Rigby Taylor’s Amenity Supplies Deal

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Rigby Taylor’s Amenity Supplies Deal: Clive Liddiard is a grounds professional who knows what he wants, when he wants it and what he wants it for! It’s a vision that has underpinned his illustrious career, first as a greenkeeper and, more recently, as a groundsman – which has included winning an IOG Industry Award.

And it is a strategy that he is now successfully applying at Framlingham College in Suffolk.

Rigby Taylor's Amenity Supplies Deal

His expert outlook explains why he has signed a three-year preferred supplier deal with Rigby Taylor for all the amenity supplies, including line-marking machines and paints and aerosols, that he and his team of eight groundsmen will need to improve and maintain the standards of the college’s rugby, football and cricket pitches, as well as tennis courts.

The agreement – which he affirms “will bring the sports fields and horticultural areas up to scratch and consistently playable and well-presented” at the college’s two sites (the main college campus and the nearby junior school) is, he says, a win-win situation.

Clive, who in January 2018 was appointed head of grounds at the independent school’s sprawling 108-acre Suffolk site which accommodates pupils aged three to eighteen, adds: “Rigby Taylor get a firm, long-term contract for a set of products and I get all the best products at the best possible price – along with superb and reliable back-up from Rigby Taylor’s technical sales representative, Mark Keysell!”

Clive’s shopping list includes the R9 and R5 seeds (100% ultra-fine rye and 100% fescue blend, respectively), Crossbar selective herbicide and Chikara contact/residual herbicide, as well as Gallup Biograde Amenity foliar-applied herbicide and the Qualgex surface biocide, plus two iGo Advance and an iGo Mini Exclusive line-markers and Impact line-marking paint along with a variety of loams and dressings.

Speaking at an ‘Innovation, Education and Demonstration’ event of Rigby Taylor’s line-marking products at the college – which included GPS line-marking and the award-winning Impact paint technology – Clive commented:

“I haven’t got an enormous budget, but I wanted the best array of products possible to create the ‘perfect picture’ for an outstanding college estate that was founded in 1864 in memory of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Consort.

“It embraces a Victorian school building and a lake, and it overlooks a 12th century castle. We also have a range of sports fields including 17 grass tennis courts and two astro turf pitches (both floodlit).

“The use of these products will not only improve the facilities but, in turn, will also enhance the work of the grounds team. They are a very experienced group and they know what to do and when to do it, but there’s no doubt that with Rigby Taylor’s help we will all see further improvements in the results of our efforts.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Wildflower Project Makes The Grade

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Wildflower Project Makes The Grade: Brunel House in Bristol has recently undergone an ecologically friendly landscaping project, with urban biodiversity at the forefront of the project.

Formally offices and now a new Unite Students property, Brunel House in Bristol will house 246 students who will enjoy a landscape that offers an urban habitat for insects, bats, swifts and other wildlife.

Wildflower Project Makes The Grade

Key to the central landscaping design of this new development is the incorporation of a wildflower meadow, supplied by Wildflower Turf Ltd at the request of construction specialists the RG Group.

Following the RG Group’s winning submission at the 2017 CIRIA BIG Biodiversity Challenge Awards, award sponsors Wildflower Turf Ltd were contacted by Sustainability Consultant Colorado Goldwyn with a view of utilising the RG Group’s prize to enhance the Brunel House project.

As well as donating 200m² of Wildflower Turf Landscape Turf, the Hampshire-based wildflower experts also assisted the project with specialist consultancy, recommended and supplied additional turf to meet the project’s requirements, and provided Accredited Partner training to the project team.

Colorado Goldwyn of EQ Consultancy said, “The combination of Wildflower Turf Landscape Turf and Species Rich Lawn Turf has pulled the landscaping scheme together beautifully and allowed for a flow of biodiversity throughout the differing levels of the landscape design.”

The wildflower-led landscaping initiative has focussed on assisting rare invertebrates such as the rare Carrot Mining Bee and Small Blue Butterfly. Additionally, and in collaboration with the RSPB, a number of other recommended ecological initiatives were also defined and adopted as part of the landscaping design.

Wildflower Project Makes The Grade

As well as providing an aesthetically pleasing landscape for the incoming student population, local wildlife habitats have been protected, with the project on track to receive an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating.

James Hewetson-Brown, Managing Director at Wildflower Turf Ltd said “The ecological prosperity that a wildflower meadow can bring cannot be understated, and urban biodiversity projects such as this stretch widely to encompass both social and health benefits.”

Hewetson-Brown continued, “It is anticipated that the local student population will benefit, not only from the beautifully landscaped areas that will promote wellbeing and social interaction, but by gaining a sense of responsibility as they become interested in, and involved with, the protection of local wildlife.”

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New H&S Guidelines May Save Lives

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New H&S Guidelines May Save Lives: An updated set of health and safety guidelines aimed at turf professionals ‘could save lives’ in the wake of a major review.

The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has launched a free-to-use web-based platform created by the Xact Group that aims to ensure golf club employers un­derstand their roles and responsibilities towards health and safety with regard to golf course maintenance.

New H&S Guidelines May Save Lives

In 2017, the GTC’s Board of Directors commissioned a review of the highly-acclaimed Health and Safety Guidance Notes and the committee is pleased to announce the release of the updated guidelines.

The GTC first worked together with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 1994 to produce the first edition of the Health and Safety in Golf Course Management and Maintenance booklet. By 2000, the health and safety consultants to the GTC, Jon Allbutt and John Davies, were commissioned to review the materials, in line with the many changes in legislation that were happening at that time.

