Tag Archive for: Impact

Perennial’s impact greater than ever

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Perennial’s impact greater than ever: With Perennial’s impact on people’s lives revealed as greater than ever, the charity helping people in horticulture is calling for the industry to help sustain its community.

The charity’s 2022 Impact Report and recent figures show the pressing need for its services across the industry. 24,000 preventative services and activities were delivered last year, with 1,895 people and their families receiving direct personal support to improve their lives.

Perennial’s impact greater than ever

Perennial’s impact greater than ever

During the first half of 2023, Perennial provided services to 1,184 people, compared to 897 in the first half of 2022. This steep increase of 31% highlights the urgent need for increased support for Perennial’s work from the industry.

Perennial’s vision is for all those who work with plants, trees, flowers or grass to know about Perennial and how it can help. The charity relies on and is grateful to those demonstrating a commitment to support the horticultural community and invest in its future. In 2022:

  • 123 businesses were part of Perennial’s Partner Scheme contributing £93k worth of funding.
  • Four major wholesale nurseries collaborated to form Plants for Perennial. The joint initiative is an example of how businesses can work together to raise funds and awareness through plant sales.
  • 45 businesses supported employees through Perennial’s mental health first aiders’ pilot scheme that was launched to create a culture of mental wellbeing in the workplace.
  • 700 trade show visitors monitored their health using Perennial’s health kiosk, blood pressure checks and grip strength tests.

Perennial’s Chief Executive Peter Newman says: “This report highlights our impact on thousands of lives in 2022 thanks in large measure to our generous supporters and volunteers. We help those facing challenging times as well as providing advice and guidance to prevent small issues from becoming big problems. We enable people to be more in control of their health, financial and social wellbeing. With dedicated online resources, tools and apps alongside our one-on-one support services, we aim to offer something of benefit to everyone within the UK’s horticultural community and ask the industry to show its support and help us spread the word.”

“We recognise the important role that Perennial plays in providing essential support to horticulture and we want to keep being a part of that,” says Steve Walley, Managing Director, London Stone – Diamond Perennial Partner.

A better quality of life is within reach for everyone in horticulture. Through its services surrounding health and wellbeing, networks and financial wellbeing Perennial will continue to improve lives. The horticulture industry can help by spreading the word about Perennial and by raising funds to support its work.

Read more about Perennial’s impact on the lives and futures of people in horticulture at perennial.org.uk/impactreport2022.

Free services for people in horticulture that the industry can promote are:

  • Nudge, the free personalised money management tool introduced to help improve people’s financial wellbeing with relevant financial information that can have a positive impact on their money management. 115 people took control of their money and financial wellbeing within the first few weeks of its launch.
  • A Health & Wellbeing platform and app offered to support the body, mind and life, with people regularly engaging with recipe ideas, fitness plans, meditations, articles, podcasts and videos. 420 users were guided by the health and wellbeing app last year.
  • Help with training – Upskilling and training support trebled in 2022 compared to 2021, enabling 76 people to enhance their careers.
  • Helpline: For advice, information and support use the online Services Contact Form at perennial.org.uk/services-contact-form or call 0800 093 8543.

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Tiny by name, massive in impact

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Tiny by name, massive in impact: The purchase of a TinyLineMarker® Pro X is the latest in a long list of investments for Penwortham Priory Academy, as more of the grounds and estates management is taken in-house. Keith Bolton, Strategic Estates Development Manager, says that the TLM Pro X from Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) will reduce expenditure, improve consistency, and encourage interest from more community clubs as the academy looks to increase engagement with the local area.

TinyLineMarker robots are marketed and distributed exclusively in the UK by Origin Amenity Solutions which brings together four leading industry names – Headland Amenity, Rigby Taylor, TurfKeeper.com and Symbio.

Tiny by name, massive in impact

Tiny by name, massive in impact

Following years of maintenance by both the local authority and private contractors, Keith and the Estates Team made the call to get more hands-on with the ground’s maintenance – boosted by a successful application through the ‘Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund’. “With this grant we purchased a tractor, slitter, Quadraplay and mower meaning we’ve been largely self-sufficient for nearly a year now” he explains.

“In that time, we have welcomed three local community clubs and two neighbouring schools to our facilities which helps to generate much-needed revenue to drive further investment.” Keith continues, “With regards to line marking, we’d previously had people in to do that for us with varied levels of success and could see that having our own equipment would not only reduce cost and improve consistency, but it would also mean we could mark-out as often as we want and better accommodate the needs of those using our surfaces.”

Keith and the team compared two makes of robot marker, before deciding that the specification, price and more intuitive and user-friendly software made the TLM Pro X the perfect fit. The versatile Pro X is TinyMobileRobot’s most reliable and robust robot to date. A new hardware configuration and a wealth of new software features including custom logo and low paint alerts, makes the Pro X capable of delivering the most demanding field paint jobs with both accuracy and speed.

