Tag Archive for: Awards

GreenFields Launch Pitch Awards

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GreenFields Launch Pitch Awards: GreenFields, official Pitch Partner of the EVO-STIK Northern Premier League, have launched their second annual Pitch of the Year Awards. The Pitch of the Year Awards recognise individuals and clubs who work tirelessly to ensure that their pitches look and feel the best that they can despite often having limited resources.

The awards were launched via an online survey sent out to all clubs and they will be able to make one vote for their top pitch in the EVO-STIK NPL. Clubs have 21 days to complete the survey, and with nominations from 80% of member clubs for the 2018 awards GreenFields are hoping that 2019 will see even more clubs cast their all-important vote.

GreenFields Launch Pitch Awards

Paul Milton, Commercial Director at GreenFields commented: “We are incredibly proud to be sponsoring and judging the second EVO-STIK NPL Pitch of the Year Awards and hope that even more clubs vote this year. There is so much hard work and dedication that goes into maintaining a pitch and it is of paramount importance to us that both individuals and clubs receive the recognition they so rightly deserve.”

Once the votes are in GreenFields will be shortlisting three clubs per division to carry out pitch inspections at towards the end of March. The shortlisted pitches will be judged on the following criteria: clegg and moisture results, visibility of lines, overall grass coverage, quality of grass in goal mouth areas and overall surface stability. The judges will also take time to interview each Groundsman on aspects such as fertiliser frequency and Summer renovation plans as well as taking into account the staff used for pitch maintenance, the maintenance equipment owned by the club, the weather on the day of the visit, the geographical location and weather implications, the average hours of pitch usage and the level of irrigation in place at the club. GreenFields will document the visits by using a dedicated app and by taking a series of photos.

EVO-STIK Northern Premier League Chairman, Mark Harris commented: “The quality of playing surfaces is an essential part of any thriving Non-League football club and the volunteers who maintain them are cherished. The Pitch of the Year Awards complement the Football Association’s Groundsman of the Year scheme by giving further recognition to those pitches in the Northern Premier League that are already of an exceptional standard. We are delighted to be working with GreenFields on this initiative.”

As with last year’s winners, (Premier- Whitby Town FC, North- Trafford FC and South- Loughborough Dynamo FC) there will be one winner per division. The winners will be announced at the League’s Annual End of Season Awards on 15 June in Blackpool and will be presented with a trophy along with a £500 voucher to redeem against maintenance materials or services from GreenFields.

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Golf Environment Awards 2019

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Golf Environment Awards 2019: The winners of the 2019 Golf Environment Awards (GEAs) have been announced at The Crown, Harrogate, in a ceremony hosted by STRI Group and The R&A.

Environmental Golf Course of the Year 2019 – Aldeburgh Golf Club

Creating what many thought to be impossible, an almost perfect blend of course and ecology to the point where it is hard to tell where one begins and another stops. All without sacrificing the playability of the course.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year 2019 – Phil Stain

Phil and his team’s knowledge of ecological practice to maintain a course that is in keeping with the surrounding countryside and create great community engagement.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year 2019 – Wylihof Golf Club

An innovative new design of ecological enhancement shows that we still have a lot to learn. Conservation is a young science and there is still plenty of room for new ideas.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

Operation Pollinator 2019 – Corhampton GC

The club has shown that you have to be brave when it comes to habitat management, but the results of their efforts are well worth it creating big new expanses of habitat for pollinators.

STRI ecology consultant, Rowan Rumball, said: “A huge congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s awards. We have been amazed by the work that golf clubs and greenkeepers are doing for the ecological and environmental wellbeing of their courses and within the local community.

“Environmental best practice is an important part of all golf clubs’ working remit and through the introduction of next year’s Home Nations awards we hope more clubs will be encouraged to enter the 2020 GEAs.”

Golf Environment Awards 2019

A Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Gordon Moir, retired Director of Greenkeeping at St Andrews Links Trust.

STRI head of ecology, Bob Taylor, said: “It was a real pleasure to be able to honour Gordon Moir at the Golf Environment Awards 2019 with a Lifetime Achievement Award, giving recognition to his dedication to ecology and environmental sustainability, and all that he has achieved during his illustrious career spanning over 27 years at the St Andrews Links Trust”.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

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Golf Environment Awards Finalists Announced

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Golf Environment Awards Finalists Announced: STRI is delighted to announce the finalists for the 2019 Golf Environment Awards (GEAs), recognising golf clubs and individuals that strive to undertake environmental best practice.

Over 30 longlisted clubs were visited earlier in the year by STRI ecology consultants, Bob Taylor and Rowan Rumball, and painstakingly whittled down to 17 finalists, including one club from Switzerland.

Golf Environment Awards Finalists Announced

Four finalists have been named in three GEA categories – Conservation Greenkeeper of Year, Outstanding Environmental Project and Operation Pollinator. However, such was the competition in the Environmental Golf Course of Year category the shortlist has been increased to five finalists.

Representatives from the finalists will attend the glittering awards ceremony on 23 January at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate, during BTME week.

Golf Environment Awards judge, Rowan Rumball, said: “This is my first year managing the GEAs, and it has been a fantastic, but challenging, experience. It has been humbling and such a privilege to see first-hand all the good work golf clubs are striving to achieve.

“The range of projects has been massively diverse, and the scale is inspiring. Golf is truly leading the way when it comes to ecological and environmental commitment.”

The GEA provides the platform from which the golf industry can demonstrate environmental excellence in all its forms. This has been demonstrated by past finalists and can range from relatively simple but effective projects, to grand scale schemes.

