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Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor: It’s been a great start to 2025 for the team at Celtic Manor who, following the introduction of numerous new sustainability initiatives, have received GEO certification on The Twenty Ten Course. Part of the overall project saw the establishment of new wildflower areas to bring much-needed food and habitat […]

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy: GroundsFest is proud to announce an exciting new initiative: the GroundsFest Academy, which has been designed to provide free education for anyone working in groundscare and landscaping. By reinvesting profits from GroundsFest back into the industry, the Academy aims to boost education, nurture talent, and help bridge critical skills gaps. A […]

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor: It’s been a great start to 2025 for the team at Celtic Manor who, following the introduction of numerous new sustainability initiatives, have received GEO certification on The Twenty Ten Course.

Part of the overall project saw the establishment of new wildflower areas to bring much-needed food and habitat for pollinators and other insects, along with high visual impact for players and staff alike – all achieved using mixtures from the DLF ColourBoost collection.

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor

Overseeing the conservation projects across all three Championship courses is Environment and Ecology Stewardship Manager Gary Connell, who has been at the resort for over 25 years. Having worked in head greenkeeping roles on both sites, he is well placed to develop and diversify both the habitat and native wildlife in this new role. “We’ve always supported a broad range of insects, birds and other fauna here at Celtic Manor but, like most golf clubs, we recognise we can do more” Gary says. “Working closely with local wildlife groups we have added more bird and bat boxes, introduced bug hotels and even established our own resident honeybees! Introducing wildflowers promised to further support the success of these initiatives as well as bring visual interest to lesser managed areas of the site.”

With little prior wildflower experience, Gary consulted with DLF Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett on the best and most suitable mixtures for the project. “Our resort and land provide almost limitless opportunities for wildflowers, but we wanted to focus our efforts on a few areas which could be sustainably implemented, maintained and monitored. Ian identified an area near the main entrance and recommended Floral Carpet from the ColourBoost range.”

Floral Carpet is one of nine ColourBoost mixtures, each designed to bring maximum visual impact by incorporating both wild flower and garden flowering species. For situations where final growing height is important Floral Carpet is ideal, using lower growing season annuals to provide rich blooms throughout the season.

“Our objectives were to bring high impact colour at the resort entrance, provide invaluable insect habitat and a source of pollen and nectar, and I’m pleased to say we achieved all three. We saw a wide array of flowers which attracted honeybees, butterflies and some different moth species. We then let the seed heads drop and supplemented this with some additional seeding with ColourBoost Carnival which should result in earlier flowering in the spring. We also did some ‘seed bombs’ in areas including an embankment in The Twenty Ten car park to boost presentation.”

While mother nature hasn’t necessarily been on side for all of the club’s projects, Gary is optimistic on the potential in the coming year. “We sowed some DLF ProFlora 3 & 6 on the Roman Road course which will complement the existing native grasses and flowers we have on the 15^th fairway and behind the 14^th green. The rain dampened its full potential during the summer however we were all pleasantly surprised to see this surviving into the winter, which bodes well for what we can expect come the spring.” He concludes, “This work will continue as we work towards GEO certification for the Roman Road and Montgomery courses, collectively known as The Championship courses, to our recent successes on The Twenty Ten.”

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Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy: GroundsFest is proud to announce an exciting new initiative: the GroundsFest Academy, which has been designed to provide free education for anyone working in groundscare and landscaping. By reinvesting profits from GroundsFest back into the industry, the Academy aims to boost education, nurture talent, and help bridge critical skills gaps.

A Mix of Theory and Practical Learning

The GroundsFest Academy offers a unique blend of theoretical and hands-on practical education, covering a wide range of essential topics. In its first year, the Academy will focus on key subjects such as drainage and irrigation, machinery maintenance, synthetic surfaces, line marking, and end-of-season renovations. These topics are just a taster of what the Academy has planned, with even more areas of expertise to be covered.

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

Participants will not only gain insights from some of the most knowledgeable professionals in the field but will also earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points and certification, further enhancing their credentials and career prospects.

Accessible and Inclusive Learning

The GroundsFest Academy will see free educational days taking place at various accessible locations across the UK. Whether you’re an experienced professional looking to stay ahead of the curve or a student eager to enhance your studies, the GroundsFest Academy has something for everyone.

This initiative is also valuable for organisations, companies and local authorities. By providing free, high-quality training, the Academy supports employers in developing their teams and filling critical skills gaps. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for students to gain industry-specific knowledge, helping them transition into the workforce with confidence.

Supporting the Next Generation

GroundsFest has teamed up with Sports Turf Lecturer Bradley Tennant to lead the delivery of the Academy. Bradley brings years of industry experience and a passion for education.

“Education is key to the continued success and development of our industry,” says Bradley. “The GroundsFest Academy is an incredible opportunity for anyone in the industry to gain free access to valuable training. It’s about equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive, and I’m proud to be leading this initiative.”

Bridging the Skills Gap

“In many organisations, time and resources for training can be limited,” continues Bradley. “Through no fault of their own, senior management often lack the time or capacity to provide one-on-one training in essential skills and certain topics simply aren’t covered in traditional education pathways. The GroundsFest Academy addresses this gap by offering targeted training on subjects that matter most to professionals and employers alike.

“Whether you’re looking to advance your career, improve your team’s skills, or explore new areas of expertise, the GroundsFest Academy is here to help.”

This initiative highlights GroundsFest’s commitment to giving back to the industry that supports it. By reinvesting profits into education, GroundsFest continues to make an impact that goes far beyond the event itself.

More information on the GroundsFest Academy, including session dates and locations, will be announced soon along with a dedicated education and training portal.

For more information, please visit www.groundsfest.com

You can also follow GroundsFest on X, Facebook and Instagram @GroundsFest for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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)

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor

Wildflower from DLF helps Celtic Manor: It’s been a great start to 2025 for the team at Celtic Manor who, following the introduction of numerous new sustainability initiatives, have received GEO certification on The Twenty Ten Course.

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

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