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Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe

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Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe: Mat Edwards, Head Greenkeeper at Looe Golf Club in Cornwall, has praised a range of Limagrain products for helping him to transform the course into one of the most respected in the county.

Mat, who had no previous greenkeeping experience, has been working at Looe Golf Club for the past six years. The former pub landlord started working at the golf club after returning from travelling and has shown an unbelievable amount of hard work and dedication.

Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe

Limagrain changes fortunes in Looe

“Hearing the great comments from members and visitors about how much the course has improved in the last few years has been fantastic – it has been a real highlight for me,” he said,

With no experience Mat certainly has exceeded all expectations but last year he faced his biggest challenge yet.

“The greens got absolutely annihilated by leatherjackets and we nearly had total loss of cover on a few of them,” he said. “I conferred with David Bevan from Agrovista Amenity and Matt Gresty from Limarain UK and they were both of the opinion that we should reseed the greens with Limagrain’s MM50 grass seed.”

Limagrain’s MM50 is one of the UK’s biggest selling grass mixtures. The hard-wearing ryegrass mix is very fine leaved, has high shoot density, is tolerant to close mowing down to 4-5mm and produces a great colour all year round. It also has quick recovery from damage and play. Furthermore, this mixture is treated with Headstart® GOLD – a revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination.

“I applied MM50 very heavily to the greens in early March just before the first lockdown and put grow sheets over the top,” continued Mat. “It was cold, the soil temperature was low, and we had some wintery showers. I think the grow sheets helped but it was not long before the seed flew up.

“I’ve been incredibly happy with the results from MM50 – it’s a strong seed and the greens are not only looking better but they are a lot healthier now too. The seed has also helped with disease; historically, we suffer from a bit of fusarium and anthracnose towards the end of summer, but we have seen a lot less. The greens are definitely more resistant to disease since applying the MM50.”

Mat is now preparing to overseed the greens with MM50 for a second time, but it is not the only Limagrain product he is focusing on.

“This will be our third year of using Limagrain’s Colour Splash mixtures – and they have helped us create a lovely area which has improved the aesthetics of the course.”

Over the past few years, Limagrain UK’s range of Colour Splash flower mixtures have been used in a broad range of landscape and amenity areas throughout the UK. The range has a floral arrangement for every requirement – whether it be a golf course, a local authority green space or any other establishment that has an area which needs brightening up.

The Colour Splash range of mixtures are extremely easy to sow and the resulting vigorous plants are more than capable of competing with weeds. Their vigour is equally matched by robustness; resisting long periods of drought. They are also fast flowering and cost effective.

“There was an area between the 8th and the 10th hole about the size of a football pitch,” said Mat. “It was just sitting there and so we decided to make use of it. The main reason was to add some colour and it is in a perfect position where people can stop halfway round the course. When we have tournaments, a beer tent is placed right next to the Colour Splash area which makes it nice for people to socialise too.”

“Ultimately, I’m very pleased because it is fair to say that a few years ago the course didn’t have a glowing reputation,” said Mat. “Everything is heading in the right direction now – the greens are back and healthy and some people are claiming that they are now some of the best in the county.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity – you can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees

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Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees: Senior Parliamentarian, Clive Betts MP, has joined green space charity Fields in Trust as a new Trustee and will take on the volunteer role with immediate effect.

Clive Betts MP has served his home-town of Sheffield as an elected representative since 1976, first as a City Councillor and, since 1993, as a Member of Parliament.  His longstanding Chairmanship of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, in particular the oversight of the 2016 Parliamentary Inquiry into public parks, puts him in a unique position to advance the work of Fields in Trust, protecting parks and green spaces for future generations. Clive Betts MP was one of the first MPs to sign up to Fields in Trust’s Parks Protector Pledge during the 2019 election campaign.

Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees

Clive Betts MP joins Fields in Trust Board of Trustees

Following the landmark decision of Liverpool City Council to legally protect their whole portfolio of parks and green space with Fields in Trust, Clive Betts will support the charity’s work to encourage other local authorities across the country to replicate Liverpool’s civic leadership, ensuring the benefits of green space access can be extended to more communities.

Fields in Trust Chair of Trustees Jo Barnett says “Parks were one of the unsung heroes of the pandemic and they should be an important part of the green recovery plans. We believe this is a pivotal moment for the UK’s parks and green spaces and Clive Betts joining the team will help us achieve a better outcome for our communities, now and for generations to come “.

