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Tributes for Burton groundsman

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Tributes for Burton groundsman: Tributes have been paid to a green-fingered South Derbyshire man who tended to Burton Albion’s hallowed turf more than 30 years.

Alan Roberts has sadly died at home, aged 88.

Mr Roberts worked most of his life as a coal sampler at Rawdon Pit, but in his spare time enjoyed looking after the bowling greens in and around Swadlincote.

He always had a love of football and was delighted to become the Brewers’ groundsman, first at Eton Park and later at The Pirelli Stadium.

Alan first started tending the pitch in the early 1980s, when Neil Warnock was manager, and continued until after the club moved to the Pirelli, which holds nearly 7,000 fans, in 2005.

His son, Paul, said: “He only really stopped because at his age when they moved to full-time at the new ground. That was too much for him.

“He was always there most mornings with different volunteers helping him at different times, quite often supporters who would come in if there was snow or waterlogged pitches.

“The football was his first priority, but he also looked after the bowls green at Newhall Social and quite a few other people asked him to help their groundsman. People used to pick his brains when things went wrong.

“He was a farm labourer in his early life and that is where he picked up the skills and his real love was always working outside.

“I was lucky enough to referee at a decent level and went to grounds all over the country and my dad was always keen to go with me when he could and if we turned up at a waterlogged pitch and I thought the game would be off he would say ‘ask the groundsman, he knows better than anybody’.

“He could walk on any pitch, bend down and tell you what type of grass it was. He absolutely loved it.”

Alan who was 88, passed away at home on Monday, November 4.

Burton Albion Chairman Ben Robinson, said: “It was very sad to hear that such a great servant to the football club had passed away.

“Alan will be fondly remembered by the many people he worked with over the years after battling with all the elements to make sure our games went ahead.

“Groundsmen are the unsung heroes without whom we could not enjoy football matches on a Saturday afternoon.

“Our thoughts are with his wife, Joyce, and all his family and friends at this time.”

Alan is remembered by Joyce, Paul – and Paul’s cousin, David, who Alan and Joyce brought up from an early age.

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Praise for dealer conferences

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Praise for dealer conferences: The UK distributor of Ferris, Wright and Spider mowers was delighted to welcome sales representatives from 11 different dealerships in November for the first of their new UK Dealer conferences.

Delivered at the impressive venues of Haynes International Motor Museum and the RHS Garden at Wisley, over 30 representatives attended across two dates in November, with further Dealer Conferences in the pipeline for 2020.

Praise for dealer conferences

Attendees heard from all three of the premium brands, learning more about their core USPs, new innovations and future plans for each.

Hosted by the team from Machinery Imports, delegates were also able to ask questions and speak directly to staff from the brands, with guests such as Lubor Hladik, International Sales Manager for Spider, and Gerd-Jan Driessen, New Business Development Manager for Ferris.

Many dealers shared their experience of the industry over the past few seasons, as well as their opinions and experiences of the machinery that they work with.

Gerd-Jan was very positive, commenting “There was an open and constructive atmosphere, with dealers and manufacturers sharing their views, with special attention paid to current market issues, and how Ferris copes with these challenges and outperforms against the competition.”

“We definitely see the importance of close manufacturer and distributor relationships” added Spider’s Lubor. “Together with the Machinery Imports team we want to focus on dealer support to ensure all dealers are confident in offering and servicing the unique Spider product.”

Grant Buckingham, Area Sales Manager at Ernest Doe praised the event from a dealer perspective “It was a very enjoyable day. I thought the format was very good, not too technical, it was a good reminder of the attributes and selling features of the brands and models.”

As an extra thank you for attending, delegates were treated by Machinery Imports to free access to the Motor Museum and a personal guided tour of Wisley gardens at the end of each conference.

To find out more about the range of machinery available from Ferris, Wright, Spider and Jensen visit www.thwhite.co.uk/machinery-imports

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Top marks for new line markers

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Top marks for new line markers: Rigby Taylor has added two innovative machines to its highly successful Glider, iGO Advance and iGO Mini spray line marking range.

The new iGO Prime and iGO Midi machines feature a number of advanced features including an innovative circulatory paint system for dispensing the company’s award-winning Impact paints.

