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NEWS ARTICLES

Mower Man Gets Wembley Invite

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Mower Man Gets Wembley Invite: A grass cutter whose efforts in creating a pitch “fit for Wembley” for children has been invited to cut the stadium’s pitch for real.

A tweet Jimmy Broadhouse shared of his work at a council field in Bilbrook, near Wolverhampton, has been seen almost three million times.

It also caught the attention of Wembley’s head groundsman, who sent an invite to Mr Broadhouse, known as Jimmy the Mower, on Twitter.

“It is amazing,” Mr Broadhouse said.

“Isn’t it every groundsman’s dream?”

Karl Standley, the Wembley head groundsman who sent the message, has been approached for comment.

But in the exchange with Mr Broadhouse, he said he was “100% serious” about the offer.

Mr Broadhouse, from Ditton Priors, who runs Ditton Services, added he would “try to sort it for August when the mowing has slowed down a bit”.

“I’m working seven days a week at the moment so it is just trying to find a time when I can get down there, but it is fantastic.”

“When I saw the message I was so excited, I could hardly sleep.”

The original post was massive with more than 43,000 likes and three million views.

Many people also shared their own proud photos of finely manicured turf.

Jimmy was deluged with comments and even offers of work.

“It’s been really great,” he said.

“It has been so positive and uplifting, I’m really happy.

“And it really highlights how much these parks and open spaces mean to everyone.”

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Greenkeeper Support Team Revealed

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Greenkeeper Support Team Revealed: The Director of Golf and Greenkeeping at Wentworth Club has spoken about his pride at the return of a greenkeeper support team to assist with course maintenance during the BMW PGA Championship this September.

Members of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) will head to Wentworth for the European Tour’s flagship event, which for the 2019 season has shifted from its traditional May hosting to September.

Greenkeeper Support Team Revealed

The shift in dates has been necessitated by changes to the world golf calendar and reduced competition from other events should mean a star-studded field of players head to Virginia Water for the Rolex Tour event, taking place from 19 to 22 September.

Wentworth’s Director of Golf Courses and Greenkeeping, Kenny Mackay, is eager for the BIGGA volunteers to get the most out of their time as part of the team and so the group is divided between those who will undertake bunker raking duties and those who will play an active role in the preparation and maintenance of the West Course for the duration of the event.

Kenny said: “With the change in the schedule, the hosting of the BMW PGA Championship is going to be a completely new experience for the Wentworth team. The preparation of the course each morning is going to be very tight if we’re to stay ahead of the golf and so the BIGGA volunteers will prove vital as we work to achieve our aims of preparing a course fit for the European Tour’s flagship event.”

“Over the last two years we’ve really evolved the support team experience, so a portion of the volunteers have the opportunity to fully integrate with the Wentworth team. If you ask the volunteers who come regularly, every year is getting better and better. We want to ensure they learn many things that they can then take back to their own club.”

BIGGA members are invited to participate in the BMW PGA Championship Volunteer Support Team as an opportunity for career development that is provided as part of their membership. July will also see a separate team of members head to Royal Portrush to assist with The Open, while teams will also attend other major events, such as the Ladies British Open and the Solheim Cup.

To hear more from Kenny Mackay about the changes to the European Tour schedule and what it means to the Wentworth team, listen to episode 8 of the Green Room Golf Course Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and via the BIGGA website.

The BIGGA Support Team for the BMW PGA Championship 2019 is:

Preparation support team

Adam Baldwin, Lilley Brook; Anthony Duffield, Ham Manor; Craig Woodman, Bramshaw; Daniel Evans, Maesdu Llandudno; David Ball, Thetford; Josh Dunn, Bramcote Waters; Kevin Tigg, Merrist Wood; Leigh Powell, Windlesham; Phillip Slater, West Herts; Rob Patrick, Stoneham; Sam Ewing, Crane Valley; Jonny Peacock, Rugby; David Taylor, The Bristol; Peter Meek, The Wisley; Seamus Gaughan, Migros Golf Park (Switzerland); Tim Leat, Rich River (Australia); Luke Lacey, Exminster; Callum Atkinson, Prestbury; Harry Misselbrook, Harewood Downs; Henry Aggar, Windlesham.