As he joins as a Trustee, Clive Betts MP said:” I’m really looking forward to working with Fields in Trust. Over the past year our parks have been valued more than ever, particularly by those people without access to private gardens, and yet the future funding and long-term access to these spaces is at risk. I look forward to working with Fields in Trust to champion, support and protect green spaces and secure the health and wellbeing benefits they provide.”

Over many years Clive has made use of public parks and green spaces personally as a keen cricketer, a former captain of the Parliamentary Football Team and training runs for his participation in the Sheffield Marathon.

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Kubota delivers in small, medium and large

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Kubota delivers in small, medium and large: It’s Kubota all the way for the Mere Resort near Knutsford, Cheshire, where Course Manager John Quinn is in no doubt about the right choice of horsepower for a multitude of turf preparation tasks.

The 7003yd par 71 course is highly popular with hotel and corporate guests as well as members, presenting a variety of challenges from its James Braid-designed heathland and parkland setting. It also plays host to the Mere Trophy, a popular amateur tournament, won in the past by Ashley Chesters and Ernie Els.

Kubota delivers in small, medium and large

Kubota delivers in small, medium and large

John has been at the resort for five years, quickly rising up the ranks to be Course Manager, and as part of his upgrading plan looked to replace some older tractors.

“We already had an L Series and its performance and durability made the choice of Kubota a ‘no brainer’,” he says. “I decided what we needed was a small, medium and large tractor, and Kubota had the models to fit the bill, which were delivered in the summer of 2019.”

For power in a compact package and Kubota’s exclusive Bi-Speed turn for manoeuvrability, the 37hp ST 371 is ideal for greens and tighter areas but is also handy with a trailer and has the muscle to pull a small slitter.

The 50hp L2501 is a real workhorse, tackling leaf clearing duties with a Trilo vacuum and aeration with the Vertidrain.

“Its predecessor was a great tractor and to be honest would still have done more hours, but it made sense to have the latest model as there have been significant improvements. The greenkeepers all find the new L series really easy to use as it’s a lot smoother to operate, and the pto engagement is more straightforward.”

Big jobs are down to the 74hp M4072 which is fitted with a Kubota LA1365 loader, which pulls a high capacity Omarv flail collector and tackles all sorts of materials handling work from loading seeders to top dressers.

“Having the choice of tractors means that we can handle all the implements that we need, or can use them together – for example with a chipper on the ST blowing into a trailer behind the M4072, which still leaves the L2501 to work on the greens,” explains John.

“We’ve specified pallet forks as well as a bucket for the loader to get the most out of its materials handling capabilities.”

Also picked out by John as a good feature is the drop hitch, which makes hooking up big implements much easier. “The tractors are really well thought out – there’s even a slot for a spare hitch which means that you have it with you when you need it rather than leaving it on the shelf in the workshop!”

Fuel economy comes in for praise too – even when working with implements requiring high revs such as the flail collector.

“You just have to compare the savings made from having the tractors – our pto-powered blower is considerably more economical than the petrol blower it replaced.”

All servicing is carried out in-house and John reports that the tractors are also good to access and work on.

“We’ve not needed any parts yet, but our dealer GGM Groundscare is local and offered us very good support as the tractors were delivered and set up.”

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Yorkshire Wildlife Park invest in Ventrac

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Yorkshire Wildlife Park invest in Ventrac: The Yorkshire Wildlife Park, situated in the village of Branton, close to the A1 near Doncaster, is the latest organisation to purchase a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor to help maintain its 150-acre walkthrough safari experience.

Delivered by the Rotherham depot of local dealer, Russells Groundscare, the package includes the tractor unit in its 8-wheel configuration and two mowing units: a Tough Cut deck and MU rotary deck.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park invest in Ventrac

Yorkshire Wildlife Park invest in Ventrac

Commenting on the purchase, Director Neville Williams said,
“Lockdown has been a torrid time for us; we’ve suffered a multi-million-pound loss, so we weren’t really contemplating any significant capital expenditure. However, we had issues with our mowing equipment and our mechanic suggested we contact Russells to see what was available.

“Glen Sawyer from Russells came over with a Ventrac demo machine and it performed extremely well, but we didn’t think we could justify the cost. However, Glen was able to organise a flexible lease-purchase arrangement together with a mutual partnership agreement, and that facilitated the purchase. They also loaned us a Power Rake, which was superb at reinstating the pathways and we will be looking to purchase the Trencher attachment in the future.

