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BALI Award For John O’Conner

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BALI Award For John O’Conner: Award sponsors Toro and Reesink Turfcare, an official UK Toro distributor, are delighted to announce that John O’Conner Grounds Maintenance are the principle award winners for their sponsored Grounds Maintenance – Limited Public Access category, at the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) National Landscape Awards.

John O’Conner were announced as the winners at a ceremony held at London’s Grosvenor House on 7 December, for its work at Emergency Planning College (EPC), The Hawkhills, a leading provider of high-quality training for public, private and voluntary organisations.

BALI Award For John O’Conner

John O’Conner received the award with its client Serco after an adjudicator visited the college and reviewed the grounds to see first-hand the excellent management employed and the work of the on-site staff at the 240-acre estate, which includes landscaped gardens, woods and natural parklands.

Managing Director at John O’Conner, Matt O’Conner, who coincidentally happens to be the BALI chairman, says: “We’re delighted that EPC has been awarded the principle award in its category at the BALI National Landscape Awards. This is the result of a strong partnership with our client and shows what can be achieved when you work hand-in-hand to improve standards.

“Credit must of course go to our on-site staff who have worked so hard to deliver exemplary standards on this prestigious site. It is a great example of the high level of service that we deliver for our customers day in and day out.”

With tough competition for the award, the project impressed the judges with the level of skill and professionalism displayed. One of the judges declared: “The contractor has done a great deal to improve standards in the grounds of this important venue. Client satisfaction is high, and they are aware that as standards increase, staffing and budgets must follow to maintain the overall look of the site. Regardless, this is a very impressive scheme and a credit to the efforts of the contractor’s on-site staff.”

The award was presented to John O’Conner by Reesink Turfcare’s Alastair Rowell, in front of an audience of over 1000 BALI members and guests at the 42nd annual awards. The runner-up and fellow national award winner in the category, announced in September, was Gavin Jones for Brompton Barracks – Royal School of Military Engineers.

Alastair Rowell, Reesink accounts manager for grounds concludes: “We are very proud to sponsor this award with Toro and have the opportunity to commend the most exciting and progressive landscaping projects. As Toro is renowned for its innovation in groundscare equipment, we have a keen interest in helping to shape the future of the turfcare and landscaping industry. We are thrilled to have seen John O’Conner win this award and congratulate all those involved with this year’s winning project.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Toro Instrumental For Golf Course Reinvention

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Toro Instrumental For Golf Course Reinvention: Toro machinery has been instrumental in the reinvention of two municipal golf clubs located in the South Liverpool and Merseyside areas.

Managed by golf operators Green Circles Estates, there has been a heavy investment in the vision to create two venues providing accessible, affordable golf for all. As a result, Allerton Manor Golf Club in South Liverpool and Sherdley Park Golf Course in St Helens, Merseyside have both undergone significant transformations in recent years.

Toro Instrumental For Golf Course Reinvention

When Green Circle Estates became the Operating Partner with Liverpool City Council in 2015 for Allerton Manor Golf Course, it was an easy decision to purchase a fleet of Toro machinery to maintain the greens. Confidence in Toro was confirmed when Green Circle Estates became the Operating Partner of St Helens Council in May 2018 for Sherdley Park Golf Course and additional Toro machinery was purchased.

Significant investment has gone into the leisure facilities at Allerton Manor Golf Club, there is The Old Stables Restaurant, The Hay Loft Function Room and Fletcher’s Bar. There are plans in place for a new clubhouse at Sherdley Park Golf Course and both have benefitted from substantial investment to the golf courses.

Bryan Joelson-Mulhall, director of golf says: “The investment and redevelopment of each is in a bid to provide an affordable and accessible golf offering true to the courses’ pay and play roots, but with the kind of facilities and standards expected at private members’ golf clubs. We support public access and welcome anyone to play and enjoy the facilities at either of these fantastic golfing locations.”

Allerton Manor Golf Club has benefitted from new Championship tees, bunkers and reshaped fairways, and Bryan says: “The investment in state-of-the-art Toro greenkeeping machinery will now improve the playability of the course, focusing on raising the standard and improving the quality of the turf across the site. Only Toro was ever considered for this role.”

Toro is used exclusively at both clubs and Richie Shields, as Allerton Manor’s new head greenkeeper explains: “I’ve used all the brands in my career and I always revert back to Toro thanks to its exceptional track record for performance and for, time and again, delivering a good result. It has been great to join Allerton Manor Golf Club at this exciting stage in its development, with investment being made, plans being realised and a brand-new fleet of machinery, to ensure we achieve the objectives for the course.”

The fleet deal includes the Reelmaster 3100-D, two Greensmaster 1600 and two Greensmaster 1000 pedestrian mowers, a Greensmaster TriFlex 3400, a Reelmaster 5510-D, Groundsmaster 3500-D and two Groundsmaster 4000-D machines. These are joined by two aerators in the ProCore 648 and SR48, the ProPass 200 topdresser, two Workman HDX utility vehicles, a debris blower 600 and a TYM T353 compact tractor, all supplied by dealer Cheshire Turf Machinery and Reesink Turfcare, a UK distributor of Toro and TYM Tractors.

