Tag Archive for: Their

Support your employees with their mental health

/in , /by

Support your employees with their mental health: Perennial, the charity helping people in horticulture, is calling for organisations to become ambassadors and participate in its Mental Health First Aider training programme. As part of the charity’s health and wellbeing focus the programme aims to put more Mental Health First Aiders in the workplace.

One in four people experience mental health problems which is the biggest contributor to ill health and is consistent with the people who come to us for support.

Support your employees with their mental health

Support your employees with their mental health

Perennial’s Health & Wellbeing Survey (2021) found that mental wellbeing was among the biggest perceived challenges for people working in horticulture. 85% of people’s mental wellbeing was poor or below average and 26% of people listed depression, anxiety, and stress as critical issues. A further 22% said they did not recognise when they were unable to cope or how to deal with these circumstances.

A significant culture change around mental health is needed across the horticultural community. Organisations need to be committed to raising awareness about mental wellbeing and supporting their employees with their mental health. We want people to have an in depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing, the practical skills to spot the signs and symptoms and to have the confidence to step in, reassure and support their colleagues.

We are looking for employers with over 20 employees who proactively want to increase their team’s mental health and wellbeing to join our pilot training programme. Perennial’s training is delivered in partnership with Mental Health First Aid England:

An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing.

Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of a range of mental health issues.

Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress.

Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening.

Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support.

An understanding of how to keep themselves safe while performing their duties.

Resources include – A reference card for the Mental Health First Aid action plan and the Line Managers’ Resource, an invaluable source of advice on how to support an employee experiencing mental ill health.

Places are still available for our next training course on the 30th November to 1st December and we are running courses throughout 2023, to find out more about, please contact Helen Waddington, Email hwaddington@perennial.org.uk.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

GGM Group get on their bikes

/in , /by

GGM Group get on their bikes: A Lancashire business has demonstrated that it will always go the extra mile for charity, as the team at Groundscare specialist the GGM Group have committed to a year of activity to support the North West Air Ambulance.

The activity kicks off with a company-wide sponsored cycle, with staff getting on their bikes and riding between their two depots in Haydock and Colne along the Leeds-Liverpool canal on Friday 12th August.

GGM Group get on their bikes

GGM Group get on their bikes

Over 20 team members, from across all departments, will take on the 95km route, finishing off with a well-deserved team bbq to celebrate.

The business, which operates across the North West and Yorkshire, is following in the footsteps of last year’s highly successful charitable efforts, where the organisation raised over £10,000 for charities across the North West, and is keen to build on this success and keep the momentum running.

Managing Director Chris Gibson explain more:

“Every year we aim to carry out a number of physical challenges to raise funds for our company charity and it’s a huge highlight in our calendar. We’ve previously completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks and in 2020 we didn’t let lockdown dampen our spirits, carrying out a charity walk and cycle ride in socially distanced stints. We’re very much looking forward to this year’s event and it’s great so many team members want to get involved.”

The event will raise money for the organisations chosen company charity of the year, the North West Air Ambulance, to help raise much needed funds during these difficult times.  Since the charity launched in 1999, it operates 365 days a year and they have responded to over 24,500 missions across the Northwest and must raise over £9.5m each year to remain operational.

The GGM Group consists of two businesses across two depots. PSD Groundscare is the national distributor of specialist landscaping equipment including award winning innovative manufacturers Eliet and Koppl. GGM Groundscare is a specialist supplier of tractors and high-quality professional land-based equipment for commercial and domestic use. Servicing the North West and Yorkshire, it supplies a range of products from leading franchises including Kubota, Baroness and Amazone.

Chris Gibson concluded:

“I am hugely proud of what our staff have committed to do and it is teamwork in the truest sense. Not everyone regularly cycles, yet they have committed to taking part in this challenge for our charity. As a family business, it’s fantastic for us all to come together.

“It’s a key part of our ethos at The GGM Group to give something back to the local community and North West Air Ambulance provide an essential service. Amazingly they receive no government or NHS funding so every penny we raise for the charity makes such a lifesaving difference.”

To support the team and make a donation visit the Justgiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/the-ggm-group

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

NW Pitch Maintenance make their mark

/in , /by

NW Pitch Maintenance make their mark: With 54 pitches to mark including Salford City Football Club’s training ground and stadium, owner of NW Pitch Maintenance, Andy O’Sullivan, brought the Turf Tank robotic line marker https://turftank.com/row/ on board to improve the efficiency of his line marking operation.

