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British Sugar TOPSOIL supports #GroundsWeek

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British Sugar TOPSOIL supports #GroundsWeek: British Sugar TOPSOIL, a leading UK producer of quality topdressing and topsoil products for the sports, amenity, landscaping and construction sectors, is proud to officially support the Grounds Management Association’s #GroundsWeek, an inaugural celebration week for the turf care sector.

Managed by the Grounds Management Association (GMA), the leading not-for-profit membership body for grounds professionals and volunteers, the turf care campaign will take place 1-7 March 2021 and will celebrate and highlight the vital role that professional grounds staff, volunteers, and the turf sector play in making sport possible.

British Sugar TOPSOIL supports #GroundsWeek

British Sugar TOPSOIL supports #GroundsWeek

Following a difficult year for the sector due to the impact of Covid-19, #GroundsWeek aims to showcase grounds staff and the amazing work that they do – and have continued to do – despite sport coming to a grinding halt. It also comes after a year where parks and green spaces have been hugely valuable to the public’s health, with increased use for ‘daily exercise’ and physical activity.

To celebrate the week, British Sugar TOPSOIL will be promoting the benefits of using its Sports&Turf topdressing for the repair and improvement of natural playing surfaces.

A 90/10 blend of medium to coarse sub-angular sand with British Sugar TOPSOIL’s BS3882:2015-compliant topsoil, Sports&Turf incorporates readily into the sward, increasing the fertility of the root zone and encouraging grass to regenerate more readily, particularly in areas of heavy wear such as goalmouths.

Andy Spetch, National TOPSOIL Manager at British Sugar TOPSOIL, a GMA Corporate Partner, said:

“British Sugar TOPSOIL is delighted to be supporting the GMA’s GroundsWeek initiative, which will highlight the invaluable work carried out by professional and volunteer grounds staff across the country. As an industry supplier, British Sugar TOPSOIL is constantly developing and trialling its products to give grounds staff the tools they need to ensure natural playing surfaces can withstand both heavy usage and the impact of our changing UK climate.”

Geoff Webb, CEO of the GMA, said:

“After a tough year, GroundsWeek is a fantastic opportunity for every part of the sector to come together and celebrate all the hard work that’s gone on throughout the year. We want to inspire sports fans and the general public to realise the vital role we play and get even more people to enter the profession and lend a helping hand at pitches across the country.

“We’re grateful to those officially supporting #GroundsWeek, with businesses and partners helping us champion grounds staff and the amazing work they do.

More information on #GroundsWeek can be found here.

For details of British Sugar TOPSOIL products, and to download a free copy of the Essential Guide to Top Dressing, visit www.bstopsoil.co.uk/product-range/sportsturf

Twitter: @Topsoil_BS

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Invisibly better

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Invisibly better: Reesink Turfcare brings invisible and complete top access in-field irrigation to Toro’s B Series sprinklers with a new natural turf cup.

This innovative addition to the popular sprinkler head allows grass to grow in the cup on top of the sprinkler to create a seamless and continuous area of turf. The quick release rubber cap pops up allowing all the access needed to service the internal parts of the sprinkler without digging it up and it’s available in full-circle or adjustable part-circle configuration.

Invisibly better

Invisibly better

Designed to fit perfectly on the popular Toro B Series sprinklers, this turf cup further enhances the many benefits the B Series sprinkler is known and appreciated for. In action, the heads evenly irrigate a span of some 13 to 29 metres and the volume can easily be altered to deliver exactly what’s required with adjustment from 25 or 15 ‘Dual Trajectory’ options without having to change the nozzle.

Robert Jackson, water division sales manager at Reesink Turfcare, who commissioned and helped design the new turf cup, says: “This new turf cup has been engineered to deliver issue-free, cost-effective invisible in-field irrigation. It provides precise and flexible control for watering no matter what the weather conditions are, giving head-to-head coverage even in windy conditions. We’ve also utilised the flexible rubber compound from our original TS90 range to prevent damage to the cup from pitch renovations or more importantly a player.

“The benefit of in-field irrigation like this immediately improves irrigation uniformity, ensures player safety and guarantees best pitch playability and field aesthetics. And this combination of Toro B Series sprinklers with the Turf Cup from Reesink is ultimate for that.”

Built to withstand the tough environment of the typical UK sports field, this turf cup has been designed and tested to ensure the highest levels of reliability and durability demanded by the market today.

