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Donate Your PPE

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Donate Your PPE: We talk about how the worst situations bring out the best in people – how a problem is just something awaiting a solution.

The current immense strain on the Health and Social care services has seen front line workers going into work without sufficient or approved kit, and while we can all shout about how wrong it is few us do more than just that – shout.

Donate Your PPE

Donate Your PPE

Some, however, look for those solutions. Michael Buick, for example. Michael, a furniture maker with a partner on the front line working as an intensive care nurse, set up Donate your PPE in an effort to ensure no spare stocks of equipment were left sitting in cupboards in work places that were no longer at work. Brilliant!

Peter Craig, Grounds and Gardens Manager at The Lensbury Teddington, was also thinking about what his industry could do.

“We all have a lot of PPE in our facilities and many of us are not working to full capacity at the moment. My thought was that this resource could be put to immediate use to help the greater cause. I felt that we could look to see how much of it we could donate to people in need of it now,” explained Peter.

“I’m thinking mainly of face masks and the plastic gloves that we use when applying chemicals but some of us may have other PPE which would be appropriate in certain situations.”

Peter is well aware that “it is not ours to give away” and that approval must be sought from line managers before making a donation.

“We see on television and read in the press  that many social carers are having to make home visits without suitable PPE and perhaps some of what we have in our store rooms could be of real help,” said Peter.

You must also ensure that when we are back, once again, operating at full capacity you are not having to wait until new supplies of PPE are delivered to be able to carry out certain tasks.

So let’s show our industry in a positive light in these less than positive times and check to see what can be donated to the cause.

www.donateyourppe.uk

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Don’t score an own goal with your borehole

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Don’t score an own goal with your borehole: Last November Norwich City Football Club was named joint fifth in a sustainability league table of all 20 Premier League clubs. 

The table was compiled by BBC Sport, working with the United Nations-backed Sport Positive Summit, and one of the reasons for the club’s success was the fact its Carrow Road pitch is watered via a borehole and the training ground recycles the water from the pitches.

Don’t score an own goal with your borehole

The reality is that many football clubs and other sports facilities, such as golf courses and racecourses, rely on boreholes for the critical irrigation of their sports turf.

Having your own private water supply delivers guaranteed water delivery and keeps costs down, but it also comes with the need to meet certain goals, says Mike Deed, Managing Director of Geoquip Water Solutions, experts in borehole management.

“A lot of the big football clubs have several wells which provide water to their network of training pitches and main ground,” he said.

“It is absolutely essential that playing surfaces are irrigated to the best possible standard and remain in tip top condition throughout the season. If water quality or quantity is affected by borehole problems, then the impact can be wide-ranging.

“Investing in a borehole is a significant capital investment, but given the cost of mains water and the fact that a typical borehole will be expected to deliver a return on investment in less than four years, it can also be very worthwhile – providing you take good care of it.”

The trick, he says, is to make sure that an ongoing monitoring and maintenance programme is built in from day one.

“All too often, borehole owners take a ‘fit and forget’ approach in that they fit the borehole and expect it to continue delivering maximum yield without any proactive maintenance.

“In football terms, it would be like fielding your best team for every single match without addressing their physical or mental needs or considering how they might be able to keep delivering their best without any care or attention.”

Typical borehole problems are likely to include reduced yield, a change in the quality of water and/ or a drop in water pressure.

All three can be caused by contamination, such as iron-related bacteria, iron oxide, manganese oxide and calcium carbonate deposits affecting the pumps, pipes and motors.

Don’t score an own goal with your borehole

If too much iron in the water is allowed to build up, it can cause brown staining on hard and soft landscaping and infrastructure (such as buildings), another reason why boreholes need to be regularly treated.

Other problems will include the encrustation of casings and pipes, clogging of filters – preventing the free entry of groundwater, and potential damage to the borehole wall or pumping equipment.

A monitoring and telemetry programme, with the installation of bespoke panels and dashboards, enables remote data collection from each borehole, allowing the user to see issues such as draw down, water pressure, general temperature and also the temperature of the motor.

Triggers and alarm points can be added to raise alerts when faults or particular combinations of problems arise, enabling early preventive action to take place.

Downhole cameras also provide a bird’s eye view into the heart of the borehole, allowing images to be taken and, from there, essential decisions regarding maintenance can be taken before the condition of the turf is potentially impacted by poor water quality.

