Tag Archive for: Celebrates

Centre of Excellence Celebrates First Year

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Centre of Excellence Celebrates First Year: The UK’s first Centre of Excellence in glasshouse growing has celebrated a fruitful opening year, with some of its produce being showcased at this weekend’s Kent County Show.

The Thanet Earth Centre of Excellence @ Hadlow College, which was officially opened in June 2024, is an education centre developed to inspire and train the next generation of UK salad and vegetable growers.

Centre of Excellence Celebrates First Year

Centre of Excellence Celebrates First Year

It is based at Hadlow College’s state-of-the-art glasshouse and sees horticultural students working directly with Thanet Earth, the UK’s largest glasshouse salad supplier, to develop their skills and grow tomatoes in a commercial crop environment.

It has had a successful first year and the fruits of its labours will, quite literally, be on display at the Hadlow College marquee at the Kent County Show this weekend, where visitors will be able to try tomatoes freshly grown at the facility.

After being officially opened in June 2024, it was announced in December that it had donated a tonne of its produce to the food charity FareShare during 2024, providing the equivalent of 2,260 meals and supporting 27 charity and community groups as a result.

The Centre of Excellence has gone on to feature on both BBC and ITV in the intervening period, and in February horticulture students planted the 2025 crop, with hopes for another bumper year.

The facility plays an integral part in horticulture courses at the College and features cutting edge technology including: suspended gutters running hydroponics for the tomatoes, LED and high-pressure sodium lighting and a vertical growing farm.

Alan Harvey, Hadlow College’s Head of Curriculum for Horticulture and Floristry, says: “Our first year has been a fantastic one, where students have benefited enormously from the Centre of Excellence in developing their skills in glasshouse technology and growing. In addition to this we are very grateful to all our partners who have engaged with students over the year providing guest lecture spots, visits, practical workshops and coaching opportunities.”

Sally Channon, Senior Technologist (Innovation) at Thanet Earth, adds: “It has been remarkable to see the effort and enthusiasm shown by the students, their commitment to learning about how we grow crops in a protected environment using advanced techniques and sustainable practices has been inspirational.

“At Thanet Earth, we’re passionate about producing food efficiently and responsibly, and it has been rewarding to see young people engaging with these principles. This has all been proudly supported by our Sponsors who have enriched the learning experience for the students.”

To find out more about the Thanet Earth Centre of Excellence @ Hadlow College, and everything else the College offers, visit the Hadlow College marquee at the Kent County Show this weekend or visit the projects page of Hadlow College website.

The Kent County Show, held annually in July, is the region’s premier event for farming, agriculture, and countryside life. For three days, the Kent Showground comes alive with animals, horses, vintage vehicles, retail stands, and much more, celebrating the best of the county.

This year it runs from Friday 4 July to Sunday 6 July. To find out more visit the Kent County Show website.

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STIGA Celebrates Clean Air Day With Battery Mowing

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STIGA Celebrates Clean Air Day With Battery Mowing: As the prose from our STIGA gardening poet fan above explains, mowing your lawn should be a pleasure not a chore, and this Clean Air Day which falls on 19th June offers the perfect chance to present to you STIGA’s battery mowers.

At STIGA, we’re all about greener gardens and cleaner air. That’s why our battery-powered lawn care range is at the heart of everything we do. Whether you’re snipping, clipping, or going full robo-mow, our cordless tools and mowers are designed to deliver powerful performance with a softer environmental footprint.

STIGA Celebrates Clean Air Day With Battery Mowing

STIGA Celebrates Clean Air Day With Battery Mowing

Why Go Battery?

Because clean air starts at home – or rather, in your garden. Our battery-powered mowers and tools are:

  • Quiet (in fact, our robot mowers are the only ones with a Quiet Mark!)
  • Clean – zero emissions, zero hassle
  • Efficient – smart tech that saves energy while you mow

From compact walk-behinds to futuristic autonomous mowers, STIGA’s battery range brings sustainable lawn care into the spotlight. Sustainable lawn care comes in many forms, but the one at the forefront for the STIGA team is that of their battery range of lawn and gardening products. The cleanliness, quietness and efficiency of all of their cordless mowers and gardening tools aim to bring a more sensible and sustainable approach to lawn and garden care.

