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Fleet paint VE Day rainbow

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Fleet paint VE Day rainbow: About 4 weeks ago, we were asked by Julie Wills, the Head Teacher of Upton Upon Severn Primary School, if we could paint a large rainbow on their playing field in support of all the Key Workers. We of course said “Yes, it’ll be a pleasure!”.  So my colleague, Chris Bridges, and I set about creating a beautiful rainbow on their playing field.

The end result was amazing and was reported by BBC Hereford & Worcester and appeared on BBC Midlands Today TV at tea time.

Fleet paint VE Day rainbow

Fleet paint VE Day rainbow

A couple of weeks later, Malvern Community Hospital asked if we could paint another outside the reception of the Hospital, on grass. So again Chris and I set about creating a smaller rainbow outside the Hospital. This is still bringing smiles to the faces of staff as they enter and leave the hospital.

Whilst being interviewed by Justyn Surrall of BBC Hereford & Worcester after the second rainbow, Justyn jokingly said to me “maybe we’ll have a competition to see who can do the biggest rainbow”. This stuck in my mind for a couple of weeks. I then called Malvern Rugby Club to check they would be ok with us (Fleet) painting a rainbow, the full length of the 1st XV PITCH from try line to try line …. 100 metres in length! The Club were extremely excited about the whole idea.

This rainbow needed to be different to the other two, which it certainly would be due to its size! My colleague Chris reminded me about VE DAY on the 08th May, so with this is mind, we thought we’d make it a tribute to all the Key Workers as well as remembering VE DAY.  The end result has been particularly well received. It has made the National News channels, as well as Regional News. It has appeared as far afield as New Zealand on their National News as well as many countries across Europe. As well as being 100 metres from one end to the other, below the net arc of the rainbow, we painted the VE DAY logo set on top of a Union Jack Flag. Our MAQA GNSS system was used to plot the Flag, our BeamRider Laser System was used for the VE DAY logo and it was back to basics using a tape measure and straight edges to do the lettering etc. The 7 & 5 on the VE DAY logo were 6 metres in height, the VE DAY letters were 4 metres high and the rest of the text at about 1.3 metres. Each colour of the rainbow was 2.5 metres in width. If you walked around  the red arc of the rainbow, the distance would be around 157 metres!  It took about 2.5/3 days for Chris, Ali S, Adam and myself to get this “small project“ painted in ( plus I roped in my son for half a day and Ali M who flew the drone for videos and pics was roped in for a few hours as well! All socially distancing of course) A massive thanks and pat on the back to everyone involved.

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Green set on fire by vandals

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Green set on fire by vandals: A golf club has been left in dismay after being the victim of “pure vandalism” in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown.

Thousands of pounds of damage was caused to various elements of the course at Knighton Heath Golf Club in Bournemouth.

The spate of damage across the 90-acre site, which sits beside Canford Heath, included areas on two greens being set alight.

Various tee signs, 150-yard markers, ball washers and trees were also destroyed, broken, uprooted or stolen by vandals.

Reunert Bauser, Knighton Heath Golf Club general manager, told the Daily Echo: “We have a couple of groups of members who patrol our course.

“They left on the Friday evening at 8pm and all the signs were fine. When we arrived the next morning six of the signs had been damaged beyond repair.

“It was just pure vandalism that happened and it is depressing.

“We also had two of the greens targeted by someone who poured a flammable substance over them and set them alight.

“The signs had been up for around five years and nothing had ever happened to them before. It took us a long time and a big cost to put them up in the first place. They cost around £600 each.”

During the coronavirus lockdown, the club has had to manage its resources carefully. As of yesterday the site had reopened following the slight easing of lockdown restrictions imposed by the government.

Mr Bauser said the vandalism had created an additional financial burden and an unexpected cost to address.

“The greenkeeper was not happy,” he added. “Greens cost a lot of money to put in and manage.

“You have people trying to set the greens alight and you are left with no idea why they are doing this.

“It is disheartening for the greenkeeper as he puts a lot of work into the course. It is taking shape and it is one of the better courses around at the moment.

“To fix the greens will mostly take time.”

The golf club has reported the damage to Dorset Police and officers are investigating.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “We received a report at 6.05pm on Saturday 2 May 2020 of criminal damage at the Knighton Heath Golf Club.

“It was reported that the damage had been caused sometime between 3pm on Friday, May 1, and 11am on Saturday. May 2, with posts and yard markers ripped out of the ground. Enquiries have been carried out into the incident but no arrests have been made.”

Anyone with information relating to the vandalism, should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 55200062020.

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New irrigation controller from Rain Bird

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New irrigation controller from Rain Bird: Rain Bird has introduced the new smart ESP- LXIVM two wire irrigation controller with a smart solenoid Integrated Valve Module (IVM).

This innovation represents a major step forward in landscape and sports turf irrigation control through real-time communication and providing the user with immediate feedback and diagnostics as well as highly reliabile, closely controlled irrigation.

New irrigation controller from Rain Bird

New irrigation controller from Rain Bird

Installers and their customers can take advantage of ESP-LXIVM’s powerful features including the fact that the controller and the irrigation valve speak the same language. It can be used for a spectrum of irrigation control application from landscaped housing developments, schools and sports training grounds to public parks and larger industrial or commercial sites.The Standard version has a 60 station capability whilst the Pro offers 240 stations which can be split across 10 flow zones.16 stations can be run simultaneously and up to 40 irrigation programs can be set.