It’s the pedestrian mowers Richie is so pleased to see arrive: “I’m very much in favour of hand-cutting the greens, there’s less disruption, you can get a faster pace on the greens and it improves presentation.”

Allerton Manor Golf Club is the first municipal pay and play golf course in the UK to undergo this kind of high-level refurbishment. Alongside the work being done to reinvent the Manor House and put the newly refurbished leisure and dining facilities on the South Liverpool map, are plans for lengthening the par 67 18-hole course to a par 72 Championship course.

The next course operated by Green Circle Estates to benefit from similar refurbishment is Sherdley Park Golf Course. Aiding the large-scale improvement works there are a new Reelmaster 6700-D fairway mower, Groundsmaster 4000-D for cutting roughs and surrounds, Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 for pristine tees and greens and the durable Workman HDX utility vehicle.

Partnering with Green Circle has enabled Liverpool City Council and St Helen’s Council to bring to an end to the uncertainty over the sites’ futures, breathing life back into the community surrounding each and creating leisure resorts and golfing facilities for all to access and enjoy.

There are exciting future plans for both clubs, both on and off the course and Toro will play a key part in on-course developments across the Green Circle Estates portfolio.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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50 Year Milestone For Johnston Gilpin

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50 Year Milestone For Johnston Gilpin: 2018 marked a special milestone for the Johnston Gilpin & Co Ltd John Deere agricultural and turf equipment dealership based near Lisburn in Northern Ireland, as it celebrated 50 years in business.

In honour of the occasion the dealership team organised a two-day exhibition in November at the nearby Eikon Centre, showcasing current John Deere tractors and machinery, as well as some historic – and iconic – favourites. Over 4000 existing and potential John Deere customers came to support this popular business and view the latest equipment on offer from the manufacturer.

50 Year Milestone For Johnston Gilpin

Johnston Gilpin & Co Ltd dates back to 1968 when it was started by Donn McConnell on Waterloo Road, close to the location of the current dealership at Lisnoe Road. Donn’s son Randal McConnell is now managing director of the business, while Randal’s brother Neale runs the domestic groundscare division at another site just a few miles away.

“It was a superb event and we are very pleased with how it all went,” said Randal. “To see so many people come and support us was really encouraging and there were a few deals initiated that we will be following up!”

Company founder Donn McConnell also attended the show, along with a number of VIPs including John Deere Limited’s divisional sales manager Chris Meacock. “My father is still involved in the business and comes in every day,” Randal added. “He has taken a back seat over the last 10 years but still keeps an eye on things. He turned 80 this year, so it has been a big year for us all round.”

Tractors of all shapes and sizes were a dominant part of the John Deere display at the anniversary event, alongside self-propelled forage harvesters, combines and a special new airless radial tyre.

“We had almost the full current agricultural tractor range from John Deere on display, right up to the monster 9RX four-track machine,” said Randal. “We also launched the new 9900i self-propelled forage harvester in Northern Ireland. Among the other machines on display were combines, drills, compact tractors and the new X Tweel Turf puncture proof tyres from Michelin, as featured on John Deere’s ZTrak 900 Series commercial zero-turn rotary mower range.”

The turfcare department also showed a full line of commercial, domestic, golf and turf machinery as well as large displays from the dealership’s other suppliers. In addition, the E-Zone featured demonstrations of electric powered wheel loaders from Kramer, Mean Green Mowers and Cramer hand tools.

John Deere’s oldest tractor, the 100 year old Waterloo Boy, made an appearance, lent by local man Graham Crymble. Another of the vintage and classic tractors on display was a 1951 John Deere Model B that belongs to the McConnell family and was restored around 15 years ago.

“This has been an important milestone for us as a company to reach,” said Randal. “For us to be trading successfully and indeed expanding in today’s volatile business climate is a magnificent achievement. We see this special anniversary event as a show of strength, a sign of our professionalism and the culmination of my father’s hard work and dedication to the John Deere brand over the last 50 years.

“We are very proud as a family and as a company to be one of the oldest John Deere dealers in the UK and the oldest in Ireland. This show was probably the largest single indoor dealer exhibition of its kind in the country and was an indication of our enthusiasm to grow the business even further and become the pre-eminent John Deere dealer for Northern Ireland.”

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

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Strong Foundations For Somaliland’s Future

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Strong Foundations For Somaliland’s Future: When UK sporting equipment company Harrod Sport read about the plight of the Somaliland team, it wanted to get involved and help…

Wembley, Paris St Germain’s Parc des Princes, the Stade de France and Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium all have them. So do most Premier League clubs. And now, so will the Somaliland national stadium in Hargeysa.

