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Tributes Paid To Simon Tullett

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Tributes Paid To Simon Tullett: It’s sad to report that Simon Tullett, founder of STM Co Ltd of Warwickshire – a supplier of SCAG equipment, and a well-known member of the industry, died in hospital recently.

He had health problems for a couple of years and was awaiting heart surgery, but sadly succumbed to kidney failure.

Simon’s family have thanked the hospital where Simon was patient after it helped with arrangements for a wedding blessing to take place at his bedside for the marriage of his daughter Olivia so that he could give her away. It is a testament to the man that, despite his weak condition, he still managed to come out with “and I’m not having her back, either”.

Simon had always been involved in the outdoor machinery industry and spent a number years in Sales with Tony Turner at Turner International, then worked for Agria before taking the decision to set up on his own.

A successful trial venture with SCAG machinery led to a thirty year association, still thriving today under the ownership of the Dominic Mason, who originally came to the company as a young lad working on Saturday mornings, subsequently to be trained by Simon in Sales.

He made a mark in the industry and is greatly respected for the company he developed and his involvement in the groundcare industry.

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STIHL To Showcase New Chainsaws

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STIHL To Showcase New Chainsaws: STIHL will be exhibiting its latest developments in professional chainsaws and forestry equipment at this year’s APF Exhibition, where visitors will have the opportunity to see the products in action at the manufacturers demo area based on the woodland demo circuit.

In addition to its own demo area, STIHL will have a large range of of high performance tools for professionals on display within the main arena on the static circuit, including the latest MSA 161 T cordless top-handled chainsaw and the lightweight MS 462 C-M petrol chainsaw.  STIHL will also be giving visitors a look at the new MS 500i – the world’s first lightweight petrol chainsaw with electronically controlled fuel injection.

STIHL To Showcase New Chainsaws

Rounding off its offering, professionals will also be able to discover more about STIHL’s range of PPE including the new VENT & X-VENT helmets and range of breathable and weather resistant ADVANCE chainsaw clothing.

Ahead of this year’s Stihl TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship at The Echo Arena in Liverpool in October, guests will be able to see the extreme sport in action as some of Europe’s top lumberjacks will take to the TIMBERSPORTS® Roadshow stage to compete in the six events.

Simon Hewitt, Head of Marketing at STIHL GB, said: “It’s a pleasure to be present at APF this year, and the exhibition is a great opportunity to showcase our ever expanding range of high quality tools for professionals.  Having a demo area on site is the perfect way to demonstrate the capability of our products, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to find out more about STIHL.”

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Scarify Your Lawn To Good Health

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Scarify Your Lawn To Good Health: The simplest way to ensure that your garden lawn is sufficiently healthy to withstand the rigours of winter and be in good condition for the 2019 growing season, is to scarify the surface this autumn.

Mechanical scarifying using either a mains electric or petrol machine will remove the ‘thatch’ from the roots of the grass plants.  Thatch is dead material or rubbish and moss which builds up forming a spongy surface that prevents air, light, nutrients and, most importantly, moisture from reaching the roots to generate healthy new growth. It is amazing just how much thatch can be lifted from even a small lawn!

Scarify Your Lawn To Good Health

Cobra is the UK’s largest range of powered garden machinery and has four specialist scarifiers; two mains electric and two petrol powered machines.  All four have all been expertly designed in the UK to cater specifically for the changing conditions of the British lawn.

“With our rapidly changing weather, the need to scarify regularly is more important than ever,” says Peter Chaloner, managing director of Cobra.  “As we seem to swing from virtual drought to almost flood conditions throughout the year, the need for lawns to absorb rain and slowly release it to the sub-ground water courses helps reduce the risk of flash flooding.  Lawns that are not regularly scarified tend to hold water, forming more moss and further slowing down this vital role of absorbing rain and slowly releasing it back to nature.”

The two electric options are the SA32E and the S36E. The SA32E has a 1300W motor with a 13” working width, and can work depths from -9mm to +4mm. The S36E is slightly wider at 14” and has a 1800W motor, it offers 2mm more depth too. Both electric models have a 40-litre grass bag capacity.

There are also two petrol models, both with a 15” working width, 16 steel blades and 45 litre grass bag capacity. These models have the choice of a 127cc Briggs & Stratton 550 series engine (the S390B), or a 135 cc Honda GP160 engine (the S390H).

The recommended retail prices for the Cobra scarifiers are £119.99 (SA32E), £159.99 (S36E), £529.99 (S390B) and £579.99 (S390H).

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Council Looks To Rigby Taylor

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Council Looks To Rigby Taylor: A revolutionary vertical drainage system is set to assist with reducing Wandsworth Council’s perennial misery of cancelled football games due to waterlogged playing surfaces on its Wandsworth Common pitches.

The non-obtrusive Groundwater Dynamics’ system – based on the use of vertical plastic pipes (EGRP) which draw in excess water horizontally – is being trialled on three of most troublesome of the council’s seven winter pitches and, depending on their success, the system could be extended across more of the 96 winter pitches that are under the borough’s care.

