Tag Archive for: vital

Fun in the sun events raise vital funds for Perennial

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Fun in the sun events raise vital funds for Perennial: June was a great month for fundraising in support of Perennial, with nearly £10,000 raised by footballers and golfers showing off their skills at two inaugural events.

Eight teams took on the ‘Kick for a Cause’ five-a-side football tournament at Fulham FC Training Ground and 60 golfers teed off at Pyrford Lakes Golf Club, all battling all battling to be the winners in aid of the charity which supports everyone in horticulture.

Fun in the sun events raise vital funds for Perennial

Fun in the sun events raise vital funds for Perennial

Kick for a Cause

The grounds maintenance teams from Fulham and Reading FCs were joined by teams from supporting event partners Wildwood Machinery and ICL, along with Perennial Partner teams from Kingston Landscape Group, Wood Environmental Services, Neville Stein Horticultural Business Consultancy and Grange Travel Coach Hire, each entering teams of up to 12 players.

There were some close matches throughout the day, with each team giving it their all in the sweltering heat. The action-packed semi-finals saw Mow Money, Mow Problems (Fulham FC Grounds Maintenance Team) take on ICL and Royally Turf’d taking on KLG FC (Kingston Landscape Group).

The eventual winners were KLG FC with just a 1-0 win over host team.

Having shown off their skills on the pitch, the footballers enjoyed pizza and refreshments to celebrate their efforts, whilst continuing to raise further funds for Perennial through raffle ticket sales.

Following the event Stuart Mackley and Stanley Hayden from the Grounds Team at Fulham FC Training Ground said: “This was a great way to raise the profile of Perennial within the club and amongst the players and also raise funds for our industry charity. Whilst it was hot weather to play in, the teams took on the challenge with great enthusiasm and played their best games. We look forward to hosting the event next year.”

Thanks go to grounds care experts Wildwood Machinery and ICL who we welcomed onboard as supporting partners for this event.

Wildwood Machinery – Hampshire’s leading groundcare business – said “We were delighted to support Perennial for this inaugural event. Our team enjoyed the tournament and supporting people in the horticultural and groundcare profession.”

ICL also said “We were pleased to support Perennial and their Kick for a Cause initiative. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to promote wellbeing through sport and make a positive impact in the process.”

Charity Golf Day

Just two days after the footbal tournament the Perennial charity golf day, in partnership with Renson, took place at the stunning Pyrford Lakes.

Players were treated to a bacon butty and coffee before teeing off for 18 fabulous holes, followed by a BBQ on the clubhouse patio.

Fittingly the team from principal sponsors Renson UK took 1st prize in the team competition, with Renson’s Tina Mott winning the individual Stableford.

Perennial Partnership Manager, Phil Swainston commented, “I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone for taking part and supporting the inaugural Perennial Golf Day.  Everyone’s enthusiasm and generosity made the day a fantastic success and resulted in us raising over £3,500!”

Through ticket sales, sponsorship and fundraising on both days, these fun and informal events provided networking opportunities and most importantly, raised vital funds to support Perennial so we can be there when needed.

Chief Executive of Perennial, Jamie Gault commented “At Perennial, our mission is to ‘Build Better Futures’ for horticulturalists and their families. We cannot continue without funding to support our vital work, so fundraising events like these, that help raise the profile of the support we offer, have an essential role to play. Thank you to those who instigated these events and supported Perennial through taking part, sponsorship and promotion. Don’t forget the charity is here for you, whether you need some guidance, feel a bit stuck or are facing one of life’s big challenges, we’re here for you.”

Visit perennial.org.uk/ways-we-help/ or call our helpline 0800 093 8543

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SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

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SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City: Stoke City FC’s long-standing Grounds Manager, Andy Jackson, believes that synthetic pitches demand more attention than people might expect – and that’s exactly why the Syn-Pro by SISIS SVR 1500 has become an essential part of his maintenance regime at the training ground.

