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SALTEX registration now open

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SALTEX registration now open: The Grounds Management Association has announced that visitor registration for SALTEX 2021 is now officially open at gmasaltex.co.uk  

Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 3 and 4 November, SALTEX 2021 will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in style. The show will feature over 400 brands including some of the biggest names in groundscare and will offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the very latest industry trends and innovations, enhance their education and learn from industry experts.

SALTEX registration now open

SALTEX registration now open

The exhibition is the longest-standing event of its kind in the world, having been held almost every year since 1938, and the show is continually evolving with the people of the industry in mind.

In addition to the limitless opportunities available on the show floor, one lucky visitor will be presented with an incredible battery-powered compact loader from Avant UK worth approximately £30,000. Every person who registers will be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize and the live draw will take place on the first day of the show.

“The last year has been tough and we know how hard groundspersons and other industry professionals have worked during the pandemic,” said Raimo Ala-Korpi, Avant UK managing director. “We thought it would be good to give something back to the industry.

“SALTEX is the place to be when meeting the industry and showcasing our latest innovations. It is the number one show for us as many of our current clients from turf care, parks and playgrounds visit the show, and every year we generate multiple quality new connections across the UK and even further.”

Visitors to SALTEX 2021 can look forward to exciting show attractions as well as popular features such as:

  • Eco Village – live demonstrations purely dedicated to environmentally-friendly products.
  • Learning LIVE – SALTEX’s world-class free educational programme.
  • Pathology and Soil Science LIVE – a look in detail at the symptoms of turfgrass fungal disease problems.
  • SALTEX Innovation Award – celebrating the very best in new groundscare technology.
  • Ask the Expert – free face-to-face turfcare advice.
  • Lawn Care Legends LIVE – a fantastic networking opportunity for landscapers and gardeners.
  • Job Clinic – free one-to-one sessions covering CV writing to interview techniques.

“We can’t wait to celebrate SALTEX’s 75th anniversary with the industry,” said Luke Perry, GMA’s Commercial & Events Director. “SALTEX 2021 will be one to remember because it will be the first time that the grounds management industry reunites on a grand scale since the pandemic.

“After a year out, it is finally time to say See You at Saltex.”

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX via the website. Visitors will receive a confirmation email with their badge to print and take along to the show, to gain free entry.

For more information visit www.gmasaltex.co.uk

For more information on the Avant e6 loader visit https://www.avanttecno.com/uk/machines/e-series

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @GMA_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/GMASALTEX

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Nick takes the helm at Replay Maintenance

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Nick takes the helm at Replay Maintenance: Nick Harris has been appointed the Managing Director of synthetic sports surface specialists, Replay Maintenance.

In the nine years since he joined the East Midlands based firm, he has played a key role the company’s growth and development. It expanded the range of services its dedicated team provides, and following the addition of key personnel to its senior leadership team and the acquisition of a software partner, has developed a technologically-advanced facility and asset management platform, Passport 365.

Nick takes the helm at Replay Maintenance

Nick takes the helm at Replay Maintenance

Group CEO, Garry Martin, says Nick’s customer-focussed approach has been instrumental to the company’s recent success. “Replay is a service company and Nick is absolutely committed to the needs of our customers. That has never been more important than it is right now, with sport and recreation at all levels in our communities in high demand following the winter lockdown. Nick and his dedicated staff are working tirelessly, in collaboration with other sports industry stakeholders, to help clubs, local authorities and educational establishments bounce back. They can rely on us to keep facilities safe, professionally maintained, and ready for play.”

The company is also looking to build on its success, with recruitment underway for new skilled operatives and an investment of more than £250,000 in new machinery and equipment this year.

“It’s a demanding time to be taking the lead,” Nick acknowledges. “We have a huge role to play in helping people resume the sports and activities they’ve missed and in getting the nation active again. To ensure we meet the challenges ahead, we’re growing and developing our staff, fleet and range of services, and driving efficiencies through the creation of regional depots and the use of the Passport 365 software.

“We’re an ambitious team, and I’m excited about our future plans. Over the past 20 years, Replay has amassed a huge amount of knowledge and expertise, not only about the way surfaces are maintained but also how facilities are managed. Passport 365 has streamlined asset management, using real-time data to aid decision-making and providing operators with a constant overview. It’s a service which continues to evolve, and one that will bring significant benefits to our customers in the coming years.”

The Replay group is set to announce further developments in the UK and overseas this summer.

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Nurture Landscapes earn prestigious award

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Nurture Landscapes earn prestigious award: Nurture Landscapes awarded Gold Medal status by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for continually meeting and exceeding health and safety performance benchmarks.

An ongoing commitment to health and safety has seen Nurture Landscapes recognised by the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, one of the most recognised health schemes in the world with around 2,000 entries each year.

Nurture Landscapes earn prestigious award

Nurture Landscapes earn prestigious award

The firm, headquartered in Windlesham, Surrey, received Gold Medal status as a result of achieving the highest level of accreditation – gold – for six consecutive years. Each award is presented based on an organisation’s individual health and safety performance, with Nurture demonstrating its methodology in areas including:

  • The use of risk assessments.
  • Active monitoring of health & safety performance.
  • Review of performance against key targets.
  • The role of directors leading health & safety policies.

Peter Fane, Nurture managing director, said: “Many, many congratulations to Robin Jackson, our health & safety manager, and his team. It is testament to their continued diligence and hard work that we can continue achieving Gold Medal status, especially in these challenging times. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments in keeping us safe on a daily basis.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, added: “The RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, but it receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for health and safety worldwide.