Council Looks To Rigby Taylor

As Principal Parks Officer – Operations for Enable Leisure and Sport, the operation that delivers Wandsworth Council’s leisure services, Steve Green explains:

“Being on a clay base, these pitches are forever flooding whenever we have excess rain and while the installation of traditional drainage would have been cheaper by up to around 20 per cent, we wouldn’t be allowed by Thames Water to link the new drains to surface water outlets (storm drains and sewers, for example).

“This alternative system not only means the water can be dealt with ‘at source’, but also that current infiltration rates can be increased by at least seven times [in some cases far higher].

“And the installation hardly impacts surface appearance – indeed, looking at the work, I reckon we could easily play on the pitches within hours of installation. In addition, the system will last over 25 years with regular vertidraining and earthquaking (twice per annum for each operation).”

Council Looks To Rigby Taylor

The system – which is suitable for all soil types and is in use on a number of sports surfaces, including at Edgbaston Cricket Club – was installed on the Wandsworth Common pitches by drilling a series of bore holes in a grid pattern across the playing surfaces.

Central rows of 3 m deep holes (of 89 mm diameter) are flanked by 1.5 m deep holes of 62 mm diameter, at 1.5 m spacings. The sequence was repeated at every 5 m along the length of each pitch. There are also adjacent bores to depths of 6 m and 12 m.

Each borehole accommodates an Energy-passive Ground water Recharge Pump (EGRP) pipe, the top of which sits 300 mm below the surface. The hole is then simply ‘plugged’ and top-dressed.

The innovative five-chamber EGRP design with its mild vacuum draws in water horizontally (to the deeper, 89 mm diameter EGRP pipe) and this then drains away into the lower unsaturated strata/water table.

“We have a myriad of users including private schools, academy squads as well as local teams using these pitches which are among the 1,600 acres of open space we maintain,” adds Steve. “The winter pitches are booked for seven days each week, so any cancellations always create headaches – and disappointed players!

“We started to investigate possible solutions and having such a good relationship with Rigby Taylor – from which we source (via idverde) a lot of products, including R14 perennial rye grass seed which we use across all the pitches, as well as selective herbicides, fertilisers, aggregates and topdressings – the Groundwater Dynamics’ system was presented.

Council Looks To Rigby Taylor

“We looked at the system in use at a football training ground (Fulham FC’s) and on a rugby pitch (in Bushy Park, Hampton Court) and spoke to the groundsmen there before going ahead with the trial.”

Steve has been with the council for 38 years and includes cemeteries, litter clearance and buildings maintenance in his remit, which embraces the management of three direct staff and around 100 indirect. He and colleague Andrew Green, who oversees and manages the council’s wide range sports surfaces, both agree that the former methods of earthquaking and vertidraining couldn’t cope with the waterlogging caused by severe rainfall.

“Nowadays,” says Andrew, “extremes of weather are becoming more common, but we’re totally confident that this new system of drainage will go a long way in reducing a problem we’ve had for years on these pitches.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay

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New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay: The Pasture (Fairways) Sports Complex boasts an astroturf surface which is a hub for sport in the community of Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. A true multi-functional pitch, it see’s many hours of play per week taking its toll on the condition of the surface. Synthetic specialists Replay Maintenance were recently called in to conduct their Rejuvenation® process, which has given the pitch a new lease of life.

Owned by Selby District Council, the day to day running of the site is controlled by Parish Council Clerk of 34 years Margaret Gibson. “The Pastures is a great asset and hosts a variety of sports including hockey, football and tennis. The upkeep of the pitch, together with the surrounding park, falls to a contractor but this is really just on an ad-hoc basis and following months of poor weather, and high play usage the pitch was in need of a more thorough deep clean.” The services of Replay were recommended by a local England Hockey representative, to which Replay are the sole official maintenance partner.

New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay

“Replay came in to conduct their Rejuvenation® process at the end of April and the end result was fantastic. It refurbished the pitch to a point where it looked like a new surface which was welcomed by all of the clubs and players who use the site.” Replay’s unique Rejuvenation process uses constant air-flow plenum technology and compressed air to remove the contaminated top layer of sand; restore the pile to vertical and fill again with new clean infill. It can restore a surface to an ‘as new’ condition for appearance, drainage and performance and often double the playing life of a pitch for a fraction of the cost of a replacement carpet.

Following the successful Rejuvenation®, the Parish Council made the decision to appoint Replay on a service agreement basis which will now see them visit twice a year to conduct a deep-clean. Sales Director of Replay Maintenance Nick Harris reiterates the importance of planned maintenance. “Choosing regular, arranged maintenance gives you peace of mind that your surface is getting the treatment required, at a fixed amount and at intervals that suit the needs of each individual facility. With Replay we also conduct pre and post maintenance testing to show the difference the maintenance regime is making, enabling you to plan future requirements far more effectively.”

New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay

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