Tag Archive for: closer

SALTEX brings community clubs closer to industry

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SALTEX brings community clubs closer to industry: SALTEX 2025, Europe’s cutting-edge grounds management exhibition, returns to the NEC, Birmingham on 12-13 November with a fresh programme of features designed to provide resources and networking opportunities for grounds professionals and community clubs. 

The Community Sports Zone remains the go-to destination for clubs and volunteers seeking to engage with suppliers and manufacturers. Exhibitors including Campey Turf Care Systems, Dennis, SISIS, ISEKI and GreenTek will be on hand to showcase their latest products and services tailored to grassroots sports. Located next to the GMA Hub, the Zone also provides access to national governing bodies including the Football Foundation, England and Wales Cricket Board, Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League who will be offering guidance and advice on sport-specific development.

SALTEX brings community clubs closer to industry

SALTEX brings community clubs closer to industry

A new major addition for 2025 is the Football Foundation Grant Funding Desk – a one-stop service for clubs seeking advice on how to secure vital support for grassroots pitches and facilities through grants and funding opportunities. The desk equips volunteers and clubs with the practical tools and guidance they need to grow and maintain their facilities – all within the professional context of SALTEX.

Visitors can access information on:

  • Up to £100,000 in grants for pitch maintenance machinery
  • The Huddle – funding support for catering units at clubs
  • Groundskeepers Corner – join a thriving online community of peers
  • Step-by-step guidance on grant eligibility and application processes
  • Home Advantage Programme – up to £250,000 to help clubs take on grass pitch sites

Community clubs and volunteers will also be able to benefit from a series of sport-specific meet-ups and guided tours for football, rugby (Union and League) and cricket, designed to help visitors network with fellow clubs, the GMA’s Pitch Advisory Service team and key National Governing Bodies.

Tours will start in the SALTEX Clubhouse before taking visitors around the exhibition floor, highlighting the most relevant exhibitors as well as key show features including the Community Sport Zone, The Workshop and the GMA Hub.

Each session offers practical guidance and the opportunity to explore support tailored to community clubs.

“We understand how vital grassroots sport is to the wider sporting ecosystem in the UK, and it’s important that SALTEX provides a platform to support clubs and volunteers alike,” said Sarah Hunter, Head of Events at the GMA. “This year, with the introduction of the Funding Desk alongside our ever-popular Community Sports Zone and Clubhouse sessions, we are giving visitors even more opportunities to access guidance and gain the tools and connections they need to thrive.” 

Join us at SALTEX and level up your experience. Register for FREE and be in with a chance of winning a Cramer Tools Lawn Mower, complete with charger and battery worth £2,240!

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Green-tech helps Janet Willoner edge closer to goal

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Green-tech helps Janet Willoner edge closer to goal: Green-tech is proud to share an inspiring update on Janet Willoner’s progress. Back in 2019, motivated by her grandchildren’s passion for combating climate change, Janet embarked on an ambitious mission to grow 5,000 trees from seed by the time she turns 85 – a remarkable achievement that Green-tech is delighted to support.

As 2024 draws to a close, Janet has grown an additional 800 saplings, bringing her total to an incredible 3,500 trees raised since she began this journey. Many of these saplings have been planted at Skipbridge and Bank Woods in Summerbridge, part of the beautiful Nidderdale area. These new trees will enhance the local landscape, support biodiversity, and contribute to the Northern Forest project.

Green-tech helps Janet Willoner edge closer to goal

Green-tech helps Janet Willoner edge closer to goal

Janet continues to prepare for the coming year with her characteristic determination. She has already collected and stratified seeds, ensuring they will germinate successfully when spring arrives. With the finish line in sight, she remains optimistic about achieving her target of 5,000 trees.

Janet expressed her gratitude, saying, “I’m thrilled to see the progress we’ve made this year. Knowing these trees will stand for generations to help combat climate change and increase biodiversity is immensely rewarding. I couldn’t have done it without Green-tech’s support. Their sponsorship has provided me with the compost, grit, and fertiliser I need to grow healthy saplings without worrying about funding. I’m thankful they agreed to sponsor me again for another productive year.”

Green-tech’s Marketing Director Kate Humes expressed her admiration for Janet’s ongoing efforts: “Janet is an inspiration. Her dedication and hard work remind us of the power of individual action to help mitigate climate change. We’re delighted to help and look forward to supporting her as she works towards her 5,000-tree goal.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Green-tech is proud to support initiatives like Janet’s that align with its mission of promoting sustainability and creating a greener future for all. It will continue its commitment to Janet’s project, ensuring she has the necessary resources to nurture her next batch of saplings.

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Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home

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Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home: Providing a new home, rest and rehabilitation for rescued animals from across the globe, the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (formally the Isle of Wight Zoo) have, for the last twelve months, been working on a project to support species much closer to home.

With flower mixtures and support from DLF Seeds, the work at the sanctuary and at local schools has been hailed a great success – with Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Bates noting both the improvements in bio-diversity and awareness of the issues affecting our native habitats.

Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home

Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home

Lawrence began planning the habitat creation with the help of DLF’s Paul Hadley in a previous role a few years ago and saw the opportunity to resurrect it upon joining the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary in July 2019. “It can be difficult for people to understand how important our behaviour and efforts are for supporting our own native species that are under threat, when a lot of the media focus is on animals on the other side of the globe. Our vision with this project is to look at spaces closer to home, increase the bio-diversity to provide habitats, shelter and food for invertebrates which, in turn, helps animals further up the food chain.”

“Paul visited the island and advised on the most suitable species for our new flower meadow on site, but also what would work for projects at some local schools, which weren’t going to be maintained by experts!” Selected were Colour Boost 1, a mixture containing quick-to-establish, high impact annuals and Colour Boost 6, comprising of over 40 different species and subspecies, the appearance of which is constantly changing throughout the growing season.

Four flower meadows were sown at the schools on the island prior to the lockdown in March 2020, with the Sanctuary’s own meadow then planted in June 2020. “The result from these two Colour Boost mixtures was phenomenal! Not only did the students benefit from the educational programme around wildflowers and conservation, but it completely transformed previously neglected areas of the school sites, and our own site, with hardy blooms that created a dazzling, long-lasting display of colour.”

“We received so many lovely comments from Head Teachers with numerous other schools now wanting to get involved. We’re also talking to local churches and a number of businesses through the Green Impact Group about new sponsored plots of land.” Lawrence concludes, “The programme is growing fast and the impact this will have on the wildlife is exponential! Without DLF and their ongoing support, the project wouldn’t have got off the ground.”

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