While much of the guidance and best practice was still relevant, the GTC felt it appropriate to review and update and refresh the look and accessibility of the guidance notes.

The GTC consulted with Chris Hammond, health and safety director at The Xact Group, to build on what has been produced before and help to design and implement a web-based platform. The Xact Group work with BIGGA, England Golf, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf in the build and support of their health and safety online systems and provision of additional onsite health and safety and human resources services to member clubs.

GTC Chairman Alistair Booth said: “The aim of the newly-published guidance notes has been to give anyone at a golf club, or associated with a golf club, an overview of their roles and responsibilities towards health and safety and best practice. They have been moved to a web-based platform, making them easier for everyone to access.

“With increasingly-complex machinery and other tools being used on golf courses, these guidelines are hugely important in ensuring all involved in the management of a golf club understand their specific responsibility in keeping staff and golfers safe. As such, if these new guidelines are followed correctly, they could save lives or at least reduce the risk of serious incidents taking place around the golf course environment.”

The web-based platform is packed full of information and guidance on all aspects of golf course management and maintenance, covering areas such as: roles and responsibilities; legislation; greenkeeping safety; events; clubhouse management; establishing a health and safety management system.

The new website can be accessed by visiting the GTC’s website and clicking on the Health & Safety link. Visitors who require further guidance, such as risk assessments and template documentation, can consult their relevant full guidance Health & Safety website, such as BIGGA, England Golf, Scottish Golf or Wales Golf.

The GTC Work Equipment – Record of Training and Competencies wallchart has been a feature in greenkeeping facilities for a number of years. The wallchart is used to aid with the recording of staff training and competence and will continue to be a useful tool. The wallchart can be purchased from the GTC shop online.

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Valladolid Pitch Investigated

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Valladolid Pitch Investigated: An investigation has been opened by La Liga into Real Valladolid’s pitch following their defeat by Barcelona on Saturday, which has been described as “deplorable”.

Players had to replace clumps of turf that became dislodged during the Spanish champions’ 1-0 win at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla.

The pitch was relaid on Tuesday and began to tear up early in the game.

“There were areas that seemed more like a beach,” said Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets.

“It’s incredible that no-one from La Liga felt they should come and check the grass. You can’t play on that.”

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said: “It was deplorable.

“I hope those in charge get their house in order and fix this, because it was lamentable.”

La Liga issued a statement after the game to confirm it is investigating why the pitch “did not meet the minimum conditions demanded by the competition”.

Real Valladolid are playing in La Liga for the first time since 2013-14 after winning promotion via the play-offs last season.

Manager Sergio Gonzalez said the club had done “everything they could” to get the pitch ready.

“We were the last team to get promoted and we’ve had issues getting the pitch ready on time,” he said.

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Kubota’s Perfect Match

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Kubota’s Perfect Match: Boasting over 2000 pitches for touring, holiday and residential mobile homes across seven separate sites throughout the UK, Partingtons Holiday Parks is a nationwide leisure company that has firmly established itself as a popular household name, and is next year celebrating its 75th anniversary.

The successful business is overseen by the 4th generation of the Partington family. Robert Partington Kearsley and his sister Andrea Challis run the business and employ over 250 individuals as part of their ‘family first’ approach.

Kubota's Perfect Match

With six Visit England accredited holiday sites and one residential site in the Partingtons portfolio, it’s imperative that each park is kept in the best condition possible to ensure visitors continue to return year after year. This is a challenge Robert and Andrea’s grounds maintenance teams face on a daily basis and easily achieve through their longstanding relationship with high quality suppliers, working closely with Kubota and local dealer Dennis Barnfield over the last 15 years.

Currently boasting a 25 strong Kubota fleet, maintenance of the various sites is headed up by each individual park manager and their dedicated grounds maintenance teams.

Speaking of the partnership, Robert said: “With seven different parks to contend with, it’s vital that our grounds maintenance is consistent across the board to ensure we achieve the highest standard at every park. The service we receive from Dennis Barnfield and the varying models of quality Kubota machinery they provide, ensures each of the sites are kept in premium condition.”

From transporting seven tonne caravans across the park to mowing and mulching of the lawns, Kubota machinery plays an essential role in the running of the sites. The parks have been home to a multitude of machines over the years, with its current fleet including a number of G Series high dump mowers and F Series ride on mowers for regular grass cutting.

For the more heavy duty site work, two L Series compact utility tractors, four larger scale M6040 tractors and two L3200 tractors are used to help the maintenance teams move the holiday homes and complete essential upkeep. With such substantial loads to transport across the parks, the high performance tractors are the perfect solution for the task, safely and carefully helping the team to transport the caravans around the site.

The sites are also home to five recently acquired RTV-X1140’s. Robert continued: “We recently purchased the new RTVs because the option to have an additional two seats in the back or a larger cargo bed is useful for the team when transporting equipment around the vast sites. The RTV-X900 we previously purchased was so robust and resilient that I knew we needed more Kubota RTVs to help the maintenance team complete their tasks easier and quicker.

“Past generations of the Partington family has used Kubota machinery for decades based on the quality and reliability of the brand, as well as its first class aftersales services. Our confidence in the performance of the machines means that Andrea and I have one less thing to worry about as we know the maintenance of the sites will continue to run like clockwork.”

For more information on Kubota and its range of solutions for the groundcare sector, visit www.kubota.co.uk/groundcare or call 01844 268 000.

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