Tag Archive for: Game

Ventrac exposure at The Game Fair

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Ventrac exposure at The Game Fair: Rupert Price and the team from Price Turfcare had a superb response to their first visit as exhibitors at The Game Fair, held at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire at the end of July.

With almost 120,000 visitors across the three-day event, the exposure for the Ventrac brand was outstanding. It was the busiest ever opening day in The Game Fairs 62-year history, with a three-day total of 119,378 people enjoying the return of the festival of the Great British countryside.

Ventrac exposure at The Game Fair

Ventrac exposure at The Game Fair

Commenting a couple of days after the show, Rupert Price said,

“This was our first time as exhibitors at The Game Fair and it was an incredible experience. Visitors to this event are a prime section of the target audience for our Ventrac all-terrain compact tractor together with its range of attachments and there was huge interest. We marketed it as the Estate Manager’s Swiss Army Knife and it certainly drew a lot of attention.

“I think it helped that we had moving demonstrations on our stand, which enabled visitors to get a glimpse of what the machine can do. We had ramps at 20 and 30 degrees to demonstrate its unique climbing ability and also had a bit of fun when we balanced a football in the airflow of one of the leaf blower attachments, which tended to stop people in their tracks. This is a family-friendly event and it was great to see so many young children besotted with machinery, especially tractors. We had hundreds of photos taken with them sitting on our static display and we exhausted our supply of ‘Venny Ventrac’ colouring books midway through the second day.

“At this type of event you don’t expect to sell large price-ticket equipment such as ours, but it does provide the opportunity for exposure and to talk to prospective purchasers. I have to say that we have come away with some superb leads and it’s going to take quite some time to follow them up, but that’s a nice problem to have. We’ll definitely return next year.”

The Ventrac all-terrain compactor has over 30 different attachments that can be front-mounted to provide an extremely versatile machine for a wide range of estate management applications. With a choice of eight mowing decks, it can maintain grassed areas ranging from fine turf to thick brush. Other attachments include aerators, aera-vators, brushes, blowers, overseeders, rotovators, buckets and grabs, stump grinders, trenchers and snow removal accessories. In its eight-wheel configuration it can operate on slopes of 30 degrees – the only ride-on machine in the UK certificated for such steep gradients.

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Polaris to attend The Game Fair

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Polaris to attend The Game Fair: Polaris Off Road Vehicles has confirmed its attendance at The Game Fair 2021 alongside the prestigious gunmaker and top UK shooting ground, E.J. Churchill, on Gunmaker’s Row.

Entering its seventh decade, The Game Fair is a premium festival celebrating the great British countryside and is set to return to Ragley Hall, Warwickshire from 23-25 July this year. Bringing together over 800 leading brands linked to countryside living, this year Polaris will showcase its newest line-up of off-road vehicles with specially selected UTV and ATV models suitable for utility use and outdoor pursuits.

Polaris to attend The Game Fair

Polaris to attend The Game Fair

“Partnering with E.J. Churchill for The Game Fair is a superb fit – we’ve got a longstanding history together as they have exclusively run Polaris vehicles across their shooting grounds for over ten years now,” said Polaris UK National Sales Manager, Richard Coleby. “We’re very excited to be working in collaboration with the experienced team at E.J. Churchill at The Game Fair this year: Gunmaker’s Row is at the heart of the event and we can’t wait to engage with customers from all around the country and showcase just how versatile our vehicles really are, with applications in everything from field sports like hunting, shooting, and fishing, to land management, equine, dogs and garden maintenance.”

Polaris will be displaying the new 2021/2022 line-up at The Game Fair, including the all-new Hunter Editions specially designed for hunting and outdoor pursuits and complete with a special edition camouflage design – available for the 2021 Sportsman 570 EPS, Ranger XP 1000 EPS Deluxe, Ranger 570 and Ranger EV models – alongside the bestselling and class-leading Ranger Diesel UTV.