Geoquip works with a number of partners, including Nicholls Boreholes, which recently helped one Premiership club struggling with dwindling yields from its two existing wells.

After site visits and a consultation process, the Nicholls team recommended a BoreSaver Ultra C Pro treatment solution, which now includes a biodegradable marker to guarantee that no chemical residue is left in the water.

A special system was put in place to capture the iron for licensed disposal and the clean water was discharged through the club’s drainage system without fear of causing any blockage or contamination.

As a result, both the club and the Nicholls’ team saw an immediate increase in yield and are now considering a regular treatment plan.

Rid Slugs From Your Plot and Pots

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Rid Slugs From Your Plot and Pots: Slugs can be active throughout the year, but they cause the most damage when the weather is humid and wet.

The slimy gastropods will make a meal of a huge variety of vegetables, even when you think that your plants are large enough to have escaped the threat. They will munch through peas, beans, lettuce leaves and tomatoes, and are partial to underground potato tubers; so even plants that you think are safely buried underground are at risk from the hungry pests. This is because, at any one time, 95 percent of the slug population lives underground, feeding on plant roots and potatoes.

Rid Slugs From Your Plot and Pots

The answer to stopping further damage is easy as watering on a simple, environmentally sound, pest control product – Nemaslug. Not only are nematodes extremely effective when they come into contact with slugs, but they can also reach the places that other slug control methods simply can’t.

When nematodes are watered on, they don’t simply lay on the surface of the soil like pellets and other pest control options do, they travel down through the soil to the pest and attack them before they get a chance to damage your plants. Also, nematodes are naturally occurring worms already present in the soil, so using Nemaslug helps top them up!

Gavin Wood, business development and key account manager for nematodes, said: “Unlike pellets, Nemaslug can be used as a preventative pest control, so even if you are lucky enough to have not seen any damage caused by slugs, treating the garden to a dose of Nemaslug will keep the critters at bay before they become a real problem. All of our nematode products are organic, pet and child friendly and easy-to-use.”

The best time to target slugs is when they are newly hatched, so the period between March – October is ideal. A regular regime of using Nemaslug every six weeks is the most effective way to protect plants throughout the growing season and will help to ensure that your vegetables survive long enough for you to eat them!

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Improve Your Golf Course With Limagrain

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Improve Your Golf Course With Limagrain: Visitors to the Limagrain UK stand (140), situated in the Blue Zone at BTME 2019, can expect to see a range of market leading products that can significantly improve both the quality and aesthetics of a golf course.

The demand and pressure placed on the modern day greenkeeper to produce a consistent playing surface continually grows at a pace. Seed quality, purity and vigour are the essential ingredients of a first-class golf course and Limagrain’s MM range of seed mixture provides exactly these.

Improve Your Golf Course With Limagrain

For a number of years, greenkeepers and course managers have been reaping the benefits by choosing the MM brand. All the varieties in the MM mixtures are thoroughly tested at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) – ensuring that the finished product will meet your requirements for play, appearance and maintenance.

For greens, the traditional Chewings Fescue / Browntop bent mix, MM11, remains a popular choice in many cases and can be used from spring to autumn. It is ideal for new constructions and overseeding existing swards. A slight variation of which is MM10; both mixes are fine leaved, disease resistant and make good, dense putting surfaces. Where it is difficult to maintain fescue in the sward or where levels of wear are greater, many choose to use MM9 – a three way Browntop bent mixture – in late summer/early autumn for best results. For links style courses, sustainable golf or for early season overseeding, MM8 may well be the solution – a three way fescue mix with excellent disease resistance, drought tolerance and minimal fertiliser requirements.

If you are looking for a mixture ideal for tees then the all ryegrass MM50 should be considered. It is capable of rapid establishment and fast recovery from divot scarring. For large tees where play is less intense, MM22 is a viable option. Where damage and wear are minimal, use MM12 or MM13, both are suited to ‘Links style’ courses, are drought tolerant and have low maintenance requirements.

For fairways, adaptability is the key attribute because soil conditions, light and shade, contouring and wear will vary markedly in different areas of the course. Choose low maintenance, drought tolerant mixtures with creeping varieties where wear levels are low, such as MM12 or MM13 and select ryegrass mixes, such as MM22, on high divot or intense wear areas.

Visitors to the stand can also find out how Limagrain’s Wild Flower and Colour Splash mixtures have been benefitting countless golf courses throughout the UK and beyond. The mixtures are ideal for those wanting to bring a splash of colour to their golf course as well as attracting some fantastic wildlife.

