Walking to Qatar

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Walking to Qatar: Fresh off completing his Million Steps Challenge, which saw him raise £12,075 for Shout – the UK’s first free 24/7 text support service for anyone struggling to cope – Cambridge United Stadium Manager Ian Darler B.E.M. is now taking things one ‘step’ further. 

Captured on video, Mark Bonner, Manager of Cambridge United, has set Darler the challenge of walking the equivalent distance from London to Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup – a staggering 3,229 miles or close to 8 million steps – with the aim of raising £50,000 for Shout. Visit Ian Darler’s fundraising page for more details.

Walking to Qatar

Walking to Qatar

Having personally experienced depression and PTSD, and after losing a friend to suicide, Darler is eager to continue raising awareness of mental health and money for Shout.

Ian Darler B.E.M. said: “After hitting rock bottom some years ago, I am now thankfully in a much better place and have come through one of the most challenging periods in my life. It is so important to discuss our mental health and to not allow each other to suffer in silence – like I did – which is why I now want to keep the conversation and the fundraising going.

“The statistics surrounding depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm and suicide are absolutely frightening. We still have such a long way to go, which is why I would implore everyone who can to play their part and make a donation. The Million Steps challenge was a real challenge, but also a very humbling experience and I expect nothing less this time around.”

Shout is the UK’s first and only free, 24/7, confidential text messaging mental health support service for anyone struggling to cope. To date, Shout has taken more than 1,000,000 conversations with 400,000 children, young people and adults who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support.

Victoria Hornby, CEO of charity Mental Health Innovations, which powers Shout 85258, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Ian for undertaking such an epic fundraising challenge for Shout by walking to the Qatar World Cup. We are currently taking 2,400 conversations every day with children and adults across the UK who are struggling to cope with suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness and much more. Every penny raised will enable us to take conversations that could save lives. Thank you Ian and good luck, I can’t wait to join you somewhere along the way!”

For more information about the fundraising challenge and to make a donation, visit Ian’s fundraising page.

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Fentons of Bourne’s 35th anniversary

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Fentons of Bourne’s 35th anniversary: Fentons of Bourne Ltd, the family-owned agricultural, estate and turf maintenance equipment supplier, is celebrating its 35th anniversary on 7 April with an Open Day at its head office in Kates Bridge near Bourne in Lincolnshire.

The event kicks off at 10:00 am and will feature working demonstrations from manufacturers including Avant, Becx, Etesia , Farmtrac, Husqvarna, Homburg, Iseki, Major and more. Food and refreshments will be provided and attendees are requested to RSVP by phone on 01788 560466 or email, fentons@fentonsofbourne.co.uk, by 31 March.

Fentons of Bourne's 35th anniversary

Fentons of Bourne’s 35th anniversary

Commenting on his company’s milestone, Glen Bellamy said,

“We are very proud that we have reached this milestone for the business. We have survived the precarious nature of various business cycles, the latest being the Covid pandemic, but we are still here and stronger than ever. I think our longevity is a combination of excellent customer service, the ability to adapt in a dynamic marketplace and a dedicated and loyal staff with unparalleled knowledge of the products we represent. We look forward to welcoming customers to Kates Bridge to help us celebrate on 7 April.”

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BIGGA and GEO Foundation team up at BTME

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BIGGA and GEO Foundation team up at BTME: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has teamed up with GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf to host a place for sports turf managers to meet and exchange ideas during March’s BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME).

GEO Foundation is an international not-for-profit, dedicated to helping inspire, support and reward credible sustainability and climate action across golf.

BIGGA and GEO Foundation team up at BTME

BIGGA and GEO Foundation team up at BTME

BTME takes place at the Harrogate Convention Centre from 22 to 24 March 2022 and during the event the GEO Foundation will be joined by a number of other partners to host the ‘Sustainability Lounge’, which will provide a dedicated space for attendees to find out more, get involved and join discussions about key sustainability issues with experts in their field.

In addition to its strategic support through partnerships with associations including BIGGA, the GEO Foundation assures the OnCourse programmes for grassroots golf facilities, new developments and tournaments, each of which can lead to the widely endorsed and externally recognised GEO Certified label.

During BTME, the Sustainability Lounge will be a gathering and meeting place and in addition to the team from GEO Foundation, experts from around the UK will often be on hand, including BIGGA’s very own sustainability champion, James Hutchinson.

James, who is Membership Services Manager for Ecology and Sustainability for BIGGA, said: “Of all the key topics up for discussion at BTME, among the most important will be the need for golf courses all over the world to adopt increasingly sustainable practices. With the changing availability of resources and rising costs, alongside an increasing awareness of the important role we can all play to protect the natural environment, golf has a massive part to play and I am excited that our colleagues at the GEO Foundation, and partners from other golfing bodies, will be joining us at BTME for what stands to be a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and discover new sustainable practices.”

The GEO Foundation will also be recognising Sustainable Golf Champions and will celebrate GEO Certified venues, with representatives invited to showcase what initiatives they have implemented at their golf facilities. There will also be prize draws for those who stop by to vote for a sustainability or climate action project shared by a fellow greenkeeper.

Kelli Jerome, Executive Director at GEO Foundation, added: “BTME is an important event in the golf industry calendar and the advocacy, education and engagement opportunities provided are important to golf’s sustainability progress. We are really excited about the space BIGGA has made available for the Sustainability Lounge and we’re looking forward to working closely with BIGGA and other UK golf associations to support and engage attendees – meeting, hearing views, answering questions and sharing inspiring stories from as many people as possible during the week.”