Not only that, but Polaris will also have the range of its next-generation ATV model for 2021 – the Sportsman 570 – on display, featuring a bold, modern design with new features and product improvements, all while featuring the same legendary ride and handling, unrivalled versatility and reliable performance that the Polaris Sportsman is renowned for. Available to view on the Polaris stand will be the base Sage Green option, premium SP model as well as two special editions; the Agri Pro Edition with Geofencing technology and the Hunter Edition.

Polaris enhances its utility line-up with a wide range of new parts and accessories available to customise the vehicle for the job at hand. Choose from the Lock & Ride Pro-Fit cab system for ultimate weather protection, cargo boxes and clever storage options, as well as speciality products like gun and chainsaw mounts.

E.J. Churchill Managing Director, Rob Fenwick commented, “Having Polaris as a neighbouring partner with E.J. Churchill at The Game Fair is an exciting concept as it adds a new flavour to what we’re all about – delivering an all-round premium experience for our clients with the best possible tools available, and that extends to the utility vehicles that we operate across the shooting grounds and estates that we run.”

With both stands combined with an exclusive hospitality area, Polaris and E.J. Churchill will be hosting VIPs on the stand with a selection of typically British food and drink.

Press are welcome to join Polaris at The Game Fair on stand J657.

For a VIP experience, journalists can RSVP for an exclusive hospitality lunch from 23rd to 25th July, for the opportunity to learn and talk about the full vehicle line-up, as well as an early opportunity to book test units for 2022: RSVP here.

For more information on The Game Fair 2021, please visit https://thegamefair.org/

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ECB statement on recreational game

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ECB statement on recreational game: “Following the Government’s latest advice around social distancing, it is with sadness and reluctance that we recommend that all forms of recreational cricket are for now suspended.

“This extends to training, pre-season friendlies and any associated cricket activity.

“Sport plays an absolutely vital role in the nation’s mental and physical wellbeing, and it helps people find meaning where there is fear and uncertainty, so one of our goals in the coming weeks will be to explore ways that we can support some levels of physical activity in communities – particularly at junior levels.

“Using our cricket community to support others could be one of the most important services we can offer during the difficult next few months.

“It will be critical that any decisions we do make are medically-led. And we will continue to work with Government and their advisors to ensure we are informed by science in our decision making.

“Over the coming weeks we will work with the game to understand what support is required across the cricket community, particularly local clubs and leagues – who will have such a huge role to play in our nation’s response to coming out of this situation.”

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Amenity Standard a game changer

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Amenity Standard a game changer: At the 2019 Amenity Forum conference and exhibition, the new Amenity Standard was introduced, prior to its full formal launch in 2020. This Standard is akin to the Red Tractor in food and agriculture.

Those operating to the Standard and displaying its logo will demonstrate their adherence to recognised assured standards in all tasks undertaken.

Amenity Standard a game changer

There is much greater public and political interest related to weed, pest and disease management, especially linked to chemical use. The reasons why chemicals need to be used, as part of a fully integrated approach, in seeking to provide safe, healthy amenity spaces and sports surfaces, is not always clear to the public and stakeholders.

The wider public users of amenity spaces need to have clear assurances that all those involved in creating and maintaining safe, healthy sports grounds and other amenity spaces, operate at the highest professional standards; and whether using chemical or non-chemical methods, such operations are undertaken by competent, trained personnel following well designed and managed plans.

The introduction of the Standard has already generated widespread support including from the national governments of the UK. It will be formally launched in Scotland by a senior government minister at a conference in early February and a similar event is planned for Wales with on-going discussions in England and Northern Ireland on how best to promote and support.

