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Don’t slow your mower down

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Don’t slow your mower down: If there’s one season above all that your Toro mower can’t afford to be anything other than performing at its optimum, it’s summer. But with different Toro rotary blade designs for different times of year, which one ensures the ultimate productivity for the busiest season?

Just like your Toro mower is no ordinary machine, Toro blades are not ordinary blades. Toro not only makes precisely engineered blades to fit the cutting deck perfectly, but carefully crafts a blade type to better serve seasonal turf needs.

Don't slow your mower down

Don’t slow your mower down

All Toro blades have sharpened cutting edges at both ends and a sail area that’s curved up to create airflow. Depending on the purpose of your mower and the design of the cutting deck, the blade sail will adjust to create more powerful airflows. These varying airflows will whip the grass blades upright to expose them to the cutting edge of the blade for a clean cut, then send the cut grass neatly out the discharge.

And moving into summer, the ‘low Sail’ (flat) blade is a good choice, working well in drier and dusty conditions and leaving a good quality of cut when used regularly.

Michael Hampton, purchasing and sales process manager at Reesink Turfcare, explains: “There are different blades available for different tasks beyond the ‘standard’ blades that the machine comes equipped with and each type of rotary blade is different for the specific cut required based on the time of year.

“The hard graft from the spring season means now’s the time to replace the blades before heading into the busiest time of the year. The no/low sail blades are a good choice because they have reduced discharge velocity of clippings and lower power consumption too.”

When it comes to rotary blades, if there’s a moral to its story then it’s is to never underestimate their importance. So, when swapping out blades, don’t use non-genuine parts in your Toro mower, they can cause delays with unexpected wear and breakages. Toro’s superior designed blades are designed to fit perfectly, making for a better cut, which produces healthier grass for an improved after-cut appearance.

Michael concludes: “A blade is not just a blade; they do different things for different applications. Whether the grass is long, short, coarse or fine, Toro blades work better, harder and longer. And Toro blades are engineered to perfection and fit perfectly.”

As always, parts are delivered within 24 hours of ordering, where stock is available. Contact Reesink at info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or call their Turfcare Parts team on 01480 226854.

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Boost your wellbeing

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Boost your wellbeing: Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May), wildflower specialist Seedball is looking at how nature and wildlife can improve mental health and wellbeing.

It has long been considered the case that gardening and tending to plants are effective ways to relieve stress and improve wellbeing, and this connection is increasingly being recognised by science. In fact, Sky News reported people who garden daily have wellbeing scores 6.6% higher and stress levels 4.2% lower than those who do not garden at all. Quite simply, a connection to nature has proven benefits for mental health, and this can be enjoyed even without a garden – the simple act of growing something from seed can increase this feeling of connecting with the natural world.

Boost your wellbeing

Boost your wellbeing

Seedball makes it easy to grow wildflowers from seed, no matter how much space is available, or how much experience a person has of gardening. The company believes that the benefits of growing should be available to everyone, so has developed a range of products to make it accessible to all.

Each seed ball acts as a mini ecosystem so the seeds can germinate and grow with very little help. Every ball has between 30 to 100 seeds depending on the variety, and contains clay to protect it from birds, ants and other predators. Peat-free compost is also added to provide nutrition and a small amount of chilli powder is used to deter slugs and snails from eating the young shoots.  There are a wide variety of seedballs available, and they can all be thrown onto soil or compost in a garden bed, pot or planter during the Spring or Autumn.

Here are some of the ways the easy ways Seedball can help you encourage wildflowers, wildlife and nature into your life:

Wildflower Tins

RRP: £6.00

Seedball has a variety of compact tins , which are bursting full of 20 balls ready to be grown, the perfect amount for a small flower bed. They are also a great choice for those living in urban environments, with limited outdoor space as the seeds can be sprinkled into three – five medium sized pots to create a wildlife haven on a balcony or terrace. Each seed ball contains approximately 30 seeds with a variety of wildflowers included.  Wildflower tins have multiple varieties including the Bee Mix, Urban Meadow and Butterfly Mix, all that wildlife will just love!