“RoSPA is very proud of the achievements of its entrants, and with this award we recognise the best of the best, those organisations that have gone the extra mile, raising the bar for the delivery of safety in the workplace. Employees, wherever they may be, should be able to go to work safe in the knowledge that they will return home unharmed and healthy at the end of every day.”

Organisations receiving a RoSPA Award are recognised as being world-leaders in health and safety practice. The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels.

Further details about Nurture Landscapes is available at www.nurturelandscapes.co.uk.

Further details about the RoSPA Awards is available at https://www.rospa.com/awards.

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Wildflower havens to protect hedgehogs

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Wildflower havens to protect hedgehogs: Non-profit wildflower specialist, Seedball, has teamed up with People’s Trust for Endangered Species to create a specially developed wildflower seed mix with the aim of growing hedgehog friendly habitats to support the struggling population.

There were an estimated 36.5 million hedgehogs in Britain in the 1950s, which plummeted to around 1.5 million in 1995, and numbers have continued to decline severely. Hedgehogs are classed as an indicator species which means a decline in their species indicates a decline in the quality of the environment and the health of the natural world.

Wildflower havens to protect hedgehogs

Wildflower havens to protect hedgehogs

Anyone with a garden can help make a difference to the plight of hedgehogs by being aware of the obstacles they face such as impermeable garden borders like walls and fencing, busy roads, and minimalistic garden designs with little space to forage. Gardeners can help hedgehogs by leaving small holes in fences and borders so they can move around, 3cm is the perfect hedgehog-sized hole. Also, providing water for them to drink will help keep them hydrated, and leaving an area for them to hide in such as a log pile will help to attract beetles, which hedgehogs love to eat.

A wildflower patch can make a beautiful hedgehog friendly addition to a garden as it provides essential shelter and attracts insects such as beetles and worms for them to feed on.

The experts at Seedball have made it easy to create a wildflower patch at home by creating a range of unique, peat-free balls containing wildflower seeds that transform outdoor spaces – from meadows to plant pots – into seas of beautiful flowers that not only look good but do good too. There is a selection of mixes to choose from that all benefit native species including bees, beetles, birds, bats, butterflies and hedgehogs.

The hedgehog mix has been specially developed to create hedgehog havens by attracting them, and the insects they feed on. Each tin of Hedgehog Mix contains 20 seed balls, enough to cover 1 metre square in a garden bed or 3-5 medium-sized pots. Each of the seed balls contain approximately 30 seeds each with a mix of yellow rattle, wild carrot, birdsfoot trefoil, tufted vetch, self heal and poppy. This combination of colourful wildflowers will create an area irresistible to hedgehogs and their prey, and proceeds from the hedgehog mix go to People’s Trust for Endangered Species to support their ongoing conservation work.

Dr. Emily Lambert, co-founder of Seedball commented: “Hedgehogs are such well-loved and wonderful creatures, we simply cannot let their numbers dwindle any further. Working closely with People’s Trust for Endangered Species means we can help people to grow beautiful wildflower habitats for hedgehogs and other wildlife to roam but also support their essential conservation work.”

Seedball is passionate about curating vibrant flourishes of flowers easier for everyone, whilst giving a home to depleting wildlife and pollinators.

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Campey welcomes Irelands Groundcare

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Campey welcomes Irelands Groundcare: Campey Turf Care Systems has welcomed Irelands Groundcare as their new dealer for Lincolnshire and Rutland. 

The Lincolnshire based machinery sales and hire group has a strong reputation in agriculture with over 25-years’ experience in the industry, and in late 2020 began to replicate that success in groundcare.

Campey welcomes Irelands Groundcare

Campey welcomes Irelands Groundcare

Offering high-quality machinery that solves their customers’ problems has been the cornerstone of the business since Jonathan and Fiona Ireland started the company in 1994, and the addition of Kubota Groundcare prompted them to seek brands of a similar reputation for their fine turf offering.

In Campey Turf Care, Irelands Groundcare Business Manager, Huw Price, found a company that offered leading machinery solutions for recurring issues faced by fine turf customers.

Huw explains: “We were reaching out to other businesses that had done a similar thing to us, and there were a couple of other dealers that were really helpful when it came to understanding the market and how it’s run. We wanted well-made machinery that is going to last. We don’t want to be the cheapest; we want to be the best with the right kit that we can stand behind and be proud to offer our customers.

“When we investigated the market, and what was available, we had previously used an Air2G2 which we had success with. We knew we needed a seeder for our groundcare offering, and we are lucky to have some experts in our company who are very experienced in agricultural seeders, and they told us the options we had, which led to us reaching out to Campey.

“Simon Holland came down with a low loader full of equipment that he recommended as our demo and hire stock, and one of those was a Vredo Compact seeder, and we’ve actually already sold one. So that and the Air2G2 were the things that drew us to Campey initially, and after meeting Simon, we there and then decided we wanted to sell Campey products, and we got five machines.

“We’ve already had people hire the Vredo, and we knew it would go well because it’s the sort of machine you might only need for one week a year and certain golf clubs in this area would find it more financially beneficial to hire it for a week and let us look after it for the rest of the time.

“The root pruner is another great example. It’s somewhat unique and solves a problem, but people might not necessarily want to buy one because it’s not something you would frequently use. But as a hire machine, it’s a great thing to have for three days to solve the leaching of the roots on fairways, and it makes financial sense.”

As part of their expansion into groundcare, Irelands are opening a fourth depot in Tinwell, Rutland, where their new turf team will be operating from May 2021 and will be available to offer advice and recommendations regarding their hire fleet and machinery sales.

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