Speaking about the Standard, Professor John Moverley, Chairman of the Amenity Forum, said ‘’We feel this to be exactly the right time to introduce this Standard which we hope will be sought and demanded from all who operate in amenity management. It will give assurance that work undertaken is of the highest professional standards by those committed to best practice in every aspect of operations. Those who work in amenity management undertake important and essential operations seeking to create safe and healthy amenity and sports spaces fit for purpose. Introduction of the Standard is we believe a major step and demonstrates once again the high levels of professionalism to be found in our sector’’

“This initiative from The Amenity Forum has been set up by the industry for the responsible use of chemicals. Endorsed by regulatory trade bodies and completely voluntary, we are delighted to be one of the first foundation partners to join. PCA members can also use the new Amenity Standard logo to demonstrate their adherence to recognised assured standards in the use of chemicals.”Steve Hodgson, CEO, PCA.

The Amenity Standard is a bespoke quality management standard that has been developed, as a partnership, by all sides of the amenity sector. Those operating to the Standard will be committed to an integrated approach to amenity management and to the highest professional standards. They will be members of an approved assurance scheme recognised by the Standard. The cost of operating the Standard is covered by fees from providers of these recognised assurance schemes and there will be no extra cost to individual organisations.

The Amenity Standard is designed to:

• Provide an industry benchmark
• Provide a basis for continuous improvement
• Focus on quality as an objective
• Provide assurances about the quality of the approved organisation and maintenance of the amenity space
• Ensure that quality assurance scheme operators recognised under this Standard use auditors with technical knowledge and experience of the sector concerned
• Promote confidence in organisations operating and providing resources in the amenity sector by provision of a robust and transparent standard

The Amenity Standard will be operated by the Amenity Forum who will maintain, review and regularly update matters as required. They will audit each scheme operator to quality assure that they are operating to agreed standards. In turn, the scheme operators audit their members and approved organisations to assure that they are meeting the requirements of the Amenity Standard. At its launch, three Assurance Schemes are to be recognised by the Standard – the Property Care Association Scheme for Invasive Weed Management and two schemes offered by BASIS Registration, Lawn Assured and Amenity Assured. The aim is for more schemes to be recognised as the Standard develops so that all sectors of amenity are covered.

The need to move quickly on this is recognised by the sector. Clearly embedding the Amenity Standard will need time; it is not a quick fix. Its introduction will need to be accompanied by a communication strategy both externally and internally. However, if this step is not taken, the great progress made to date in increasing the recognition of the professionalism within the amenity sector may be threatened. It will not always be easy, but it is the right step, at the right time.

Hopefully the logo will soon appear on amenity areas across the UK and be upheld with pride by operators. For more information contact Admin@amenityforum.net

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Le Golf National’s Short Game Area

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Le Golf National’s Short Game Area: Not content to rest on its laurels after the stunning success of last year’s Ryder Cup, the team at Le Golf National is continuing to invest in its facilities, building a substantial new training area for short game practice.

Located between the sixteenth green of the Albatros course and the club’s driving range, the new short game area housed a large grandstand during the Ryder Cup. “When the stand came down after the event, all the grass in the area was dead, so it was clear we needed to do something with the ground,” said Lucas Pierré, golf courses and estates manager at Le Golf National. “At the same time, we decided to rebuild all our training areas using better materials. They are really important for us and get a great deal of use, both from our paying golf customers and from our coaches running clinics for local schoolchildren.”

Le Golf National's Short Game Area

“The area between the sixteenth green and the driving range was ideal for this use, as it was already covered by our irrigation system,” said Pierré. “The new short game area was designed in house, jointly by me, by Alejandro Reyes [LGN’s former superintendent, now an agronomic consultant] and by our head golf teacher. We saved as much of the USGA rootzone as possible – it is quite large, with 3,000 sq m of green space, 4,000 sq m of surrounds and 1,000 sq m of sand, in two big bunkers.

“We already have Capillary Concrete on the Albatros course, and we are used to working with their French distributor, Stan Chapus of Greenmix,  so we know that the system works, and we decided on EcoBunker to create the bunker edging. Together they make an advanced system – not cheap, but they work well together. We can keep the sand on the bunker faces; it doesn’t wash down every time there is a big rain.’”

The new area will open in September for use by the local childrens’ golf schools, and be in use when the French Open returns to Le Golf National in October.

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