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SALTEX introduces new arcade zone

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SALTEX introduces new arcade zone: SALTEX, the UK’s cutting-edge turf management show, is thrilled to unveil its brand-new Arcade Zone, a dynamic and interactive space bringing gamification and play to the heart of the exhibition. 

Located in Hall 17, between the Spotlight Stage and the VIP Lounge, the Arcade Zone offers a space to recharge and get stuck into a bit of friendly competition, all without leaving the action. It allows visitors the chance to press pause on business and dive into fast-paced games and win a whole heap of prizes!

SALTEX introduces new arcade zone

SALTEX introduces new arcade zone

Key Features Include:

  • GMA Grass Identification Game– Put your turf knowledge to the test, complete the quiz correctly in the quickest time, and win a year’s GMA membership!
  • Husqvarna Robot Mower Racetrack– Ready, Set, Mow! It’s a battle of speed on Husqvarna’s custom-built track to be crowned champion.
  • Cramer’s Leaf Blower Darts– Propel the ball through the launch tube and register the highest score to win Cramer’s 82V Blower 22 N.
  • Fast Feet Football Challenge– How quick are your feet? Step into the arena and test your agility in this timed football skills challenge. Compete for the leaderboard and bragging rights and your chance to win £100!
  • Racing Simulator -Take on a range of racetracks and be in with a chance to win an Ultimate Adventures Experience Box.
  • Virtual Golf: Closest to the Pin Challenge– Grip it and rip it! Take your best shot on the cityscape hole for your chance to win an Ultimate Adventures Experience Box.

The Arcade Zone is just one of several exciting new features launching at SALTEX in 2025.

Visitors can also look forward to The Workshop with Tom Stidder, offering hands-on guidance to help grounds teams get the best out of their equipment, and a headline Learning LIVE session on mindset from rugby legend James Haskell – followed by a DJ set in the Clubhouse during Happy Hour. And, for the first time ever, parking is FREE for all attendees.

“We’re always looking for fresh ways to enhance the SALTEX experience,” said Sarah Hunter, Head of Events at the Grounds Management Association. “We listen closely to the demands and needs of the industry, and we know that as much as SALTEX is about business and discovering what’s new, it’s also about connecting people to others in the industry. The Arcade Zone brings a playful new energy to the show, encouraging people to interact and enjoy being part of something bigger.”

The Arcade Zone is open to all visitors and free to enjoy. Join us at SALTEX and level up your experience.

Register for FREE and be in with a chance of winning a Cramer Tools Lawn Mower, complete with charger and battery, worth £2,240!

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Syngenta Operation Pollinator Award open for entries

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Syngenta Operation Pollinator Award open for entries: The Syngenta Operation Pollinator Award 2026 is open for entries.

The Award  seeks to reward golf clubs and other sport facilities proactively creating areas for all pollinator insects, along with managing other ecology initiatives that enhance the biodiversity alongside playing surfaces.

Syngenta Operation Pollinator Award open for entries

Syngenta Operation Pollinator Award open for entries

There are no Golf Environment Awards taking place for 2026, so the Syngenta Operation Pollinator Award will be presented at the prestigious BIGGA Awards Evening at BTME, Harrogate in January.

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The Award, open for UK golf clubs and sport facilities, is being managed by the STRI and judged by an independent industry panel, including the Wildlife Trust, BIGGA and last year’s Operation Pollinator Award winner, Melissa Winkworth of Goring & Streatley Golf Club.

Entry is a simple on-line questionnaire and sending in photos, detailing what you do, what has been seen and how it is communicated with players and the public, along with how ecology initiatives fit with the overall turf management. A short-list of finalists will be contacted for a discussion with leading STRI ecologist, Stella Rixon.

She advocates the Operation Pollinator Award provides a great opportunity for greenkeepers and the golf industry to showcase the immense ecological resource that has been created.

“It’s a good news story for you, your team and your club,” adds Stella.

