Power restored following Storm Arwen

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Power restored following Storm Arwen: When Storm Arwen brought severe gale force winds to parts of the North East, several communities were left cut-off and without power.

One of those determined to help was Managing Director of Forest & Garden Ltd, Gregor McArthur, who responded to a request from their local MP for support in the supply of emergency generators. With the assistance of some industry contacts, and supply of alkylate petrol from Aspen Fuel, Gregor and his team were able to restore power to more than 50 properties.

Power restored following Storm Arwen

Power restored following Storm Arwen

Hexham-based Forest & Garden Ltd offer the sale, supply and servicing of a broad spectrum of two and four stroke machinery, for the landscaping, contracting and construction industries. “As soon as we saw the appeal we offered our services, and the response was a resounding ‘yes please!’” explains Gregor, who is supported by a team of five. “We contracted in some electrical engineers and sourced some additional generators, the vast majority of which would run on Aspen Fuel.”

“With generators sitting outside of residential properties, Aspen was the ideal partner for the refuelling programme. As it doesn’t contain all the hazardous hydrocarbons of traditional pump fuel, Aspen provided the power with significantly reduced levels of pollution and noxious fumes which was so important. It’s really accessible can sizes, with a bespoke filler cap, also meant it was safe, convenient and flexible for the residents to store and use.”

When not assisting in recovery efforts, Gregor and his team utilise Aspen Fuel in their workshop. “I’ve used Aspen personally in various blends and formulations for more than 20 years so have seen first-hand the benefits that it can bring to both the operator and the machine. We use Aspen 2 and Aspen 4 for most repair and service jobs we undertake and, where we can, will supply any new machines with Aspen Fuel.”

As an Alkylate petrol, Aspen is virtually free from benzene, sulphur and many other harmful hydrocarbons along with being ethanol-free, meaning Aspen maintains engine performance and preserves the life of component parts which can be susceptible to failure. Gregor concludes, “It’s always good to be able to demonstrate the benefits of Aspen to new audiences. In the recovery work for Storm Arwen, we must pass on a big thank you to the team at Anglo American Oil Company for ensuring we always had supply of Aspen where and when we needed it most.”

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New appointment announcement

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New appointment announcement: Following the decision of John Moverley to step down as Chairman from the end of June 2022, the Board of the Amenity Forum is very pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Corbett as its Executive Officer from 1st July 2022.

As part of a review of its structure, the intention is to appoint a Chairman of both the Forum and the Board as a separate post drawn from its own membership. This appointment will be announced shortly.

New appointment announcement

New appointment announcement

Whilst John is stepping down from his current role, certainly for the time being, he will provide some support for Peter in the interim particularly in terms of government affairs and Kate Hopkins will continue to provide full administrative support and have responsibilities for communications.

Peter Corbett is an independent consultant with much experience within the amenity sector and strong technical knowledge. He is very much looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Jim Croxton, a Forum Board member, said ’’We are delighted to welcome Peter. During the 13 years in which the Forum has operated under its current structure, much progress has been made and it has a recognised key role across the UK in promoting best practice in the management of amenity and sports spaces. Peter is the ideal person to now take matters forward and move us into the next phase of development at a crucial time of change for the sector’’

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Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland

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Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland: ISEKI UK & Ireland has announced the appointment of Andrew Donnachie as its new Regional Sales Manager covering the Northern England, Isle of Man, Scotland and the Island of Ireland.

Andrew has joined ISEKI UK with 10 years’ experience in the groundcare sector having previously worked for machinery dealer Thomas Sherriff & Co in Scotland.  He brings with himself a wealth of experience across all sectors within the groundcare industry.  Having started work in Engineering at Thomas Sherriff & Co for the first 6 years, Andrew has a high level of technical knowledge and experience. This was followed by the last 4 years working in commercial machinery sales covering groundcare customers from the Lothians up to Edinburgh.

Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland

Andrew Donnachie joins ISEKI Scotland

Andrew’s role at ISEKI will be to support the dealers in his area with advice and demonstrations, ensuring the customer purchases the best product for their needs so they can get the most from their ISEKI tractor or mower.

Commenting on the new role Andrew continued; “having been aware of ISEKI’s reputation for high quality, well-built machinery I am excited to be representing the company, I am looking forward to building good working relationships and helping the dealers with their customers.”

Managing Director of ISEKI UK, David Withers added; “I am delighted to have Andrew join us, the territory that he is taking over has seen huge growth over the last few years with sales in 2021 that were 75% higher than in 2017. We believe we can continue to grow at this rate and think Andrew will help drive this growth and get to our goal of doubling sales volumes within a 5 year period.”

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Toro deemed best again

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Toro deemed best again: The Roehampton Club in South West London has chosen, in an extensive and thorough look at the market, to continue its long-term relationship with Toro and distributor Reesink Turfcare with another five-year full-fleet exclusivity agreement.

The tender process started over two years ago as the venue, ranked as one of the top multi sports clubs in the country, trialled a wide range of machinery in all weather conditions.

