Tag Archive for: Investment

Huxley tees proving a return on investment

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Huxley tees proving a return on investment: World leading golf surface experts, Huxley Golf, has completed a major installation of 27 all-weather tees at Poult Wood, one of the finest pay and play golf courses in the South of England. With this installation the facility will stay open for the enjoyment of resident and visiting golfers throughout the coming winter months.

Set in picturesque woodland near Tonbridge in Kent, Poult Wood offers a choice of two interesting and challenging courses for regular and casual golfers. It is run by the Tonbridge & Malling Leisure Trust, a not-for-profit organisation responsible for the delivery of sport and leisure facilities for Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council. As such, the course must be affordable, high quality and accessible to all members of the community.

Huxley tees proving a return on investment

Darren Lanes, Head of Leisure at Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, explains: “Our vision, in partnership with Tonbridge & Malling Leisure Trust, is simple: ‘more people, more active, more often’ and we’re delivering this through the provision of a wide range of facilities which enable participation in activities that promote physical and mental wellbeing. Consistency is incredibly important but this is naturally harder to achieve when it comes to enabling outdoor leisure pursuits given the vagaries of the British weather.

“This is why we have invested in renewing our all-weather tees at Poult Wood Golf Course. These winter tees have proven to deliver excellent value for money through operational resilience and an uninterrupted year-round revenue stream which we can reinvest in, extending our efforts for the whole community’s benefit.”

Huxley Golf used its Premier Tee Turf 2 across both the 9- and 18- hole courses. Each tee measures 12ft x 12ft (3.66m x 3.66m).

Poult Wood Head Greenkeeper, Stuart Crowley, said: “It’s safe to say that the Huxley Golf winter tees have been a real return on investment.

“We first installed all-weather tees with Huxley Golf twenty years ago and we’ve never looked back. With virtually no maintenance requirement, the use of these winter tees not only delights our customers, but it also frees my team up to ensure that the remainder of the course remains playable in increasingly challenging seasonal conditions. We renewed the tees after ten years in 2010 and we’ve just done so again, such is their considerable contribution to our well-regarded course.”

For more information about winter golf surfaces, call 01730 829608 or visit www.huxleygolf.com.

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New Pitch Investment Pays Off

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New Pitch Investment Pays Off: For years the quality of the Memorial Stadium pitch was criticised by managers both home and away as it cut up badly.

Former Gas manager Darrell Clarke used to lambaste it at regular intervals.

Which makes today’s announcement that Bristol Rovers have been named Grounds Team of the Season in League One all the more significant.

At this point last season the club had already ripped up the turf at the Memorial Stadium to correct a problem with the incorrect sand laid under the grass and lay a new fibre pitch.

What the fibre does is reinforce the turf meaning it does not come up in clumps.

Clarke, who departed as manager at the Gas in December, revealed over the summer that groundsman Daryle Sullivan had even slept at the stadium during the summer to ensure the pitch developed perfectly.

Anyone who has visited to Mem this season will no doubt have noticed the vast improvement to the playing surface.

The awards recognise the importance of the quality of pitches for professional football and acknowledge the clubs and their ground staff who consistently produce the best playing surfaces in the EFL.

Bristol Rovers’ ground staff take top honours for the excellent surface at the Memorial Stadium in League One with Doncaster Rovers, Sunderland and Wycombe Wanderers highly commended.

In the Championship, Swansea City won the award for producing a perfect pitch at the Liberty Stadium this season. Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are both highly commended.

The award for Grounds Team of the Season in League Two this year goes to Swindon Town, while the ground staff of Carlisle United and MK Dons are highly commended.

The EFL’s Grounds Team of the Season Awards are determined initially using marks from referees and away managers for each Sky Bet EFL game and are then followed by detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations.

These visits were carried out by Dr Stephen Baker, Head of Sports Surface Technology at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI).

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SIS Pitches’ Factory Investment

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SIS Pitches’ Factory Investment: A leading UK-based pitch manufacturing company has invested £1.8 million in a new turf production facility, safeguarding more than 50 jobs, and creating an additional 15 positions by 2022.

Despite the uncertainty facing UK businesses through Brexit, SIS Pitches has re-affirmed its commitment to British manufacturing with this major investment.

SIS Pitches Make Factory Investment

The purchase of a new backing plant will allow SIS Pitches to extend its current site in Maryport, Cumbria, increase production volumes and grow its workforce.

It’s welcome news for Cumbria, where unemployment rose by 1.5% between October and December last year, as recorded by the Office for National Statistics.

SIS Pitches is a world-leading full-service provider in specialist sports pitches and landscaping grass. Last year, SIS Pitches designed, constructed and installed SISGrass hybrid pitches at six 2018 World Cup venues, including the Luzhniki Stadium pitch for the opening match and the Final.

The new factory, which covers an area of more than 2,100 square metres, is one of the most technologically-advanced production facilities in Europe. The company will use the new factory to deliver the highest quality, long-lasting synthetic surfaces.

