Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

August 30, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate: Peter Pattenden, the Golf Courses and Estates Manager at Carden Park, is the latest groundscare professional to appreciate the benefits of the Ventrac 4500 compact tractor. Purchased from one of Ventrac’s newest dealers, Cheshire Turf Machinery, the versatile machine was delivered with a selection of accessories including Contour […]

‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support

August 29, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by External Source

‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support: Two KCOM groundsmen who are planning to take their ex-employers to court have called on people to help in their “fight for justice” as they aim to get their jobs back. Darrell Cook and Mark Harrison were sacked by the Stadium Management Company (SMC) in June for gross […]

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

August 30, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Peter Driver

‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support

August 29, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by External Source

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

August 30, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Purchased from one of Ventrac’s newest dealers, Cheshire Turf Machinery, the versatile machine was delivered with a selection of accessories including Contour deck, Tough Cut deck, Stump Grinder, Edger, Blower and Power Broom.

Peter Pattenden is an experienced turf manager having begun his career at Glenaeagles back in 1991, moving on to Bonnyton Golf Club in East Kilbride for three years, before being invited back to Gleneagles by Jimmy Kidd in 1999. In 2006 he moved south to take up his current position at Carden Park.

“I manage a team of 23 staff here and at Carden Hall, which includes one forester, one mechanic, two estate workers, three seasonals, six gardeners, and 10 greenkeepers,” he said. “That might sound a large number of staff to many, but we manage over 1400 acres; 800 acres of Carden Park including the two championship golf courses and a further 600 acres comprising owner Steve Morgan’s house and grounds and the tenant farms dotted around the estate.

“Every piece of equipment we buy has to earn its keep and this Ventrac certainly falls into this category. I’ve been operating equipment since 1991 and buying machinery since 1996, when I first took up my position at Bonnyton, and I can honestly say this is one of the best machines I have ever bought! Summed up in three words, it’s exceptional, versatile and robust.”

“The Contour deck is great out on the golf courses, especially on sloping tee banks, the Tough Cut deck is superb for land management as it can cut through saplings, bracken and gorse, helping to maintain the areas that consume man-hours and the Edger has saved hours of labour. We have a 1.1 mile drive leading up to the hotel and we can keep this looking pristine all year at a fraction of the time and cost we previously incurred.

“We invested over £400,000 in new cart paths over the past five years and since then we have had a series of storms that have taken down trees, some close by the paths. We can’t send in an excavator to remove the stumps and roots for fear of damaging the paths and that’s where the Stump Grinder has come into its own.

“It’s the perfect size, not too heavy, so we ca use it in the winter months and not too light that it can’t handle the implements. It has uplifted the presentation of the estate in the short time that we’ve had it; it’s simply a no-brainer purchase for any golf course or estate manager.”

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

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

Follow us on Twitter 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.

‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support

August 29, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by External Source

Darrell Cook and Mark Harrison were sacked by the Stadium Management Company (SMC) in June for gross misconduct amid claims the pitch had been deteriorating.

However, both of them insist they did nothing to warrant their dismissal and were never given any prior warnings by SMC.

Determined to get reinstated, the pair set up a crowdfunding page and hired Gosschalks Solicitors to fight their case so that they could take their former bosses to an employment tribunal.

Their campaign has so far raised more than £6,000 and has been backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who tweeted messages of support to the pair.

However, with their court date looming, the pair have issued a statement urging them to keep on donating so they can reach the sum of £20,000 and hire “the best barrister in the business.”

The pair wrote: “We are now two months away from the hearing and the reality of our situation is beginning to hit home.

“We set a crowdfunding target of £20,000 to enable us to fight for justice and stands up to the people who put us in this awful position and to create a level playing field when we meet them in court – we have so far raised £6,170 of that target.

“Without crowdfunding we have no chance and would simply have to roll over and accept what they’ve done to us.

“We have now got to the point where have seen their defence and all the documents and we are now even more encouraged about our case, as are our legal team.

“All we want is for the Employment Tribunal to restore out reputations by telling the world that we were unfairly dismissed and that we did not deserve what is happening to us.”

Mr Harrison started working for Hull City as an assistant groundsman in 1988 when he was just 16 years old, whereas Mr Cook started his work as a groundsman in 1991 with Hull FC when they were at The Boulevard.

The pair were sacked in April earlier this year by SMC, leaving them devastated.

Mr Cook, who lives in Sproatley, previously said: “This is a job I have done for 27 years and there was no indication anything like this was coming.

“Both myself and Mark have worked for the SMC for 16 years. We have never been in any troubled or had any reprimand so this came out of the blue.”

Determined to drum up more support, the duo ended their lengthy statement, which they published on Twitter at 11:02pm on Thursday, with a plea for as much support as possible in the days and weeks to come.

They wrote: “Please, please, please help us to spread the word and encourage all who can donate to our cause to do so.

“We’ve been unfairly dismissed with immediate effect from our positions as senior groundsmen with 55 years’ combined service with an exemplary records during which we won awards and at time of financial trouble for both clubs we have worked without pay.

“We gave blood, sweat and tears to forge a reputation as one of the most experienced and longest serving stadium ground staff teams in the country.

“We need your help and support to prove that justice can prevail if you are prepared to stand up for what is right.”

SMC have confirmed that their defence was filed on July 28 and, because the claimants have stated via social media that they would provide “regular updates” throughout the process, SMC have therefore given the claimants express permission to publish the document.

A spokesperson for SMC said: “We remain of the view that their claims to be reinstated into their old roles will not success and will continue to robustly defend this matter in the correct way.”

To read the original article from Hull Daily Mail, click here

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

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

Follow us on Twitter 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)

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT