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Instructors and Assessors shine in inaugural awards

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Instructors and Assessors shine in inaugural awards: The hard-work and dedication of Lantra’s Instructor and Assessor network were recently celebrated at the inaugural Instructor Excellence Awards at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.

Over 40 Instructors were in attendance for the ceremony, which also saw Lantra hosting a networking session whilst delegates enjoyed a celebratory hog roast lunch.

Instructors and Assessors shine in inaugural awards

Instructors and Assessors shine in inaugural awards

Lantra staff presented winners with industry excellence awards for categories in 4×4, tractors, lift trucks, pesticides, pest control, health and safety, ground-based chainsaw, tree inspection, aerial arboriculture, plant and machinery and also landscape tools.

As well as individual industry awards up for grabs, there were also categories for outstanding contribution, best newcomer and longest serving Instructor. Trophies and winner prizes were kindly sponsored by Lantra partners EGO Power Plus and Cooper Pegler.

One of the highlights of the event saw Edward Willmott – a Lantra Instructor of 53 years – sharing an insightful and moving speech about his time teaching cattle hoof trimming whilst accepting his longest serving award.

Stephen Roberts, Head of Instructor Network at Lantra, said: “We were delighted to celebrate the fantastic achievements of our committed Instructor and Assessor network at the recent inaugural event ceremony.

The talented and often unsung individuals inspire and motivate Learners and the next generation daily, imparting key skills and knowledge whilst delivering crucial courses in the environment and land-based industries. A huge congratulations to all the brilliant and well-deserved nominees and winners!”

Sam Jones of SCJ Training, winner of the excellence in ground-based chainsaws and outstanding contribution awards, commented: “I’m so grateful to the Lantra Provider Network for voting for me in the recent Lantra Instructor Awards. It was even better that I actually won a couple of awards! I have been teaching chainsaws as well as other Lantra courses for many years and it is so fantastic to be recognised for my contribution to developing the skills of others.

“I am passionate about training and developing people” Jones continued. “To be awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award was a real surprise to me yet a welcome one as again, my hard work behind the scenes has been recognised.”

Off Road Consultancy’s Leanne Putt also said about the event: “We had a fantastic day and it was a great opportunity to network with other Instructors and Providers. It was a real surprise and an honour to have received an award. It’s nice to receive the recognition of the hard work that we all put in.

“I’m so grateful to be involved with Lantra as it’s such a friendly and supportive environment. I look forward to seeing everyone again next year for great food, great atmosphere and a thoroughly enjoyable day.”

Freelance Instructor Roger Madge added: “I am still on a high following the Instructor Awards on Friday. It was such a great surprise to have received an award and I am absolutely chuffed!

It was a fantastic day and so good to get together with Instructors, Providers and the staff at Lantra.”

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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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Celebrating New Talent in the Land-based & Environment sector

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Celebrating New Talent in the Land-based & Environment sector: Lantra and Landex are delighted to announce that nominations for England’s inaugural Land-based & Environment Learner Awards 2023 are now open.

This exciting new Awards programme sees the two organisations working in partnership to recognise the talent, successes, and achievements of individual learners in the land-based and environment industries. They are encouraging land-based employers, colleges, private training providers and universities to recognise and promote their top candidates working in the sector by nominating them for a prestigious award.

Celebrating New Talent in the Land-based & Environment sector

Celebrating New Talent in the Land-based & Environment sector

The awards are open to individuals who were on programme on full-time or part-time Land-based and Environment courses and Apprenticeships in England between September 2021 and September 2022.

In this inaugural year, categories include Agriculture; Arboriculture; Forestry and Woodland Management; Equine and Farriery; Floristry; Landscape and Horticulture; Land-based Engineering; Animal Care and Management (includes keeper and aquarist/dog groomer); Veterinary Nursing; Environmental Conservation, Game and Wildlife; Aquaculture and Fisheries; and Sports Turf and Greenkeeping.

As well as prizes for the above categories which apply across Private Training providers, Further Education (FE), Apprenticeships Awards (Level 2-3), Higher Education (HE) and Higher Apprenticeship Awards (Level 4-7), there are also prizes for Apprentice of the Year, Inspirational Mentor/Trainer, Overall Winner and Runner Up.

Online entries are being encouraged, as the quicker and more sustainable option. However, paper copies of the nomination form are available on request. The deadline for entries is 21 July 2023.

Nominations are sought from employers, colleges, private training providers or universities by using the Online Application Form

The winners will be announced at the first prestigious awards ceremony at Reaseheath College, one of the UK’s leading land-based colleges based in Cheshire, on the 22 November 2023.

Dr David Llewellyn CBE, Lantra’s Chair of Trustees commented:

“Whilst the headlines may concentrate on the important topic of a lack of qualified individuals and skills in the land-based and environment industries, we think the equally important abilities and achievements of those thousands of learners who are dedicated to helping grow our workforce of tomorrow, are both celebrated and rewarded.

“Lantra is committed to promoting the land-based and environment sector as a great place to work and forge a fulfilling and long-term career and we’re confident that employers, colleges and learners alike will be equally keen to shine a well-deserved spotlight on our future industry stars”.

Marcus Clinton, Chair of Landex commented:

“I’m delighted these inaugural awards are taking place. There is so much amazing talent across the network of land-based colleges and universities who are doing such a great job supporting the land-based and environment sectors and employers with their workforce of tomorrow. Being able to shine a light on and recognise the hard work and achievements of our students will make for a very special evening”.

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Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity

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Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity: One of the greatest investments a customer can make in machinery is to invest in training according to Reesink Turfcare. And now there’s a new Electric Powered course meaning that no matter the power source, customers can get the best from their machinery.

Quality machinery is one of the biggest investments a club will make and needs to be safeguarded with proper training. A well-trained and attentive operating team will impact on running costs by catching things early and dealing with them at the most cost-effective point.

Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity

Investment in training is investment in machinery longevity

When it comes to mowers, Reesink offers three relevant training courses: Turfcare Mechanics to include cutting technology, the Safe Use of Ride-On Mowers and Reesink’s brand new Electric Powered Training.

Lee Rowbotham, service and training manager at Reesink UK, explains that having well-trained operators and mechanics can make machines go even further in both performance and longevity: “Reesink training provides customers with the confidence to operate and take care of their own machines so that operations can continue to run smoothly no matter what. It’s about investing in people as much as it is the machines themselves, but ultimately the two are always linked.”

With the rapid development of electric and hybrid technology, it’s important that skills and knowledge in those areas progresses at an equivalent rate so that technicians and dealers can better serve their customers and the Toro product. Hence the introduction of the new course.

Lee explains: “The Electric Powered Training course covers calibration and troubleshooting in Toro electric machinery, understanding how the electric system works and how each electrical component fits into the system. It is aimed at end users who currently have electric Toro products in their fleet.”

For diesel and petrol machines, Reesink’s Turfcare Mechanics course aims to instil confidence in troubleshooting, routine servicing and setting cutting units to manufacturers specification and can bring significant savings when it comes to machinery downtime. Lee says: “It’s surprising how the areas of maintenance that generate service time or bills such as lack of greasing, contaminated fuel or oil and blocked radiators or oil coolers are relatively easily avoided.

“The training Reesink provides teaches operators and mechanics how to keep their machines in a constant state of good condition so they can do a better job on the golf course all year round.”

The Turfcare Mechanics course, designed for dedicated workshop mechanics, also covers understanding Fault Codes and Level 1 Hydraulics and Electrics fundamentals to incorporate on board machinery diagnostics, Lee says: “This course allows clubs to take effective care of their groundscare machinery, meaning machines need less time in the workshop and can spend more time on the job.”

It’s not just in-depth maintenance knowledge that Reesink’s training provides, the Safe Use of Ride-On Mowers course ensures operators are well trained on equipment and find it easy and intuitive to use. This course is ideal for new starters, giving a practical and thorough overview of operating, checking and maintaining ride-on mowing equipment.

Reesink’s training doesn’t stop at mowers; also on offer is Reesink’s Professional Sprayer Operational and Calibration training for Toro sprayers.

Course material and assessment are included in the fees, and manufacturer backed certification is provided at the end. Each of Reesink’s courses range from one to two days of training and can be conducted on an individual basis or in small groups.

Find out more about these courses to help keep machinery performing to the best of its ability to deliver the very best playing surfaces by calling 01480 226800 or going online at reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Overseeder pivotal in post-drought programme

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Overseeder pivotal in post-drought programme: A Redexim Overseeder 1575 3D proved a timely purchase for the team at Malone Golf Club as, like many venues across the country, overseeding work was high on the autumn agenda to recover the damage from the summer-time drought.

Delivered in August 2022, the new disc-seeder was out and in use immediately across the 27-hole complex and according to Workshop Manager Chris Walsh, the results of the operation have been very impressive.

Overseeder pivotal in post-drought programme

Overseeder pivotal in post-drought programme

A championship parkland course situated on 330 acres of undulating ground close to Belfast city centre, Malone proves a challenge for players and greens staff alike. “Our profile is sandy meaning that in the summer we burn up fast. With the long dry spell of weather we had last year we really struggled with coverage in areas such as fairways and tee boxes which aren’t covered by the irrigation system” explains Chris, who forms part of a ten-strong maintenance team.

“Previously we would call in contractors to carry out overseeding, but you find yourself limited by their availability so we decided to purchase our own machine so that we can overseed precisely when and where we need to.” Redexim Regional Partners Cyril Johnston demonstrated the 1.5m wide disc seeder which, suited to a range of ground conditions and featuring easily adjustable delivery rates, ticked all of the boxes.

“This Overseeder 3D is really well built and super simple to set-up and operate” Chris explains. “One thing in particular we noticed was the accuracy of seed delivery which is ever more critical as the cost of seed continues to go up. The strike rate we got from the work we conducted across the site was fantastic and, while we were concerned about the slits opening up in the continued hot conditions, we didn’t get any of that. The rear roller helps to ensure that the seed remains exactly where it needs to be and seals the groove up to bring the course back into play almost immediately.”

The service, from both Cyril Johnston and Redexim’s Ian Lauder also impressed the team. “Everything from the demonstration and advice, through to the delivery and training we received was first-class.” He continues, “Now that we’re not waiting on contractors, we can really push ahead with overseeding, fitting it in and around our packed golf programme to build on course improvements and cope with the challenges that mother nature throws at us. This machine will pay for itself in no time.”

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