“We carry out around eight to ten hours of maintenance work each week on our synthetic pitch,” says Andy, who has been with the club for over 30 years. “People forget that synthetic pitches require a lot more maintenance than they think. But if you stay on top of it and do it properly, it can make a huge difference to the longevity and quality of the surface.”

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

SVR 1500 Proves Vital for Stoke City

The SVR 1500 – a two-in-one deep cleaning and decompaction machine – plays a central role in that strategy. Part of Syn-Pro by SISIS range, the SVR 1500 has been in regular use at Stoke’s training ground for the past two years, and Andy has been thoroughly impressed.

“We wanted a machine that was robust, simple to use and gives us the quality finish that we require. The SVR 1500 cleans the surface, distributes the rubber evenly, and leaves a good finish.”

Used primarily in the spring and summer months when conditions are dry, the SVR 1500 is ideal for ensuring the rubber doesn’t clump together. It also allows Andy’s team to carry out both light and deep cleans as and when needed.

For Andy, usability is just as important as performance. “I don’t want something that takes hours to set up with lots of buttons or settings. With this machine, it’s just so simple – If we don’t want to go too deep, we don’t have to. It’s simple to set the machine to how you want it.

When you’ve got a big team, it’s important that the machines we use are staff friendly.”

The SVR 1500’s effectiveness in removing debris also came as a surprise. “I was shocked when I first looked at the baskets at the back of the filters. I didn’t realise how much debris it was collecting – and that prompted us to use it even more regularly.”

Beyond the machine’s contribution to synthetic surface management, it aligns well with Andy’s wider philosophy in terms of longevity and sustainability. Stoke City FC is proudly pesticide-free – a decision made over a decade ago and one that continues to challenge and inspire the grounds team.

“If something’s got a shelf life of 10 years, can we get 12 years out of it? Can we get 14 years? That’s the aim. Because it’s a massive job to take a synthetic carpet out and put a new one in and then recycling that carpet is not easy. So, we want to expand the life of the synthetic pitch as much as we can – and the SVR 1500 helps us do that.

“For me, having a good support network is crucial – from fertilisers to machinery to line marking. You’ve got to have the right people around you, and the right tools in the garage. And sometimes, the hardest thing is doing nothing. Just looking at the pitch and saying: today, she just needs a rest.”

With Andy’s passion for sustainable practices, and top-quality playing surfaces, it’s no surprise the SVR 1500 has become a mainstay in Stoke City FC’s maintenance plan.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Syn-Pro by SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.synprobysisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Syn-Pro on Twitter or Instagram @synprobysisis and like the company’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SynPro-by-SISIS.

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AMS provide vital secondary drainage

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AMS provide vital secondary drainage: Cricket is a cornerstone of Winchester College’s student experience, and to enhance their already exceptional standards, the school enlisted AMS Contracting to install secondary drainage on their outfield.

Head Groundsman, Kim Larcombe, oversees the 250-acre site with the help of four groundsmen and five gardeners. Sixty acres are purely dedicated to sport, with cricket having a long and distinguished history at Winchester.

AMS provide vital secondary drainage

AMS provide vital secondary drainage

The programme is devised and run by the college’s cricket professional and is supported by several highly qualified coaches. A winter programme runs from October to the start of the playing season to help players reach their full potential, and it’s when the season comes around that the surfaces are vital.

With a tight 55-day schedule planned for summer 2022, Kim must ensure that matches go ahead as scheduled, with rained off games one of the most significant risks. Having had the outfield levelled in August 2021, the experienced 39 and a half year Winchester team member wanted to enhance the drainage with AMS.

Kim explains: “We had the outfield levelled back in August/September last year, and the plan was always to have some secondary drainage put in. We didn’t want primary drainage because we’re on chalk, so the water just goes away anyway, but we wanted to help the drainage and levelling a little bit as well.