George Mullan, SIS Pitches Owner and CEO, said: “This investment in new state-of-the-art facilities and technology will support our ambitious growth plans while also creating and safeguarding jobs in the local community.

“The Glasson Industrial Estate has been at the heart of manufacturing for more than 50 years and, despite business uncertainty in the face of Brexit, we are very proud to be able to continue that tradition through this significant investment. We are also grateful to Cumbria LEP for their investment in the project.

“Our new factory will ensure we continue to provide the highest quality products and increased output, maintaining our position as the market leader in the manufacturing of synthetic turf.”

The expansion plans at the Glasson Industrial Estate has benefited from a £274,000 Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership investment, which supports wide-ranging projects including transport, skills, business support, broadband, innovation and flood defences through its Local Growth Fund.

SIS Pitches Make Factory Investment

The site has been home to UK turf manufacturing since 1966, when Palmyra Ltd, the UK’s largest polypropylene artificial grass manufacturer, relocated to the north west of England as part of its expansion plans.

The new SIS Pitches facility utilises the latest technology in thermal insulation, LED lighting, laser-fire detection and advanced cladding systems, while the new backing plant will be the most advanced turf backing system in the UK.

The state-of-the-art coating line, the most advanced in Europe, provides SIS Pitches with the option to run either new standard latex coating or their new ‘SISBond’ Polyurethane technology, both of which are applied to the back of the synthetic turf during the manufacturing process to secure the artificial grass fibres to the backing cloth. The line also comprises new turf straighteners and guidance units to ensure products are fit for purpose, plus an advanced roll-up unit to eliminate creasing and enable turf to be rolled tighter than before.

SISBond Polyurethane has been specially engineered to provide a much stronger and durable backing than other systems. It is primarily used for elite performance, providing enhanced fibre retention and greater resistance to moisture.

In addition, SIS Pitches has also developed and launched a new UK-made premium yarn that is designed to maximise durability and fibre resilience, thus further enhancing their reputation as market-leaders in turf innovation and technology.

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Westland To Showcase Investment At Glee

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Westland To Showcase Investment At Glee: Westland will be attending the upcoming Glee show, using the event to strengthen its position and launch its strongest home and garden range with new products and developments across a diverse portfolio.

At the forefront of this will be the unveiling of new products in the New Horizon range with our revolutionary BIO3 additive which is 100% sustainable. BIO3 is the culmination of a £35million investment and unprecedented breakthrough in peat replacement technology.

Westland To Showcase Investment At Glee

Simon McArdle from Westland, commented: “BIO3 is the compost for the next generation. It combines wood, premium quality coir and bio fibre to deliver one of the highest quality composts on the market, that just so happens to be peat-free. We’ve been developing this for some time now so we can’t wait to unveil it at Glee”.

Westland will also be celebrating 80 years since the launch of the iconic John Innes. Our newly repositioned range are all based on the original blend, but now are enriched with nutrients and additives reflecting the latest grower technology to ensure improved performance.

Glee also provides Westland opportunity to showcase its position as the most forward thinking and leading lawn brand. Aftercut is launching a new lawn programme that helps overcome the retail challenges of the stable and mature lawncare market. It will be simplifying lawncare regimes and extending the lawn season with new products that can be used in early spring and late autumn. As part of this Westland is launching two new products. The first is AfterCut Ultra Green+, which give a greener and stronger lawn, which prevents moss from growing. The second is Gro Sure Fast Start –  Smart Lawn Seed which utilises aqua gel technology combined with specially bred varieties which to allow the seed to germinate at lower temperatures than previously achieved, allowing gardeners to boost their lawn earlier, and later, in the season than previously possible.

Peckish, which has recently become the fastest growing brand within the bird care market, will be unveiling new products as well as a new look at the show. Packaging has been refined, with 80% of all Peckish food products now being available with a resealable top, and new Squirrel Proof Suet Pellets will be launched as well as additions to the Secret Garden range of decorative planters.

Other highlights include the new Resolva Xtra Clean Path and Patio where consumer insight has guided our brand offering within the category; and the continued development of the Deadfast rodenticide range as a result of a new partnership with the world’s leader in rodent control, Victor; and a celebration of the 32% industry growth of indoor. This growth has led to a 38% increase in sales for Westland’s indoor plant care range which will be boosted by the Glee launch of the new Hydroleca clay granules which absorb water and release as required.

A new look Unwins range will also be on display which sees the launch of four seed new collections and a new Gro-Sure Seed Start, a pre-treatment that can be sprinkled into compost to provide better germination and establishment.

The market-leading Westland straights range is relaunched this year with modern, premium packaging, designed to make it easier to understand what each product does. The aim is to attract new consumers and drive value in this mature market.

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director at Westland, said: “We’ve got a lot planned for this year’s Glee. It’s always a vital platform for us to launch new products and unveil developments within our existing ranges but we are particularly excited about this year’s show. Westland has experienced strong growth across many brands recently and we anticipate the New Horizon BIO3 products, as well as classics like John Innes, to help this continue.”

Westland will be at the show on stand 7G50-K51.

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