Tag Archive for: Members

GMA appoints two new board members

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GMA appoints two new board members: Following the Annual General Meeting for GMA members, the GMA appointed two new members to its Board of Directors – Jim Buttar, Grounds and Technical Operations Lead at the Rugby Football Union, and Phil Fifield, Head Grounds Person at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.

The Annual General Meeting took place on 22 November, where GMA members were invited to vote on several resolutions including two nominations for new appointments to the GMA’s Board, as well as one nomination for re-appointment.

GMA appoints two new board members

GMA appoints two new board members

The first Board position up for nomination was for Sector Director for Professional Sport, currently held by David Roberts of Training Unlimited, previously Senior Manager of Grounds at Liverpool Football Club. With David having reached the end of his 9-year tenure in the role, his position was open for new nominations where Jim Buttar was voted-in to fill the vacant position.

Jim has over 26 years’ extensive experience of hands-on management in the sports turf industry, which began as an apprentice at a private school in Cambridgeshire.

Through his journey in elite football, combining his passionate approach, leading by example and with his management ability, Jim has successfully delivered surfaces for several leagues and competitions across the world. Including the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA European Championship qualifiers and World Cup qualifiers, and recently the African Nations Cup.

His latest role is leading the grounds team at the RFU managing the Twickenham stadium pitch, producing high quality surfaces for international and domestic competitions. Alongside this he has the responsibility of advising on strategy for the Rugby Grounds Connected programme for volunteer grounds people.

The GMA’s Board also approved the addition of another Independent Director, Phil Fifield. Phil has worked in the grounds management sector since his first day as an apprentice at Portsmouth FC in 2005 to his present role as Head Groundsperson at Brighton and Hove Albion FC.

Throughout his time in the industry, Phil has worked in all four professional leagues as a Head Groundsman and has also worked in consultancy and advisory roles. His time in the industry has seen him visit 30 countries across 5 continents as a turf-care professional.

His passion and drive to push himself and grow in his professional role has taken Phil to positions where he has been able to provide services, offer staff training, support tournament delivery and pitch development programs for a number of iconic sporting institutions, including FIFA, UEFA, CAF and AFC for men’s, women’s and youth events.

With a belief that the key fundamentals for growth and development in the sports turf sector are education, sustainability and staff welfare, Phil hopes to lend his expertise and experience to the GMA in helping build on these three foundational pillars, helping to develop the grounds care industry, and those within it, for a better future.

Along with Jim and Phil’s additions to the Board, existing Board member, Kimyo Rickett was successfully re-elected in her position as Sector Director for Local Authorities.

Commenting on the changes to the Board, GMA CEO, Geoff Webb says:

“Our Board is essential in steering the direction of the GMA and ensuring activity aligns to our strategy, so it is vital that we have experienced and knowledgeable Directors on the Board.

“Jim and Phil fit that description perfectly – both will bring insights and perspectives to the Board that will ensure the GMA delivers what it is that our members, and the wider industry, want from us. I’m also delighted that Kimyo will be staying on as Sector Director for Local Authorities. Her experience gained from over 30 years spent working for various Local Authorities and sporting bodies will ensure that this important sector within the wider grounds management community remains central to future GMA activity.

“Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to David Roberts who leaves the Board having come to the end of this 9-year tenure as a Board member. David has supported the GMA in making significant progress during this time and we are all extremely grateful for his contribution.”

You can find out more about the GMA Board, and its members, at: https://www.thegma.org.uk/who-we-are/whos-who/meet-board

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Weedingtech become members of British Water

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Weedingtech become members of British Water: Weedingtech, founders of the world’s leading commercial herbicide-free weed control solution Foamstream, are pleased to announce they have become members of British Water.

Using the combination of hot water and a specially formulated organic foam, Foamstream is proven to effectively combat unwanted vegetation in a range of situations and is fully approved for safe use within the wastewater sector.

Weedingtech become members of British Water

Weedingtech become members of British Water

Weeds that are left to accumulate can pose a serious risk to successful sanitation, specifically in and around water filter beds. If allowed to grow, vegetation can interfere with the rotation of the machinery, impacting air flow and making the cleaning process inefficient. Together with inhibiting drainage through the filter bed, weeds can also damage the media that fills the filter bed or pass through the bed entirely and contaminate the watercourse.