“I had a preference on what secondary drainage I wanted to use, and I talked it through with AMS, and we looked at other options, but I had my preference.

“It was good to be working with a company who wanted to put options forward and explore them, but at the same time, they weren’t pushy at all. They just presented their opinions and were happy to proceed with what we wanted and work to get the best result.

“I’m really pleased with how the project went. It all ran very smoothly, and I think that was due to the project’s planning and then the execution. It’s filling in nicely, and it was left in good condition, so we were able to play on it a week after the work was completed, and that is a testament to how well everything went.

“We’ve got about 55 days of cricket coming up on there, so it’ll be very busy. Because we have such a busy schedule, we need to play the matches when they are planned, and that’s why having good secondary drainage is so important.”

The method of drainage requested by Kim was the Blec Vibramaster at 20mm sand slits, 250mm apart and 150mm deep. This was implemented after the whole outfield had been ShockWaved and was followed with topdressing, drag matting and overseeding using a 2.5m Vredo overseeder in two directions.

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GrasPro vital at Forest Green

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GrasPro vital at Forest Green: GrasPro Pitch Management System has become a vital data collection tool for Forest Green Rovers head groundsman, Adam Witchell.

Adam is into his fourth season with the League Two football club, and he has used GrasPro throughout that time to record data from the club’s stadium pitch and training pitch. The system has helped him save time recording data and generating reports, allowing him to concentrate on doing the work that is needed.

GrasPro vital at Forest Green

GrasPro vital at Forest Green

“I think it’s wonderful, it’s one of my main tools as a head groundsman, and I use it to manage a different site as well, I find it one of the most beneficial things I have,” Adam began. “When I first went to Forest Green Rovers, it was one of the first things that I got because I needed a data management plan.

“I’ve trialled other data collection systems and for me this is the best one. I was looking for a management system, and I was trialling a few, but really it was the ease of use because some data collection systems can take a while. It takes away data recording in the evening because it doesn’t take long to put it into the GrasPro system, so it saves me time and energy that I can concentrate on other parts of my job.

“I use it for all of my monthly reviews and daily and weekly plans. And I can look back on things that worked and didn’t work by doing PQS’s on the pitch. For me, it’s massively helpful to be able to do that. I think I’m the only person in the world working with an organic vegan pitch and it’s very a difficult pitch. It’s a very heavy clay pitch, it has its problems, but with the weather that’s added to it, you can look at when disease might be in and then you can look at how the pitch performs with some of the products you’ve used and how it’s performed in the games in that month.

“And then at other times when it might not be performing as well you can look back and think ‘ah, I didn’t do that when I’ve done that before.’ Also, when we’ve had disease, I can record the humidity, the temperature and things like that to so I can see if disease is coming. With the weather we’ve had, I can think I need to start using this product or feeding it a certain way because disease will be rife soon.

“Another part of it was getting to speak to Einar Brynjarsson at GrasPro. We were looking at how we could improve the system for the future, and how it would best work with the systems I use already, which was very good and very detailed.

Working closely with Einar means if there are bits that aren’t in the system, then I can contact him. We’ve spoken about machinery because it didn’t have that before and I said I needed something for it. Now I can record the hours every month, and I can see when the next service is, when it’s due an oil change or maybe it’s time for machines to be ground or start looking at how the batteries are doing.

“There wasn’t anything like that initially, and it was something I felt like I wanted, I discussed it with them, and they’ve come up with an excellent machinery section of the system which takes a lot of headache away. I have a lot of plate spinning in my job, and it’s something that I don’t have to worry about now, I don’t need to keep checking if it’s time for this to be serviced or putting lots of bits of paper down or notes all around my whiteboard.”

GrasPro has been built by groundsmen for groundsmen. It has been developed as a time effective tool to help speed up data collection and allow users to quickly use and analyse data from their surfaces and machines to make informed statistical decisions.

For a free demonstration of the GrasPro Pitch Management System, visit https://www.gras.pro.

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