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NEWS ARTICLES

Question Time At SALTEX

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The Amenity Forum will once again be hosting its ever popular Question Time at SALTEX 2017. The event is modelled upon the BBC programme where a panel of people drawn from the sector respond to auQuestion Time At SALTEXdience questions on a range of topical issues concerning amenity management. Professor John Moverley OBE, Independent Chairman of the Forum, will act as ‘David Dimbleby’ and this year’s panel includes:

  • Jim Croxton, Chief Executive Officer, BIGGA
  • Will Kay, Managing Director, Languard
  • Mark Pyrah, Landscaper & Industrial Business Manager UK and Ireland, IICL
  • Tony Saunders, Area Manager & Professional Head of Environment, JSD Rail

If previous years are repeated, there will be a full house and a lively debate. There is certainly no shortage of issues to be discussed. It will take place at 2pm on the first day (November 1st) of SALTEX being held at the NEC in Birmingham.

John Moverley says ‘We are delighted to have been invited to once again host this popular event at SALTEX. The IOG are supportive members of the Amenity Forum and this Question Time allows opportunity at this important national event to discuss and debate key issues surrounding amenity management’

A key element in putting together a professional approach to amenity maintenance is by adopting an integrated approach ensuring all options are considered and the optimum management programme chosen for specific situations. A key date in the amenity calendar is Amenity Forum conference and the programme announced this year promises to be as topical and relevant as ever. This major conference has very much become the must attend event for all involved or having an interest in weed, pest and disease control matters in amenity. It also can appeal to a wider audience for those just wanting to understand more about this important and diverse sector.

The conference will be held on Thursday, October 12th, at the Pirelli Stadium, Burton on Trent. The title ‘Keeping Britain Moving’ has been chosen to align with the Forum’s ongoing and very successful campaign to communicate to the wider public the important and essential nature of weed, pest and disease management and why it impacts upon every UK citizen.

Delegate rates are again being kept as low as possible. The standard rate is £65 plus VAT but, for those who book early before September 1st, there is a special discounted rate of £55 plus VAT

To book your place contact admin@amenityforum.net

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Ransomes Jacobsen Wins RoSPA Gold Medal Award 

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Ransomes Jacobsen Wins RoSPA Gold Medal Award: Ransomes Jacobsen Limited is a winner at the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards 2017.

The company, based in Ipswich, achieved the Gold Medal award (5 consecutive Golds) in the prestigious annual scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

The award was presented during a ceremony at the ExCeL, London in June 2017. The award was achieved during a special year for family-safety charity RoSPA, as it celebrates its centenary.

Through the RoSPA Awards scheme, which is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas, judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. The awards are now in its 61st year.

Geoff Elliot, Environmental Health and Safety Manager at Ransomes Jacobsen, said: “This award is testament to the commitment and hard work of all Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd employees. As a company, we ensure that our workforce is protected to the highest level possible, and it is an honour to now have received this award for five consecutive years as recognition of our commitment to safety. We will continue to ensure high standards are met in the workplace, and we thank all those who have made this possible.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world, as winning one demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat.

“This is a special year in the history of RoSPA, and we congratulate all of our winners in this, our centenary year”.

The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Gold medals, president’s awards and orders of distinction are presented to organisations sustaining the high standards of the gold level over consecutive years. For the first time in 2017, the Patron’s Award has been presented to those organisations that have achieved consecutive gold awards for 25 years or more.

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com/europe

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Active Investment In Middlesbrough Golf

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Active investment in Middlesbrough golf: Middlesbrough Golf Centre has invested in a package of new golf course maintenance equipment supplied by Cramlington based John Deere dealer Greenlay, to further improve its pay & play and membership offering to golfers in the region.

Active Investment In Middlesbrough Golf

The John Deere Financial contract lease deal included a John Deere 2500E hybrid electric greens mower, 2653B tees & surrounds mower, HPX Gator utility vehicle and 220SL walk-behind greens mower, plus a Wiedenmann Super 500 multi-purpose sweeper/verticutter/flail mower and a Team Club tractor-mounted sprayer.

The centre has been run by Sports and Leisure Management (SLM) since 2016, through its national consumer brand Everyone Active. SLM is the longest established leisure management company in the UK, since 1987, and currently runs 150 leisure and cultural facilities in partnership with 45 local authorities.

