New Greens Team At Sleaford

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New Greens Team At Sleaford: It’s all change at Sleaford Golf Club after new faces were brought in to look after their greens and fairways.

There have been many changes in the greenkeeping team at Sleaford Golf Club in recent weeks after the retirement of the club’s longest-serving greenkeeper Arthur Simpson, and the decision of head greenkeeper Ian Batty to change careers after nine years at the club.

Brian Sharp takes over as head greenkeeper after similar positions at Crail Golfing Society and The Roxburghe Hotel, in Scotland, and latterly at Westerhope Golf Club, near Newcastle

“I felt it was the right time for a new challenge and I wanted to get back to managing a links-style course from where I learnt my trade in Scotland,” said Brian (49).

Sleaford GC have also taken on two apprentices to learn their trade and qualify as greenkeepers, and after a huge response to their advert on Facebook, Chloe Lea and Mark Payne were appointed.

Chloe is breaking new ground as the club’s first female greenkeeper.

She said: “I wanted to find a job working outdoors in a natural environment in a role that was physically active; it was a perfect opportunity.”

For Mark, the Sleaford course will be highly familiar territory as a member of the club and a keen golfer.

For over 20 years Mark has worked on the perimeters as a landscape gardener, tree surgeon and irrigation engineer for more than 20 years.

“This was a great opportunity to put all my skills to the test in one job and so far is the best move I’ve ever made. I’m loving the job,” he said.

Committee member Nick Lawson added: “After a lot of searching for the right staff we have hopefully recruited the best people to take the club forward with our existing greenkeeping team of Jimmy Smith and James Bonser.”

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Bayer To Show Glyphosate Studies

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Bayer To Show Glyphosate Studies: Bayer announced Nov. 21 that it will soon include safety study summaries of glyphosate on its dedicated transparency platform.

The company said this next step will mark the first anniversary of its Transparency Initiative, which was launched on Dec. 7, 2017.

Bayer To Show Glyphosate Studies

“Our commitment to transparency remains core to our mission as we move forward as a combined company,” said Liam Condon, member of the Bayer AG board of management and president of the Crop Science Division. “We recognize that people around the world want more information around glyphosate, and we are eager to offer access to our glyphosate-related safety data on our dedicated transparency platform. This platform has set new standards of accountability and responsibility in the sector; we pledge to use it as a springboard to continue to share science-based information with the public.”

Bayer said its platform demonstrates how transparency regarding crop protection safety studies can help the company achieve its commitment to sound science and the safe use of its products while at the same time maintaining confidential business information.

In addition to the glyphosate study summaries, which will be made available on Dec. 7, 2018, access to the underlying safety study reports — owned by Bayer and submitted for the review that led to the European substance renewal decision in December — will be enabled next year.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and agriculture. In fiscal 2017, the group employed around 99,800 people and had sales of 35.0 billion euros.

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Vandals Hit Real Fife FC

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Vandals Hit Real Fife FC: Reckless vandals who have been tearing up a Fife football pitch by using it as a race track are placing young lives at risk and could force a local club to relocate altogether.

The stark message has been delivered by volunteers with Real Fife FC, which has been resident at East Wemyss’ McDuff Park since 2012, after their surface was ripped up again over the weekend.

Five teams had been playing on McDuff Park at the beginning of last year but the club had to move four of them to other facilities in Kirkcaldy to ensure the availability of a pitch each week.

With the mindless quad bike and mini-moto users continuing to abuse the area, even at times when the youngsters have been playing on the grass, club volunteers are considering moving away from the village permanently.

Wayne Carroll, Real Fife FC club secretary and the club’s child welfare and protection officer, said the actions of a minority were causing problems for scores of young people and their families.

He said: “Real Fife FC are currently paying out £15,000 each year to the local authorities for training facilities and pitch hires, which is definitely not an insignificant amount of money for a non-profit grassroots football club.

“We currently have approximately 220 boys and girls at the club, with around 40 non-paid volunteers trying to ensure we can provide our local kids with an opportunity to play football, develop their interpersonal skills and have safe fun.

“We are in current talks with the local authorities trying to secure facilities large enough to house all of our kids but as you can imagine, there are limited options for us.

“We don’t want to pull out of the park at East Wemyss as it’s an important part of the club’s history but there is only so much a club like us can take.”

Real Fife FC’s forced move to alternative pitches in Kirkcaldy is having a knock-on effect in the Lang Toun due to the limited number of pitches available there.

“The kids and youths doing this damage are from the surrounding area,” Mr Carroll added.

“It’s hard to believe the community don’t know who is doing this regular damage, and we would ask that they come forward and help us.

“We have had, at times, the youths driving the motorised vehicles around the pitch during actual games and, as the club’s child welfare and protection officer, this gives me great concern for the safety of our kids.”

The news is the latest instance of illegal bikers blighting neighbourhoods in the Levenmouth and Wemyss village areas, with local councillors receiving regular complaints about unlicensed bikers.

