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Shining a light on improved productivity

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Shining a light on improved productivity: Makita UK has added two new cordless tower lights to its wide range of lighting solutions. The DML813 and DML814 are the perfect additions to any jobsite during the darker months, providing the illumination needed for safe working this winter.

Having fewer daylight hours to work with is one of the biggest challenges that tradespeople face during the winter months as, without proper light, the same level of productivity simply cannot be achieved. However, with Makita’s new cordless tower lights, professionals can keep working safely for longer.

Shining a light on improved productivity

Shining a light on improved productivity

The DML813 and DML814 18V LXT Cordless Tower Lights feature 12 daylight white LEDs that deliver up to 3,000 lumens and mimic natural daylight for maximum user visibility. With three settings to choose from, professionals can easily adjust the output to suit the working conditions, and both models include a memory function that will turn the light on in the last setting used, for increased efficiency. What’s more, the DML814 features three light heads that can be pivoted independently, which is ideal when larger work areas need illuminating.

Both the DML813 and DML814 are height adjustable (from 125-224cm), making them suitable for use at ground level and at height. The tripod stand is easily operated using a lock-release button – and it can be secured to the ground with screws or pegs for maximum stability. At the end of the day, the DML813 and DML814 can be neatly folded up for simple storage and transportation.

The DML813 and DML814 have also been specifically designed for use on construction sites and are IP55 certified for weather and dust resistance. They also feature a padlock hole for the battery, to help protect against theft.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said: “We are delighted to expand our leading 18V LXT platform with two new site lights. At Makita, we are dedicated to ensuring that professionals have access to the tools that they need to work productively and efficiently – and the DML813 and DML814 will help them to do just that.”

The DML813 and DML814 join over 270 products in Makita’s LXT cordless range. To find out more about Makita and its LXT platform visit: www.makitauk.com.

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Ransomes focuses on value

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Ransomes focuses on value: The world’s first mower manufacturer, Ransomes, is cutting a path to electric-powered commercial and municipal mowing under the Any Less Costs More campaign and its largest brand investment this century.

Ransomes’ new mission and vision are focused on providing short-term and long-term benefits to customers, consumers and the environment. The digital investment, unabated by covid, comes through a new web presence, which will provide an industry leading digital offering, whilst on the turf, the target of electric lithium powered commercial mowing has been firmly set for launch in 2022.

Ransomes focuses on value

Ransomes focuses on value

For everyone involved in the process, including Ransomes Marketing Manager, Adam Underwood, this has been an opportunity to speak to customers about what matters most to them and deliver value under the Any Less Costs More banner.

Adam explains: “We want people to be confident when they are sat on a Ransomes mower that they are sitting on the benchmark for commercial and municipal mowing. It’s very important for people to understand the value of incredibly specialist machinery, and we certainly are that. So, the Any Less Costs More campaign is really about the lifetime value of our products and how it pays to invest in us. It’s worth investing in the 200 UK-based specialists on-site at our factory, it’s worth investing in UK manufacturing, and it’s worth investing in machinery that is compliant with clean and green power.

“You know exactly where your products are coming from, and you also know that you’re going to get superior support from a dealer network that has sold our products in some cases for half a century or more.

“Getting that message out is important, but listening is even more important. We spent the last year engaging with consumers, dealer customers and colleagues to understand what Ransomes means to them and what great will look like for the next five and ten years for the brand.”

Throughout early 2021 Textron focused all mower manufacturing on Ipswich, and that has created a space where the sole focus is on building fine turf machinery. For Ransomes, this year provided the opportunity for 15 million test hours of lithium battery technology to be integrated into their commercial mower range.

“We’re excited about developing new technologies, and Ransomes will borrow a lot of the expertise from other brands within Textron,” Adam explains.

“As a result, we will be able to safely put technology that will be good for the environment, good for everybody and most importantly, gets the work done into our Ransomes products.

“We’re also celebrating the fact that all of our products are Stage V compliant. We feel those clean, green engines are worth shouting about and are important as we look forward to launching electric lithium technology and implementing it safely into the municipal and commercial market in 2022.

“You’ll see at our shows, events and launches throughout 2022 that we are going to be expanding our range into electric lithium technology, and in other parts of the business, we have already got turf machinery out cutting in environments that are a commercial or municipal setting.”

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94% of green spaces on endangered list

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94% of green spaces on endangered list: Is your local green space or park one of the 94% (over 20,000) that could disappear tomorrow? Green open spaces and parks across Great Britain, equivalent to twice the size of London could be lost forever, unless communities proactively encourage their local authorities and park owners to step up and protect today.