Twinclip 950e VR Cordless Walk-Behind

Want stripes? Power? Brains? The Twinclip 950e VR delivers it all. With dual 7.5 Ah batteries and a beefy 2.2 kW motor, it’s self-propelled perfection. The double-layered blade boosts cut and collection, while the rear roller leaves behind a lawn to be proud of. RRP £1129: Twinclip 950e VR

Robot Mowers

Sit back, relax, and let the robots do the work. STIGA’s wire-guided and autonomous robot mowers deliver a pristine lawn without lifting a finger. With prices ranging from £999 to £6199, there’s a bot for every garden: Robot Mowers

Swift Ride-On Mower

Small but mighty, this 48V battery-powered ride-on is perfect for lawns up to 3000 m². Compact and agile with tight turning, Swift makes mowing feel like a breeze – all on a single charge. Sync it with the STIGA App for real-time tips and even smarter mowing. RRP £3249: Swift

Visit www.stiga.com/uk/ to learn more and enjoy a cleaner mow!

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BIGGA celebrates exceptional BTME

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BIGGA celebrates exceptional BTME: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) signed off from its annual education conference and trade show in Harrogate with news of a refined strategy that will shape the direction of the association for years to come.

A video of BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton, Head of Membership Scott Reeves and Chairperson Steve Lloyd discussing the strategy can be viewed online here.

BIGGA celebrates exceptional BTME

BIGGA celebrates exceptional BTME

The BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) saw turf professionals and some of the most influential figures behind the sport of golf gather at the Harrogate Convention Centre in North Yorkshire. Held alongside BIGGA’s Continue to Learn education programme, the best learning opportunity in Europe for golf greenkeepers, BTME is considered among the most important events in the golf industry due to the development opportunities and access to the latest technology and innovations afforded to golf greenkeepers and club officials.

Across three show days, 4,204 visitors walked through the doors of the convention centre, where 157 exhibitors provided a warm welcome. Visitors stayed for an average of 1.56 days and of those who came to Harrogate, 10% were from overseas.

The Continue to Learn programme was 99% sold out with 1,220 places pre-booked across the Classes and Conferences schedule. Accompanied by two outstanding free-to-attend seminar programmes throughout the show, the popularity of Continue to Learn solidifies its importance in the training and development of the greenkeeping and wider turf management community.

A large number of product launches and major industry announcements took place during BTME and you can find details of these in the Digital Media Centre on the BTME website.

A wide variety of events also took place during BTME, strengthening the festival feel of the entire week. Organisations such as The R&A, Bernhard and Company, ICL and others hosted events, while the Golf Environment Awards also took place. The BIGGA Celebration with Kress revealed the winners of this year’s BIGGA Awards and the Syngenta-sponsored Early Bird Run raised £810 for the Greenkeepers’ Benevolent Fund. The Monster Putt with Huxley Golf raised a further £957 for BIGGA’s charity, which supports members and their families in need.

Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO, said: “BTME 2025 has been a resounding success, not only in terms of attendance but also in the invaluable opportunities it has provided for learning, networking and innovation within our industry. With over 4,200 visitors and more exhibitors and educational opportunities than ever before, it’s clear that BTME remains a cornerstone of the golf and turf management calendar and we’re excited to welcome everyone back to Harrogate in January 2026 for what we are certain will be another exciting and vibrant BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition.”

At BTME, BIGGA also revealed a three-pronged strategy that will further advance the ambitions of the association in its role as a prominent figurehead within the golf industry. Informed by the recent membership survey undertaken by the association, alongside an extensive consultation period, the refocused strategy will ensure BIGGA remains a strong and influential voice, effectively representing its members on an international scale and supporting them in their professional ambitions.

Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO, said: “We had an absolutely fantastic response to our membership survey at the back end of 2024. Thank you so much to all the members and non-members who responded and gave their views on our association, membership, the initiatives we run and the work we’re doing to improve the greenkeeping industry. All the results of the survey are helping us refine our strategy.”

