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ISEKI is part of the team at Bloxham

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ISEKI is part of the team at Bloxham: An ISEKI compact tractor is proving to be an ‘extra member of staff’ for the grounds team at Bloxham School according to Head Groundsman Paul White.

Located in the heart of the beautiful Oxfordshire village of Bloxham, Bloxham School is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18.

ISEKI is part of the team at Bloxham

ISEKI is part of the team at Bloxham

On a single-site campus the school boasts state-of-the-art facilities for academic work, technology, arts, and sport – which is where Paul comes in. Bloxham has a superb sporting programme offering a wide range of sports and Paul and his grounds team work hard to prepare these surfaces to the highest standard.

To achieve this, Paul is somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to grounds maintenance equipment.

“As soon as machinery becomes outdated and not fit for purpose it absolutely needs replacing,” he said. “Specifically, we wanted a tractor to cover all the implements we have in our workforce, and to be able to use them safely and correctly on different surfaces.

“The reason we bought into ISEKI was because we have used their machines regularly in the past and they have always been reliable.”

After a demonstration arranged by ISEKI dealer Turney Groundcare & Garden Machinery, Paul decided to purchase the ISEKI TG6495 – a 47 hp compact tractor with the innovative IQ dual-clutch 24-speed transmission.

Other benefits of the TG6495 include:

  • 1580 kg lift capacity at the ball ends and 1400 kg lift capacity @24″ behind
  • Category 2 cab with air-conditioning, heating, and a good view
  • Front loader joystick, up-stop PTO, linkage up in reverse and draft control all supplied as standard
  • Equipped with an electro-hydraulic power take-off shaft that saves the attachment and the engine while providing operator comfort

“We all been really impressed with the tractor,” said Paul. “The lifting of the PTO has been a massive benefit and the automatic clutch shut off is good for when we are turning on the sports fields.

“The weight and the size of it is much better on our fields for compaction. It has good traction for the wheels, the all-round visibility of the tractor is very much improved compared to our last tractor, and general use is a lot easier for the operator.

“It has performed exceptionally well in all weather conditions. Through the winter it has been fantastic with our vertidrainer and in summer it has helped with a number of different implements.

“Also, the IQ transmission makes it easier for our operators to use and change gear when there are implements on the back.

“We like to think of this tractor as an extra member of staff – it does everything we ask of it.”

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Moorland Treescapes reap the rewards

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Moorland Treescapes reap the rewards: Moorland Treescapes can definitely say they have experienced the ‘GreenMech evolution’, with the delivery of an EVO 165D the latest in a sizeable list of different models Owner Simon Stockton has used over the years!

Sitting proudly on his fleet alongside a QuadChip 160P, both woodchippers are busy on a daily basis, making light work of a heavy schedule for the small family-run team.

Moorland Treescapes reap the rewards

Moorland Treescapes reap the rewards

Simon established Moorland Treescapes almost 20 years ago, and for most of that time he has turned to GreenMech to supply chippers to suit his broad range of domestic and commercial tree works. “As our workload adapts, what we need from our woodchipper fleet changes. This means that over the years we’ve had three QuadChip’s, a 19-28 SAFE-Trak, ArbTrak 200 and then more recently, a tracked machine from the GreenMech EVO series” explains Simon. “With each machine you notice little tweaks to the design and functionality but with the EVO, it was like a whole new machine!”

Due to a reduction in embankment working, Simon has recently switched from a tracked EVO 165DT-45LE to the road tow EVO 165D. “This is proving to be a brilliant piece of kit for us. Improvements have been made to simple things like the manual override control which means that the infeed will continue to pull material through and not leave you standing in and amongst brashy or thorny material. All of the basic service points are accessible and centralised greasing makes that process really quick and easy. On top of those practical things, I think the EVO’s just look great too!”

With the EVO 165D tackling a lot of commercial work around Staffordshire and Derbyshire, including large-scale projects on behalf of BT, the QuadChip 160P is bringing its own benefits to the day-to-day domestic jobs. “The QuadChip with the rotatable turntable is great for jobs on the kerbside. The ability to turn the chipper to be able to feed material from the pavement is brilliant for operator safety and means we don’t have members of our team working in the road.”

“In addition, we have always had fantastic service from GreenMech and our local dealer Global Sales because the nature of this industry means that things do inevitably go wrong. In my book it’s not the problems that matter, it’s how a company resolves them and Global have always been brilliant in helping us when they arise.” Simon concludes, “As there is only four of us, having equipment that does a good job and is backed up with brilliant support is like having an extra member of the team!”