Police Scotland has a dedicated action plan, called Operation Reflector, to address the anti-social issues, and anyone who witnesses such activity involving motorcycles should contact 101 or report it anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Trime UK Champion The Green X-Splash

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Trime UK Champion The Green X-Splash: Trime UK, the Cambridgeshire based supplier of sustainable equipment for the horticultural, agricultural, construction and rental markets have had their X-Splash wash bay honoured by the prestigious environmental campaigners, the Green Organisation. They competed against more than 800 other nominations in the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice.

Trime’s Ray Caulfield (CEO) and Paul Hay (MD) were requested by representatives of the Green Organisation to attend a glittering presentation ceremony held at the Houses of Parliament on 12th November to receive their Champions Award, which is the top accolade.

Paul Hay confirmed, “Our aim was to produce a cleaning method that conserves water usage through a recycling process and a collection procedure that gathers in all harmful contaminates so they are not discharged into the sewage system.”

“The X-Splash has rapidly become a popular product and to have its environmental qualities formally recognised is indeed an honour. We hope that this award will give confidence to current users and prospective purchasers that the X-Splash is an environmentally accredited product,” added Paul.

The judges commented:  “Localised ground and watercourse pollution from construction operations is a frequent occurrence. Trime set out to reduce this by developing an enclosed wash-bay for construction plant and equipment that contains filters and reuses its water, consuming less and protecting the environment.”

The Trime X-Splash wash bay is an ecological, flexible cleaning system for most types of plant and machinery. It prevents soil pollution and contamination of drains, from oil, grease, and similar chemical contaminants.

The Trime X-Splash is also listed on the Water Technology List (WTL) which promotes products that encourage sustainable water use. The WTL rewards businesses for investing in listed products through the ECA scheme. The ECA allows a business to offset the cost of purchasing eligible plant and machinery against its taxable profits.

The awards are organised by The Green Organisation, an international, independent, non-political, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world. The Green Apple Awards are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, and The Chartered Institution for Wastes Management, REHIS alongside other independent bodies.

Trime UK Champion The Green X-Splash

The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and have become established as the country’s major recognition for environmental endeavour among companies, councils, communities and countries.

Trime has significant experience in supplying sustainable equipment to the horticultural, agricultural, construction and rental markets. The Trime manufacturing plant is based in Cassinetta di Lugagnano, near Milan and the Trime UK is situated in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

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Quad Bikes Tear Up Football Pitch

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Quad Bikes Tear Up Football Pitch: Pitches at Solway Banks in Brynteg were damaged again by tyre tracks at the weekend, leading to Brymbo Lodge FC coach Kieran Howard to hit out at the vandals for ruining children’s football.

He says they are also putting lives including their own in danger with reckless behaviour. He added that the Brymbo and Brynteg area is suffering anti-social behaviour being caused by youths, some of whom he believes may even have played for his club in the past, and has urged them to think about the consequences of their actions.

Coaches, youngsters and their parents were left dismayed when they turned up to pitch two at Solway Banks this weekend and found it had been cut up again by a vehicle.

“It looks like they have come through the back way, where there are no defences against cars, bikes or quads”, Mr Howard said.

“Talking to a few of the lads it looks like quad bike tyre marks and we’ve had problems with four-by-four vehicles in the past.

“We have more than 200 players at the club, it is affecting them all from the under-six’s upwards and stuff like this is going to hamper their opportunities.

“The club is a community hub and this is the kids’ green space. We all meet up – parents, kids and volunteers and to come here and see this, it’s sad.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take to repair and I don’t know what is going to be done about it.”

Mr Howard added that there had been problems with anti-social behaviour in the area of late, and felt he had to speak up – with concerns about the dangers of vehicles being used in an area where children play.

He said: “A lot of anti-social behaviour is going on over that way. This follows on from the problems we had on Bonfire Night.

“I’ve already asked for a zebra crossing to be put in because you have to cross the road to get from pitch to pitch.

“As a local I’m sad to see what is happening to the reputation of this area. A small minority is giving it a really bad name at the moment.

“People come here to play from all around, Brymbo, New Broughton, Pentre Broughton and other villages.

“Some of the people involved in this behaviour could have family who play for the club and possibly even played for us themselves when they were younger, so I don’t know why they’re doing it.

“Perhaps they think its funny but they aren’t thinking of the consequences. Someone’s going to get hurt and a child could lose their life up there through reckless behaviour.

“I just want them to think about the consequences of their actions.”

Councillor David A Bithell lead member environment and transport said: “Vandalism of football facilities and fields causes disruption to those who play and use these facilities.

“I hope those responsible are caught and made to make good any damage.”

Gwenfro County Councillor Nigel Williams added that he was working on solutions to try and prevent vehicles getting on to the pitches.

He said: “I have already asked Streetscene to put some obstruction at the entrance to stop vehicles gaining access.”

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