Robert concludes: “As we all know, something as simple as a sprinkler update can make all the difference. The same theory applies to the addition of this simple turf cup. Bringing maximum performance, minimising sprinkler interference and eliminating the need to dig up your pristine pitch during maintenance makes this product your man of the match week after week.”

To talk to someone about the Toro B Series Turf Cup and invisible in-field irrigation for your stadium or training pitches, call 01480 226800.

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Entries open for 45th BALI awards

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Entries open for 45th BALI awards: The British Association of Landscape Industries’ (BALI) prestigious National Landscape Awards, the largest of their kind anywhere in Europe, return on Friday 3rd December 2021 and entries have now opened alongside several exciting new announcements for the 45th year.

Registered members can now submit their full entry online for the first time, (including their submission pack) thanks to a new entry system, alongside the returning postal option. Due to the effects of COVID-19, Contractor, Designer and International members, for 2021 only, now also have the opportunity to submit a scheme that has achieved practical completion in the last 24 months, instead of the normal 12 months.

Entries open for 45th BALI awards

Entries open for 45th BALI awards

BALI’s Chief Executive Wayne Grills commented, “This extension to the practical completion date now affords members more flexibility in what has been a difficult last 12 months. Alongside the option to submit online, we hope to see a wide variety of entries across all of our available categories this year.”

There are 33 categories in total, including a brand-new Nature Conservation and Biodiversity Enhancement category. The judges will be looking for projects that demonstrate a significant contribution to conservation or enhancement of biodiversity, embodying the principles of sustainable development using innovative concepts.

Chair of the judging panel, John Melmoe, said, “We are delighted to introduce this new category for 2021. We will be looking for evidence of any biodiversity net gains and clear definitions of innovation or environmental designs. The long-term management strategy must be clearly defined, including proof of monitoring processes. On behalf of my fellow judges and I we look forward to seeing some truly remarkable projects in this category.”

Other returning categories include Domestic Garden Construction, Hard Landscaping Construction (non-domestic), Community and Schools Development, Design Excellence and Affiliate Exceptional Service. Registered members can check out all of this year’s categories on the BALI Awards website here.

Alongside an FAQs section, the team at Landscape House have also produced an Entry Guidelines document, which contains information on each category, the deadlines and fees and what the judges are looking for in an award-winning scheme or entry.

To help further, members looking to enter are invited to join representatives of the judging panel for a free-to-attend Awards Workshop webinar on 25th March from 3pm-4.30pm. The event will provide an opportunity for members to ask questions about entering, as well as how the judges evaluate and score the submission packs and advice on photography and video. Non-members who are interested in entering and would like to know more about BALI are also welcome to join.

Events Project Manager Emily Feeney said, “Today we have not only opened entries but also announced three new positive changes to this year’s Awards which continues to be the ultimate celebration in our industry. We are working with Headline Sponsor Green-tech, our host venue the J W Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London and event partners and sponsors to stage a safe end of year celebration, and we look forward to sharing more with you in the coming months.”

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Smart move for T H WHITE Groundcare

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Smart move for T H WHITE Groundcare: T H WHITE’s Groundcare Division is changing the way it serves its customers in the Reading and Berkshire area in order to deliver even higher levels of service and support.

The company’s existing branch at Arborfield had reached the stage where it would have required significant investment to maintain and develop the quality of service offering customers have come to expect from

Smart move for T H WHITE Groundcare

Smart move for T H WHITE Groundcare

T H WHITE. So, rather than commit resources to a leased site, the decision was made to concentrate investment at the freehold site in Stockbridge. In December 2020 work was started on a new 3,500 sq ft facility at Stockbridge where the majority of T H WHITE’s Arborfield staff will be relocated by the end of March.

This change is part of a strategy in which the company’s Groundcare Division is being integrated with our Agricultural Division to deliver greater efficiencies and customer benefits. T H WHITE’s investment in property, people and processes is being made to assist ground care businesses as the sector adapts the way working practices to achieve the best outcomes in these challenging times.

Key parts of the Stockbridge development are a modern, fully equipped workshop and state-of-the-art parts facility. T H WHITE’s Reading area representatives will continue to be based and operate locally to ensure continuity and Reading customers will continue to be able to access all T H WHITE services with a phone call. When machinery needs servicing, it will be collected and delivered back to customers.

