Turf News is the perfect place for professionals working within the UK’s vibrant turf industry – keeping you up-to-date with topical news, latest market developments and much more across all areas of the industry.
NEWS ARTICLES

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

/in , , /by

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance: Keswick’s two flagship parks – Hope Park and Fitz Park – nestled in the heart of the Lake District in Cumbria, are setting the standard for sustainable grounds maintenance thanks to the exceptional performance of three Dennis ES-510 battery-powered mowers.

The move to electric machinery was spearheaded by Christine Fawcett, Parks Manager at Keswick Town Council, following the council’s bold step to declare a climate emergency. “Keswick Town Council and Keswick Parks declared a climate emergency six years ago,” Christine explains. “So obviously things had to change with fossil fuelled maintenance machinery, and we started looking for battery alternatives.”

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

Dennis ES-510 Delivers Electric Performance

The parks team had been long-time users of the petrol-powered Dennis FT510, known for its reliability and versatility – particularly its interchangeable cassette system. When Dennis introduced the battery-powered ES-510, which retained compatibility with the same range of cassettes, the transition was a natural progression.

“We’d built up a full suite of cassettes over the years,” says Christine. “From scarifiers to brushes, verticutter, sorrel roller and cutting cassettes – we rely on all of them throughout the year to deliver high standards of turf care. When the ES-510 came out, it looked like the perfect time to make the change to battery. And because the cassettes were compatible, we didn’t need to start from scratch.”

In fact, Keswick’s parks team became the first users in the UK to adopt an electric Dennis machine three years ago and now operate three ES-510s across both Hope and Fitz Parks.

Hope Park is a popular destination for visitors, featuring a nine-hole pitch and putt course and a large putting green. Fitz Park, affectionately known as the ‘people’s park’, is home to a bowling green, five grass tennis courts, an 18-hole putting course, and serves as the base for local sports clubs including Keswick Football Club, the bowling and tennis clubs, athletics, and cricket. Both parks are owned by charitable trusts and maintained by a dedicated in-house team overseen by Christine.

One ES-510 can handle a significant workload in a single day – cutting the bowling green, two grass-court tennis courts, and nine holes on the pitch and putt – with the battery lasting comfortably through the day. “It gets charged overnight and it’s ready to go again the next day,” says Christine.

The machines play a crucial role in Keswick’s fine turf maintenance regime. Christine explains: “We start the season with light verticutting and brushing to clean the surfaces and remove debris. Once the season starts, we usually verticut every three weeks or so, depending on the weather. Cutting typically happens twice a week, usually on a Monday and Thursday. At the end of the season, we scarify the greens and tennis courts before overseeding in late September.”

For the team, the switch to battery has brought many advantages. “We really like the flexibility – you can adjust the walking pace, set the cylinder speed depending on the task, and even keep track of how far you’ve walked in a day,” Christine adds. “It makes the job easier and more tailored to the person using it.”

Now in their third season, the Dennis ES-510s are proving their worth across Keswick’s green spaces – helping the town meet its sustainability goals without compromising on quality. “The ES-510s have helped us maintain our sports surfaces to a high standard while reducing our environmental impact – and that’s something we’re really proud of.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on X and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub

/in , /by

ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub: ICL Turf & Landscape UK & Ireland is encouraging turf managers, grounds professionals, and landscapers to access its free online Knowledge Hub, offering expert technical advice across all areas of turf and landscape management.

Now featuring over 430 articles, the Knowledge Hub covers topics including turf nutrition, water management, disease and pest control, product support, and application advice. Designed for quick and easy use, the platform helps professionals make faster, better-informed decisions.

ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub

ICL Highlights Knowledge Hub

“We wanted the Knowledge Hub to be a genuinely practical tool, not just a collection of articles,” said Kevin Whitby, Marketing Communications Manager at ICL. “It enables turf managers and landscapers to quickly find clear, trusted advice, whether addressing a specific issue or planning ahead.”

Fully open and free to access, the Knowledge Hub underlines ICL’s commitment to supporting the sector with practical technical information alongside its product range. Articles can be searched by topic, keyword, or product name.

The Knowledge Hub is available at:

https://icl-growingsolutions.com/en-gb/turf-landscape/knowledge-hub/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Flood relief at Caersws Football Club

/in , /by

Flood relief at Caersws Football Club: Caersws Football Club, founded in the late 19th century, adopted its present name in 1974 when it relinquished its amateur status. The club’s first successes came in the nineteen sixties, winning the Mid-Wales League and the Welsh Amateur Cup.

In 1992 they became founder members of the League of Wales and subsequently won the League Cup twice. The team plays at the Recreation Ground, Caersws, which accommodates up to 4000 spectators.