Andy, who was initially sceptical about robotic line markers, arranged a demonstration of the machine at one of his most challenging grassroots pitches with Matt Murray, Northern Area Manager for Turf Tank. After seeing the accuracy of the lines despite the difficult undulations, he knew it would be an asset.

NW Pitch Maintenance make their mark

NW Pitch Maintenance make their mark

“When Matt from Turf Tank came out to me, I took him to one of the worst pitches I have to look, after in terms of we can’t always get on it because it’s always a bit rutted,” Andy explains. “It was raining heavily, but the lines were really, really straight, and that convinced me to buy it because I thought if it can do that on there, then I’ve got a chance with this thing.

“The difference with the Turf Tank right now is really apparent because no one is playing football.  Previously we would have had to keep the lines otherwise we’d lose them and need to set them up again which is another three-hour job on every pitch.  With the Turf Tank we have set the pitches up, and we won’t have to go back and overmark them until the pitches are required again.

“Now we turn up, put the base station up and off we go because the pitches are already set-up on the tablet and it’s only 20 minutes to mark. The time we save being able to do that justifies the robot alone. And I’d say the lines are undoubtedly better because when you’ve got a grassroots pitch with undulations, even when you string a pitch with an undulation, you’re going to follow that yourself naturally and the string doesn’t stay on the ground, it rises above that dip. Whereas the Turf Tank will follow that dip down because it’s low to the ground as well.

“I can send my son Liam off to another site, and he can be cutting, and I can take the Turf Tank with me and the tractor to cut as well. I cut one pitch at the training ground and set the Turf Tank off on the other one. I’m then cutting while that’s doing its work, we finish at similar times, and I set it off on the pitch I’ve cut and by the time I’ve packed my trailer up it’s ready to go. It’s like having another staff member with me, and in total, I’d say it’s saving us 20 to 25 hours a week on line-marking time.

“From the off the robot has been great for us and Matt’s training when he installed the machine and back-up service since has been brilliant. He went with Liam and me to a site and talked us through it and made sure we both knew what we were doing and whenever I’ve had questions, he’s sorted me out on the phone or FaceTime, so he’s been excellent the whole time.”

Since having the Turf Tank, Andy has been able to diversify his line marking offering and is scheduled to line a lacrosse pitch for the first time and plans to mark running tracks in the summer. Templates for a large number of sports are pre-loaded into the tablet to make marking them quick and easy, with the operator simply having to plot them and push go.

For more information about the Turf Tank One visit www.turftank.com or contact matt@turftank.co.uk (northern UK) or alex@turftank.co.uk (southern UK).

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Woods widen their UK options

/in , , /by

Woods widen their UK options: Available in their successful Standard, Heavy Duty and Extreme models, for tractors between 130hp and 300hp, Woods Equipment have now added the new 20ft (6.3m) batwing rotary mowers to their range, specifically targeting grassland management.

Simon Richard the UK Agent for the Woods range comments, “these new 20:50, 20:60, and 20:70 models are available for immediate delivery and are ideal for groundcare contractors golf courses and also airports, confirming the Woods reputation for both quality and performance. They offer the Woods market leading 6 year warranty on all the gearboxes, including the ‘twin triple lipped ’seals.

Woods widen their UK options

Woods widen their UK options

The 33cm deep deck, quick release blades, clean deck system, all contribute to spending less time on the machine and more time cutting. We will have a range of Woods Mowers on display at this year’s Grassland and Muck show in May.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Earning Their Stripes!

/in , /by

Earning Their Stripes!: There is nothing better than a well tended lawn and it goes without saying that a well tended lawn boasts stripes. For most of us arrow straight is the ambition – easier said that done – but for some a more intricate pattern is what is aimed for.

This is particularly the case for those entering the Allett Creative Stripes competition which this year saw entries from over ten different countries – showing that a determination to produce a lawn to be admired is not just the preserve of the United Kingdom.

Earning Their Stripes!

This year’s winner came from Hungary with a wonderfully symmetrical series of precision swirls, just pipping a superb straight line pattern from a Swedish garden in second place and a stunning series of symbols from an English country garden in third.

The short list had been narrowed down by the Allett team with the winner decided by last year’s champion Keith Smith.

The new champion won an Allett Liberty 43 complete with all its cartridges and two cartridge stands while all entrants have also been invited to a factory tour at the end of the season.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.