The TLM Pro X was delivered in early April 2023, with comprehensive training delivered by Origin Amenity’s Technical Sales Manager David Weir and Technical Area Manager Glen Howard. “I’ve worked with David increasingly over the years, providing us with fantastic guidance and advice and supplying consumables including seed and fertiliser from across the OAS portfolio. The training on the Pro X from Glen was comprehensive enough for us to start using it straight away. Weather and growth dependant, it will be used every two weeks throughout the year – redefining our winter sports pitches through the cooler season, then switching to creating a seven-lane 400m running track and other athletics facilities over the summer.”

“We’re already seeing the benefits. We’ve managed to reconfigure the site to mark an additional pitch which is another asset we can now offer to the community. We’ve also been able to save the settings on the software for even more efficiency next time and have begun exploring the possibility of using movable goals and adjusting the configuration to help us manage wear across the site during the more challenging months.”

Keith continues, “The labour that this machine will save us will be immense, freeing up all important staff-time to carry out other tasks.” He adds, “The possibilities that the TLM gives us to enhance our own site, or pop it in the back of a van and offer the service to other nearby schools, is endless helping to generate further income and investment and boost everybody’s enjoyment of the surfaces we are proud to offer.”

Free demonstrations are being offered across the UK.  To book or enquire visit https://tinymobilerobots.com/tinymobilerobots-uk/

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Reduce your environmental impact with Aspen Fuel

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Reduce your environmental impact with Aspen Fuel: It is perhaps no surprise that recent research into the environmental and health impacts of petrol-powered hand tools has highlighted some worrying statistics around emissions and the knock-on negative effects on public health.

However, making additional capital investment or disposing of serviceable equipment can be avoided with the simple switch to Aspen Alkylate Petrol – significantly reducing the impact on the environment and eliminating exposure to hazardous hydrocarbons.

Reduce your environmental impact with Aspen Fuel

Reduce your environmental impact with Aspen Fuel

Amongst the research recently published in the national media, it stated that a leaf-blower can emit up to 11 times more carbon monoxide than a Ford Fiesta and that two-thirds of those surveyed reported health issues, such as breathing problems, during operation. However, solving the problem may be limited by a number of factors, not least by the resources required for the sometimes lengthy and complex procurement process.

Operators looking for a cleaner alternative could consider fuelling their petrol-powered tools with Aspen – an alkylate petrol which is ethanol-free and virtually free from Sulphur, Benzene and many other harmful substances. In contrast to the pollutants emitted by pump-petrol, with Aspen, you can mow for 100 hours before reaching the same level of toxic benzene emissions emitted in one hour of mowing with regular petrol.

Switching to Aspen is easy, and while it cannot reverse damage caused by regular petrol, it will have a cleaning effect on the internal parts – particularly removing soot build-up in the exhaust port. No modifications are required to covert a machine to run on Aspen, only to avoid diluting the benefits, operators are advised to wait until the fuel tank is as empty as possible before switching. For older equipment, switching after a service where any susceptible parts should be replaced, is ideal.

Director of Weedfree Landscapes Tim Bower switched to Aspen 2 for all of their 2-stroke equipment. “Straight away we noticed the reduction in noxious fumes. For the operator this brings fantastic health benefits, especially during prolonged periods of exposure, but it also makes for a cleaner working environment which is desirable when we’re working in public spaces such as schools for example.”

Aspen is available pre-mixed for 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines and, along with improving reliability and prolonging the performance of engine components, the cleaner burn improves the working conditions for the operator and significantly reduces the harmful impact your machinery makes on the environment. Because of this, and in particular the benefits it can bring to those working in confined spaces, Aspen is a popular choice for tree surgeons, local authorities and green space managers looking for an alternative, greener power source.

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Midlothian Council making an impact with Pellenc

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Midlothian Council making an impact with Pellenc: Midlothian may be one of the smallest councils in Scotland, but it is certainly making a big impact with a little help from a range of Pellenc battery-powered equipment.  

“I think we are the second smallest local authority by area in Scotland,” said Jim Hay, Grounds Maintenance Manager for Midlothian Council. “However, as far as we are aware we have more electric equipment than any of the other councils and we’re trying to lead the way in this respect.”

Midlothian Council making an impact with Pellenc

Midlothian Council making an impact with Pellenc

From managing teams to choosing equipment, Jim is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of all the grounds and green spaces throughout Midlothian. One of his biggest responsibilities is the health and safety of the personnel who are operating grounds maintenance equipment, and it is for this very reason that he first started exploring battery-powered technology.

“We identified that the Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) measurements on the majority of our petrol equipment were not ideal and felt that battery-powered machinery was the solution,” said Jim. “For this reason, we looked at a wide-range of equipment from various manufacturers. Unfortunately, we found that most of the equipment was not to a professional standard – it appeared to be more suited to domestic use.

“Pellenc however, was different. As far as we are concerned, Pellenc is by far the best professional equipment in the battery-powered market.”