RRP: £8.00 – £12.00

For those looking to create a wider patch of wildflowers, Seedball has a variety of  Grab Bags.  For generously sized gardens and outdoor spaces, the larger Grab Bags, each containing 100 seed balls are perfect, making it easy for anyone to create a larger wildflower patch or multiple smaller areas within an area. These bags are available in different varieties, such as the Bee Mix, Foragers Mix and Annuals Mix, each including a variety of wildflowers, which make growing a beautiful field of colour simple and uncomplicated.

For further flexibility, Seedball also has a range of Single Flower Grab Bags, each containing 50 seed balls of a single flower, allowing people to design their garden, balcony, patio or terrace, whether it be a plant pot bursting with blissful bluebells, or a garden bed filled with the hugely popular poppies. With over 20 varieties to choose from, there is something for everyone, with wildflowers including buttercups, red clover, chamomile and yarrow.

Meadow Pots

RRP: £20.00

The Mini Meadow pots are the all in one gift set for anyone who loves gardening or new plant growers as they provide a simple and easy way to create a wildlife haven. Everything needed comes supplied in the 100% recyclable box, including the 12 seed wildflower balls, along with a set of three biodegradable and compostable bamboo pots and saucers and peat-free coir discs. All you need to do is add water, and you are ready to watch the flowers grow! The pots are best positioned outdoors, on a windowsill, and can be set up at any time of the year. There are three varieties available, the Bee Mix, Butterfly Mix and Garden Meadow, all with a different combination of seeds.

Find out more about how Seedball is helping encourage wellness and wellbeing at https://seedball.co.uk/about/.

You can also find Seedball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

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Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign

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Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign: Leading lawnmower manufacturer, Cobra, has launched its Mow For Your Mind campaign, in support of mental health charity, Mind.

As part of this and the brand’s commitment to helping mental health causes, Cobra is donating 10% of the total sales of one of its most popular models between 4th and 15th May to mental charity, Mind. The award-winning MX3440V cordless lawnmower has been chosen as the ‘Mow For Your Mind’ mower, to help gardeners enhance mindfulness while mowing the lawn.

Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign

Cobra launches Mow For Your Mind campaign

Managing director of Cobra said: “One in four people will experience mental health problems, which really is quite shocking. However, it’s been proven that gardening and spending time outdoors can significantly help boost mental health and aid wellbeing. As one of the biggest names in garden machinery in the UK, we feel it is our duty to help and to support Mind with the amazing work that it does. As well as the financial support we’re pledging from the sales of our Mow For Your Mind mower throughout Mental Health Awareness Week in May, we’re also actively encouraging gardeners to take time to enjoy the wider benefits of gardening and mowing the lawn, such as how it gives you chance to take time out from the busyness of modern life, reduces stress levels, improves mood and even gives a better night’s sleep!”

Cobra dealers are encouraged to help promote the campaign to boost donations to the charity, and are being supported by Cobra with showroom POS, swing tickets and totem poles being provided to aid promotion to customers.

The MX3440V cordless 40V lawnmower, which has been selected as the “Mow For Your Mind” mower for 2022, retails at £232.99. It offers five cutting heights ranging between 25mm and 75mm, easily allowing adjustment throughout the year to provide for healthy grass during every season. With a 34cm/13” cutting width, it is ideal for small to medium gardens, and offers compact storage too.

The MX34440V is part of the extensive battery powered garden machinery range from Cobra, which includes not only lawnmowers but also hedgetrimmers, leaf blowers and grass strimmers that are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that are interchangeable throughout the range. The battery can be fully charged from flat in 85 minutes, giving the MX3440V a run time of up to 30 mins – the perfect amount of time to take in nature and boost mental health.

For further information about Cobra, please visit www.cobragarden.co.uk and to find out more about Mind and the work the charity does, visit www.mind.org.uk.

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Recharge your garden

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Recharge your garden: Imagine a battery: powerful enough to drive lawn mowers, intelligent enough to automatically recognise whatever garden tool or machine it’s in, and versatile enough to tune the power to match it!

That’s exactly what Mountfield‘s new E-Power 20V technology has delivered. Designed, developed and produced by STIGA engineers specifically for the Freedom 100 range. Available in both 2Ah and 4Ah capacities – this 20V battery helps make every day gardening jobs easy!