With a wide range of mixtures available, both the Wild Flower and Colour Splash mixtures are extremely easy to sow and the resulting flowers are vigorous plants which are more than capable of competing with weeds. Their vigour is equally matched by robustness; resisting long periods of drought. They are also fast flowering and cost effective.

Limagrain’s amenity seed specialists will all be on hand at BTME to discuss the products in more detail and will also be available to offer their expertise on any queries you may have.

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm.

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Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter

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Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter: Keep the winter outside with Polaris Engineered Parts and Accessories for the RANGER cab, specifically designed to enhance the riding experience whatever the weather.

With the RANGER Pro Shield Cab System – the tightest sealing cab system in the industry – alongside a number of in-cab accessories designed to help with the cold, dark winter months, Polaris offer unprecedented cab comfort and protection from the elements with the RANGER parts and accessories lineup.

Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter

Andreas Geisinger, Manager of Polaris EMEA Parts, Gear & Accessories Business, explained: “The RANGER is completely adaptable to any riding conditions, and so the cab should be too. We created the Pro Shield Cab System exclusively for the RANGER XP 1000, alongside the design and development of the vehicle itself for the perfect fit. This resulted in a 360-degree gasket seal that keeps draughts, dust and moisture out, fully preparing the RANGER for anything Winter has to throw at it.”.

RANGER Pro Shield Cab System

With a variety of cab components available – from roofs and doors, to windshields and rear panels – there are unlimited ways to configure the RANGER cab system for any environment, any purpose and any weather. All of the RANGER Pro Shield Cab components are built with a seamless fit and Lock and Ride compatibility, giving maximum convenience with easy-on and easy-off installation without the need for any tools.

Roof – A winter must-have for protection against rain and maintaining heat, a Polaris Engineered roof delivers fully-sealed coverage and advanced integrated roof water channels, directing water away from the cab even when stationary. Choose from impact-resistant poly, ultimate-strength steel, or lightweight canvas material.

Doors – Complete the cab with the RANGER Pro Shield Cab System door line. The premium, fully-sealed doors are finished with solid latches that feel sturdy and secure, integrated storage and controls, pre-designated mounts for audio speakers, and multiple window options for ventilation. Finalise the look with exterior accent panels colour-matched to the existing RANGER collection.

Windshield and Rear Panel – Keep riding regardless of weather, with Polaris Engineered windshields and rear panels. Choose from tempered safety glass for perfect clarity and top scratch resistance, standard poly for high-value durability, or hard-coat poly for 30x more scratch resistance than standard poly with extreme impact-resistance – all providing protection from dust-swirl and rain. Polaris have enhanced their windshields and rear panels with venting options, to control airflow into the cab depending on conditions.

Winter-proof Accessories

Complete your preparation for winter by adding extra comfort and capability to your RANGER, with premium Polaris Engineered Cab accessories.

Windshield Wiper and Washer System – Add all-weather visibility to your ride with the top-selling wiper and washer system. The 17-inch mounted kit wipes away rain or snow with ease, meaning a safer, easier ride. Operated by a simple rocker switch to wipe/spray fluid, and all mounting hardware and wiring is included. Polaris Pulse ready.

Heater & Defrost System – With eight vents for the best coverage of air dispersion, the system can be used for heating or cooling the cab, as well as defrosting the windshield. The dash-mounted controls allow easy control over the three levels of fan speed and temperature. Each vent can be manually opened or closed. Polaris PULSE ready.

Heated Seat System – A heated seat is a premium cold-weather luxury you wouldn’t expect from a UTV, but the Heated Seat System for the RANGER is just that. Designed to fit the RANGER three-person stock seats and comes with all the necessary wiring for a straightforward installation. Polaris PULSE ready.

Multi-Function Cab Light – A valuable tool with a variety of light uses in and out of your RANGER. The light provides necessary light inside the cab during the dark winter months and the LED dome can also be detached to be used as a torch where needed. The light is battery-powered but usefully recharges when the vehicle is in use. With multi-colour functionality offering white, red, blue and green LED lighting options which allow for a host of night activity – red for preserving night vision, blue for night fishing as it doesn’t produce glare on water, and green for navigating without disturbing game. Polaris PULSE ready.

With over 1,900 accessories in the range, Polaris offer a number of additional solutions to get winter-ready, such as Plows and Winches.