Top marks for new line markers

This innovative system primes the paint and at the same time mixes or recirculates it back into the drum/container. This means it is re-dispersing the product, which in turn thins the paint and produces an easier spraying experience, as the flow is improved. The system continually recirculates the paint for improved flow and facilitates easier machine cleaning.

Impact paint formulations are available in a choice of formulations for use on a wide range of surfaces – natural, hybrid and synthetic grass as well as hard surfaces including tarmacadams and concrete.

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New TDR-15 for Culford School

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New TDR-15 for Culford School: When Culford School in Suffolk were looking to replace their 10 year old Progressive TDR-15 they had demonstrations of various other roller mowers, but found none of them quite made the cut! Instead they opted for the new and improved TDR-15 model. Set in a 500 acre estate they use the TDR -15 to mow about 100 acres of amenity parkland, playing fields and footpaths per week in the height of the growing season.

Size, versatility and manoeuvrability were amongst some of the main reasons they wanted another TDR-15.Tom Atkinson Head Groundsman at Culford School says “Peoples initial reaction when they see the mower is surprise at how large it is and think that the only place it can be used is in big wide spaces. Our estate has tree plantations with random trees dotted all around and is situated in a river valley. Despite that the mower with a skilled operator can get into small spaces by reversing into small gaps and using the rear deck. Where some similar machines are configured as three abreast, having one deck to the rear with the TDR-15 is a real advantage. All the decks are hinged so they follow the ground independently of each other and as it’s a roller mower that leaves a fantastic finish.”

New TDR-15 for Culford School

They have also found the roller mower really user friendly, “All lubrication points are easily accessible and despite its size there aren’t many. The new mechanical locks mean you can pick the whole machine up to transit over roads or obstacles without shutting off the whole machine and folding it away and we run the mower behind a John Deere 4066R with an economy PTO. Such a robust machine that costs very little to run.”

If you would like to talk to The Grass Group more about your requirements and why the TDR-15 is right for you, give us a call on 01638 720123 or email sales@thegrassgroup.com

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IOG award for Callum Allsop

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IOG award for Callum Allsop: Award sponsors Toro and Reesink Turfcare, an official UK Toro distributor, are delighted to announce Callum Allsop from Leicester City Football Club’s Belvoir Drive training ground has been crowned the Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year at the 10th annual Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Awards.

Having worked in the turf industry for 10 years, Callum was recognised for his dedication to the industry and education. As well as leading a team of nine as head groundsman at Leicester City Football Club’s Belvoir Drive, Callum is also currently undergoing studies for his Level 3 in Sports Turf Management.

IOG award for Callum Allsop

“I got involved in the industry volunteering at my local club at 14 and really enjoyed it,” says Callum. “Since then, I’ve worked my way up and worked hard to get to where I am, and education has been a large part of that career progression for me.

“I strongly believe that in order to be successful, you have to make sure that every piece of work you do is always done to the best of your ability and that you should strive to learn more. Always ask questions and stay interested in what you’re doing, and you will reap the benefits from that.”

Callum was presented with his award by Reesink’s national key accounts manager, Alastair Rowell, in front of an audience of 650 leading groundscare experts from the UK and Europe. And when it comes to gaining the benefits of winning the award, he wants to use his new platform to inspire others as well as improve himself.

“I think currently in the industry, more needs to be done to encourage younger people,” he says. “That’s why awards like this are important, because it’s vital to raise awareness of the career and educational opportunities available to young people. In fact, at Leicester we’re looking at the possibility of going into schools to speak about the careers in groundscare as many young people aren’t fully aware of what they might be able to achieve in this industry.

“Personally, winning this award has been a great experience, and the highlight for me has been meeting so many top professionals in the industry. I hope winning this award at such a key point in my career will open up more opportunities for me in the future.”

Marketing manager at Reesink, Rochelle Bedford, says: “Sponsoring this award is just another demonstration of ours and Toro’s long-term commitment to the development of the industry and our investment in the careers of young people; a hugely important undertaking for us. It’s wonderful to see Callum has achieved so much in his career already, and we hope the award helps him to progress his career further and inspire more young talent like himself.”

The awards, which took place on 31 October at the The Vox at the Birmingham NEC, recognise leadership, innovation and outstanding achievement across every aspect of groundscare and highlight the progress of young, student grounds professionals. And Reesink and Toro are proud, as ever, to play a part in giving a platform to the best and brightest young people in the industry through the sponsorship of such an important award.

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