Flood relief at Caersws Football Club

Flood relief at Caersws Football Club

Situated close to the River Severn, the ground floods regularly when the river bursts its banks in winter months. But once the flood water subsided, the pitch would not be playable for up to 2 weeks due standing water on the pitch not draining away. This resulted in the club having to move matches to another club’s ground, which had a 3G pitch, to meet the demands of the league schedule. In the 2023/24 season, they managed only one game across three winter months (Nov-Jan). Playing elsewhere also meant supporters would not travel to games, so the issues mounted. Investigations into the causes revealed the pitch to be sitting on 0.7 metres depth of clay and constant rolling over the years had compacted the surface even further. Normal aeration would have no impact on the problem.

Caersws Club chair, Neil Lewis, had heard of the work by Terrain Aeration at other pitches and called them in to see if they could resolve the issue. Terrain has a unique system used for over thirty years with their Terralift machines. The Terralift features a JCB road hammer and probe, which reaches a depth of one metre where it releases a blast of compressed air. This fractures the soil, creating fissures to allow drainage, and as the probe is withdrawn, dried seaweed is injected. This has the effect of expanding and contracting with moisture and, in simple terms, keeps the holes open. The process is repeated on a grid system, usually at two-metre intervals, to interlink the fracturing. The probe holes are backfilled with an aggregate and the surface is almost immediately playable.

“This season we had only one first team and a second team game postponed,” says Neil Lewis. “We had the Ground Management Association come and take a core sample. They found even though the topsoil was wet, the soil at depth was dry. We have also had the pitch scarified to remove thatch, so next season will see it drain even better. The difference since Terrain Aeration did their work is incredible and we will promote them to other club and associations looking for a drainage solution. It saved money, there was no digging and being non-invasive, we were able to play a pre-season friendly the same night as the work was done. Why would you not do it?”

Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

/in , , /by

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City: Stoke City FC’s long-standing Grounds Manager, Andy Jackson, believes that synthetic pitches demand more attention than people might expect – and that’s exactly why the Syn-Pro by SISIS SVR 1500 has become an essential part of his maintenance regime at the training ground.

“We carry out around eight to ten hours of maintenance work each week on our synthetic pitch,” says Andy, who has been with the club for over 30 years. “People forget that synthetic pitches require a lot more maintenance than they think. But if you stay on top of it and do it properly, it can make a huge difference to the longevity and quality of the surface.”

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

The SVR 1500 – a two-in-one deep cleaning and decompaction machine – plays a central role in that strategy. Part of Syn-Pro by SISIS range, the SVR 1500 has been in regular use at Stoke’s training ground for the past two years, and Andy has been thoroughly impressed.

“We wanted a machine that was robust, simple to use and gives us the quality finish that we require. The SVR 1500 cleans the surface, distributes the rubber evenly, and leaves a good finish.”

Used primarily in the spring and summer months when conditions are dry, the SVR 1500 is ideal for ensuring the rubber doesn’t clump together. It also allows Andy’s team to carry out both light and deep cleans as and when needed.

For Andy, usability is just as important as performance. “I don’t want something that takes hours to set up with lots of buttons or settings. With this machine, it’s just so simple – If we don’t want to go too deep, we don’t have to. It’s simple to set the machine to how you want it.

When you’ve got a big team, it’s important that the machines we use are staff friendly.”

The SVR 1500’s effectiveness in removing debris also came as a surprise. “I was shocked when I first looked at the baskets at the back of the filters. I didn’t realise how much debris it was collecting – and that prompted us to use it even more regularly.”

Beyond the machine’s contribution to synthetic surface management, it aligns well with Andy’s wider philosophy in terms of longevity and sustainability. Stoke City FC is proudly pesticide-free – a decision made over a decade ago and one that continues to challenge and inspire the grounds team.

“If something’s got a shelf life of 10 years, can we get 12 years out of it? Can we get 14 years? That’s the aim. Because it’s a massive job to take a synthetic carpet out and put a new one in and then recycling that carpet is not easy. So, we want to expand the life of the synthetic pitch as much as we can – and the SVR 1500 helps us do that.

“For me, having a good support network is crucial – from fertilisers to machinery to line marking. You’ve got to have the right people around you, and the right tools in the garage. And sometimes, the hardest thing is doing nothing. Just looking at the pitch and saying: today, she just needs a rest.”

With Andy’s passion for sustainable practices, and top-quality playing surfaces, it’s no surprise the SVR 1500 has become a mainstay in Stoke City FC’s maintenance plan.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Syn-Pro by SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.synprobysisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Syn-Pro on Twitter or Instagram @synprobysisis and like the company’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SynPro-by-SISIS.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed

/in , , /by

EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed: Watford, Bolton Wanderers and Accrington Stanley have been named 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season in the EFL.

Grounds Teams throughout the EFL work tirelessly to make sure pitch surfaces are of a high quality through all weather and conditions.

EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed

EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed

Read the full story here

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.