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GroundWOW® up for Innovation Award

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GroundWOW® up for Innovation Award: GroundWOW has been shortlisted for the Innovation Award in TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2021.

Launched in 2010, The StadiumBusiness Awards were the first industry awards for the stadium sector, by the stadium sector.

GroundWOW® up for Innovation Award

GroundWOW® up for Innovation Award

Ian Nuttall, Founder, TheStadiumBusiness said: “Now in their second decade, TheStadiumBusiness Awards continue to recognise leadership, innovation and achievement in the design, delivery and operation of sports and entertainment facilities globally.

“As our industry restarts and recovers post-pandemic, it’s vital that we look for inspiration and ideas from our colleagues around the world. Sports and entertainment businesses are now re-imagining and re-invigorating their guest experience – embracing technology, service, and creativity to deliver ever more magical moments.

“The world’s venues are the ‘memory factories’ of humanity and it is wonderful to see across all the finalists that our industry is alive with new ideas and new approaches. Venues cannot simply take fans for granted. Instead, we are seeing the industry’s best facilities continue to re-invent their offer and enhance the fan experience, connect more deeply with their communities and tackle their sustainability obligations.”

GroundWOW® up for Innovation Award

GroundWOW® up for Innovation Award

“For 2021 we have an amazing shortlist of finalists across the categories. Our expert Judging Panel will have its work cut out determining a single winner in each category ahead of our Winners’ Party in Manchester on 30 November. Meanwhile, our congratulations to all TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2021 finalists for making the cut – they are all winners and champions for our industry.”

GroundWOW’s Chief Commercial Officer, David Pritchard commented: “We are beyond thrilled for GroundWOW to be recognised with a nomination in the Innovation category of TheStadiumBusiness Awards. To be nominated by the industry at such a powerful event for the industry and in a forum that truly understands what innovation means and requires is an enormous validation of our efforts to this point”.

TheStadiumBusiness Summit takes place from November 30th to December 1st 2021.

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The best machines for scrubland maintenance

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The best machines for scrubland maintenance: Scrublands are an extremely valuable habitat to many species, with the small patches of nettles and brambles, and the more densely packed young trees and gorse bushes, offering food and shelter.

Technically described as a ‘successional habitat’, scrub is temporary and transitions from one type of habitat to another. Despite this transitory nature, though, scrubs do require an element of maintenance to keep the area under control.

The best machines for scrubland maintenance

The best machines for scrubland maintenance

Preparing for scrubland maintenance

Before any scrubland maintenance can be done, preparation is essential for maintaining the area effectively and safely. A site survey should be conducted to ascertain what wildlife is present in the scrubland, allowing those carrying out the work to be mindful of these habitats. It’s also important to keep a variety of old and young scrub, to ensure variety and diversity is provided, making it appealing to a wider range of species.

When managing scrublands, it’s also important to maintain a direct link to surrounding habitats as this allows species to explore the landscape. Invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and rhododendron should also be controlled, as they have very little value for wildlife and will happily take over the site if allowed, causing more problems in the future.

Using a brushcutter on scrubland

There are a range of techniques that can be employed to control scrub when necessary, the most popular, of course, being the use of a brushcutter. These powerful machines are ideal for cutting through overgrown bushes and fields and for clearing through dense scrub. Billy Goat’s range of brushcutters have heavy-duty spindles, strong engines and ergonomic controls which make them easy to use in even the harshest environments, with a different model available for a variety of requirements.

The BC2600HEBB BC Series Pivoting Deck brushcutter has been engineered to glide over uneven terrain, like scrub, as its pivoting brush deck hugs the ground for a closer cut. Its improved traction also keeps the weight of the machine firmly on its extra wide tyres, helping to make user manoeuvrability as easy as possible. The machine also boasts a Tuff Torq™ variable hydrostatic transmission that features a fully automatic Enhanced Tractions Control (ETC), offering a superior traction in wet or uneven conditions and can cut saplings and brush at a rate of an acre per hour.

For those looking for a fixed deck, Billy Goat’s BC2600ICM BC Series Fixed Deck brushcutter is a great option as it provides excellent stability in deep vegetation. Powered by a Honda engine, the mechanical transaxle – which features three speeds forward and one reverse – is ideal for clearing meadows and fields or cutting paths and trails wherever dense brush and weeds present a clean-up challenge. The heavy-duty blade spindle is reinforced on four sides, so it can tackle even the toughest cutting conditions, including thick bushes, grass and weeds over 180cm tall, and saplings up to 5cm diameter.

For larger scrubland areas, the BCR3626BVECE 4WD Outback Rider is the ultimate brushcutter as it has been designed with a low centre of gravity, combined with a four-wheel drive system that enables it to tackle those hard-to-reach places that traditional machines are unable to reach. The spacious platform also provides sufficient space and operator comfort whilst the heavy-duty mower deck is equipped with swing-back cutter blades that swing away when accidental contact is made with solid objects. As well as protecting wildlife, these features also help protect the mower deck and cutter blades from accidental damage.

Whether it’s low level or extensive scrubland maintenance, Billy Goat has a range of brush cutters that make managing scrublands safe and easy.

Billy Goat products are available nationwide through Henton & Chattell’s dealer network. For more information and to see videos demonstrating their performance visit www.billygoat.co.uk.

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Two more new dealers for Corvus 4×4

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Two more new dealers for Corvus 4×4: Boss ORV has announced the appointment of two new dealers to the Corvus 4×4 utility vehicle network. North of the border in Perthshire is John Drysdale Agricultural Engineers, a business started in 1979, at the age of 21, by John Drysdale.