Currently, many in the wastewater industry rely on manual weeding. The time-consuming nature of hand-weeding frequently means that operations are not conducted frequently enough to be considered effective, while also proving unpleasant and unproductive for the operatives. However, companies including Severn Trent, South West Water, Wessex Water and Anglian Water have already made the switch to Foamstream.

Being 100% organic, Foamstream is approved for use on water filter beds – treating weeds, together with seeds, spores and roots to reduce re-growth and the number of treatment cycles required per year. Together with a reduction in treatments, Foamstream also presents a significant saving in labour treating a 600m2 waterbed in as little as four hours, which would otherwise take a team of four people five days to manually weed*.

“Weedingtech becoming members of British Water is a pledge to promoting best practice and working alongside others to find and provide solutions to challenges facing the sector” comments Foamstream Co-Founder Leo de Montaignac. “We’re delighted to already be trusted by a number of leading water firms and are well placed to provide advice and support to others who may be looking for an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional weed control methods.”

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Education experience granted to five BIGGA members

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Education experience granted to five BIGGA members: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association and Partner ICL have revealed the five recipients of the sixth ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship ahead of the education programme’s return to in-person learning in January 2022.

The successful BIGGA members are:

Kevin Butler, greenkeeper, Saunton Golf Club

Michael Gibbons, greenkeeper, Dunham Forest Golf Club

Abigail Laker, greenkeeper, Frilford Heath Golf Club

Michael Russell, greenkeeper, Preston Golf Club

Jeremy Ward, head greenkeeper, Bradford Moor Golf Club

Education experience granted to five BIGGA members

Education experience granted to five BIGGA members

In addition, the five BIGGA members who participated in the ICL scholarship in 2021, when Continue to Learn took place entirely online, have also been invited to attend the in-person event in January 2022.

To earn an ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship, BIGGA members must demonstrate a commitment to developing their own professional abilities by engaging with BIGGA’s Continuing Professional Development scheme.

The ICL Continue to Learn Scholars will receive three nights’ hotel accommodation and 15 hours of training and personal development opportunities as BIGGA’s world-leading education programme returns to Harrogate Convention Centre in January 2022.

BIGGA’s Head of Learning & Development, Sami Strutt, said: “After hosting Continue to Learn as an online event in 2021 due to COVID-19, we’re thrilled to be able to host in-person learning once again in January 2022. Thanks to ICL, five BIGGA members will enjoy the countless hours of personal and professional development that come with attending BTME and Continue to Learn. Our sincere thanks are extended to ICL for their continuing support of BIGGA and its members.”

Ed Carter, UK Sales and Development Manager at ICL, said: “ICL is a keen supporter of the Continue to Learn education programme as we understand that a highly educated workforce is better able to overcome the challenges that face the industry in the coming years, whether due to our changing climate, changing restrictions on the availability of products or simply due to the desire of golfers to enjoy better quality playing surfaces throughout the year.

“Through the ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship we are able to demonstrate this commitment to BIGGA and its members and I’m hopeful that each of the successful Scholars takes full advantage of the fantastic opportunity they have been presented with.”

Continue to Learn at BTME 2022 will take place at Harrogate Convention Centre from Sunday 23 to Wednesday 26 January 2022. The extensive education programme will run alongside the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition, the leading indoor exhibition in Europe for the sports turf industry.

For further information on BTME and Continue to Learn 2022 visit www.btme.org.uk.

Through the Turf Rewards loyalty scheme from ICL and Syngenta, BIGGA members are able to claim Continue to Learn education vouchers. Points are gained by purchasing products for use on the golf course. For further information visit www.turfrewards.com.

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Meet the latest Corvus family members

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Meet the latest Corvus family members: “Two more significant pieces in the Corvus UK 4×4 utility dealer network jigsaw are complete.” Says Phil Everett, MD of BOSS ORV, the UK distributor of the Corvus Terrain range.

A big welcome to the family is extended to Colin Catley and all his team at Catley Engineering in Leicestershire, and to RHS in the North East of Scotland. Both dealerships will be selling, supporting and servicing the Corvus Terrain range of utility Side by Side vehicles.

