third ICL Independent School Seminar Andy has attended and he believes that events such as these are integral to raising the standards of groundsmanship.

“Independent schools groundsmanship is a completely different form of groundsmanship to say football, cricket or other sports grounds, because your usage is incredibly high over such a condensed period of time. This is the only event of its kind designed to specifically help independent school groundsmen and it’s great to meet like-minded people where we can bounce ideas off one another. It’s the only way we can continue to improve.”

Attendees then received a glimpse into Syngenta’s new turf pigment technology when Glenn Kirby, Syngenta’s Technical Manager for UK Turf & Landscape, provided an overview on the new product – Ryder. This unique turf colourant delivers a consistent, natural green colour and gives turf managers an opportunity to colour up turf to their liking. Glenn explained Ryder’s strong longevity qualities and how the technology protects turf from harmful UV rays and excessive light.

Former English first-class cricketer, Ashley Giles MBE, is arguably best known for his heroics in England’s victorious 2005 Ashes series and he concluded the day’s presentations by explaining his current role as Director of Cricket at Edgbaston as well as relaying some very interesting and humorous stories about how the successful Ashes team celebrated their monumental victory over Australia.

After dinner the day was rounded off in style as all attendees stayed behind to watch the T20 game between Birmingham Bears and Leicestershire Foxes.

Reflecting on the event, Lee Marshallsay, Grounds Manager at Charterhouse School, said: “I’ve been coming to these events almost every year and they just keep getting better. There are plenty of speakers to learn from and there is a lot that us groundsmen can take back. I particularly like the networking side of it because you can find out that you’re not the only one who may have had a hard season. It’s also a good chance to bring other members of staff along because it means that some of the younger guys can learn things from other people rather than just listen to me all the time!”

That was certainly the case for Aaron Skyrme, Assistant Groundsman at King Henry VIII School in Coventry: “Today has been really beneficial,” he said. “I’m currently studying an NVQ Level 2 in Sports Turf Management and learning about the different technologies in seeds and various grasses today has really helped me. There are also so many aspects that I will take away with me and put into my practical work at the school.”

Please contact ICL on +44 (0)1473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie.

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Tickets Selling Fast For IOG Awards

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Tickets Selling Fast For IOG Awards: The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards celebrate a 10 year anniversary on October 31 at the Hilton Metropole hotel at the Birmingham NEC, and tickets are selling fast for the event on the evening of the day one of SALTEX.

Celebrating the achievements of volunteer and professional grounds teams, as well as community clubs and national stadia, the awards will be hosted by Mark Saggers from talkSPORT radio, and comedian, writer and actor Tom Allen will be providing the after-dinner entertainment.

Tickets Selling Fast For IOG Awards

Tom will be presenting his unique style of sharp, acerbic wit and camp, as well as riotous storytelling to the audience of groundscare devotees and sports administrators and personalities.

He started as a stand-up comedian at the age of 22 and went on to win So You Think You’re Funny in Edinburgh and the BBC New Comedy Awards. He has since performed to audiences around the world and has appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Mock the Week, The Great British Bake Off’s Extra Slice, Celebrity The Crystal Maze as well as the John Bishop Show, Channel 4’s Comedy Gala and Just a Minute.

To secure your seat at the celebratory event – which cost £95 each for IOG members and £190 each for non-members – please contact the IOG by email (awards@iog.org) or call 01908 312 511 where you can also gain details of how to become an IOG member.

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SALTEX Announce Innovation Hub

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SALTEX Announce Innovation Hub: In a new addition for 2018, visitors to SALTEX will be able to experience the very latest groundscare ingenuity in the Innovation Hub, a new area on the show floor which is purely dedicated to innovation and new concepts in grounds management.

SALTEX plays host to the most technologically-advanced equipment showcase with hundreds of exhibitors pushing the boundaries with new products and services. Within this fast-paced and evolving industry, manufacturers are more forward-thinking than ever before to ensure their products match their client’s needs and with over 8,000 SALTEX visitors, these new technologies are certainly under the spotlight.

SALTEX Announce Innovation Hub

According to the SALTEX 2017 visitor survey, an incredible 97 per cent claimed that their main reason for attending the exhibition was to see the latest innovations. Taking this feedback on-board, SALTEX event organisers have decided to host, for the very first time, a dedicated Innovation Hub.

Visitors can expect to watch interviews with industry experts and those at the forefront of new groundscare innovations and listen to research and trial work findings. Furthermore, a number of key speakers will take to the stage to discuss and explore current groundscare trends such as cordless/environmentally friendly equipment, robotics, GPS control machinery, pesticide alternatives, pitch lighting (including watering systems and oxygen) and pitch monitoring systems.

In this exciting new feature, delegates will be able to engage in conversation regarding key topics or seek advice while using the opportunity to network with the industry’s most innovative business leaders and exporters – making the Innovation Hub a must visit area for all attendees.

The Innovation Hub will also play host to the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award ceremony. Entries to the second ever SALTEX Innovation Award are now open and visitors can again expect to see the latest and very best in new grounds care technology.

Making its debut at last year’s show, the Innovation Award attracted a number of high-quality entries from across the globe spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment.

The independent panel of judges, who based their decisions on a number of factors including what the entry offers the industry and how it makes life easier for the person using it, were unanimous in selecting four stand-out entries – and by all accounts 2017 was the year for new line marking technologies.

The standard was incredibly high resulting in a tie for first place. Rigby Taylor’s Intelligent One autonomous robotic line marker and Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine were announced as joint winners of the first ever SALTEX Innovation Award.

Second place went to Oregon’s Gator Speedload, which judges said was a quick and simple device which negated the need to dismantle the head each time to re-load/wrap new strimmer cord. Third place went to the Etesia Hydro 80 MKHP4 E-Connect, due to its ability to set up multiple users and record data – allowing organisations or clubs to monitor the amount of use and user’s ability.

Due to the popularity of last year’s Innovation Award, SALTEX 2018 is expected to attract even more entries and all will be revealed in the lead-up to the show. Additionally, by referring to the show guide, SALTEX visitors will be able to follow an Innovation Trail enabling them to see every single entry on the show floor.

SALTEX takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 31 and November 1.

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX for FREE via the website – www.iogsaltex.com

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