Recharge your garden

Recharge your garden

Innovative E-Power battery that does the thinking for you
At the heart of the 20V battery lies a Smart Tool Recognition System. This battery management microchip optimises the performance of the battery to each tool by analysing the electrical resistance. It then adjusts the power output and current levels accordingly – constantly balancing charge and discharge rates with the temperature to maximise the battery’s storage ability, longevity and run-time.

Achieving the perfect size-power-safety balance 
Expertly designed, the lightweight battery unit…

– Is small enough to handle power easily and efficiently, but big enough to ensure maximum airflow.
– Has Lithium Cobalt Oxide cells that are carefully spaced to allow sufficient cooling.
– Has a charging terminal protection that offers even greater safety thanks to the smart long-life transistors which open to isolate the terminals if an alert is activated.
– Has energy saving power indicator lights that also mean the battery’s charge is only displayed when the status button is pressed, meaning 100% of the charge is preserved to power the garden tool.

Tested for the ‘real world’, not just to pass the standard test
Like all Mountfield batteries, the E-Power 20V system is tested at a full, ‘real-life’ usage current. This goes far beyond the common, but less demanding, Industry Standard test of only 300 charges at 20% of the ‘real-life’ usage current.

Testing methods that stipulate that E-Power batteries are still going strong after 600 charges – the equivalent to an owner running down and recharging the battery twice a week for six years. In actual gardening terms, that’s 30 lawn mows, five tree-pruning sessions or 30 leaf-blowing occasions!

Whatever the tool, whatever the job, this cost-effective, convenient and adaptive 20V battery performance is something none of Mountfield’s main competitors in this price segment have come close to matching.

Easy Mows it
Easy Blows it
Easy Cuts it
Easy Trims it
Easy Prunes it

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Makita puts the power in your hands

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Makita puts the power in your hands: Makita UK has expanded its powerful XGT 40VMax range of machines to offer professional users even more high-power products to aid their efficiency and productivity on site.

LS003G XGT 40VMax 305mm Brushless Slide Compound Mitre Saw

The new LS003G has been designed for high precision and consistent smooth cutting. It has an LED lamp that casts a helpful shadow of the saw blade onto the workpiece, acting as an accurate cutting line. The LS003G delivers an impressive no-load speed of up to 3,600rpm and has a maximum mitre range of 60° to 60° (L-R) and bevel range of 48° to 48° (L-R). For maximum versatility, the LS003G’s rail forward design means that the rear of the machine can be placed close to the wall, and the subbase supports a wide workpiece.

Makita puts the power in your hands

Makita puts the power in your hands

For improved safety, the LS003G also features Makita’s Auto Start Wireless System that automatically connects the LS003G to compatible dust extractors via Bluetooth so that when the machine is in use, the dust extractor automatically runs.

AS001G XGT 40VMax Brushless Dust Blower

The AS001G is an incredibly versatile machine and can be used across a range of tasks including tool maintenance and cleaning, inflating and deflating inner tubes, blowing dust away from equipment and cleaning air conditioner filters thanks to its blower and vacuum modes. For increased usability, it delivers a maximum air volume of 1.1m3/min, sealed suction of 10.3kPa and air pressure of 20.6kPa. With four air volume options to choose from and one touch nozzle replacement, it is easy to adjust the tool to suit the task in hand.

The AS001G also includes a filter to prevent foreign matter from being sucked in and damaging the tool.

VC001GL and VC003GL XGT 40VMax L-Class Dust Extractors

With Makita’s powerful XGT 40VMax technology at their core, the VC001GL and VC003GL dust extractors deliver impressive output that is equivalent to corded alternatives. Both machines can house two XGT 40VMax batteries so that when the first battery runs out of charge, the second one automatically kicks in to keep the machine running for longer. To improve productivity further, the VC001GL and VC003GL have large tank capacities of 8-litres and 15-litres respectively, preventing the need to regularly down tools to empty the dust bag.

With numerous power options available, including ‘high power’ and ‘quiet’ modes, users can easily select the most appropriate setting for the application. The VC001GL and VC003GL can also be used for both wet and dry vacuum cleaning, providing professionals with a solution for every job. For wet vacuuming, the machines benefit from IPX-4 water resistance rating.

The VC001GL and VC003GL’s quiet operation means they can be used in occupied premises with minimal disruption to the building’s occupants.