All finalists receive free entry into the Foundation Award in Amenity Horticulture course, recognised by BASIS, as well as CPD points, and the lucky winners will be able to enjoy a European Golf & Environment Trip of a Lifetime to Portugal.

The Golf Environment Awards 2019 finalists are:

 Environmental Golf Course of the Year

Aldeburgh Golf Club
Ipswich Golf Club
Minchinhampton Golf Club
Warrington Golf Club
St Andrews Links

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year

Les Rae – Montrose Golf Links
Phil Stain – Notts Golf Club
Mark Broughton – Aldeburgh Golf Club
Neil Sherman – Ipswich Golf Club

Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year

Wylihof Golf Club
Cotswold Hills Golf Club
Hallamshire Golf Club
Woking Golf Club

Operation Pollinator

Wylihof Golf Club
Banchory Golf Club
Wigan Golf Club
Corhampton Golf Club

The winners will be announced at the Golf Environment Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 23h January 2019, at The Crown Hotel in Harrogate. Tickets for the awards, which includes a three-course meal and drinks, go on general sale on 16 Nov. Please email enquiries@strigroup.com for further details.

STRI would like to thank all the golf clubs that entered but didn’t make the final shortlist.

A huge thank you also goes to Golf Environment Award partners and sponsors who continue to support and promote the awards year-on-year, without them the awards simply would not be possible.

The R&A, BIGGA, The Golf Club Manager, Tillers Turf, Ransomes Jacobsen, Wiedenmann, Aquatrols, Syngenta

For further details about The Golf Environment Awards please visit https://golfenvironmentawards.com/

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Milton Jones To Perform At IOG Awards

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Milton Jones To Perform At IOG Awards: The 2018 IOG Industry Awards will feature several high achievers although it won’t include scheduled comedian Tom Allen – who regrettably now has filming commitments with the Great British Bake Off.

No worries though, the IOG has signed up an incredible replacement, Milton Jones – the wild-haired ‘Prince of Puns’ who, fresh off his UK tour, will be sharing gags to a sell-out audience at the IOG’s annual Awards night at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on the first evening of SALTEX next week.

Milton Jones To Perform At IOG Awards

Milton is a previous Perrier Best Newcomer, the winner of two Sony Awards, and a British Comedy Award nominee. His TV credits include Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Mock the Week, and Dave’s One Night Stand.

One of the UK’s most successful ‘one liner’ stand-ups, Milton’s acclaimed live shows have all played to more than 100,000 people, all of whom laughed themselves silly at lines such as: “About a month before my grandfather died we covered his back with lard. After that he went downhill very quickly.”

Commenting on the new act, IOG CEO Geoff Webb says:

“Milton Jones is excellent and his one liners will no doubt have our audience in stitches. We can’t wait to host our 10th edition of the IOG Awards celebrating a decade of achievement in groundsmanship.”

For more information about the IOG Awards please visit https://www.iog.org/awards

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John Deere Apprentice Awards

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John Deere Apprentice Awards: 48 young service technicians have formally graduated from the latest John Deere Ag Tech, Parts Tech and Turf Tech advanced apprenticeship schemes, which are run in partnership with national training provider ProVQ.

John Deere hosted its annual apprentice graduation ceremony earlier this year in Germany, with the apprentices visiting the company’s cab factory and European Parts Distribution Centre in Bruchsal before being presented with their awards at the John Deere Forum in Mannheim.

John Deere Apprentice Awards

Four of the company’s apprentices won overall awards for the 2017 graduation year. Ewan Edwards of dealer RBM Agricultural Ltd, Louth was named Ag Tech Apprentice of the Year, for which he received a crystal plaque, a certificate and vouchers for workshop tools worth £250.

Sean Murphy of Charlies Groundcare in Newtown was awarded Turf Tech Apprentice of the Year and joint Parts Tech Apprentices of the Year were Max Evans of Tallis Amos Group in Bristol and Jack Norman of Masons Kings in Exebridge. All three also received a crystal plaque and certificate, and the same value vouchers.

The presentations were made by Deere & Company’s Region 2 training delivery manager Dr Lutz Schueppenhauer and John Deere Limited’s newly appointed branch training manager Allan Cochran.

John Deere’s three-year Ag Tech and Turf Tech and two-year Parts Tech apprenticeships lead to IMI Level 2 & 3 Diplomas in Landbased Engineering and Vehicle Parts Competence, and registration at LTA Intermediate level in the industry’s Landbased Training Accreditation scheme. In subsequent years qualified technicians undergo further education and adult training within the John Deere University programme, on a career path that can ultimately lead to the highest possible LTA Master Technician accreditation.

 Now in its 26th year, Ag Tech was the first such scheme to be introduced in the UK and won a National Training Award at the end of 1997, the only one ever made to an agricultural machinery apprenticeship programme. Since the first programme started in 1992, well over 700 apprentices have graduated through the three main schemes and are now working in the company’s nationwide dealer network.

John Deere Apprentice Awards

Allan Cochran took over the role of John Deere Limited branch training manager for the UK & Ireland from his predecessor Richard Halsall at the beginning of March, and works closely with training partner ProVQ on the John Deere apprenticeship programmes.

Allan joined the company in 1997 as a management trainee after completing an HND in mechanisation, planning and business management at SAC Auchincruive. His subsequent responsibilities have included sales demonstrator instructor for tractors, service training instructor, area manager product support for Scotland and then Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and product specialist for tractors and loaders.

In 2005 Allan was promoted to technical services manager and then senior product support specialist, and from 2009 he was technical support specialist for the tractor dealer technical assistance centre (DTAC) system and a harvesting customer support specialist.

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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