Bunker support team

Jeff Drake, Newbury & Crookham; Oliver Kirk, unattached; Sam Amey, Basingstoke; Nathan O’Sullivan, China Fleet; Kevin Weller, Dale Hill Hotel; Iain Biggs, Chesterfield Downs; Oli Norfolk, Tylney Park; David Westwood, Kingswood; Jamie Ingerson, Rochester and Cobham; Nick Street, Crews Hill; Billy MacArthur, Temple; Craig Gibson, Essendon Country; Steven Maples, Coventry; Oliver Clark, Mill Hill; Matthew Winney, East Sussex National; Jacob Kennard, Milton Abbey School; Aaron Stead, Surrey Down; Ashley Darnley, The Bristol; Charlie Cripps, Cams Hall Estate; Sam Bethell, Chipstead; Steve Bridgeman, Woking; Steven Hirons, Kirtlington; Tony Bartram, Wentworth; Stuart Simmonds, Boundary Lakes; Robert Brown, Bognor Regis; Adam Young, The Players Club; Daniel Allsworth, Drayton Park; Nicholas Edwards, Remedy Oak; Stevie-Jon Hood, Forest of Galtres; Lewis Turner, The Dyke; Ryan Lindsay, East Sussex National; Matthew Lindsay, Highwoods; Chris Mitchell, Maidenhead; Ryan Frankish, Spalding; David Smith, Newmarket Links; Gary Nimmo, Oundle; Jordan Belong, Camberley Heath; Patrick Redmond, Woking; Stuart Fry, Old Thorns; Jakob Schur, Rudding Park; Jorge Manso, Coombe Wood; Daniel Cowley, Stanmore; Lee Williams, Phoenix; Martin Coe, China Fleet; Kevin Hensman, Rowlands Castle; Steven Morgans, Harrow School; Jack Holman, Middleton Hall; Graham Down, Harewood Downs;

James Lomas, Hadley.

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Search For UK’s Best Park

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Search For UK’s Best Park: The Fields in Trust UK’s Best Park, 2019 is now open for a public vote to select the nation’s favourite local park. A total of 364 public nominations for parks and green spaces across the UK have been made – each one a much-loved part of its local community. Now it is time to choose the winners via an online public vote at www.fieldsintrust.org/best-park until noon on Monday 19th August.

Voting opens to coincide with “Have a Field Day” on Saturday 6th July, the annual celebration of parks and green spaces. Over 250 community-led events will engage thousands of people across the UK, people are coming together for picnics with their friends and neighbours, celebrating local parks and green spaces and joining a movement of fellow park users across the UK who want champion their parks and protect them for future generations to enjoy.

Search For UK's Best Park

Fields in Trust is a UK-wide charity that legally protects parks and green spaces in perpetuity. The UK’s Best Park Award recognises the role that parks play in our communities, supporting mental and physical health and bringing people together. The charity is concerned that many parks and green spaces are under threat and are at risk of being lost to development or a cycle of decline and disappearance. Last month Fields in Trust published research which revealed that over 2.5 million people across Great Britain live more than ten minutes’ walk from a park or green spaces. With public sector cuts leading to pressure on parks and green spaces, there is the risk that a lack of legal protection could lead to more being sold off or developed.

Fields in Trust Chief Executive Helen Griffiths said: “Our parks and green spaces are a vital part of UK community infrastructure. We know that they provide benefits to the physical health, mental wellbeing and community connections for people that use them, so we are delighted to see a record number of nominations for the UK’s Best Park award and it is encouraging to see so many people organising picnics with neighbours to celebrate how much they love their local park.  Fields in Trust is committed to protecting these valuable and much-loved parks and green spaces for future generations to enjoy.”

Nominations include small community gardens and large nature reserves, sports fields and playgrounds, each green space valued by its community and nominated by the regular park users who love to walk, run, cycle, relax, picnic and play with their children in the UK’s parks. The UK’s Best Park 2019 will see the park with the most votes in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland shortlisted with the UK’s Best Park, 2019 announced in mid-September.

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Bobcat: A Benchmark In Olive Harvesting

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Bobcat: A Benchmark in Olive Harvesting: Six Bobcat T770 Track Loaders help Servicios Agrícolas La Pamparioma to complete its olive harvests. Beyond picking this valuable fruit, the company from Baena (Cordoba, Spain) uses its Bobcat machines for other tasks, such as earthmoving and maintaining plantations.