He continues with his son Robert to offer a wide range of leading agricultural machinery, parts, and servicing. The servicing and repair end of the company covers most brands of ATV, all the major brands of tractors and all types of agricultural machinery. They have now taken delivery of their first Corvus Terrain UTV units with a handover by Phil Everett, BOSS ORV’s Managing Director.

Two more new dealers for Corvus 4x4

Two more new dealers for Corvus 4×4

“We are extremely proud to add the vast experience in the ORV industry of John Drysdale Agricultural Engineers to our dealer network,” says Phil. “It’s great to have John, Jane, Robert and all the team at Drysdale’s join the Corvus journey.”

Heading south, Phil welcomes MD Newton Bellisario and his Dial-A-Digger team in the New Forest region to the Corvus family. The business is now fully stocked with units in the showroom and a demo unit ready to go. Dial-A-Digger offers a wide range of plant, tractor and ATV hire, covering beyond the New Forest across Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and north to Southampton and Winchester. They will offer the range of Terrain models from the latest DX4 with its Yanmar diesel engine for performance, to the Pro EPS and the CAB version with creature comforts, including air conditioning and full protection from the weather.

The appointment of Dial-A-Digger marks the growth of the Corvus dealer network to twenty-four dealers since the launch of the Corvus TerrainDX4 by Boss ORV in 2019. The UK coverage stretches from Inverness to Cornwall and across to Northern Ireland and is continuing to grow. For more information about the Corvus Terrain range, you can call 01597 810188, E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk or visit www.bossorv.co.uk

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Successful SALTEX for Ventrac

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Successful SALTEX for Ventrac: Returning from a very successful SALTEX show, Rupert Price, managing director of UK importer Price Turfcare, says that Ventrac has now been accepted as a relevant brand in the UK groundscare sector.

“At the end of the first day at the show, we were returning to the hotel and reflecting on the high level of business and number of visitors that we had seen. Honestly, we were sceptical about the possible visitor numbers prior to the show, but were very pleased with the footfall across the stand and the number of demonstration requests received. The discussion with the first visitor set the tone for the day with a demonstration arranged for late November.

Successful SALTEX for Ventrac

Successful SALTEX for Ventrac

“It occurred to us that we were being perceived in a different way than at previous events; we had become an accepted and credible brand in the sector. Instead of having to explain who we were and what the machine could do, we were talking to an audience who had seen it on social media, in the trade press and at events and now understood the benefits that it could bring to their business.

“For me, this change of perception was a very pleasing and a testament to the efforts of the small team here at the company. They have worked tirelessly to promote and demonstrate the machine across the UK for the past six years. We have come from nowhere in 2017, when we launched at BTME and with the incredible support of the manufacturer, Venture Products Inc, we have gone from a presence of zero machines to over 200 today. The forward order book is healthy, we are getting regular shipments of machines and are now looking at larger premises for the new year.

“The atmosphere at SALTEX was very positive; people were really pleased to be meeting up with the industry again. It was just a good feeling to see customers, prospects and former colleagues in a positive environment. There were many discussions about supply chain issues, the inevitable price rises that we are all experiencing and the state of the sector, but all-in-all, it demonstrated the robustness of UK groundscare. For us, a great show!”

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New approach for Newark Golf Club

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New approach for Newark Golf Club: Established in 1901, Newark Golf Club in Nottinghamshire is an 18-hole parkland/heathland golf course with a driving range and practice facilities maintained by a greenkeeping team of six led by course manager Alex Clarricoates.

Alex joined the club from school on work experience 13 years ago and was then offered a full-time job. Since he became course manager three years ago, a new club board took the opportunity after the first Covid lockdown to restructure the running of the golf course and make some necessary improvements. By outsourcing the pro shop and clubhouse to franchise operators, this freed up extra money to spend on the club’s main asset, the golf course.

New approach for Newark Golf Club

New approach for Newark Golf Club

“The club was very supportive and happy to make the investment I thought was necessary to improve the course quality, rather than simply making do with what we had,” says Alex. “I was therefore encouraged to put together a list of the machines we needed to get us properly equipped. For example, we used to hire in a contractor to do the vertidraining, but we now have our own machine which gives us much more flexibility and costs the club less money in the long run.

“Having bought our first John Deere package in 2017, the old fleet needed upgrading. There was a mix of deals on different terms with and without maintenance agreements, so essentially we emptied the shed and replaced the fleet, with the help of our local dealer Simon Fountain at Adamson’s Langworth depot.

“In particular, we decided to invest in new mowers dedicated to the rough, semi-rough and fairways, to give us more flexibility with the cutting regimes. We can now mow the roughs, aprons and tees more regularly, whereas before one machine had to do two jobs, and we also have a specialist amenity turf sprayer, which we didn’t have before.

“Another benefit is that one of my assistants, Jim North, used to work with Simon at the previous John Deere dealership, so he’s familiar with the kit and can look after all the service and maintenance.”

The new John Deere fleet (pictured on the 8th hole) includes three 2550E hybrid electric triplex mowers with two spare sets of 7- and 11-blade reels, a 6700A PrecisionCut fairway mower, 9009A TerrainCut and 1600T WAM Series 3 rotary rough mowers, a 4066R compact tractor with 440R front loader and 4-in-1 bucket, a ProGator 2030A utility vehicle with HD200 sprayer and cargo box plus TH 6×4 and TE electric Gators.

Ancillary equipment bought as part of the John Deere Financial five-year finance lease package deal includes a Charterhouse Redexim Top-Brush and Verti-Drain 7416 aerator, a Campey Turf Care Vredo DZ 214.07.5 compact seeder and a Tru-Turf RE50 greens roller.

“After the course was shut during the last lockdown, it took the team about a month to prepare the course ready to open again, using the new equipment, and it was in mint condition straight from the off,” says Alex.

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