“As you would expect, we have huge areas of grass to maintain and much of it is on sloping ground around the car parks, picnic areas and in the animal enclosures. We previously had to employ a contractor for these sloped areas, but with the Ventrac we can now do this in-house. The cost effectiveness of this new machine was certainly a factor in our purchasing decision. For example, in the lion enclosure it used to take four men, three days to complete, but now with the Ventrac it is two men in half a day. That’s a very impressive saving in man-days; 12 days reduced down to a single day!

“This year we will be opening an expansion which will double the size of the park and this will include the creation of lakes, reserves and diverse habitats, so the Park can become home to more animals and springboard our efforts to help at-risk species. The Ventrac will play an important part in maintaining this extension to our facilities.”

About Yorkshire Wildlife Park

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP) was opened in 2009 and currently occupies about 150 acres (60 ha) of the site. The Park is home to number of endangered species including Amur tigers, Amur leopards, Red panda, Giant otters and England’s only Polar bears. The expansive reserves and space for visitors creates a walkthrough safari experience.

In 2021 a further 150-acre expansion will open with more ground-breaking animal reserves and new species for the Park, as well as enhanced visitor facilities. Lakes, reserves and diverse habitats will be introduced in the expansion, so the Park can become home to more animals and springboard efforts to help at-risk species. Landscaped walkways and dynamic viewing areas will provide visitors with an amazing experience.

YWP work with the studbook keepers of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria who coordinate the breeding programmes and animal moves throughout Europe. This will decide which new species will be introduced, allowing the Park to continue their conservation efforts and protect a range of endangered animals.

The park’s popularity has grown over the years, starting in 2009 with only 66,000 visitors; it now hosts in excess of 750,000 visitors a year.

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New Etesia dealer in Scottish Borders

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New Etesia dealer in Scottish Borders: Etesia UK is delighted to welcome Border Chainsaw and Lawnmower Services to its ever-expanding dealer network.

Border Chainsaw and Lawnmower Services, based in Earlston, Scotland, was founded in 1974 by the Cowe family. The business stayed within the family until January 2019 when it was acquired by Pearsons of Duns Ltd, who were picked as the perfect suitors for the business.

New Etesia dealer in Scottish Borders

New Etesia dealer in Scottish Borders

It was at this point that the experienced Allen Whellans was appointed as Groundcare Division Manager in a bid to increase the company’s commercial offering. Allen knew immediately where to start.

“In a previous role, I worked with dealers and end-users who had a large fleet of Etesia pedestrian mowers. They always commented on how good they were.” he said. “They never used to have any problems with them – it is that knowledge of knowing what the mowers are capable of doing that confirmed that I wanted to work with Etesia.”

Etesia UK is renowned for providing its dealer network with unrivalled support and resources – and Allen revealed that it was this reputation which further appealed to him.

“We only deal with premium brands and it was a case of looking at what Etesia offered in terms of the products but also how they work with the dealer,” he said. “Etesia is very much focused on working with dealers as opposed to online discounting. Customers want support and back-up; they want to be able to speak to someone and they want to demo the mowers.

Border Chainsaw and Lawnmower Services and Etesia have the same ethos – we want to work together for the customer – and that is the sort of partnership we are looking for.”

With immediate effect, the range of Etesia pedestrian mowers will be available from Border Chainsaw and Lawnmower Services throughout the Lothians and the Scottish Borders.

Etesia pedestrian mowers have been providing absolute efficiency, excellent ergonomics and top-quality standards. The pedestrian mowers are designed to offer unique cutting capabilities, comfort and safety at work and unrivalled reliability and productivity.

Etesia’s reputation for excellence in mowing performance has been supported by each of the 12 product families, and the qualities of ruggedness, reliability, user-friendliness, and innovation have become synonymous with Etesia.

“I particularly like the fact that they can cut and collect long wet grass,” continued Allen. “The Borders are lush areas and there is always lots of thick wet grass. The fact that that operators can get out and cut in all conditions, even in the rain, is going to be fantastic for our customers.

“These Etesia mowers just go that extra mile and therefore I am confident that they are going to significantly grow our attraction to commercial customers.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Etesia UK on Twitter @EtesiaUK and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/EtesiaUK You can also view the latest Etesia videos by visiting www.youtube.com/EtesiaUK

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