According to Francisco Bujalance, Manager of Servicios Agrícolas La Pamparioma, over 5,000,000 kilos of olives were picked in last year’s harvest using the Bobcat T770 loaders, which have been fitted with olive tree shaker attachments with umbrellas and vibrating clamps adapted to the size of olives in the area. Harvesting approximately 160,000 olive trees, covering 800 hectares of land, took 100 days (or around 6000 working hours) to complete.

Bobcat: A Benchmark in Olive Harvesting

Francisco Bujalance said: “In our increasingly competitive sector we need to innovate in order to stay productive – but without losing our roots and respect for the environment.

“The Bobcat T770 Compact Track Loaders are ideal for this type of work for a number of reasons. For one thing, we need less staff – the work is easier and progresses faster. They are also well suited for various, even difficult, terrains – whether flat or sloping, dry or muddy. Their performance and manoeuvrability are another big plus. For reasons of space, olive plantations are becoming increasingly packed. It takes a very compact machine such as the Bobcat T770 to move in these narrow lanes with speed and ease.”

He continued: “The Bobcat T770 with its umbrella and clamp gets much more done than any other olive harvester. Add to that reduced labour costs, and you get an excellent ROI in the medium term. What is more, we don’t need to move or handle the olives as much because the umbrella goes directly into the trailer, making the whole job cleaner and allowing us to harvest the product quickly, when it’s at its best.

“And last but not least, the Bobcat T770 does not require any modifications prior to harvesting, whereas other machines do. This speeds up the start-up phase, as there is no need for a mechanic, also saving costs.”

Francisco Bujalance added: “Having used the Bobcat T770 in previous harvests as well, we are by now well acquainted with it, familiar with its features and benefits. Our overall appreciation is very positive: the Bobcat T770 clearly has the hydraulic flow and power needed for this kind of work. Previously we were picking the olives manually, which naturally prolonged the harvest period. Now we are saving 70% in time, while a single loader performs the work of 15 olive pickers, according to our estimates.

“We also chose the Bobcat T770 Track Loaders for the renown of the Bobcat brand, which is well known the world over for reliability, as well as the support and aftersales service of GGM, our dealer, covering us for any unforeseen event. Once the harvest has begun, the machines must not fail. The fruit must be picked at the ideal moment, determined by the plantation owner according to the intended use. GGM gives us the peace of mind we need. As official Bobcat distributor in our area, they have considerable experience in our sector. Guillermo García Muñoz, their founder, invented the harvesting system for Bobcat loaders specifically for Andalusian olive groves – a testament to the company’s enduring commitment to and involvement with our market.

“The great number of attachments available for this loader is another point worth noting. In addition to the bucket, we have a Bobcat backhoe, which we use for various maintenance tasks.

“After many years of experience and after numerous harvests with these compact loaders, we can say with confidence: Bobcat has become a benchmark in the Andalusian olive tree sector,” Francisco Bujalance concluded.

2018 Andalusian olive harvest performed by 6 Bobcat loaders with olive tree shaker attachments:
160,000 olive trees
800 hectares
5,000 tonnes of olives
100 days
6000 hours
6 Bobcat loaders equipped with umbrellas and vibrating clamps

For more information about Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com

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‘Bored’ Groundsman’s Grand Design

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‘Bored’ Groundsman’s Grand Design: A “bored” lower league football groundsman went to great lengths to create the perfect pitch – covered in geometric shapes.

Fed-up with ‘drawing’ the same outline on the Brechin City turf, Neil Wood, 54, decided to design something more creative with his lawnmower.

The patient Glebe Park groundsman spent six hours mowing the intricate pattern into the grass.

But despite the huge compliment, Neil, from the Angus town, remains humble about his design at the 4083 capacity stadium – home to the League Two side.

He said: “I usually cut the pitch in squares but we got bored of doing that so I wanted to do something different.

“The players were all taken back by it but they are happy with it. It’s nice to hear that the club think the design is the best in the world.

“It could be possible but I’ll just let them decide that.”

Neil carefully etched out the swirls by starting from the outside and works his way into the middle of the pitch.

He said: “I start from the outside and work my way in but I don’t change the height level of the lawnmower.

“I use the lines on the pitch as a rough guide which is probably why I manage to get it more precise.

“It’s just about changing your direction rather than the height level. Maintaining the pitch is ok in the summer but it’s hard in the winter.”

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