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Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect

May 30, 2025/in Events, News, Press Release/by Admin

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has announced the expert speaker line-up for its upcoming regional event, GMA Connect, taking place at Durham County Cricket Club on Wednesday 18 June. Building on the success of GMA Connect in Bristol earlier this month, the Durham event promises another engaging and informative […]

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools

May 30, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools: Groundtel Ltd is a family-run business with a proud reputation for precision, reliability and service. With over 150 schools on its books, the company has become one of the region’s leading grounds maintenance providers. At the heart of operations is Danny Perkins, Contracts Manager and member of […]

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect

May 30, 2025/in Events, News, Press Release/by Admin

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools

May 30, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect

May 30, 2025/in Events, News, Press Release/by Admin

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has announced the expert speaker line-up for its upcoming regional event, GMA Connect, taking place at Durham County Cricket Club on Wednesday 18 June.

Building on the success of GMA Connect in Bristol earlier this month, the Durham event promises another engaging and informative day for grounds professionals. The Bristol event received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with attendees praising the quality and relevance of the seminar programme.

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect

One attendee said: “Alex Vickers was superb and had great presentation and interaction skills.” Many cited the seminars as their primary reason for attending, reinforcing the value of these regional gatherings.

GMA Connect is designed to bring the grounds management community together at a local level, offering a full day of expert-led seminars, live demonstrations and networking opportunities.

The Durham programme features a strong line-up of speakers and sessions, including:

Mark Hunt, renowned weather expert, presenting Turf Management in the Current Climate, with practical advice on interpreting forecasts and managing the effects of changing weather patterns.
Alex Vickers, returning by popular demand, leading Reading Your Soil, an interactive workshop on soil profiles and compaction identification.
Vic Demain, Head Groundsman at Durham CCC, hosting What’s in Your Shed?, a behind-the-scenes look at the professional equipment used to maintain elite playing surfaces.
A panel discussion on Dealing with Climate Change Challenges at Professional Venues, featuring Vic Demain, Alex Vickers and Aaron Tong from Hull City’s MKM Stadium.
Ian Mather-Brewster from the GMA, delivering Carrying Out a Surface Assessment, followed by a joint session with Chris Hunter on Using a Playing Surface Assessment to Upgrade Your Facility.

Commenting at GMA Connect Bristol earlier in May, Victoria Jones, Facilities and Investment Manager at Cricket Wales, said: “GMA Connect has been a great success – there’s been such an opportunity to network across the industry from grounds managers to professionals from the GMA – but also experts from the commercial sector, it’s been great to network with these people. Through networking and educational opportunities, it’s how we improve ground quality and performance.”

GMA Connect Durham is set to be another must-attend event for the grounds management community.

Tickets are free for GMA members, while non-members can attend for £15. Membership provides additional value, including exclusive resources, discounted training, access to the Member Assistance Programme and more.

For more information or to register, visit thegma.org.uk/events

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How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools

May 30, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools: Groundtel Ltd is a family-run business with a proud reputation for precision, reliability and service. With over 150 schools on its books, the company has become one of the region’s leading grounds maintenance providers.

At the heart of operations is Danny Perkins, Contracts Manager and member of the founding family. Danny is helping steer the business into the next generation of efficiency with robotic line marking machines.

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools

“We were already delivering a high standard,” says Danny, “but the TinyLineMarker robots have taken us to a different level. They’ve paid for themselves ten times over.”

Each season, Groundtel’s team prepares a wide range of sports markings across school playing fields. For summer months, this includes 100m, 200m, 300m, and 400m running tracks, complete with relay boxes, rounders and softball pitches, and throwing areas for javelin, discus, and shot putt. In winter, the focus shifts to football pitches, rugby pitches, and training grids, all initially marked and then overmarked throughout the season as required.

The 20-strong grounds team has a significant workload and has a two-person team dedicated solely to line marking. Historically, that meant traditional pedestrian machines, such as push-along markers, a Fast Liner, and plenty of manual setup.

“That’s a lot of tape measures and string lines,” Danny comments. “It was time-consuming and hard to keep up when schools need everything done quickly and precisely. Once we brought in the TinyLineMarker robot, everything changed.”

Groundtel took delivery of its first TinyLineMarker Pro X in 2021, followed by a second robot 12–18 months later. Both are now integral to operations, running daily from late February to July.

“With the robots and some long hours, we have been known to overmark over 100 schools in 7 to 10 days. Before, it would take about four weeks. However, on average, we run the robots for six to eight hours daily.”

Initial marking has seen the most significant impact, with the robots removing the need for traditional set-out methods. “It’s incredibly accurate,” says Danny. “You just load the template on the tablet, and it remembers exactly where to mark, even if the lines have disappeared after cutting. Schools appreciate that kind of consistency.”

The robots’ size and weight were a major consideration. “I looked at Turf Tank, but it was too heavy. I couldn’t lift it in and out of the van alone. The Tiny robot is light, compact, and fits easily in the back of a small van, which makes life a lot easier.” Rough and uneven ground is a common challenge across school fields, particularly in the state sector. “That’s another reason the TinyLineMarker works so well for us. It’s robust and can handle bumpy surfaces where other machines might struggle.”

Groundtel uses IMPACT^®Pro paint from Origin Amenity Solutions for both their robotic and two iGO Premier Pedestrian markers. Danny says, “It’s a perfect match.”

“The robot’s set to moderate speed, and the lines are bright, crisp, and clean. And because the paint’s ready-mixed, there’s no faffing around with water. It saves time and hassle, and we get a consistent finish across every pitch.”

In addition to time and paint efficiency, the robots have helped Groundtel reduce labour demand and improve safety and sustainability, which are key concerns for schools.

“The schools prefer the robots,” Danny says. “They’re small, quiet, and there are no fuel emissions. This ticks a lot of environmental boxes. From a health and safety point of view, especially during the school day, it’s a win.”

Behind the technology is a strong support system, which is something Danny values. “The training was excellent, and the support from Origin Amenity Solutions is brilliant. It’s one thing to buy a product, but having ongoing help makes a huge difference. I can ring Simon or Joe and get an answer immediately without waiting for a call-out, although that’s also available. A quick answer on the phone saves me so much wasted time.”

Origin Amenity Solutions is the sole UK distributor of TinyMobileRobots and one of the leading providers of GPS line marking. The company offers one of the most comprehensive line marking ranges in the UK and Ireland, including pedestrian and ride-on machines, ready-to-use paints, and advanced robotic technology. All paints and machines are manufactured within the Origin group, ensuring consistent, high-quality performance backed by nationwide support and product expertise.

For Danny and the team at Groundtel, the move to robotic line marking has exceeded every expectation. “We’ve saved time, reduced labour, improved accuracy and consistency. I wouldn’t go back. The robots are a vital part of how we operate now, and they’ve transformed the service we can offer our schools.”

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.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect

Speaker line-up confirmed for GMA Connect: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has announced the expert speaker line-up for its upcoming regional event, GMA Connect, taking place at Durham County Cricket Club on Wednesday 18 June.

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools

How Groundtel’s line marking capabilities service 150 schools: Groundtel Ltd is a family-run business with a proud reputation for precision, reliability and service. With over 150 schools on its books, the company has become one of the region’s leading grounds maintenance providers.

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