INFINICUT and UltraGroomer™ delivers quality courts

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INFINICUT and UltraGroomer™ delivers quality courts: Having seen them in action on the world-famous Wimbledon courts, The Lensbury Club in Middlesex are one of a growing list of clubs taking delivery of an INFINICUT® mower for use on their grass tennis courts.

Along with a set of UltraGroomer™ cassettes from the TMSystem™, Grounds and Gardens Manager Peter Craig says the improvements in the quality and appearance of the six courts hasn’t gone unnoticed by the club’s members.

INFINICUT and UltraGroomer™ delivers quality courts

INFINICUT and UltraGroomer™ delivers quality courts

Following an 18-year term at the Hurlingham Club – during which, he started looking into the INFINICUT® – Peter re-joined The Lensbury in 2018. “We started to see some famous venues using the INFINICUT® mowers and I was lucky enough to see them in action first-hand on the courts at Wimbledon which only further sparked my interest” he explains. “When I returned to The Lensbury, I organised for the team to have a demonstration and they loved it straight from the off”. They became the proud owners of a 22” Fixed Head INFINICUT® shortly after its launch at the end of 2018.

“It gives such a fantastic quality of cut and finish – the definition of stripe is excellent and the HOC and bedknife adjustment systems could not be simpler. The fact that it’s battery powered and therefore more environmentally friendly has always been a major plus-point for me; but even more so now, with the courts at The Lensbury located very close to a residential road. In the past, this meant we were unable to use machinery before 8am but, because the INFINICUT® is so quiet in operation, we can get out and mow at 7am. This means we effectively gain five additional working hours a week, where necessary.”

Recently, the club also purchased a set of UltraGroomer™ cassettes from the TMSystem™ range for early and in-season verti-cutting. “We’re running those in our Jacobsen GP400 triple to remove any lateral growth and clean the surface up. We’ll use these as soon as we start getting some consistent growth in April/May, then will aim to cover all of the courts once a month after that”. The UltraGroomer’s are also in use on the site’s ornamental lawns. “Improving these areas was one of my key goals when I returned, and these cassettes have contributed towards bringing the lawns up to the standards we’re achieving elsewhere.”

The grass courts are a major attraction at the Lensbury Club, with a strong membership regularly playing on them. “They’re over the moon with the condition of the courts. We’ve previously had some of the world’s leading players using the courts for tournament preparations and, while this isn’t currently the case, the quality of the courts are certainly good enough once again to host that level of play should they return.”

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Survey indicates golf’s mental wellbeing benefits

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Survey indicates golf’s mental wellbeing benefits: New members at golf clubs say stress relief has been an important reason to join during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahead of World Mental Health Day (October 10), a snapshot survey of 250 golfers in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, indicated that more than half (55%) of those who had joined a club in the past six months cited ‘mental wellbeing’ as their primary reason for joining.

Survey indicates golf’s mental wellbeing benefits

Survey indicates golf’s mental wellbeing benefits

Sporting challenge (50%), physical wellbeing (38%) and social wellbeing (31%) also proved important, while 12% indicated they joined to participate in club competitions.

The social media poll, conducted by Syngenta Golf, follows the publication of a multimedia article ‘The new value of golf’s green spaces’, highlighting the stress-relieving benefits of golf and golf courses.

In the article, environmental psychologist Prof Jenny Roe of the University of Virginia, explains, “Contact with nature slows down our stress response and induces calm.

“It is promoting stress resilience, it is improving our mood, it’s decreasing our risk of depression and increasing our social wellbeing, particularly on a golf course where you are interacting with other members of that community.”

Scientific research published in 2019 has also indicated spending at least two hours per week in nature is good for health and wellbeing.

Mark Birchmore, Syngenta Global Head of Marketing, Turf and Landscape, said: “This is a simple, snapshot survey with a small sample, but it gives an indication of some of the reasons people have joined golf clubs in recent months and suggests further research into golf and mental welling would be worthwhile.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted issues of stress in day-to-day life, the reality is that the experience of spending time in nature on a golf course has always been one of the sport’s key benefits – it’s just rarely communicated as a marketing message. But it is something clubs might consider as it could be an important factor in the value proposition for golf and club membership.”