CW001G XGT 40VMax Cooler/Warmer Box

The CW001G is the perfect jobsite companion. This 20litre cooler and warmer box has seven temperature settings ranging from -18oC up to 60oC, to either cool or warm food and drink items, for year-round usability. It also features a bottle opener and USB output port for charging mobile devices. For ease of transportation, the CW001G has large 100mm caster wheels and a carry handle with grips for added comfort.

The CW001G can be powered by four sources, so it can be easily added to any tradesperson’s Makita collection. Users can choose from using their XGT or LXT batteries, or a car DC utility socket, or an AC adapter.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said: “At Makita, we are dedicated to offering tradespeople a wide range of cordless solutions to suit any job or on-site need. Our XGT range of products are ideal for those looking expand their existing Makita cordless toolkits with a selection of even more powerful models suited to higher demand applications.”

To find out more about Makita and its products visit: www.makitauk.com

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Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

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Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME: If you’ve ever considered yourself as a bit of a cyclist, be sure to make a pit stop on the INFINICUT® stand at BTME 2022 for a true test of pedal power – all raising money for BIGGA’s Benevolent Fund!

Once you’ve taken the challenge, take a breather and check out some of the other highlights on stand Red 272 including the TMSystem™ collection of cassettes for grooming, mowing and maintenance and some new innovative products from the INFINICUT® stable.

Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

The Greenkeepers Benevolent Fund is the official charity of BIGGA, assisting current or past members and their dependants with financial support and practical help during difficult times. A voluntary donation will permit entry to the ‘Pedal Power vs Battery Power’ challenge – to see if competitors can generate enough power (500 watts) to enable the operation of both the traction and cutting unit of an INFINICUT® mower. The bike set-up is designed to illustrate why it is critical for an electric mower to be running as efficiently and accurately as possible, keeping resistance to a minimum to avoid wasting energy.

A leaderboard will be kept of all the attempts across the three days, with a prize awarded to the person who generates the highest reading.

The full selection of cassettes from the renowned TMSystem™ will also be on display. 12 cassettes make up the range, which coverts fairway and triple greens mowers into multi-use units for complete turf refinement. Using the universal chassis, and appropriate adaptor kit, the TMSystem™ replaces OEM cutting reels with application specific cassettes for grooming, mowing and maintenance.

The TMSystem™ is also an integral part of the INFINICUT® mower. Since last on show in Harrogate, a number of innovative new features have been added to design and operation of both the FX and FL ranges, designed specifically with the golf market in mind.

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Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

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Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units: Ian Robson, of ProSport UK Ltd, the UK & Ireland Importer/Distributor for Foley Company, explains why relief grinding maximises the performance of reels by giving a factory finish every time.

Avital question for a workshop manager is how to maximise efficiency and minimise labour and maintenance equipment costs. One area to achieve excellent savings is to look at how you maintain the sharpness of your cutting units.

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

Firstly, why is having sharp cylinders (reels) that are the correct shape so important anyway? The answer is obvious – unhealthy turf brings a whole host of other issues which are costly to correct.

Therefore, prevention is a far more economic approach than a cure.

A huge amount of research and development has gone into designing a cutting unit to produce the cleanest cut possible with the least amount of fraying and tissue damage to the plant. The result is that all manufacturers of grass cutting equipment supply new units with relief ground edges.

WHY RELIEF GRIND?

Tests carried out by leading manufacturers have established that relief ground cylinders stay on cut up to 3 times longer than spun ground ones and require less horse power to drive the unit, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and less stress on the hydraulic power systems. In addition, a relief ground cylinder will withstand the abrasive effects of top dressing far better than one spun ground because the relief edge on both the bed-knife and the cylinder allows the top dressing to clear the cutting blades easily, helping to prevent the dulling effect seen on spun only units.

Continual relief grinding also decreases the squeezing and tearing of the grass as the units get dull, and most importantly it allows the cylinder to be returned to a factory specification perfect cylinder as quickly as possible.

The overall cleaner cut achieved by relief grinding gives a better after-cut appearance, increased recovery rate due to the clean cut of the grass and reduces the stress on components because less horsepower is needed to drive the cylinder.

As a reel wears flat and loses shape (becomes coned), more stress and strain is put on the cutting systems.