Strong Foundations For Somaliland’s Future

What do they have, you might well ask? Well, all of these famous grounds and clubs have their goals and posts supplied by Harrod Sport – one of the UK’s top manufacturers of sporting equipment, who’ve been making top-quality kit since 1954. And when the company read about the plight of the Somaliland team on BBC Sport, they simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

Kate Pasque, Harrod Sport’s sales and marketing executive, said, “We couldn’t not get involved with something we believed would help Somaliland and the future of football there.”

Somaliland is a member of CONIFA and has long struggled for recognition as a team in its own right. The region is an independent state, but is not recognised as such by any other country; Somalia still declares Somaliland as an autonomous region. The BBC Sport article highlighted the difficulties faced by those assisting the football teams in the area; working in a region where poverty is rife and people get by on an average wage of $347 a year.

Football is trying to change all of that, and news that the Somaliland national set-up is due to receive – free of charge – Harrod 3G Stadium Goals, along with a Harrod 3G Hanging Net Support system, a bottom-hinged net support and box net is incredibly exciting for those aiming to improve things for the local footballers. Ilyas Mohamed, founder and president of the Somaliland Football Association explains: “This donation means a lot to the development of football in Somaliland. Since the Somaliland Football Association was formed, we have sparked and spearheaded the modernisation of football in Somaliland. This donation will help us make hosting international matches in Somaliland a reality. The goals currently installed at the national stadium in Hargeysa or elsewhere in the country do not fit international requirements.”

It’s a remarkably generous gesture from the company, who have recently set up The Ron Harrod Foundation. The foundation provides funding for sportspeople under 25 to help them continue to compete in their chosen sport, and while it’s currently only available to those based in Norfolk and Suffolk, the company aim to to expand over the years to assist multiple young athletes across the UK.

And while The Ron Harrod Foundation might be focused on UK-based talent, worldwide causes such as the Somaliland team are also where the company can see its help having true on-the-ground effects.

Kate Pasque explains. “The quote in the BBC Sport article, ‘We think every young person should have the opportunity to play football’ really rung true with us at Harrod Sport. We had no intention of stretching our funding pot further this year, especially halfway across the world! However, reading that one in 11 children in Somaliland do not survive to their fifth birthday made us all at the company want to help in any way we could to give hope to the children for their future and their future in football. Providing equipment to a pitch that children will strive to play on, and, in turn, inspiring hope, is everything The Ron Harrod Foundation represents.

“At Harrod Sport, we are hopeful that with the addition of our Stadium Goals, we can contribute to the tireless work of everyone involved with the Somaliland national team and CONIFA and, in a small way, help Somaliland go on to represent themselves at an international level, bringing happiness to the country.”

Ilyas Mohamed has no doubt this is the case. “The association is very grateful to The Ron Harrod Foundation. It’s a wonderful and generous donation. We are excited about the future and cannot wait to host Somaliland’s first international match on home soil.

“With these goals we hope to continue inspiring a nation, a new generation to use football as a way to communicate and connect with the rest of the world.”

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Clean Sweep For Greentech And GKB

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Clean Sweep For Greentech And GKB: St Andrew’s’ University Park is well known for its grass pitches being among the finest in Scotland, winning high praise from visiting professionals. With such a reputation to live up to it’s vital the synthetic pitches are maintained to equally high standards.

University Park called on the specialist services of Throsk based Greentech Sportsturf and their GKB equipment for that purpose. The 3G rubbercrumb pitch, constructed in 2012, is a full size, floodlit, FIFA 2 Star World Rugby approved Third Generation synthetic pitch, used for rugby, football, ultimate Frisbee and lacrosse as well as a venue for regular club fixtures. The Park’s sand dressed pitch is used as a training and match venue for a number of sports clubs, including hockey and football, and is home to a number of community sports programes and weekly sports leagues.

Clean Sweep For Greentech And GKB

A programme of consistent high quality pre-season maintenance is essential and Greentech undertook decompaction and deep cleaning of the surfaces using a GKB Quick Clean for powerful in-depth cleaning and removal of coarse dirt, small stone particles and loose fibres. The synthetic turf brush casts contaminated infill material onto a vibrating screen for removal to a collection container, while dust and fibres are absorbed by a suction unit to a dust bag.

“We use, in conjunction with the Quick Clean, a GKB Rotobrush with its extra rigid bristles for deep compaction and that loosens up the infill for us.” Says Ewan Peddie, Greentech Synthetic Turf Manager. “Then we run our Quick Clean over the surface, taking out any contamination from the playing surface, as well as extracting any loose fibres.” Moss and algae settlements are often most persistent around the edges of synthetic sports pitches. These pose the danger of a slippery surface for players and the Rotobrush also tackles the problem extremely effectively.

Clean Sweep For Greentech And GKB

“We were pleased to be called in by St Andrews for their maintenance programme,” add Ewan, “and equally so for Dundee United FC, where we carried out similar treatment for their 3G rubber crumb training pitch in October, to get it to a standard ready for FIFA approval.”

For more information, visit: www.gkbmachines.com

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