Syngenta Turf Business Manager, Sarah Hughes, highlights with all the golf clubs actively signed-up and engaged in the initiative Operation Pollinator has been shown to have a place on every course.

“Together, the clubs involved with Operation Pollinator have created a vast network of habitats for pollinating insects and wider biodiversity in well managed habitats, alongside managing turf for golf and sport,” she says.

“Using Operation Pollinator to learn from each other’s experiences and share best practices for both habitat management and communicating with clubs and players is a huge benefit, and a great way for the industry to demonstrate the value of golf as a positive ecological resource.

“We urge all clubs to get involved; sign-up now and enter for the Operation Pollinator Award.”

Operation Pollinator aims to support golf clubs and sports facilities to establish and manage areas that will provide essential food resources and nesting habitat for pollinators, including native bees, butterflies and other insects.

The initiative brings together a community of turf managers to help each other and share their successes and experience, along with demonstrating the immense ecological value of managed amenity turf areas.

Entries for Operation Pollinator Award 2026 close on Friday 21st November.

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Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion

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Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion: Leading arboricultural specialists Jack Cotterill Tree Services have strengthened their operations with the addition of two EVO 205D and two EVO 205 Safe-Trak woodchippers from GreenMech.

Delivered in September 2025, the four new machines are already enhancing productivity, reliability and on-site efficiency across their expanding portfolio of tree surgery and maintenance projects.

Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion

Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion

With a team of 17, including 14 qualified tree surgeons, Jack Cotterill Tree Services operate nationwide, delivering top-quality tree care to both domestic and commercial clients. The recent investment made by Managing Director Jack Cotterill marks the next stage in the company’s ongoing growth and commitment to operational excellence.

“Our decision to purchase the four EVO machines was triggered by a combination of expanding our operation and modernising our fleet – with the key objective of minimising the downtime and maintenance we were experiencing with our older machines” Jack explains. “As demand for our services grows, it’s vital we invest in equipment that can keep pace, both in terms of volume and the varying demands of each job.”

After evaluating the options available, it was the EVO’s proven performance, reliability and operator-friendly features that sealed the deal for Jack, alongside GreenMech’s UK-based manufacturing and strong local support. “Having GreenMech on our doorstep gives us confidence in the availability of parts, service and support.” He adds, “It feels good to be building a strong partnership with a local business that prioritises customer service and shares our commitment to quality.”

The company’s fleet now includes both road tow and tracked EVO models, giving Jack and the team maximum flexibility for vast and varied job types and terrains. The EVO 205D’s are perfect for quick deployment across domestic jobs, while the EVO 205 Safe-Trak’s are already proving invaluable for large-scale commercial projects, those on rougher terrain and others with restricted access.

“The team really appreciate the wide infeed hoppers, no-stress feed system and overall ease of maintenance with the EVO machines. These features make the operation more efficient and user-friendly, helping us to get through jobs more quickly and safely. The build quality and quiet running are also big positives.”

Jack also praised the support provided throughout the purchase process by GreenMech, in particular Neal Hussey. “Neal has been exceptional – knowledgeable and responsive to any questions we’ve had along the way. It’s that level of service that really sets GreenMech apart” Jack concludes.

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EGO showcases innovations at SALTEX

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EGO showcases innovations at SALTEX: EGO Power+ is set to make a return to Birmingham’s NEC for SALTEX 2025, showcasing its latest portfolio of tools and technology for 2026.

Central to this year’s showcase is EGO’s AURA-R2 robotic mower range – the next generation of EGO’s robotics portfolio with the market’s latest available cutting-edge technology. Featuring PATH IQ Technology, the range combines advanced navigation systems, precision cutting technology, and user-friendly smart features to deliver industry leading performance, reliability and versatility in even the most complex of gardens.

EGO showcases innovations at SALTEX

EGO showcases innovations at SALTEX

Vince Brauns, Group Product Director for EGO, said: “The AURA-R2 range represents our commitment to pushing boundaries in autonomous technology and we’re excited for SALTEX visitors to be some of the very first people to see the range.”