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Hunter helps to futureproof the Tigers

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Hunter helps to futureproof the Tigers: A newly installed Hunter irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK, is part of a long-term plan to help futureproof Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium, according to Head Groundsman Ed Mowe.

With a CV boasting positions at Leicester City Football Club, England FA’s St George’s Park and now Leicester City Tigers, it is safe to say that Ed knows how to produce a high-quality sports pitch. He has been with the Tigers for six years and he now believes that the time has come to look to the future.

Hunter helps to futureproof the Tigers

Hunter helps to futureproof the Tigers

“The old surface was coming towards the end of its life span, and we are going to be hosting more games soon because we’ve got a Leicester Tigers Women’s team, who will be playing their home games here. So, this year, we had a new pitch constructed and we also saw an opportunity to replace all our irrigation sprinkler heads. The previous heads were old, and we were trying to replace them as they were breaking, so it just made sense to start fresh.

“Ultimately, we want to futureproof the stadium and the pitch, so it can be in the best possible shape moving forwards.”

The pitch construction was carried out by Premier Turf who worked with Prime Irrigation. It was decided that the pitch would benefit from a mixture of Hunter TTS-885 and I-80 rotors, which were supplied by KAR UK – the leading wholesaler of irrigation equipment in the UK.

The 885 rotor belongs to the Hunter TTS-800 portfolio and provides maximum uniformity and longevity. The high-torque gear drives are the strongest in the industry, so the challenges of reclaimed water use, or poor water quality are mitigated.

The TTS-885 also benefits from Hunter’s patented TTS (Total-Top-Service) technology which allows for every serviceable element of the rotor to be accessed through the top.

Mechanical and electrical, big and small, you can get to every component without disturbing the playing surface. That means there’s no more digging, no more unsightly scars, and more importantly, one less item on a busy turf manager’s schedule. Other notable features of the TTS-885 include true full-circle and adjustable part-circle (60° to 360°), exclusive PressurePort™ nozzle technology, and a radius of 11.3 to 28.7 m.

Meanwhile the I-80 is built with a robust, dirt-tolerant gear drive that offers the highest torque output of any rotor in the commercial sphere, and extends a radius range from 11.3 to 29.6 m. The I-80 features a wide range of highly efficient, dual-trajectory, wind-fighting nozzles for highly efficient performance in a range of applications. It also provides TTS via its integrated, surface-mounted snap-ring.

To accompany the rotors Ed opted for the mobile-friendly Centralus irrigation management platform and the Roam remote – which eliminates the need to go back and forth to the sprinkler controller. This connectivity allows you to view a controller’s status, change settings, view forecasts, save water, and receive instant notifications of important system alarms — all without costly and time-consuming travel and site visits.

Hunter helps to futureproof the Tigers

Hunter helps to futureproof the Tigers

“This year really has proved just how important a good irrigation system is,” said Ed. “The rotors provide us with excellent coverage, and they are not as prone to drift. Previously we were getting a lot of drift off the old heads. They are incredibly easy to use and maintain – you can simply pull them out and there is no digging involved. You don’t have to take them apart to alter the arcs. I’ve not had any issues with them at all and they perform excellently.

“The Centralus and the Roam remote have also been of huge benefit,” continued Ed. “It is all connected to the internet so I can easily sort out the various irrigation programmes. Having this flexibility has saved us thousands of pounds too because, if for example, I have set a programme and we get a big downpour of rain then I can simply switch it off. Also, in this respect we can target specific areas on the pitch. We just keep the remote in our pockets and if we see a dry patch or the manager wants a certain area watered, we can switch it on with the press of a button.

“Overall, I’m really impressed – and the irrigation system is absolutely helping to futureproof the pitch. It has helped to keep the moisture levels up for the grass to grow and the whole package just works for us.”

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com

You can also follow KAR UK on Twitter @KARUK_LTD for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Barenbrug changes the game

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Barenbrug changes the game: Varieties Barzico and Barbasten, already first and second on the 2022 BSPB/STRI Sports Ryegrass list, is available commercially in Barenbrug’s 2022 Elite Sport blend. These varieties are the result of many years of breeding and trials in the UK and abroad.

Calling the winter sports range a ‘Game Changer’ for top football and rugby stadiums, Luke Hunt, Barenbrug’s Product Manager says “We have broken the mould for 2022 with the very top performing grasses bred by us for premium sport stadiums, pitches and courses, and produced in the UK. Grounds managers now have a brand-new choice in a field where many different products have contained the same varieties”.