The key strategic pillars are:

  • Increasing membership numbers as a unified greenkeeping community is better able to positively influence the sport of golf.
  • Increasing engagement in BIGGA activity and evolving the membership offering to ensure all members, at every stage of their career, can get involved, become better educated and progress through their careers.
  • Advancing BIGGA’s advocacy efforts to positively influence the governance structure within golf facilities, ensuring greenkeepers are recognised as critical to the success of the sport.

These strategic pillars will inform BIGGA’s activities over the coming period and further updates will be revealed in due course.

The BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition and Continue to Learn education programme are hosted by BIGGA and take place at the Harrogate Convention Centre in North Yorkshire. The trade show will return on 20 to 22 January 2026, with Continue to Learn taking place from 18 to 21 January 2026.

For more information about BIGGA and its various activities including how to become a member, visit www.bigga.org.uk

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SIS Pitches celebrates record year

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SIS Pitches celebrates record year: The UK’s leading sports manufacturer, SIS Pitches has announced it has secured a patent for its new machine, rounding off an exceptional year.

A patent has been granted for the vacuum mechanism ‘Revolution’ machines, made by SIS Pitches to produce premium hybrid pitches for an array of sports. The machine is the first of its kind, allowing the manufacturer to stitch pitches at variable depths, offering more flexibility to clubs and sports facilities.

SIS Pitches celebrates record year

SIS Pitches celebrates record year

The patent is the latest addition on a long list of achievements for SIS Pitches in 2024 – the company’s most successful year to date. In addition to investing £500,000 in its Maryport factory for new tufting machines and solar panels, and growing its overall employee headcount by 20% since January, the company has opened four new offices globally. These are located in Poland, India, Saudi Arabia and Georgia, in order to meet rising demand locally.

Earlier this year, one of SIS Pitches’ major pitch maintenance projects in the Middle East, the Kingdom Arena, in Riyadh, built in partnership with Sela, won two Guinness World Records for the largest covered football stadium and the highest capacity for an indoor covered stadium. The stadium itself was the first ever indoor grass pitch grown entirely without natural sunlight.

In India, the SIS Pitches team installed the country’s first hybrid cricket pitch – a SIS Grass Hybrid product tried and tested across the English game – marking the beginning of a series of projects in the country. The manufacturer, working with Greater Ten locally, used its own ‘Universal’ machine to stitch hybrid cricket pitches in locations including the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala.

Other major projects won by SIS Pitches this year include names football fans around the world will recognise immediately, including Manchester City Football Club, MLS’ Chicago Fire, as well as Iceland National Stadium and Uganda Athletics and Football. The company also made significant forays into other sports internationally, securing projects with Baseball United to build the first professional baseball ballpark in the Middle East and South Asia, as well as Aramco Stadium in Saudi Arabia.

The manufacturer also toasted two news milestones, joining the Green Sports Alliance, cementing its commitment to promote sustainability, and ESTC, the trade association for the Synthetic Turf Industry in the EMEA region.

To top things off, one of SIS Pitches’ installations took centre stage at this year’s Paris Olympics. The Stade de France, which features a hybrid SIS Grass pitch, was the chosen venue for a handful of disciplines, including rugby sevens and athletics.

SIS Pitches owner and founder George Mullan said: “I’m incredibly grateful for our team’s hard work and commitment this year – none of this would have been possible without them.

“2024 was a year of many ‘firsts’ for us, and one we’ll remember for a very long time. We’ve grown immensely, as a group – opening new offices abroad, working with some of the biggest names in sports and continuing to lead from the front when it comes to innovating.

“We’ve not forgotten our roots, however. The investment in our Maryport factory is a symbol of our commitment to British quality and expertise, and will enable us to meet the growing demand when it comes to high-quality sports surfaces, both nationally and internationally.”

SIS Pitches has also shared some of its plans for 2025. The manufacturer is readying to launch its innovative dry hockey solution widely in the second quarter. The surface, developed by the organisation’s experts, features a unique technology to replicate the properties of a water-based system without using a water ball, which can hinder the flow of play.

