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Tributes For Former Groundsman

July 15, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Tributes For Former Groundsman: Tributes have been paid to the former head groundsman of Bangor on Dee racecourse after he passed away on Wednesday, July 10 aged 82. John Malam, who will always be associated with the North Wales course, where he was affectionately known as Mr Bangor on Dee, was from the neighbouring village […]

Social Sensation Visits Ransomes

July 12, 2019/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Juliet Liddell

Social Sensation Visits Ransomes: After seeing Jimmy Broadhouse’s ‘Wembley pitch finish’ tweet, Ransomes Jacobsen invited ‘jimmythemower’ to their Ipswich factory to see how his famous Parkway 225 stripes were made. A little over two weeks ago Jimmy shot to social media fame when he posted a picture of a council pitch he cut in Bilbrook […]

Tributes For Former Groundsman

July 15, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Social Sensation Visits Ransomes

July 12, 2019/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Juliet Liddell

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Tributes For Former Groundsman

July 15, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Tributes For Former Groundsman: Tributes have been paid to the former head groundsman of Bangor on Dee racecourse after he passed away on Wednesday, July 10 aged 82.

John Malam, who will always be associated with the North Wales course, where he was affectionately known as Mr Bangor on Dee, was from the neighbouring village of Overton on Dee and began working at the track back in 1971.

The Leader’s horse racing reporter Arthur Shone said Mr Bangor on Dee never really went away after that first day, with the family name still going strong with both his sons now taking care of the track.

He said: “Horseracing was his life and Bangor on Dee racecourse was the centre of his world. In 1980 he was promoted to head groundsman following the retirement of Tom Osborne and continued in this full-time position until he retired in 1997.

In his final year as head groundsman the racecourse was awarded the Neil Wyatt Award for ground staff, an award I know that made him a very proud man and especially of his team, which he always referred to as ‘his lads’.”

Mr Malam was restless in retirement and continued to support his beloved Bangor on Dee racecourse and carried on for many years afterwards as stable manager and running the yard on race days, often in this role he would arrive first thing in the morning to have a coffee with his team.

Arthur Shone added: “I have known John Malam for over four decades as a friend and I always used to enjoy his company, he also used to build the fences at Aintree racecourse and on certain courses between the flags.

“In fact, he shared my passion for point to point racing and was very knowledgeable about the sport he loved, he used to describe the sport as real racing.

“I have so many happy memories of the man, one was at the now defunct Flagg Moor racecourse out in the wilds in the Peak District that used to have one meeting a year on Easter Tuesday, a racecourse that used to hold a members race over stone walls, with a spare change of clothes mandatory due to the adverse weather changes at the track.

“I arrived early at the meeting and met up with John who was about to walk the course in glorious sunshine, so I dug out my wellingtons and joined him half way around it rained of biblical proportions, when we got to the last hundred yards there was hail stones followed by a snow blizzard.

“John turned around to me said, “This is what point to point racing is all about” – I remember having to get my car towed off the racecourse at the end of the meeting, happy times.

“He will be sadly missed by his many friends in racing, which I was happy to be counted as one of them.”

The Malam family tradition continued when his eldest son Andrew became head groundsman at Bangor on Dee when his father retired in 1997, a position he still holds today and in 1991, Andrew’s brother Brian started as assistant groundsman to his brother and remains part of the team to this day.

Lifelong friend and racecourse manager Jeannie Chantler said: “His hard work and dedication are his legacy. Thank you, John, from all at Bangor on Dee racecourse.”

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Social Sensation Visits Ransomes

July 12, 2019/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Juliet Liddell

Social Sensation Visits Ransomes: After seeing Jimmy Broadhouse’s ‘Wembley pitch finish’ tweet, Ransomes Jacobsen invited ‘jimmythemower’ to their Ipswich factory to see how his famous Parkway 225 stripes were made.

A little over two weeks ago Jimmy shot to social media fame when he posted a picture of a council pitch he cut in Bilbrook with the message, ‘it might only be a council field next to the tip, but to the kids round here playing football it’s Wembley. So I always cut it like it is.’

Jimmy’s now famous stripes were cut with a Parkway 225, and he’s used Ransomes mowers since starting his business, Ditton Services, with a MK 4 Motor Triple that he fully restored for commercial use with his late dad, who was a retired engineer.

Before the factory tour and a chance to stripe the turf on Ipswich Town Football Club’s Portman Road pitch, Jimmy cut the Ransomes factory football pitch with the Parkway 3 Meteor before finding out the machine would be his for a year.

“I’m blown away by being invited down to Ransomes,” he said. “What an honour it is to be here and test drive a brand-new machine. I’ve been using Parkway’s since I can remember and they always provide me with an excellent finish on all the pitches that I cut, and to go down to Ransomes, have a tour of the factory, ride on a mower and then be presented with the keys and for them to say we can make one to spec is just unbelievable, it’s the stuff of dreams.

“I sat on this new one, and I’m blown away. I thought the one I was using was the best that you could get, but every improvement on this is there for a reason, it’s a fantastic machine. The adjustable steering wheel and armrest console are great, the flexibility and comfort of the seating position are excellent, and then there’s the fantastic cutting finish that we can see behind us on the pitch.

“I’ve had a fantastic day coming down to Ipswich, having a look round the factory and then to the football club. I walked across the pitch and had a look at the renovations for the coming season and stood in the middle of it and got to see what a fantastic job these guys do, I’m really, really chuffed to bits.”

Jimmy’s tweet has over 44k likes and has been seen more than 3m times on social media as well as his BBC Midlands video, which was trending number one on the BBC News website.

His tweet has struck a chord with groundsmen and the general public with an overwhelming number of positive comments and feedback coming Jimmy’s way. Ransomes’ sales manager, John Quinton, is one of the millions that have seen the tweet and was delighted to show Jimmy around the factory and hand over the keys to his new mower.

“We wanted to surprise Jimmy by loaning him a new machine for a year because he’s made a real difference to those he’s cutting pitches for and this is our way of recognising that. We’ll be in touch with him throughout the year to get his feedback on the mower and get his opinion on how it performs in the field. In peak times he’s cutting up to seven days a week for six to 12 hours, so he’ll really get to know the machine.

“He has a genuine enthusiasm for his job and the Ransomes mowers he uses, and I’m really pleased we’ve had the opportunity to bring him to the factory because he’s had a great time.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

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Tributes For Former Groundsman

Tributes For Former Groundsman

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Tributes For Former Groundsman

Tributes For Former Groundsman: Tributes have been paid to the former head groundsman of Bangor on Dee racecourse after he passed away on Wednesday, July 10 aged 82.

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