A 5-gang cutting unit with relief can require up to 4.5 HP (5 x 0.88HP = 4.5HP) to drive the cutting units therefore a 35HP engine has 30.5HP remaining to drive the rest of the traction system. A 5-gang unit which has been spun ground only, can require up to 13Hp (5 x 2.59HP = 13HP) leaving only 22HP to drive the rest of the traction system.

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

Maximise workshop efficiency: Relief grind your cutting units

So, it has been established that relief grinding your cutting units saves you money not only by reducing workshop maintenance time with far fewer grinds but also through a reduction in fuel costs and replacement parts.

It is also important to acknowledge what relief grinding does for a reel. By removing metal from the trailing edge of the blade it forms a relief angle, which reduces the contact area of the cutting edges, resulting in less friction, longer wear life.

Typically, when a new mower is delivered the reels will be a perfect cylindrical shape. Over time the blade naturally loses shape, and the sharp edge it arrives with becomes flat and dull, often meaning the reel is no longer a perfect cylinder from end to end. This is referred to as ‘coning’ and a natural point for grinding to take place. The decision then sits between touch-up and spin grinding, or relief grinding.

If there is sufficient relief still on the reel then a quick touch-up is fine but once more than 50% of the relief has gone my advice would be to relief grind again and remove any coning. Failure to remove the coning will eventually be seen in an uneven cut appearance of your turf.

Foley machines are set-up for both choices, and some models, such as the ACCU-Sharp, ACCU-Pro and ACCU-Master, have automatic grinding pre-sets and adjustment systems to decrease time and labour.

But, the main question mentioned at the beginning comes back; how to get the most out of your workshop resources by choosing the most effective method to sharpen your cutting units. The answer is to trust the manufacturer’s judgement and return the reels as close to the original factory standard as possible, and for that, relief grinding is the best option. The bonus is this method also maximises performance and gives the best cut.

Bring your course to life with Otterbine

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Bring your course to life with Otterbine: With Otterbine’s Fountain Glo™ colour changing lights there is no need for the lights to go out when the sun goes down.

Otterbine fountains are renowned for being multifunctional tools, ensuring not only a centrepiece for your lake and pond during the day, but also, most importantly, for ensuring clean, clear water. Now, these sets bring even more value to your investment by ensuring your fountain commands attention at night too.

Bring your course to life with Otterbine

Bring your course to life with Otterbine

Designed to give rich vibrant light to accentuate any fountain pattern from 0.5 to 25hp with a variety of coloured displays and sequences, Otterbine’s RGBW lights take your venue from day to night in style.

The perfect addition for resort-style golf clubs and those with hotels and a focus on events, this simple addition provides a stunning light display to create an enchanting evening atmosphere.

The quality of Otterbine is widely regarded to be market-leading and these lighting systems are no different. All are manufactured from corrosion resistant materials and feature energy-efficient LED lamps to deliver years of service without the need to change bulbs. All lights come complete with a two or three year warranty.

Available are a standard LED low voltage light system or a choice of colour changing and sequencing systems: the Mini and Midi sets come with a handheld remote to select pre-programmed sequences and the Maxi set has the ability to create custom sequences.

Simon Powell, Otterbine’s business development manager at Reesink Turfcare, distributor of Otterbine, says: “It would be quite easy for those with an Otterbine fountain to think it’s fantastic as it is – and it is! Healthy water attracting wildlife and bringing beauty to an otherwise still area of water. But that would be denying it its full capabilities; the fountain lighting enchancing displays bring your course to life in another way and creates an after-dark atmosphere like no other, which is an especially appealing proposition for weddings and events with colour co-ordinated themes.”

To find out more about the Otterbine Fountain Glo™ colour changing lights, contact Reesink on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign

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FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign: Shropshire FA is ready to bolster the offering from the new ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign using the expertise and machinery of Campey Turf Care Systems.

The new initiative from the Premier League, The FA, and the Government’s Football Foundation aims to revolutionise the state of grass football pitches in England. The mission set out by the Football Foundation is to improve over 7,000 grass pitches by 2024 and 20,000 by 2030 to ensure the 12 million grassroots footballers have great places to play.

FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign

FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign

A significant part of this is reducing the 150,000 cancelled matches due to poor pitch quality last season, and at Shropshire FA, this role falls to Strategy, Facilities and Partnerships Lead Andy Weston.

