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Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions

August 5, 2025/in News, People, Press Release/by Admin

Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions: After more than three decades shaping the future of amenity turf management, Jayne Leyland, Product Portfolio Director at Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), retired on 31 July 2025. Her departure marks the end of a remarkable 13-year career at OAS and more than 30 years in the turf […]

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

August 5, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland: The Kingfisher Country Estate in Northern Ireland has signed a five-year deal for a comprehensive 25-machine Toro fleet in what is Keys Brothers’ biggest agreement since becoming a Toro dealer. Set on 220 acres of parkland just 20 minutes from Belfast, the only David Feherty and David […]

Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions

August 5, 2025/in News, People, Press Release/by Admin

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

August 5, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

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Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions

August 5, 2025/in News, People, Press Release/by Admin

Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions: After more than three decades shaping the future of amenity turf management, Jayne Leyland, Product Portfolio Director at Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), retired on 31 July 2025. Her departure marks the end of a remarkable 13-year career at OAS and more than 30 years in the turf and landscaping industry.

Jayne joined Rigby Taylor in 2012, which became OAS in 2021, and was the driving force behind some of the company’s most innovative and sustainable product developments. Her legacy includes leading the creation of the Carbon4Grass seed range, an innovative product that combines superior performance with carbon sequestration benefits, which was recently named Pro Landscaper’s Sustainable Product of the Year in 2024. She was also the driving force in advancing the development and wider adoption of tetraploid grass seed technology, helping to deliver stronger, more resilient swards with faster establishment and improved stress tolerance.

Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions

Jayne is well known and respected for her extensive technical knowledge, customer-focused approach, and passion for sustainable turf care. She has played a vital role in expanding OAS’s research and trial programmes to ensure that product innovation is grounded in science and shaped by the needs of the industry.

In 2024, her outstanding contribution to the turf care sector was formally recognised when she was inducted into the Grounds Management Association (GMA) Hall of Fame, an honour that celebrates lifetime achievement and service to the groundskeeping profession.

Reflecting on her career, Jayne comments, “It’s been a privilege to work in such a fast-moving and passionate industry. I’ve loved collaborating with customers, colleagues, and partners who care deeply about the land they manage and the standards they uphold. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together at OAS and look forward to seeing OAS continue to develop and grow.”

Richard Walton, Managing Director at OAS, paid tribute to Jayne’s leadership and long-standing commitment. He adds, “Jayne’s vision and expertise have profoundly shaped our product portfolio and sustainability strategy. Her ability to translate complex science into practical, impactful solutions has made her an invaluable part of our team. We’re grateful for her dedication over the past 13 years and wish Jayne the very best in her retirement.”

Jayne’s background in greenkeeping and agronomy, along with her earlier work at Barenbrug earned her widespread respect across the amenity and sports turf sectors. Her influence has extended beyond product development into training, education, and mentoring the next generation of turf professionals.

Her departure will be felt across the industry, but Jayne leaves behind, a stronger, more sustainable approach to managing amenity landscapes.

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Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

August 5, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland: The Kingfisher Country Estate in Northern Ireland has signed a five-year deal for a comprehensive 25-machine Toro fleet in what is Keys Brothers’ biggest agreement since becoming a Toro dealer.

Set on 220 acres of parkland just 20 minutes from Belfast, the only David Feherty and David Jones designed golf course in Ireland offers 18 holes over 7,000 yards of Championship USGA specification greens, tees and challenging fairways and is looked after by Head Greenkeeper Michael Loughran and his team of 12 staff.

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

“We’ve had lease deals with Toro before but usually for six or seven key pieces of machinery; this is the first time we’ve gone all-in on a full fleet,” says Michael.

So why now? “A couple of reasons,” Michael explains. “The Estate has recently been given the go ahead on a significant upgrade to the resort and it was important the course kept up with site improvements. There will be major developments on bunkers, a lot of tree work, and consistently maintaining the quality of the course is a big job as it’s fully playable all year round.”

The second reason comes down to the introduction of Keys Brothers as the country’s Toro dealer. “This was our first time working with Keys Brothers since the change in dealership and the support has been outstanding. It was evident early in the process that nothing would beat it especially as I fired over questions and issues and got solutions every time. This indication of the level of service and support we’d get was reassuring and sealed the deal especially as we were going with a full maintenance package too.”

Also contributing to the decision was having access to Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare’s National Accounts Manager David Timms: “David came to the venue a couple of times and his input was really valuable; we felt we had direct access to and the full support of Reesink and Toro.”

The deal includes pedestrian and riding mowers for all areas, five Workman utility vehicles, the ProPass topdresser, two ProForce blowers, the new TransPro for transporting the club’s existing ProCore 648 aerator, plus the installation of Toro’s myTurf Pro to optimise operation of the fleet. But are there any standout machines for Michael and the team?

“On the advice of Keys Brothers, we switched out the Reelmaster 5610-D for the Reelmaster 3575-D for the fairways. It was a simple tweak but suits the site much better. The topography of the site doesn’t have great elevation and we didn’t need all that power; in fact, what we needed is a lighter footprint and a mower that uses less fuel. The 3575 delivers us both of those things.”

The club chose four Greensmaster 1021 pedestrian mowers praised by Michael for being easy to demonstrate and use which is especially helpful when increasing staffing on projects: “It takes just half a green to master these machines” he says.

Andy Keys, Company Director at Keys Brothers, says: “While we believe this to be one of the biggest golf deals in Northern Ireland in 2024, the issues and requirements for Michael and the team were like many: they knew there were machinery tweaks they could make to address specific issues and be more efficient. This is applicable whether you’re buying one machine or a fleet.

“To bring the customer on board with maintenance too is testament to the team we’ve built which has doubled in size since last year such is the level of business we’re doing.”

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)

Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Jayne Leyland to Retire from Origin Amenity Solutions

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland: The Kingfisher Country Estate in Northern Ireland has signed a five-year deal for a comprehensive 25-machine Toro fleet in what is Keys Brothers’ biggest agreement since becoming a Toro dealer.

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