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Cambridge groundsman awarded BEM

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Cambridge groundsman awarded BEM: Ian Darler has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2020.

The honour was given for his services to Cambridge United Football Club and his charity work, with the Cambridge Charity Fundraisers.

“I’m blown away. I feel really honoured, especially even more so in the current circumstances,” said Ian.

“Having so many friends who work within the NHS and understand what they’re going through at the present time, I think they are the sort of people you feel should be getting these awards.

“I think it has made it even more valuable to me to receive something like this during the current situation – I’m staggered.”

Ian has been groundsman at Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium for 42 years, and it is more than just a job as he has dug deep into his own pockets to help maintain the pitch and facilities at the ground when the club has hit hard times.

He was the youngest head groundsman in the Football League when first appointed to the role, and has gone on to also become the stadium manager and matchday safety officer – it is fair to say that he is part of the Abbey Stadium furniture.

Ian went through a difficult period in his life a couple of years back, but has used his experiences of mental health to now help others who may be in a similar situation.

He has catalogued all of this in the book about his time at Cambridge United, entitled Life’s A Pitch.

Ian’s charity work is less in the public spotlight than his role at United, but is arguably even more valuable, having launched the Cambridge Charity Fundraisers.

At his testimonial game against Ipswich to mark 25 years at the U’s, he made a pledge to do something for the community – donating a chunk of the money to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice.

When a request came in two years later from Each for a further donation, Darler put the idea to a group of friends, who would go fishing once a month on a Wednesday, to start Cambridge Charity Fundraisers, in 2007.

The group of anglers run fishing matches throughout the year, raising funds on behalf of a chosen charity.

An example of some of the work of Cambridge Charity Fundraisers was helping 11 families in the Abbey ward by donating all the meat, vegetables, gravy, Christmas puddings and crackers for their Christmas dinners last year.

During the pandemic, they donated 70 children’s activity gift sets to the Rampton Fairies, a small committee of women in the village of Rampton who usually raise money for Christmas lights and raise money throughout the year to grant wishes for residents, to distribute to youngsters in the village.

Among the beneficiaries of Cambridge Charity Fundraisers have been Fresh Water Projects, England Amputees football team, Hinchingbrooke Special Care Baby Unit, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, Cancer Research UK, Magpas, Copars – helping children with cancer, The Road Victims’ Trust, Tom’s Trust and Arthur Rank Hospice.

He has been known to mow a poppy in the pitch design for Remembrance Sunday, a Christmas tree with baubles, then the Mind logo to show the club’s support for mental health by the side of the playing surface and, during lockdown, a thank you message to the NHS.

He has also won numerous awards at local and national level.

Ian admits that when he first received the call about the honour, he thought it was a joke.

“My first words were ‘who has put you up to this?’,” he said.

“Going back over the years with people like Chris Turner, Malcolm Webster and all the wind-up merchants in the football world, and the people I go fishing with, you just don’t take anything on face value when you’ve been stitched up as many times as I have.”

He added: “I’ve been fortunate enough to have a great time in the football world. For somebody who wanted to be a footballer but failed, to end up having the journey I have had is amazing.

“I’m totally gobsmacked that something like this has come my way. I just really hope it might be beneficial moving forward for what I try to do within the community – with the Cambridge Charity Fundraisers we try to make life better for other people.”

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Bayer ES appoints new digital marketing specialist

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Bayer ES appoints new digital marketing specialist: Bayer Environmental Science has appointed a new digital marketing specialist to support the business as they move towards more digital offerings.

Formerly working for a Cambridge-based B2B marketing agency, Freddie Bendall-Brown has an extensive background in digital marketing and experience of building digital and brand strategies.

Bayer ES appoints new digital marketing specialist

Bayer ES appoints new digital marketing specialist

“I’ve worked in digital marketing for many years with expertise in several areas from social media to website development,” says Freddie.

“My previous roles have allowed me to gain experience with a wide range of audiences and has given me valuable background in the digital sphere,” he explains.

The new appointment coincides with the roll out of Bayer’s new Digital Pest Management system. This new service has been developed to help revolutionise large scale pest control.

“It’s exciting to work for a company that wants to make a positive impact, invest in innovation and that’s driven to keep moving the turf and pest control sectors forward,” says Freddie.

“The sector is incredibly active on digital platforms, especially social media, which highlights significant opportunities for the company. I’m keen to engage with the industry and with those working at operational level to help stimulate a two-way dialogue and showcase the breadth of Bayer’s expertise.

“I’m looking forward to working with the team at Bayer to introduce a greater range of digital offerings,” adds Freddie.

Alan Morris, Bayer head of environmental science, says the team are thrilled to have Freddie on board.

“Freddie’s expertise in digital marketing will support the delivery of Bayer’s high-quality solutions to customers and will be invaluable in the future with our continued commitment to develop new innovative solutions,” concludes Alan.

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World War I programme protects green spaces

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World War I programme protects green spaces: A new report from environment charity Fields in Trust identifies 232 green spaces across the UK, totalling more than 660 hectares, which have been legally protected  as part of the Centenary Fields, World War I anniversary programme, delivered in partnership with The Royal British Legion.

The report, presented as an online story map,  (at www.fieldsintrust.org/centenary-fields) reveals that the Centenary Fields programme has protected a total of 232 parks, memorial gardens, woodlands and other green spaces with a link to the Great War. From Cardiff to Shetland and Antrim to Kent, these precious green spaces are now legally protected forever, ensuring they will always remain as places of remembrance to the generation who served and sacrificed. Nearly 1.37 million people across the UK now live within a ten-minute walk of a space protected forever as part of the Centenary Fields programme; spaces now secured forever for play, relaxation and the enjoyment of nature.

World War I programme protects green spaces

World War I programme protects green spaces

Centenary Fields was launched in July 2014 at Coventry’s War Memorial Park by Fields in Trust President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge where he said: “ Each moment of play or leisure that takes place on a Memorial Field is, in a way, an act of remembrance. I am delighted that Fields in Trust have identified these Centenary Fields as a vital part of our national heritage and well-being, which we cannot take for granted.” Two years later, in November 2016, The Duke marked the mid-point of the centenary commemorations by unveiling the plaque at Kensington Memorial Park in west London. Once legal deeds had been completed the final Centenary Fields were protected in 2020 as the programme drew to a close with 232 spaces now secured forever.

Fields in Trust partnered with the nation’s largest armed forces charity, The Royal British Legion, to deliver Centenary Fields. The programme joined a wide range of commemorative activities and events which took place across the UK between 2014 and 2018, led by The Royal British Legion, and its impact will continue in perpetuity.

Fields in Trust Head of Programmes, Angela Lewis, said: “This report not only details the green spaces secured forever in our national programme to commemorate the centenary of World War I but also sets out how communities across the UK engaged with the anniversary of the War. Through the coronavirus pandemic we’ve realised just how valuable parks and green spaces are to our health and wellbeing, yet across the UK only 6% of parks are protected and access to them is not equitable. So were delighted that these spaces are now protected, not only commemorating the sacrifices of those who gave their lives during the conflict, but also guaranteeing that future generations have valuable places to enjoy as a living legacy.”

Across the UK local authorities, town, parish and community councils, along with sports clubs and other landowners all dedicated green spaces as part of the anniversary. The legacy from the Centenary Fields programme is a network of protected parks and green spaces in which people will always have somewhere to run, play, share a picnic or just take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice made by the World War I generation, to whom is owed so much.

In the period until Remembrance Day on 11th November Fields in Trust will be sharing stories of the protected spaces. The full report is available to explore online at www.fieldsintrust.org/centenary-fields including an interactive map so you can find protected spaces close to home.

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