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Polaris winner receives his General 1000

January 3, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Polaris winner receives his General 1000: Polaris is pleased to announce the winner of the 2024 Great British Farm Off Competition, Nick Hopkins. After months of hard work and dedication of sharing his daily farming life online, Nick has been awarded a Polaris General 1000 for an entire year. At the start of 2024, Polaris […]

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity

December 20, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity: The Bernhard Academy is pleased to reveal the three finalists for its sponsorship programme, offering one lucky equipment technician the chance to travel to Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, USA to volunteer as part of the 125th US Open support team. The finalists are: James Breeze – […]

Polaris winner receives his General 1000

January 3, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity

December 20, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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Polaris winner receives his General 1000

January 3, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Polaris winner receives his General 1000: Polaris is pleased to announce the winner of the 2024 Great British Farm Off Competition, Nick Hopkins. After months of hard work and dedication of sharing his daily farming life online, Nick has been awarded a Polaris General 1000 for an entire year.

At the start of 2024, Polaris launched an exciting new competition: the Polaris Great British Farm Off. The initiative aimed to celebrate the resilience and hard work of British farmers, while highlighting how Polaris vehicles can support farming life.

Polaris winner receives his General 1000

Farmers were invited to share their day-to-day activities from January to July, opening the doors to show the hard work and commitment involved in running a farm. Those who shared engaging and consistent content were considered for the Great British Farm Off title and the chance to win a Polaris Off Road Vehicle for an entire year. From lambing season to harvest, the entries highlighted the dedication of the British farming community.

One standout participant was Nick Hopkins, a Wales-based farmer/horse breeder whose engaging content kept everyone entertained. Blending personality and humour, Nick’s posts gave followers an authentic and light-hearted look at life on the farm, making him a clear favourite.

Speaking about his decision to enter the competition, Nick shared: “When we saw the competition, we thought we’d give this a go. There’s so much going on, and of course, running from January through to June, different things are happening seasonally on the farm. We thought it’d just be a bit of a laugh to do it. The kids got involved in taking photos, and we kind of staged quite a lot of stuff as we never really saw ourselves as content creators and certainly never thought we’d win it.”

To collect his prize, Nick visited long-time dealer and friend Jake Else at Derbyshire Quads, where he was presented with a Polaris General 1000.

Reflecting on Nick’s win, Jake said: “If there was ever a winner of a competition, he’s [Nick] one of the most worthy. We’ve known Nick for years, probably at least 15 years. He bought a spark plug from us initially, and he said the service he got from just buying that spark plug meant that if he was ever going to buy any machines in the future, he’d come back to us – and thankfully, he did. (…) Now he’s won the competition where he’s got the opportunity to have a General for a year, so I think he’s going to love that. Nick’s a great guy. It’s been an honour to support him with his products and machines over the years and a very worthy winner. Congratulations Nick. Well done.”

After a day of EASI training, Nick headed home to his smallholding in Capel Iwan, eager to put his new General 1000 to work. Over the next year, the General will complement the two Polaris RANGER 570s already supporting his American Quarter Horse breeding programme.

With its 30.5cm ground clearance, the General will help Nick tackle daily tasks with ease, from early morning livestock checks to managing chores across the farm’s varied terrain. Whether it’s moving hay, topping up water in the fields with the water bowser, or using its 272kg bed box capacity, the General will prove invaluable in keeping things running smoothly. Nick also plans to put the General’s impressive 680kg towing capacity to work with a grass-cutting mower and fertiliser spreader as needed.

As the year progresses, Nick will continue to keep his followers updated on how the General is making a real difference on the farm. From tackling day-to-day tasks to navigating Wales’ green lanes, it’s clear the General is set to become an essential part of Nick’s daily life.

Keep an eye on Polaris UK’s social media to see how Nick puts the General 1000 to work on his farm.

The Polaris Great British Farm Off will be returning in 2025, offering another lucky winner the chance to receive a Polaris vehicle of their choice for an entire year. More information will be available soon – keep and eye on the Polaris UK social media channels for updates.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity

December 20, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity: The Bernhard Academy is pleased to reveal the three finalists for its sponsorship programme, offering one lucky equipment technician the chance to travel to Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, USA to volunteer as part of the 125^th US Open support team.

The finalists are:

James Breeze – Huddersfield Golf Club

Paul Spencer – Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Paul Colebatch – The Worcestershire Golf Club

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity

Each has demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication to their chosen career as equipment technicians. To select the eventual winner, the Bernhard Academy team will visit each of the finalists at their clubs in early January to conduct the final interview phase.

The winner will be announced on Monday, 20^th January 2025, as part of the Bernhard Academy’s Reception evening at BTME, BIGGA’s annual turf management exhibition in Harrogate. This marks the conclusion of a rigorous selection process to identify the best candidate for this unique career-development opportunity.

Sami Strutt, Education Director for the Bernhard Academy, said: “We’re proud to announce James, Paul, and Paul as our finalists. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for equipment technicians based in the UK, and highlights the work the Academy is doing to promote the crucial role of technicians, and offer opportunities for them to further develop their skills.”

The winner will join Oakmont Country Club’s volunteer team for the third major of the year in the men’s game, the US Open. There, they will work with industry professionals and the Oakmont team to prepare the course for the world’s best players to compete. They will also attend a preparatory training workshop at a Bernhard Academy venue before their visit.

In partnership with the Turf Equipment Technicians Organisation (T.E.T.O), this sponsorship underscores the Bernhard Academy’s dedication to recognising and advancing the role of equipment technicians, fostering skill development, and driving innovation in the sports turf industry.

For further information about the competition, please visit: https://bernhardacademy.co.uk/tournamentvolunteer/

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)

Polaris winner receives his General 1000

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity

Polaris winner receives his General 1000

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Polaris winner receives his General 1000

Polaris winner receives his General 1000: Polaris is pleased to announce the winner of the 2024 Great British Farm Off Competition, Nick Hopkins. After months of hard work and dedication of sharing his daily farming life online, Nick has been awarded a Polaris General 1000 for an entire year.

Finalists for 2025 US Open technician volunteer opportunity

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