Also at the show are major new additions to EGO’s PRO X range of tools for commercial and local authority users. Engineered to deliver even longer run times and maximum performance for power-demanding professional tools, SALTEX visitors will also be some of the first to see EGO’s first ever Tabless Cell battery – the 56V ARC Lithium MAXTM, which is compatible with EGO’s existing range of tools

Another first for the PRO X range, EGO will introduce the single-sided hedge trimmer. Boasting a 75cm blade to tackle larger hedges in fewer passes, it will increase efficiency for professionals.

EGO will also exhibit its new LMX7600SP 76cm lawnmower which offers the widest cutting width in the PRO X line-up and includes dual battery ports for PeakPowerTM technology, for increased runtime.

“This year, we are proud to present products that redefine expectations in battery-powered tools. From our most powerful battery yet to our first robotic mower range without a boundary wire, we are setting the standard of what the future of battery power can achieve”, continues Vince.

Additionally for 2026, EGO is adding not one, but four new lawnmowers to its Power+ portfolio all of which have been upgraded with new features including an LED dashboard, improved power and grass collection performance. EGO is also expanding its lifestyle product line, with its first-ever 3-in-1 Compact Inflator, alongside smaller, portable versions of its pressure washer and wet/dry vacuum – perfect for users who want to use their EGO batteries beyond the garden.

On the stand, there is an opportunity to take part in an exciting competition to be in with a chance of winning an EGO lawnmower.

Visitors of the show at The NEC in Birmingham on the 12th – 13th of November can find EGO’s latest product offering on stand B120.

For more information, visit; www.egopowerplus.co.uk.

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Cleaner fuel powers healthier operation

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Cleaner fuel powers healthier operation: The switch to Aspen Fuel has transformed operations for the Cowdray Estate forestry team– delivering significant health, safety and efficiency benefits to maintenance works across the 6,800 acres of managed woodland.

Cowdray’s decision to start using Aspen two years ago has brought tangible benefits to both daily working conditions and long-term equipment performance.

Cleaner fuel powers healthier operation

Cleaner fuel powers healthier operation

Assistant Forestry Manager Kris Gillespie has worked at Cowdray for the last seven years and is part of an 11-strong team looking after the maintenance of the conifers, broadleaf high forest and chestnut coppice that make up 36% of the total footprint of the estate. “Anyone who works with petrol-powered equipment will know that one of the major downsides is the fumes, and the implications this has for operator health and safety” Kris explains. “Even if you’re not actually using the tools, simply transporting cans from one place to another is enough to notice the smell.”

“As soon as we started using Aspen, this all changed. The fact that it’s odourless in operation not only brings real health benefits for the team, it is also really beneficial for the visitors who regularly use the 100 miles of footpaths that run through our woodlands.”

Aspen is an alkylate petrol, available for two and four stroke engines. Aspen 2 is pre-mixed with a fully synthetic, biodegradable oil removing the need to manual mixing and improving consistency and engine performance.

Kris continues, “Not only has Aspen presented us with a cleaner, safer alternative, it’s also brought us efficiency savings by having Aspen delivered to site by the pallet – eliminating trips to the petrol station.” The absence of ethanol and other hazardous hydrocarbons has also been a gamechanger. “With a range of tools of all shapes and sizes, it’s not unusual for some machines to sit unused for a year or two at a time. Because Aspen is ethanol-free it doesn’t degrade like traditional petrol which means we can take a saw that hasn’t been used for a while, start it up and get straight to work.” He adds, “Before, we’d be spending money on repairs to machines which had barely clocked up any hours, just because of rotten fuel lines. That hasn’t happened since we started using Aspen fuel.”

The Cowdray team has also adopted Aspen’s Fillpartner Combihandle, bringing further practicality and safety into practice. “With this, we can ensure no spills and quickly and easy swap out the Aspen can with a spare when required to get through a full day’s work with ease.”

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