Green space charity Fields in Trust is urging everyone to get behind its ParkXtinction campaign which aims to protect those parks that are currently endangered, before it’s too late and they are lost to building development, forever.

94% of green spaces on endangered list

94% of green spaces on endangered list

Consider the local park where you walk your dog, take your children to the swings, or just enjoy a walk around regularly for fresh air.

With the COP26 conference in full swing, the charity is urging everyone to check if their local park is one of those on the endangered list by visiting www.parkxtinction.org. For those that are in danger, action can be taken to protect them. Green spaces can be legally protected via a deed of dedication, by forming a binding legal commitment, requiring owners to preserve sites for recreational use forever.

Research from Fields in Trust finds that Britain’s parks and green spaces capture 402,000 tonnes of carbon annually, the equivalent of taking 320,565 cars off the road every single year.

Fields in Trust President, The Duke of Cambridge, launched the charity’s Green Space Index of Parks provision back in May 2021. The Green Space Index is Fields in Trust’s annual barometer of publicly accessible park and green space provision. Through the Green Space Index, Fields in Trust is taking stock of the nation’s quantity of local parks and green spaces and providing analysis on their impact.

Aiming to positively change the dial on climate change, the Duke of Cambridge said during a visit earlier this year with Fields in Trust: “The Green Space Index will provide a key tool for Local Authorities to identify inequity of access to green spaces, and to protect them for communities, now and in the future.”

Among the countless messages of feedback received by the charity during the unprecedented 18 months during a global pandemic, one person commented: “During lockdown, the park was probably a lifesaver for me in terms of my mental health.”

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has identified that the total proportion of urban green space in England declined between 2001 and 2018 from 63% to 55% of urban areas. The most recent CCC report to Government ([i]i) recommends that an urban greenspace target should be introduced by 2022 to reverse this decline and ensure towns and cities are more climate resilient.

Helen Griffiths, Chief Executive, Fields in Trust said: “My hope for COP26 is that the bold actions that are needed to meet the challenges ahead are recognised.

“Local response to climate action is crucial, and parks can play an important role in creating a greener and fairer economy. They can help tackle health and opportunity inequalities among communities and we must, without question, commit to preserving the green lungs of our towns and cities.

“This all sits within the powers of our local leaders, and this is an opportunity now to change the way we think about the contribution local green spaces make to our health, our wellbeing, our environment, and ultimately our futures.

“These parks and green spaces are under threat today, from financial and development pressures and it is up to all of us to stem this cycle of disappearance and decline. Our children and grandchildren deserve to have the same green space opportunities that we did, so we need to act today before it’s too late.

“I call upon local authorities, private landowners and members of the public to check if the local park you enjoy today is endangered via this ParkXtinction link.”

Without urgent action, Britain’s public green space is set to decrease, putting more pressure on fewer green spaces to support the health and wellbeing of communities, now and in the future.

Helen continued: “A recent community campaign led to 100 parks and green spaces in Liverpool becoming legally protected, Wrexham County Borough has committed to protect ten country parks as part of a drive to carbon neutral operations, and the City of Edinburgh Council is also protecting the majority of its urban green space. So, the appetite for protecting green spaces is there, we need civic leaders and local councillors to come on board urgently.  The Fields in Trust website provides information on endangered green spaces in your area. Click here to check your local green space, and if it isn’t protected find out how you can help us reduce the gap quickly.”

Visit the dedicated website to make a positive change today and protect your local park www.parkxtinction.org

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Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park

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Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park: From bunkers to greens, Martin Scothern – Head Greenkeeper at Wollaton Park Golf Club has long relied on a range of products from Mansfield Sand.

Wollaton Park Golf Club in Nottingham is widely regarded as one of the finest parkland courses in the East Midlands. A traditional members’ club, the course is set in 140 acres of the 516-acre Wollaton Park and is overlooked by the magnificent 16th century Wollaton Hall.

Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park

Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park

Designed by Tom Williamson and opened in 1927, it has been sensibly upgraded over the years to provide a challenging and enjoyable test for golfers at all levels.

The course has a reputation for play on full greens year-round and this is testament to the work of Head Greenkeeper Martin Scothern, who has been working at Wollaton Park since 1989. After leaving school he went straight into greenkeeping which was no surprise considering he used to work on his local golf course during the school holidays.