BTME is free to attend and registration and more information can be found on the BTME website, www.btme.org.uk

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Compact sprayer gets top praise

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Compact sprayer gets top praise: The demands from spraying contractors extend far beyond just reliability when it comes to their sprayers. Strength, durability, and flexibility are all factors that need to be considered for the operator to tackle a wide range of spraying situations.

UK compact sprayer manufacturer Martin Lishman Ltd has embraced industry changes and stringent customer requirements to drive the development of their sprayer range to the point where they now offer a whole plethora of options and sizes to cater for almost any situation.

Compact sprayer gets top praise

Compact sprayer gets top praise

Sam Vickers of SMV Contract Services LTD, Stamford, Lincolnshire covers all aspects of ground care maintenance. The spraying sector of the business covers agriculture, sports turf, and amenity sites across the UK. A continually growing list of clients meant it was time for him to expand his sprayer fleet.

For Sam the choice was easy – another Martin Lishman sprayer: “We bought our first Martin Lishman sprayer 4 years ago, a 400-litre model with a 6-metre boom, and it’s been superb! So much so, that we haven’t replaced but added to the fleet with a new 600 litre, 8m metre boom pro-specification version. The tractor mounted option suits our needs for transport and utilises the compact tractors we have. The new sprayer also joins a new Martin Lishman compact 70 litre quad bike sprayer with a 3 metre boom for smaller jobs.”

Combining amenity specification and flexibility with agricultural strength and durability has been the key design element of Martin Lishman compact sprayers since production began in the 1980’s. Designed and manufactured in England at their site in Bourne, Lincolnshire, specialist or bespoke requests can often be catered for. Their design allows considerable variation of models to meet the specialist needs of customers, with many looking to diversify into a wide range of spraying jobs.

“The need for a solid design for amenity work became clear very quickly” explains Gavin Lishman, Managing Director of Martin Lishman Ltd. “In the early days we designed our sprayers for use in agriculture; we had the experience and a strong foothold in the industry, so we knew what we were up against. The sprayers needed to be able to withstand the rigors of farm use and always work when needed. As the demand for small sprayers grew in the amenity market, we were ready to bring our tried and tested designs into the industry. We are starting to see more contractors like Sam cover both the agriculture and amenity sectors, and we believe that our sprayers are almost unique on the market in offering the range and versatility needed for this kind of work”.

The Martin Lishman compact sprayer range includes trailed, ATV mounted, demountable and self-propelled models with tank sizes ranging from 70 to 600 litres and boom widths from 1 metre to 8 metres. Sam’s new pro-spec tractor mounted sprayer consists of a 600-litre tank, PTO-driven pump, 8m pro-spec folding boom, 9m hose reel with hand lance, full electric controls, chemical induction hopper and bout marker.

“The sprayer is mainly used for liquid fertiliser and herbicide applications, our compact tractors run on auto steer GPS guidance to ensure total accuracy”, explains Sam. “The new sprayer has been very reliable, and full credit goes to your workshop team should I need any replacement nozzles, pipes or wearing parts. The service from Martin Lishman has been exemplary, and I look forward to many more years of business together as we expand.”

For spraying and other groundcare enquires, Sam of SMV Contract Services LTD can be contacted on info@smvcontractservices.co.uk or 01780 693 017. Follow Sam on Facebook (@smvcontractservices) to keep up with the latest jobs and developments.

For more information on Martin Lishman compact sprayers, visit their website at www.martinlishman.com. Sales enquires can be made directly to sales@martinlishman.com

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Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies

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Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies: Rob Lane, Head Groundsman at The Hawthorns stadium, recently decided that a Dennis G34D cylinder was the mower that would help him achieve that all important pitch-perfect-presentation.

Back in the seventies when Rob was stood in the stands watching his beloved West Bromwich Albion FC, little did he know that he would one day be responsible for looking after the pitch. Fast forward a decade and he was about to do exactly that.

Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies

Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies

“I wasn’t good enough to play the game, but I knew I wanted to be involved in football,” he said. “That was when I first thought about becoming a groundsman. So, I contacted all the football clubs in the area closest to me, and the only vacancy available was at my childhood club. I jumped at the chance. My whole family are West Brom fans, so it was a proud moment.”

Rob embarked on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) which included a day release where he studied Sports Turf at college. That was in 1988 and he has been at the club ever since.

The one-club man is committed to preparing the best pitch possible for the players, the staff, the fans, and of course his family, so Rob never cuts any corners. Therefore, when it came to finding a new mower to give the pitch that all important matchday cut, it was a decision he was not going to rush into.

“Our previous mower we had for presenting the pitch needed replacing and I looked long and hard at what was available,” he said. “I just couldn’t look past the Dennis G34D and that was based on our experience with the Dennis G860 cylinder mower – which is a machine we use a lot here. It is the same height; the same weight and we liked the thought of having two Dennis mowers for the pitch. It would be nice and uniformed.”

As Rob says, the Dennis G34D has been designed and built following the same concept as the popular Dennis G860 cylinder mower. Available in three different cutting sizes – 26”, 30” and 34” – the mowers incorporate a large-diameter eight bladed cutting cylinder to cater for a wide range of uses to leave a precision cut. The handlebar design makes manoeuvring easy and the wide adjustment makes it comfortable for all cutting heights.

Rob now uses the two mowers in conjunction with one another to prepare the pitch. While using cassettes such as the verticutter and the brush on the G860, he will save the G34D for matchdays.

“On a Friday before a game we will use the G34D to cut widthways and then on a Saturday morning we will cut lengthways,” he said.

“It provides a fantastic finish every time. We also like the fact that if it is a bit dewy or a bit wet then it doesn’t drop the grass clippings like our old machine used to. It also has a much bigger grass box to get more in and you don’t have to keep stopping to empty it.

“I’m very pleased – it is a superbly engineered mower.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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