A US office is also in the works, and it was announced that current SIS Grass Managing Director, Ivo Lamot would become the company’s new Chief Executive, with owner and founder George Mullan stepping to Executive Chairman. Other major appointments also include Luke Edwards, set to become Chief Innovation Officer, while Rob Hope will continue on as Chief Operating Officer. SIS Pitches also underwent a rebrand earlier in the year and is set to launch its new website next year, focused on its philosophy of ‘Powering more play’.

George added: “Our business has evolved in the last few years, and with our new goals to expand to new markets, our structure had to follow too.

“Our ambition is to make 2025 an even bigger year, so I’m excited to have Ivo lead on the delivery of our shared vision, along with Rob and Luke.”

For more information about SIS Pitches, go to sispitches.com

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Avant Tecno UK Celebrates New State-of-the-Art Headquarters

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Avant Tecno UK Celebrates New State-of-the-Art Headquarters: Avant Tecno UK has officially unveiled its new multi-million-pound headquarters in Bury St Edmunds, marking a significant milestone in the company’s growth and commitment to its UK operations.

Designed to facilitate Avant’s continued expansion, the 32,200 sq. ft purpose-built facility was crafted by local firm SEH French, with project management by Churchmanor Estates.

Avant Tecno UK Celebrates New State-of-the-Art Headquarters

Avant Tecno UK Celebrates New State-of-the-Art Headquarters

The grand opening of the headquarters was celebrated with an event welcoming trade and local media, partners, and esteemed guests, including the Ambassador of Finland to the United Kingdom, Jukka Siukosaari.

“This is a momentous occasion for Avant Tecno UK and our incredible team,” said Raimo Ala-Korpi, Managing Director of Avant Tecno UK. “The new headquarters is not only a symbol of our growth but also a stepping stone for our future aspirations. It’s a proud day for everyone involved and a testament to our commitment to delivering the best for our dealers, customers, and the community.”

Since establishing its presence in the UK in 1999, Avant Tecno UK has witnessed consistent growth. Previously operating near Thetford, the company identified the need for a larger, modern facility to support its operations and meet increasing demand. The new Bury St Edmunds headquarters reflects Avant’s forward-thinking vision, incorporating features that enhance efficiency, innovation, and sustainability.

The facility includes:

  • Modern office spaces to accommodate the growing team.
  • A showroom to display Avant’s renowned compact loaders, attachments and Leguan access platforms.
  • Dedicated training facilities to provide hands-on learning for dealers and end-users.
  • A warehouse with automated technologies to improve logistics and inventory management.
  • A technical workshop designed for hand-on training events, and equipment arrival checks.

The launch event began with a keynote address from Raimo, who highlighted the strategic importance of the new headquarters and its role in enhancing Avant Tecno UK’s operational efficiency and customer service.

“This investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to the UK market,” Raimo said. “It’s an opportunity to strengthen our dealer network, provide world-class training end-users, dealers and staff, and continue delivering cutting-edge solutions to our customers.”

Other speakers at the launch event included representatives from project partners Churchmanor Estates, LSI Architects, and SEH French, who detailed the project’s journey from conception to completion. They discussed the collaborative efforts and innovative techniques used to ensure the building met Avant’s high standards for quality and sustainability.

Ambassador Jukka Siukosaari, representing Finland at the event, praised Avant Tecno as an example of Finnish innovation and global excellence. During his speech, the Ambassador emphasised the importance of government support in helping Finnish companies like Avant expand internationally.

Guests at the event were treated to a guided tour of the new facility, offering a first-hand look at its innovative features. From the spacious training rooms to the automated warehouse systems, the headquarters highlights Avant Tecno UK’s focus on innovation, efficiency, and sustainability.

Following the tour, attendees gathered for a networking lunch, further strengthening the connections between Avant, its partners, and the local community.

As Avant Tecno UK settles into its new home, the company remains focused on its core mission: delivering high-quality, innovative solutions that empower its customers. The new headquarters in Bury St Edmunds is more than just a building—it is foundation for a new centre of excellence for multi-functional compact machinery.

For more information, please visit www.avant.co.uk

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