Martin’s use of Mansfield Sand stretches back to long before he started working at Wollaton Park, as he explains.

“Mansfield Sand has been used at every club I’ve ever worked at, so I was always aware of the company,” he said.

For the past 32 years Martin has been using Mansfield’s MM35 Golf pure silica sand for top dressing his greens which brings a number of benefits such as improved recovery, firmness, smoothness and an improved rootzone.

“We normally like to topdress every 4-6 weeks just to give the greens a light dusting,” he said. “I like my sand delivered at 6.30am in the morning when we are topdressing and without fail the Mansfield Sand delivery drivers are always on time. They will tip it off, we will apply it to the 20 greens, and it is job done. However, we will always make sure that we have a bit left over for any bunkers that need topping up throughout the season.”

As Martin says, MM35 Golf also makes for a great bunker sand as it has fantastic playing characteristics as well as being aesthetically attractive. In fact, Martin and the team are currently working on a long-term project to reconstruct all the bunkers and MM35 will be used in combination with rubber crumb and astro-turf.  “We have always used Mansfield Sand for the bunkers and will continue to do,” he said.

Bunkers and topdressing aside, Martin used a Fibre Reinforced Rootzone from Mansfield Sand to build a new short game academy green back in 2019. This natural sports turf sand dominated rootzone product is reinforced with polypropylene fibres. This is achieved by mixing the Mansil 40 silica sand, a screened topsoil and polypropylene fibres to create a completely homogeneous blend to be used as the upper rootzone. Consolidated to a typical 100mm depth the fibre reinforced rootzone can then be fertilised and seeded to produce the final grass surface.

With Mansil 40 in mind, Martin revealed that he will be trialling this product on his fairways in the not-too-distant future.

“We are going to start some work on three fairways that get a little bit wet in certain areas,” he said. “We’ve got some old pits underneath the golf course and the subsidence has caused some issues over the years. Therefore, we are looking for a coarser sand such as the Mansil 40 to brush in with some hollow coring and vertidraining. My hope is that by doing this regularly, it will help them to be more playable through winter.”

Martin will be joined by Sharon Morris, Golf and Football Sales Manager for Mansfield Sand, for the fairway trials, and he admitted that he would not be without her.

“I can call her up at 9:30pm and say Sharon, I forgot to call you today, I need some sand in the morning! I know that the sand will be there the very next morning. It is first-class customer service,” he said.

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB

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Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB: SISIS will be exhibiting at FSB Cologne, Germany from 26-28 October where the British manufacturer will be showcasing its Syn-Pro range of market leading turf maintenance equipment for synthetic surfaces.

Visitors attending FSB 2021, the international trade fair for leisure and sports facilities in Cologne, should ensure a visit to the SISIS stand is firmly on the agenda.

Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB

Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB

Located in hall 10.1, stand: B039 A038; the SISIS team will be proudly showcasing the following products:

SISIS Osca

The SISIS Osca is a tractor mounted powered oscillating brush with a 1.9 meter working width and is equally effective when used on synthetic turf with sand or rubber infill. The two oscillating brushes stand the carpet fibres up and redistributes the infill evenly, minimising compaction on the surface and improving its performance – giving consistent playing characteristics while preventing pile damage caused by reduced infill levels.

A contributory factor to the reduction of compaction is that the Osca’s working width will use fewer passes than other more conventional drag brushes to complete a pitch. Its aggressive brushing action agitates the upper infill level of the surface from side to side as well as brushing forward, helping reduce surface compaction and encourage the fibres to stand up straight which reduces the risk of contamination, drainage problems and leaves a consistent playing surface across the whole pitch.

Furthermore, a 1.8m straight brush or a grooming rake can be added to the system which will help to enhance the final finish.

SSS1000 sweeper

The SISIS SSS1000 is a tractor mounted sweeper which can be pulled by any machine. There are no tools required for the adjustment of the brush or the angle of the draw bar and to make storage easy the draw bar lifts to an upright position. With an aluminium hopper with stainless steel mesh, any infill that is collected when using the machine is returned back down to the surface leaving it free from contamination of debris

SISIS Brush-Pro 

The SISIS Brush-Pro is a ride-on brushing system comprising a pair of mid mounted oscillating units and three rear mounted brush units that that have been specifically designed for maintaining synthetic surfaces. The machine has been designed for maximum manoeuvrability and operator comfort which features an electric start, hydrostatic drive for forward/reverse and its brush combinations – oscillating for thorough periodic work and rear mounted brushes for more routine work.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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

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