Toro deemed best again

Toro deemed best again

Course and Grounds Manager Peter Bradburn explains the process: “Our long-standing relationship with Toro is an important factor in the process of choosing a machinery partner, but not a deciding one. What’s most important is that we get the best machines for all our turf-based facilities.

“We have a golf course, ten grass tennis courts, four croquet lawns and extensive gardens to consider in our decision-making, which is why it’s so important that we conduct rigorous trials and demos with a range of brands.

“The analysis took place over two years and included the summers of 2020 and 2021. This meant the decision was not pressurised and could involve the whole team. Fortuitously, this gave us one wet and one dry summer with the machines. The May, June and July of this year had more rainfall than the winter of the previous year, which is the total reverse of what you’d expect going into a summer, and to put the machines through their paces in such extreme conditions was a great test.”

Peter had numerous factors to consider: quality, adaptability, service expectations and price – and it wasn’t just his decision either, it included the opinions of the 20-strong grounds team too.

“Forefront in every decision we make is what is best for our members. Are we spending their money wisely and will they be pleased with the results? It’s also important to know if the fleet will deliver what is best for the team too. Lastly will CEO Marc Newey and the Board sign it off as best value for the club? So, it’s not just one person’s decision, yet it was a unanimous one – Toro was deemed the perfect choice for the maintenance of all our surfaces and for its superior functionality once more. And the deal all-in was best suited for us when it came to price and servicing support as well.”

When the new machinery arrives in early 2022, it will be a fleet to reflect the club’s environmental stance, says Peter: “We’re very conscious of climate change and are endeavouring to reduce our CO2 emissions.  With that in mind, new choices involved in this deal are the Greensmaster 3360 hybrid riding greensmowers, plus three electric STAR EV utility and people carriers from distributor Reesink. And there was no doubt that the Flex 1021 pedestrian mowers would be included again – they’ve been key to our greens conditioning and the close cutting of the Reelmaster 3575-D mowers have been involved in improving the fairways for years now.”

While it is a continuing relationship with Toro, rewarding high performing staff and introducing fresh talent is key to make the most of the new fleet. Peter explains: “In the autumn, we promoted David Howe to Head Greenkeeper to succeeed Ashley Allpress. David has proved himself as Ash’s understudy and Jamie Wright comes in as the new deputy head greenkeeper to support David and start the cycle again. Like most aspiring course managers, Jamie has done his journeyman training in the USA with an enviable year at Pebble Beach and his formative years at Sunningdale. The gardens team has been revitalised with the arrival of Sam Cumber, who was part of the crew who won Gold for Richmond-upon-Thames through the Britain in Bloom horticultural competition three years concurrently.”

All of these changes spearhead neatly in time for the Ladies’ Gold Challenge Cup. Returning after a COVID-enforced break, the event – which is older than the Masters – opens the Spring golfing calendar at the club, with tennis and croquet championships to follow.

Peter concludes by saying: “While it was not a foregone conclusion that Toro would be the machinery partner we committed to, the continuation of our history, even as personnel change, reflects a strong partnership between the two companies taking us to 15 years of working together.”

To talk to someone about how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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INFINICUT® mowers land in Latin America

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INFINICUT® mowers land in Latin America: Turf Managers Specialist (TMS) Grass have become the first sports turf contractors in Central South America to own a pair of 34” floating head mowers from INFINICUT®.

Having spent years travelling the world to discover the top tools and techniques for grounds maintenance, Owner Enio Cubillo began to see the INFINICUT’s at leading venues and decided that the sustainable credentials would be a perfect fit for their projects around Latin America.

INFINICUT® mowers land in Latin America

INFINICUT® mowers land in Latin America

TMS Grass began life seven years ago in Costa Rica and the team have since installed and maintained hybrid and natural surfaces in countries including Mexico and Guatemala. One of their most recent projects was to install a new pitch at Panama’s National Stadium, Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez. “We were responsible for all stages of the new hybrid surface at the stadium in Panama City from installation through to the ongoing maintenance” explains Enio. “We wanted to use the newest and best technologies in the market to do this and was the reason for the purchase of two INFINICUT’s from FLexGrass in May 2021.”

“The INFINICUT’s are very comfortable to use and being battery powered, bring multiple benefits to the operator and surrounding environment. We are increasingly finding that venues worldwide are looking for greener solutions so having two electric mowers is a great addition to the services we can offer. Since the stadium pitch was completed in July, the pair have been used on a daily basis, with everybody very impressed with the quality of cut and the definition of stripe we achieve.” Enio has also praised the versatility and the adjustable parameters on the INFINICUT®, particularly the adjustable bedknife angle which means it has delivered cut consistency on the Bermuda grass construction.

Together with National League and LPF training and fixtures, the Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez is also hosting five qualifier games for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “It’s important that we are delivering the best surface possible and the quality of finish with the INFINICUT® is unbeatable. As important as the machinery is the support package, and we have had nothing but excellent service from both FLexGrass and INFINICUT® with any technical help we need, no matter the time difference” he concludes.

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