Meet the latest Corvus family members

Meet the latest Corvus family members

Based in the Leicestershire village of Peckleton, Catley Engineering has been supporting the local agricultural industry for almost a decade, offering a whole range of services in the sale, repair and servicing of tractors and agricultural machinery. “Our passion is providing the highest quality engineering and machinery sales at great value for money.” Says Colin Catley.

“It’s great to have such a professional and customer service orientated company join the future of UTVs.” Says Phil.

Meet the latest Corvus family members

Meet the latest Corvus family members

North of the border, RHS is a family run company established in 1995 with a depot and 24- hour on-site service specialising in hoses and hydraulic systems together with a specialist ATV centre. “I am absolutely delighted to announce that RHS Ltd is the latest member of the Corvus family.” Says Phil. “I have known and worked (on and off) with Neil, Heather and Iain for over 25 years so I fully understand the exceptional levels of customer support and service levels they will bring to our dealer network. If ever the old adage of ‘you could eat your dinner off the workshop floor’ applies to anywhere it is here. It’s great that they are now embracing the future with Corvus UTVs and also by bringing in Fraser Reid (in photo) to fully secure the future of RHS.”

For more information about the Corvus Terrain range, you can call 01597 810188, E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk or visit www.bossorv.co.uk

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Tynemouth’s members pitch in

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Tynemouth’s members pitch in: Tynemouth Golf Club in the north-east of England, opened in 1913 and designed by Willie Park Jr, is reaping the benefit of an innovative bunker renovation programme, carried out with the help of synthetic bunker edging solutions provider EcoBunker Ltd.

“It was pretty obvious that we had to do something about our bunkers,” says greens chair David Steven. “Not only were they 107 years old, but we run a regular membership survey, and every time, the bunkers were voted as the biggest problem, with members complaining about contamination of sand and animals digging up the edges.”

Tynemouth’s members pitch in

Tynemouth’s members pitch in

Club pro John McKenna saw the EcoBunker solution in use when playing at another course, and brought it to Stevens’ attention. “We are a parkland course, not a links, although we are close to the North Sea, so there was some concern as to whether revetted edged bunkers would meet our needs,” says the greens chair. “So, as part of my research, I visited the BIGGA greenkeeping show in Harrogate and met the EcoBunker team. I realised that the solution would fix a lot of our problems – it would give a permanent shape to the bunker edges and protect against invasive animals. And the use of recycled materials was very attractive from a sustainability perspective.”

After building two EcoBunkers as a test, the club decided to take the plunge and rebuild all its greenside bunkers using the solution. But Steven was concerned about getting the bunker construction right. “If you are doing all the bunkers at once, then if you get it wrong you get everything wrong,” he says. Employing a specialist golf contractor to do the work was out of the question on cost grounds, but the club found an answer using an innovative ‘hybrid’ method. EcoBunker construction manager Llewelyn Matthews came to Tynemouth to act as project manager, and labour was provided by the club’s own greens crew and a group of temporary staff – who were all club members!

“We didn’t want to do the job on the cheap and mess it up, but at the same time we could not afford to throw money at it,” says Steven. “To protect the value of the project, it was essential that we had great buy-in from EcoBunker, and using Llew Matthews as a PM gave us that. When he came to do the two test bunkers, he was brilliant, which gave us confidence that EcoBunker had its fingerprints all over our job. He stayed for four weeks, which was essentially a month-long course in building EcoBunkers. We think we could have completed the entire project of 34 bunkers on schedule, had COVID-19 not reduced our manpower. When Llewellyn left, there were still eleven bunkers left to finish, but our team had been trained so well that they were able to knock them off in two and a half days, and we are over the moon with the results.”

“Lots of clubs want to do bunker renovations, but don’t have enough money for a contractor and a turnkey project,” says EcoBunker CEO and inventor Richard Allen. “But they can afford to buy in the materials, get a project manager and provide the labour and plant from within. The alternative is that they have a two day training course and say ‘Right, now we know what we are doing’. But it is hard to keep the impetus high like that. Greens crews are busy and get distracted, and the bunker work is usually the first thing to be forgotten. If they hire a project manager, though, they realise they need to hit it hard while he’s with them. It’s a way of committing to the project, which is what all good bunker work needs if it is to be to the high standards that golfers expect.”

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