By making this change T H WHITE plans to enhance its 21st century service standards, also securing a firm basis for future developments.

T H WHITE Groundcare’s Reading branch will be fully relocated at Stockbridge from 1 March 2021. From that date contact details will be: T H WHITE Groundcare, Windyridge, Salisbury Road, Houghton Down, Stockbridge, Hants SO20 6JR.

Tel 01264 811260

Sales: Rob Iddeson 07909 895502, Mark Carter 07917 172861, Mark Zealander 07876 396635

Service Manager: Andrew Hannington   01264 811260.   Parts Manager: Kim Larke 01264 811260

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Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

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Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time: Panmure Golf Club in Carnoustie, Angus, established in 1845, is one of the clubs that originally helped purchase the Amateur Championship trophy. 

A very close neighbour to Carnoustie Golf Links, Panmure, is widely acknowledged as a distinguished links course, and highly regarded for its immaculate fine turf and well kept fairways.

Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

Head Greenkeeper, Gary Nicoll, took delivery of a Terra Spike GXi8 HD in early January, his first ever Wiedenmann.

“I’d been wanting to move to the next level with aeration for a while. We were due an upgrade. Our previous machine had done well but time was right for something faster, with a real clean finish.  Wiedenmann’s GXi series is used widely across the industry and its popular for good reason.

“We have around 11 hectares of turf, seven of which are fairways. All aeration is done inhouse, so, it’s our team of six and no contractors.  Recently, we have borrowed a machine to have two going at once to get through it more quickly. We do all greens, tees, shoulders and fairways, virtually the full course.  The old machine was 1.6 m wide and just doing Panmure’s fairways took around four weeks. I’m confident the team with the GXi8 can knock at least a week off this as it’s 20 cm wider and a good bit faster. Even just one week a month would make a healthy saving on greenkeeper time, on fuel and efforts to avoid play being interrupted.”

Installation and induction training was by Wiedenmann UK’s lead demonstrator, Andy Kerr and Mike Lindsay, Area Sales Manager, from local Scottish dealer. Fairways GM, at Kinross.

“It wasn’t a case of drop a machine at the gate and leave,” said Gary, “Andy cut the PTO shaft then he and Mike systematically showed us how to set every aspect to suit our course. It was as thorough a handover as I’ve known.  There are lots of moving parts but despite that, it’s easy to set up and easy to maintain.”

The next day, Gary took the immediate opportunity to do all 18 of his greens and the practice green before a combination of rising water tables, thick ice, and then lying snow, halted meaningful work across the course for over four long weeks.

“In that first run out we got a real good taste of what the Wiedenmann can do for us. Instantly it was quicker than what we had been used to, neater and smoother.

“The clean finish is such a benefit.  At the demonstration we found on our fairways, even with a moderate amount of heave, say 10°-15°, the GXi8 makes no disruption to the turf surface; Nor does a departing tine lift up the ground.  All disturbance is contained below the surface, just where you want it.  The surface is left stable with no requirement for extra rolling.

“However, after our initial run, the rest of January and February’s ground conditions were so poor we didn’t have the opportunity to do as much as we had hoped.

“Extra runs are planned for several choice areas. In a few places standing water has remained, so once these patches are fully dried out, we will revisit them with a decent set of tines. The beauty of the faster machine is that we nip out at times of our own choosing; targeting areas that need more work.

“Going forward we’ll be out probably every month from October through until March. I think we’ll always stay with 12 mm tines on our fairways.  For us, I don’t want golfers ever to ask for any preferred lies so I’ve politely declined any wider tines, happy with the 12 mm and with the 25 cm depth.

“I’ve also invested in the multi tine holders which take 5 mm pencil tines. After we come through the winter, I’ll play it by ear how often and where we’ll go with those. But it’s very pleasing to know we’re now equipped with the technology to keep ahead with our aeration needs and replicate best practices across the industry,” concluded Gary Nicoll.

Fairways GM’s, Mike Lindsay said: “The GXi8 HD ‘s fast speed is derived from its twin drive while its eight legs of tines are timed to hit the ground in pairs, which further enhances its smoothness and makes it kinder to turf. Advance Tine Control (ATC) allows precise tine entry into the ground, all tines exactly spaced, making a neat and clean job with surface disruption negligible. We were just so fortunate that Gary’s team got that one run in before the really bad weather took hold.”

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