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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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Proline H800 for holiday park

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Proline H800 for holiday park: A demonstration of the Toro ProLine H800 for Haven Seashore Holiday Park was all it took to bring improvement to the grounds of the 57-acre site in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

As part of a national portfolio of 40 holiday parks and with a rolling investment programme to bring improvements to all, the timing for the ProLine coming on board and resulting in the quality of the grounds having never been better according to site manager John Zoet, is exemplary.

Proline H800 for holiday park

“The company has invested more in Seashore after seeing how well the park has been doing,” says John. “We have a new swimming pool and restaurant among other additions, and now there’s pressure to raise the bar of the park’s grounds in line with the improvements to the park’s facilities. With Toro on board that has been easy to do – the ProLine has definitely improved the grounds here; in fact they’ve never been better.”

As a direct collect rotary mower, the ProLine H800 combines the precision cutting expected of a Toro rotary mower with an added high volume 810 litre hopper allowing customers to cut more and stop less. Resulting in hassle-free grounds maintenance and minimised downtime, the features of the ProLine have certainly impressed at Seashore Holiday Park.

“The ProLine H800 picks up all the cuttings while still leaving a beautiful cut,” John explains. “It’s absolutely the best mower we’ve got, and the quality is incredible. We normally go with another brand for our maintenance equipment, but then we had a demonstration and saw the ProLine in action. It was eye opening to see.

“The way the ProLine H800 works is just perfect for us. After mowing we can easily tip the contents of the hopper into any skip we have on site,” continues John. “Plus, the maintenance is easier. Unlike other mowers we have, you don’t have to take the deck off to clean it, it just flips up easily which was something that really stood out when we had the demonstration.”

And the ProLine hasn’t failed to keep impressing since its demonstration says John: “The grounds maintenance here is a never ending job, so having a robust machine able to handle that, reduce downtime and still provide excellent results – well, it speaks for itself the value that brings.”

Since its launch two years ago the ProLine has been making its mark on both grounds and fine-turf customers, such is its versatility, and the fact that it can trim right up to the edges of pathways and borders is a huge plus for parks and urban areas.

“Customers notice the little things,” says John. “The fine finish around the caravans for example and around playgrounds and trees. It’s this level of care and attention that keeps people coming back and another reason why we opted for Toro.”

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Big turn out for Ariens at SALTEX

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Big turn out for Ariens at SALTEX: AriensCo returned to Saltex this year with several professional zero-turn models from their range, including the new ZENITH 60 mower.

The company says the show was exceptional for its number of visitors to their stand and the quality of the leads taken, which will be passed on to the dealer network. The Ariens zero-turns also drew a great deal of attention from prospective dealers interested in selling both the professional and domestic machines.

Big turn out for Ariens at SALTEX

“We had a large number of dealers come to the stand to talk about the market for zero-turns,” says Ariens Area Sales Manager, Richard Williams, “and end-users and contractors wanting to know about the potential benefits of using the machines. It was the first time we have shown the new Zenith, which is one of the zero-turn mowers we are manufacturing in the UK.” Ariens is the only zero-turn manufacturer in Europe and made the decision to produce a number of models in Britain based on the fast-growing demand experienced over recent years.

“Users are drawn to our zero-turns for their comfort, durability and above all, cost-effectiveness,” says Richard, “their speed and large deck sizes make a very big saving in time and that in-turn contributes substantially to the cost of the machine.” These features and benefits very much apply to the all-new Ariens ZENITH 60 which is designed for the professional who wants everyday use from their mower. It offers commercial-grade features and outstanding performance with its large 152cm (60”) cutter deck and faster ground speed. AriensCo points out that this commercial quality, the durable industry-leading steel frames and high performance apply across the entire Ariens range of zero-turn mowers.

Also on show at Saltex were two new Ariens concept machines. These were very well received, enjoying a great deal of positive feedback from visitors to the Ariens stand. These machines are currently being considered for the European market. Ariens zero-turns are manufactured in their UK plant. The complete range of products, including walk-behind mowers and snow throwers, is sold through approved dealers.

For more information visit ariens-uk.com or call 01844 278800.

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Plea for help after vandal attack

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Plea for help after vandal attack: Volunteers from a city football club have appealed for help after vandals struck.

As reported by the Evening Express on Friday, officials at Kincorth AFC were left shocked after intruders damaged their pitch at Kincorth Field.

Vandals got onto the land and covered it in tyre tracks and burnt-out debris.

Some of the damage has been cleaned up but a scorch mark remains almost a week on.

Now the club’s chairman, Kris Harris, is urging anyone with the expertise to help restore the pitch to its former glory to get in touch.

Mr Harris said: “We need some help please. As you know the pitch was vandalised last week and there is a scorch mark on the edge of the box.

“Our co-manager Andrew Ewan is really not happy about it and we need to get someone professional to have a look.

“We would be grateful if you can point us in the right direction.

“What we’re hoping to do is cut this scorch mark out and replace it with a part from behind the goals, but again this is something we need advice on.”

The club is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and it is one of the most successful teams in the history of the Aberdeen Amateur Football Association.

Mr Harris added: “The culprits of this damage have little awareness of the wider impact this has on the community.”

Contact the club via facebook.com/kincorthafc/ if you can help.

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DLF Seeds for Exeter Chiefs

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DLF Seeds for Exeter Chiefs: A change in career is a daunting prospect, but it can often be made easier with training and support from new industry peers.

For Max Sandford, a joiner by trade, he is swiftly learning ‘all things turf’ after taking over as Head Groundsman at Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club 18 months ago. One of those trusted contacts is Ian Barnett of DLF Seeds who has supported Max with the Johnsons J Premier Pitch, in use across the club’s stadium and training facilities.

DLF Seeds for Exeter Chiefs

“The world of grass seed was very new to me” Max explains, when he accepted the top job in early 2018. “Ian, our regional DLF Technical Manager, together with my local distributor have spent a lot of time going back to basics, looking at cultivars and mixture qualities which has given me a much better understanding. The support has been invaluable and has certainly given me enough of an insight to see that the Johnsons mixtures are doing a fantastic job!”

A combination of J Premier Pitch and the ProNitro coated version, J Nitro Premier Pitch, have been used across the site for the last seven years. “We carry out a full renovation on both pitches each year after the final game and overseed roughly every six to eight weeks, depending on the time of year and pitch usage.”

“I am very impressed with the germination, the density of coverage and the strong colour we achieve year on year. The wear tolerance is a major factor for rugby, especially in the scrummaging areas, but the J Premier Pitch holds firm which is testament to the strength of the rooting.” On the back of Ian’s advice, Max is looking forward to trying Johnsons J 4Turf mixture for the first time this winter, to deliver deeper rooting and rapid establishment even under low soil temperatures.

Max concludes, “I enjoy reading about what other groundsmen are using and when I see Johnson’s mixtures used at leading facilities around the country, I feel confident that I’m sourcing the best products I can for the club. Ultimately, I’ve found if you ask the right people the right questions, you will get the right answers!”

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