“SLM has taken on the responsibility for managing a number of these sports and leisure facilities all over the country, as local councils find different ways of coping with increasingly limited budgets,” says general manager Andy Hill. He was appointed to run the centre in January 2017, having been involved in golf for 30 years.

“This is the one of the organisation’s few golf facilities, and coming in was a bit of a challenge,” he adds. “This is the first time I’ve had to fully manage my own centre, and Everyone Active is very leisure centre focused, so golf is quite a new departure for the business.”

The centre includes an 18-hole, 6330 yard parkland course set in 160 acres in south Middlesbrough, now featuring newly installed academy tees, plus a nine-hole pitch and putt course, a floodlit driving range and a retail shop with golf simulator. A new footgolf course was also opened in April this year.

“Since I arrived, Everyone Active has been very supportive and agreed a budget to bring about the further improvements that were needed,” says Andy Hill. “Really, managing a golf centre is no different to managing a leisure centre. We just needed the right management team and structure in place to justify the investment.

“Our experienced course manager John Grey had already done much of the necessary groundwork over the past seven years since he arrived at the centre, but we quickly agreed he needed an additional greenkeeper/mechanic and new machinery to bring the course to where we wanted it to be, which I’m pleased to say has resulted in this new fleet deal with John Deere and Greenlay.”

“We needed to focus on the finishing touches around the course, and the new machinery will go a long way to helping us achieve this,” says John Grey. “A major factor for me in choosing John Deere equipment is the level of service and aftercare from the dealership team at Greenlay, as well as the company’s reputation and product range.

“I’ve always had that consistently throughout my 35-year career in the industry, wherever I’ve worked – every John Deere dealer I’ve dealt with, including Double A Trading in Scotland, has always been superb in that respect.”

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Polaris UK & Ireland Star Prize At NGO Draw

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Polaris UK & Ireland star prize at NGO draw: Polaris UK & Ireland are proud to announce they are providing the star prize for the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation’ Summer Prize Draw.

Polaris UK & Ireland star prize at NGO draw

The draw will be launched at this year’s Game Fair being held at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. The NGO will welcome both members and non-members to its stand in the Gamekeeper’s Pavillion where visitors can enjoy a free tea or coffee with friends.

The prize is a Polaris Outlaw 50 Junior quad bike which is designed for children aged 6 plus, so is ideal for budding gamekeepers. The Polaris Outlaw 50 will be displayed on the stand, with tickets on sale on the stand for just £1, great value given the recommended retail price of £1,999. Tickets will also be available from the NGO website and from the NGO stand at BBC Countryfile Live, which is on 3-6 August at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

The draw itself will be held on the NGO stand at Blenheim at 2pm Sunday, the 6th August and full terms are available on the NGO website.

Polaris’ Country Manager Jim Clarke praised the NGO for their good work in support of gamekeepers.

“We’re pleased as sponsors of the NGO,” he said “to be able to play a part in raising funds for the organization and look forward to presenting it to the lucky winner.”

Polaris welcomes visitors to their own stand M1531 at the Game Fair where the latest Polaris ATVs and off-road Side by Side vehicles will be on display.

Polaris Britain: 0800 915 6720 www.polaris-britain.com

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DLF Join Team To Complete More Than A Bike Ride In The Country!

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DLF Join Team To Complete More Than A Bike Ride In The Country! On the 1st July a team of 10 cyclists, over half from seed breeders DLF, embarked on a bike ride from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise money for three worthy causes.

The eight and a half day journey saw the team covering over 900 miles and climbing the equivalent of 11 times the height of Ben Nevis. All the money raised will be split between Diabetes UK, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and Alzheimer’s Research UK.

The team included DLF Seeds Managing Director Tim Kerridge, Craig Spooner from the Amenity division, Jeremy Hindle and Jo Hillewaert from wholesale and Nick Duggan from the Agricultural division. In the last 6 months of training for the event, the team had clocked up almost 18,000 miles of cycling between them.

Upon completing the challenge, team leader Tim Kerridge said, “We are delighted to have taken on this challenge and despite being pretty tired at times and battling some pretty extreme weather – both heat and rain – the excellent team spirit and fantastic support kept us going throughout. So far we’ve raised more than £6,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK, Diabetes UK and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, which well and truly makes it all worthwhile.”

Though they’ve finished their gruelling ride, the teams online fundraising page remains open in the hope of reaching the target of £10,000. Those wishing to donate to one of the causes can visit www.justgiving.com/teams/DLFLEJOG2017.

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