A forerunner when it comes to lithium-ion technology, Pellenc has established itself as the number one choice in the ‘zero emission’ professional power tools market for the maintenance of urban and green-spaces.

Light, odourless, noise-free, with no starting problems and enough power to enable professional users to work for a full day on a single charge, it’s no wonder more and more professional users are turning to Pellenc. It is an attractive alternative to those who have, for several years, been relying on fuel-based machinery.

A demonstration was arranged through Pellenc dealer Agrovista Amenity, and Midlothian Council purchased a wide range of Pellenc products which included Rasion pedestrian mowers, Helion hedge trimmers, Selion chainsaws, Excelion grass strimmers and Airion blowers.

The equipment is already making a positive difference in many areas throughout the borough of Midlothian as Jim explained.

“The Pellenc tools are used in a lot of the local schools because we can operate them when classes are on or when exams are in progress, due to how quiet the machinery is. It’s the same when we work close to residential homes or the public in general.

“Aside from the equipment being so quiet it is just so much easier and more comfortable for the staff. With our old petrol machinery, they could only use it for three hours at a time because of the HAV levels, but they can use the Pellenc tools all day. The battery life is excellent, and we can run them all day if needed.

“I’ve had nothing but positive feedback from everyone using it.”

Jim claims that his experience has been boosted by the dedicated Pellenc technical centre – which was launched after Agrovista Amenity joined forces with Edinburgh City Council. It means that customers like Jim, have access to dedicated Pellenc operatives who have been fully trained at the state-of-the-art Pellenc factory in Pertuis, France.

“We have definitely benefited from the Pellenc service centre,” he said. “Whenever I need a machine serviced, looking at, or need any advice then I can just call the team there. It’s a fantastic service and when the Pellenc equipment goes in for a service it is always returned very quickly.”

Jim feels that the purchase of the Pellenc equipment is another step in the right direction for Midlothian Council.

“The public are becoming more ‘green aware’ – and we are doing our utmost to boost our green credentials. We first started investing in electric equipment five years ago we are proud of what we have achieved already.

“Going forward we are keen to record the savings in CO2 emissions from this change in power source to further demonstrate our green credentials. We are already telling people to keep their eyes peeled because we have more electric equipment coming.”

Pellenc is distributed exclusively in the UK by Etesia UK.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.pellencuk.com

You can also follow Pellenc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @PellencUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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#GroundsWeek polling reveals positive impact

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#GroundsWeek polling reveals positive impact: Following the first-ever #GroundsWeek (1-7 March 2021), an awareness campaign for the turf-care sector launched by the Grounds Management Association (GMA), polling reveals its positive impact for the future of groundscare. Following the campaign, the not-for-profit membership organisation measured results to inform future activities.

In a survey issued to professional and volunteer groundspeople, as well as industry suppliers, 79% of respondents stated that the week had helped celebrate the sector, fulfilling one the initial aims of the campaign; to mark the challenging year brought on by the pandemic.

#GroundsWeek polling reveals positive impact

#GroundsWeek polling reveals positive impact

Over 61% of respondents said that #GroundsWeek helped educate them on the turf-care sector and the tasks involved in grounds maintenance. These individuals agreed that they had learned something new and felt better-connected as a result of the week taking place.

#GroundsWeek also peaked interest in volunteering with 76% agreeing that the week raised awareness of the sector and 50% responding that they had got involved during the week itself. Individuals also shared their availability across social media for volunteering opportunities.

Scott Tingley, Head Groundsman at Watford FC, following #GroundsWeek, said:

“GroundsWeek enabled myself and so many others to promote our industry. We are in a very fortunate position at top level football clubs, but the industry is so much more than that. It’s important the industry is recognised at all levels to ensure we are attracting the next generation, and the Grounds Management Association has given us the platform to demonstrate that with their #GroundsWeek initiative.”

Overall, 29 million people were reached by #GroundsWeek content across social media and through media coverage, with over 6,000 positively engaging with #GroundsWeek content on social media platforms.

Geoff Webb, CEO of the GMA, commented:

“We were thrilled with the response and impact of this year’s #GroundsWeek campaign. It surpassed expectations and I was overwhelmed with the level of interaction online – especially seeing potential volunteers reaching out to grounds staff to find out how they could get involved.

“We are committed to helping further educate the wider public, and those who rely on the surfaces that grounds staff maintain, through #GroundsWeek 2022 to keep our industry thriving.”

The GMA has confirmed that #GroundsWeek will be happening once again next year from 28th February – 6th March 2022. So far confirmed as sponsors for next year’s event are; Agrigem Ltd (Nutrigow), British Sugar Topsoil, Infinicut, Premier Pitches, Kubota, SIS-Grass, John Deere Ltd, Redexim, Origin Amenity Solutions, Husqvana, and idverde.

For brands looking to support the campaign, please contact communications@thegma.org.uk

For further information about this year’s #GroundsWeek, visit: www.thegma.org.uk/groundsweek

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