Barenbrug changes the game

Barenbrug changes the game

The Elite Sport blend is complemented in Barenbrug’s winter sport range with RPR Sport, a highly researched blend of four hard-wearing perennial ryegrasses, including Barlibro Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass (RPR). The range also contains Multi Sport, with a focus on through-the-year performance and sustainability, and SOS for emergency mid-season turf repair in cool temperatures.

Barenbrug’s premium sports range is in wide use at Premier League stadiums, top-ranked golf courses and tennis courts, as well as local clubs and schools. Ipswich Town FC is one of many football clubs who has had the game changed by the winter sport varieties. Ben Connell (ITFC) began trials five years ago with Barenbrug bred grass varieties on the training grounds and academy pitches. Since then, he has overseen their introduction into the stadium pitch. “One advantage of working with a seed breeder,” Ben says, “is to be able to follow the development of new grass varieties and work with the breeder to see how products can work best for our pitches. So for us, Barenbrugs winter sport varieties are top of the table”.

Specialising entirely on developing innovative UK grass seed solutions, Barenbrug UK is now recognised as the leading grass seed breeder and grower in the UK. As part of the wider Barenbrug Group, grass experts since 1904, their worldwide research and plant genetics network includes dedicated UK trials of amenity varieties and mixtures, providing a solid testing ground while drawing on knowledge and expertise from across the globe.

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Development at the heart of GMA Strategy

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Development at the heart of GMA Strategy: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has, after the impact of the pandemic and following the impact of global events, combined with the cost-of-living crisis, focused on tackling the key issues highlighted by volunteers and professionals as priority areas to address in the grounds care industry. 

Published alongside the GMA’s 2022 Workforce Survey, the reset of the GMA’s Five-Year Strategy first launched in 2021, outlines six key priority areas that will inform and influence the association’s work to help achieve three long-term goals:

Development at the heart of GMA Strategy

Development at the heart of GMA Strategy

  • To attract new talent and accelerate the growth of a diverse workforce
  • To support sustainable business growth and protect the sector’s interests
  • To build industry reputation and promote the sector’s contribution to society and the economy

The six strategic priority areas are:

  • Workforce development
  • People and culture
  • Services and support
  • Industry representation
  • Data and digitisation
  • Funding and investment

GMA Chief Executive, Geoff Webb said: “We know the challenges that those working in the grounds care industry face and the findings from our Annual Workforce Survey echo those issues year after year. Whilst we have made progress since revealing the results of “Groundsmanship Sports Vital Profession” in 2019, the trends first identified remain.”

“The issues are far-reaching and to make a positive difference at pace, working together as a sector, we need a shift in mindset and outlook. Working collaboratively is key to success. Members and others working in grounds care, those employing grounds staff, industry partners and suppliers, national governing bodies, professional leagues, the media, local authorities, and the education sector all have a role to play. It’s a team effort.”

The GMA’s latest report estimates that over 3,200 professional grounds managers are due to retire in the next three years and over a third of all grounds professionals are over the age of 55. The lack of young people joining the profession is evident with only 3% being under 25. A clear indication that the industry is facing a recruitment crisis and must act now to attract the next generation.

A lack of diversity also continues to be an issue in grounds management with white men still being the most dominant demographic working in the industry. 96% of professional grounds staff are male and only 3% are non-white, which is far from representative of the communities across the UK.

The report also highlights an issue with underinvestment in grounds management, both in terms of procuring the necessary equipment, and the salary levels paid to grounds staff. The association believes that there is a widespread lack of understanding of what skills, technical expertise, and equipment are required to maintain sports grounds to a satisfactory standard. An issue that will be addressed by proactively promoting the work of grounds people and reiterating the message that with no ground, there’s no game.

GMA Chief Executive, Geoff Webb continues: “When Covid hit, like many, we focused resources on adapting to the ever-changing working environment, moving to remote working and facilitating longstanding face-to-face training and events online. Likewise, many worked with limited capacity and resources during this period, this impacted on many skilled ground staff and impacted on the ability of volunteers to spend the time attending to their clubs and facilities. We have to recognise that we are still in recovery and today are met with fresh challenges such as the cost of living, the impact on the supply chain and recruitment issues.

“We have reset having to contend with a delayed SALTEX which was a fantastic success last Autumn and have spent 2022 reviewing and resetting our strategy as well as building an expanded team. This year has been about getting the right people and resources in place and 2023 will see us move from capability building to implementation as we focus on the strategic priorities and long-term goals outlined in our Strategy.

“This reset of our Strategy puts us on a path to deliver and with the continued support of our Chair and Board, we will continue to invest in building on the six key priority areas identified to meet the needs of members and the wider grounds care sector.”

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