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Makita UK Supports Operation Airlift Caribbean

October 20, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by Katrina Wallace

Makita UK Supports Operation Airlift Caribbean: Specialist disaster relief charity DART International UK, the response team of volunteer British arborists, has again deployed teams to the stricken Caribbean in the wake of Hurricane Irma which hit the region early in September. This, one of the most powerful and catastrophic Atlantic Ocean hurricanes recorded, has claimed many […]

MM50 Is ACE For Devonshire Park

October 20, 2017/in Press Release, Sport/by Lucy Nicholls

MM50 is ACE for Devonshire Park: Following a successful trial period, Danny Negus – head groundsman at Devonshire Park International Tennis Centre in Eastbourne, has decided to use Limagrain’s MM50 grass seed exclusively across all three of the sites he maintains. Danny has been working with sports turf throughout his whole career and after initially entering […]

Makita UK Supports Operation Airlift Caribbean

October 20, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by Katrina Wallace

MM50 Is ACE For Devonshire Park

October 20, 2017/in Press Release, Sport/by Lucy Nicholls

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Makita UK Supports Operation Airlift Caribbean

October 20, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by Katrina Wallace

This, one of the most powerful and catastrophic Atlantic Ocean hurricanes recorded, has claimed many lives, destroyed homes, schools and hospitals, and has accounted for mass evacuation in the face of life threatening wind impact. Just days later, Hurricane Maria followed the same path of destruction. Flying initially to Barbados, then directly on to mountainous Dominica, 90% destroyed, the DART team began a two-week mission to aid the relief campaign so urgently needed, with a second team following a fortnight later.

“Getting to the scene promptly is essential to assist with the clearing of fallen trees on roads and the repair of other vital infrastructure. This is an immediate priority which allows rescue organisations and aid agencies to operate more safely and effectively,” says Jenny Long, a volunteer and wife of a DART member.

“Local community leaders and volunteers really value the service our teams deliver, but more importantly they’ve demonstrated an appetite for learning the skills themselves. From previous deployments we learned that by delivering training and donating essential items such as chainsaws, timber milling equipment and personal protective equipment we could help rebuild livelihoods and make some of the most vulnerable communities in the world more resilient to future disasters. The situation in the Caribbean is exactly what we are trained to deal with.”

DART responders are all professionally qualified and experienced arborists who also bring a wealth of additional skills. Volunteers include paramedics, trainers, engineers and former military personnel offering skills that are very relevant to the complex challenges of helping communities to recover from a natural disaster.

Makita UK, a main sponsor of the charity, says: “DART personnel are fully equipped with Makita chainsaws that are robust enough to cope with the challenges they have to face during these critical times and wherever they are assisting in the world.”

Before DART return to the UK they will carry out a 4-day programme of chainsaw and clearance training for 18 members of the Dominican Fire Department using equipment donated by sponsors Makita UK and PPE by Fletcher Stewart Stein. Makita UK has agreed to DART’s request to donate the chainsaws to the local community when they leave Dominica.

During this training the fire fighters have experienced the assembly of saws, fuel mixing, safety features, work positioning, risk assessment, basic cross cutting, tension and compression, manual handling and first aid for arborists.

BBC’s The One Show, who sent a production crew to travel to Dominica with the second DART deployment, will be airing a series of reports featuring the charity’s work on the island during next week’s programmes.

For more information about DART International UK visit www.dartinternational.co.uk and to donate to the charity please visit their Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/dartinternationaluk/donate

For more news and product information about Makita UK please visit www.makitauk.com.

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MM50 Is ACE For Devonshire Park

October 20, 2017/in Press Release, Sport/by Lucy Nicholls

Danny has been working with sports turf throughout his whole career and after initially entering the industry as a greenkeeper, eleven years ago he got the opportunity to work within the sport he claims to love.

“I simply love tennis and I think it makes a difference. If you understand what the end use is, you can better perfect your craft. So when the opportunity came up to work at Devonshire Park – I just had to take it.”

Danny has now been the head groundsman at Devonshire Park for the last eighteen months and admits that he is always striving for perfection.

“As the sport of tennis is getting more demanding, players are putting so much into their diets, their mentality and their approach to everything. Therefore it is only fair that we provide a surface for them to play on to do the same. I was looking for a grass seed to beat the standard we were currently at and that is why I decided to embark on the trial work.”

Along with four other members of staff, Danny oversees the maintenance of not just the facilities at Devonshire Park but also the grass courts at the Meads Lawn Tennis Club and Moira House School – both of which are in Eastbourne. These various establishment offered Danny the perfect opportunity to put the seed to the test in three very different conditions – as he explains.

“I trialled Limagrain’s MM50 last year throughout the three sites which consists of approximately 27 courts. We did this because I wanted to see the reaction of the seed on different sites in different conditions. There are a lot of micro climates around here and it enabled us to see how the seed responded in a tournament situation, and also from a club and a professional use. The results I got back from the trials revealed to me that it was absolutely a no-brainer to continue to use MM50 across all three sites.”

Danny is just one of a number of groundsmen who has benefitted from using MM50 as it possesses exceptional shoot density along with tolerance to close mowing making it particularly suitable for grass tennis courts. Other key features include fast recovery from wear and damage and high disease resistance.

This superior mix contains the perennial ryegrass cultivars, Venice, Alison and Malibu, which are renowned for providing a great sward. MM50 is also treated with HEADSTART® GOLD – Limagrain’s unique seaweed based seed treatment which helps to ensure rapid and even germination. This tried and tested grass seed treatment helps the seed get off to the best possible start – therefore it is ideal to use in the less than favourable conditions that can sometimes be found on tennis courts during renovations.

“What impresses me with MM50, is that within three days we can actually start to see the germination process,” says Danny. “This is brilliant for us for when we have a short turnaround time of 15 days between tournaments.

“It has a recovery rate which I am really impressed with – every time that gets knocked the recovery is huge. The colour is fantastic and its reaction to light has been far superior compared to other grasses I have used. I think the blends are really good.

“Simply put, MM50 is the only seed that I use and will continue to use. That is throughout the season – in between the tournaments, any bits of minor renovation works such as baselines and for the main renovation works at the end of the season.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity

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Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Makita UK Supports Operation Airlift Caribbean

MM50 Is ACE For Devonshire Park

Makita UK Supports Operation Airlift Caribbean

MM50 Is ACE For Devonshire Park

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Makita UK Supports Operation Airlift Caribbean

MM50 Is ACE For Devonshire Park

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