With over 20-years of experience in football administration, Andy is no stranger to the impact pitches can have. After seeing Campey in action at an open day, he knew they were prime candidates to push their pitch improvement efforts for 180 clubs in Shropshire forward. Jason Moody, Product Specialist for Campeys, has worked closely with Andy to ensure that the right balance of equipment and back-up support was in place.

“Campey has a track record of working with a number of other County FAs, and we did a demo day with them at one of our clubs, and they gave a run-through of the machinery they offer, what it does and gave some hands-on tips. We had several clubs come along, and the feedback was great, so we decided to make something more formal to showcase what they do and how it can improve pitches in our county.

“High-quality pitches are vital to the game, and we are in a position now where the funding and opportunities are there to support the volunteers who work tirelessly week in and week out, and the expertise of Campey is really important to what we want to achieve.

“The game can’t run without volunteers and particularly at grassroots level. You’re reliant on them, and it’s imperative that organisations like Campey are on hand to work with us to provide that support and knowledge on the ground. In these last 18 months, we have all spent a lot of time on Zoom calls. Still, in this instance, I don’t think you can beat being on the ground and hands-on with the equipment because any little snippets of information they can share with those grounds people is invaluable. I think even the most experienced grounds people will benefit from having a conversation with Campey and listening to their experts.

“As well as Jason from Campeys, we are also working with Pitch Advisor Kevin Duffield, so with all those different bodies involved, it is really helpful to the grounds teams up and down our county.”

Teams in Shropshire range from AFC Telford United down the football pyramid to Sunday league outfits. The one thing they all have in common is the need for a good pitch, and through this initiative, Andy aims to make the whole of the county a better place to play football.

For more information on the funding opportunities available in Shropshire, contact Andy.Weston@shropshirefa.com or info@campeyturfcare.com.

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BIGGA postpones BTME to March 2022

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BIGGA postpones BTME to March 2022: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has made the decision to postpone its major exhibition and trade show, the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME), which was due to take place in January 2022.

Taking into consideration the uncertainty regarding the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the National Board of Management of the association convened on the evening of Thursday 16 December and made the unanimous decision to delay the exhibition and associated education programme, Continue to Learn, which are held at the Harrogate Convention Centre in North Yorkshire.

The new dates for BTME 2022 will be Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 March 2022, with Continue to Learn taking place from Sunday 20 to Wednesday 23 March 2022.

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton will take to Facebook Live at 2pm on Friday 17 December to provide further clarification regarding the decision and to answer any questions relating to the postponement. Head to the BIGGA Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/golfgreenkeepers to get involved.

Jim said: “The uncertainty regarding the Omicron wave of coronavirus has led us to engage in consultation with key stakeholders and consider contingency courses of action for our flagship event, BTME. We know all sides of the industry are keen for the show to take place and after due consideration of all options the BIGGA National Board of Management, working closely with BIGGA’s team of staff, has taken the decision to postpone BTME until March 2022.

“It is heartening to see the success of the booster vaccination programme, but we are committed to running a safe show for all attendees and with all the information available to us, we do not believe this would be possible in January 2022.

“This decision has not been taken lightly and has involved an incredible amount of logistical organisation to make a postponement possible. I am grateful to all of the key stakeholders that make BTME possible for their rapid responses to our decision, which has enabled us to confirm the postponement as early as today.

“Our thanks go to those who have supported BIGGA in this decision and we are excited to be hosting the full BTME and Continue to Learn experience in March 2022.”

Attendees who have signed up for the show will automatically be registered for the new dates. Continue to Learn bookings will also be carried over and BIGGA will be in contact with everyone who has booked a place on the education programme in the coming days to discuss arrangements further.

BIGGA acknowledges that this postponement will present challenges to many exhibitors and visitors to BTME and the team is committed to assisting all those who need support to transfer their commitments.

The BIGGA National Board of Management is the elected body of BIGGA members from across the country whose voluntary role is to provide strategic direction and ratify key decisions on behalf of the association. They are supported by a network of volunteers at all levels of BIGGA and the core BIGGA staff team.

Anyone who requires further information or assistance as to the postponement of BTME is encouraged to contact BIGGA via the following channels:

Website: www.btme.org.uk