With the integrated IVM-SOL control station the need for a decoder is eliminated and 50% fewer connectors are required in the field. This means simplified installation, saving time and money, as well as lowering future maintenance requirements and potential field repairs.

The ESP- LXIVM can communicate wirelessly and be used in conjunction with the Rain Bird’s IQ Platform, including the new IQ4 100% browser based irrigation management system. This gives users convenient remote internet control from a smartphone, tablet or desktop PC. The controller’s display panel has a simple user interface with a large backlit screen, an easy to operate programming dial and additional buttons for extra functions. In conjunction with the real-time diagnostics feature, users can access historical electrical data and other operational information through the screen and react quickly to any potential problems in the field.

The controller’s IVM-SEN interface allows real-time flow management tools such as Rain Bird’s FloWatch and FlowManager to be employed and guard against high or low flow conditions. Water can also be conserved and total watering times reduced by interfacing with weather sensors.

For more information, contact Peter Longman, Northern Landscape Area Manager, Rain Bird Europe. plongman@rainbird.eu  www.rainbird.eu

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Headland help to level the playing field

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Headland help to level the playing field: The 14 hectares of natural sports surfaces at Dauntsey’s School in Devizes are a tale of two halves. The main playing fields are located on a natural greensand belt, creating an acidic soil profile with a pH level below six.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the site is on a relatively heavy clay loam with pH levels above seven. Trying to level the field is Head Groundsman Dale Gleed who, together with Headland Amenity, has formulated a programme to optimise plant health and unlock the potential for better growth.

Headland help to level the playing field

Headland help to level the playing field

When Dale joined the school in October 2017, it quickly became evident that the sports facilities were formed on two different soil types, but this was further highlighted during the drought of summer 2018. “This illustrated the stark contrast in growing conditions with the greensand side supporting strong, but not sustained, growth and the other areas which were very hard and dry, were virtually dead” he explains. “Adi Masters of Headland Amenity conducted some soil analysis and we constructed a programme around raising pH levels on the greensand areas to better support the establishment and growth of ryegrass.”

Dale has been applying CalciComplex® organic soil amendment twice a year, once in the spring and again in the autumn. Through the inclusion of dolomitic limestone, CalciComplex® can gently raise soil pH and provide additional nutrients in acidic profiles. “We used CalciComplex® on around 4.5 hectares of the turf and with regular testing we have begun to see an incremental increase in the pH level. This, in turn, is unlocking further nutrients in the soil to increase the viability of Ryegrass in the surface which is hugely important to cope with the wear demands of the winter sports they host.”

“On the other areas we’ve been using Multigreen®, either the 15-0-22 or 28-3-15 formulations, again applied in the spring and autumn. The great thing with this is, because it has a ‘temperature-only’ controlled release, we can apply it as early as the February half term and not have to be restricted to tight application windows around school fixtures because that’s when the conditions allow. This has delivered fantastic improvements in the plant strength, sward density and overall appearance of some of the pitches – particularly our cricket outfields.”

Dale concludes, “For other areas of our maintenance programme to work, particularly overseeding, getting the soil profiles right is crucial. It’s unlikely that we’ll ever get the pH levels to balance but with Headland’s support, the right products and regular analysis we know we’re going in the right direction and are beginning to reap the rewards of that.”

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BASIS launches new online learning platform

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BASIS launches new online learning platform: BASIS has launched a new digital learning platform – the BASIS Classroom – that supports members in advancing their professional development from home.

Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, explains that the BASIS Classroom is a free ‘members only’ platform that contains a selection of voluntary digital training sessions on an array of subjects surrounding crop production, turf management and environmental protection.

BASIS launches new online learning platform

BASIS launches new online learning platform

“Members can log-in to the platform and will be presented with a choice of topics applicable to their qualification. Once selected, members will be taken through to an online exercise that may include presentations, videos or even a quiz,” he says.

“The software is designed, so that exercises cannot be skipped, which ensures the appropriate amount and quality of training is delivered and CPD points are rewarded accordingly at the end of the session.

“It’s also worth noting that the courses will be available online for a year after first posting, so members can participate at a convenient time,” says Stephen.

The training will be put together by companies that want to share knowledge with members, but no longer have events as a platform to do so. The first two companies to submit a session were Origin Fertilisers and Certis and these are now live online.

Mandy McAulay, Origin Fertilisers marketing manager, explains that the company already has a strong digital focus, so BASIS’ new offering really complements the business.

“Our training session focuses on reducing ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions through appropriate fertiliser choice. It consists of an animated presentation with a voiceover, followed by a series of questions at the end,” she says.

“We’re always looking to broaden our advisory outreach, so the BASIS Classroom gives us the ideal platform to reach out to and educate members. This is especially important during a time when we’re unable to run ‘merchant meetings’ that are normally accredited by BASIS.”

Keeping in with the theme of environmental consideration, Kate Downes, Certis marketing communications officer, adds that their Classroom session focuses on the importance of using an integrated approach to slug control.

“We’ve prepared multimedia content, including a presentation with voiceover and videos to keep it engaging, informative and interesting. This way we hope we’ll be able to stay connected with our audience, without physically meeting with them,” she says.

“The BASIS Classroom is a great initiative, as it gives members the opportunity to continue to stay up-to-date with their CPD, but also gives us a great outreach platform that’s easily accessible to both providers and members.”

Members that want to participate in the BASIS Classroom training sessions can do so by visiting https://basis.vbms-training.co.uk/ using the login details and password emailed to you by the BASIS team.

For further information or queries, please contact help@basis-reg.co.uk or 01335 343945.

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