Reimagining turfcare, together.
Toro’s Workman GTX Lithium. For added cargo and added runtime.
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It gives me great pleasure to contribute to Landscape News journal. As a dedicated observer and long-time member, it is truly amazing to be part of this publication. I have served on the BALI board for the past seven years, and it has been an incredible experience working with such outstanding people.
The professionalism and enthusiasm of both current and past board members is second to none. I highly encourage anyone to consider joining the BALI board to contribute to the future of this vibrant industry.
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Past-Chair Tessa Johnstone, whose enthusiasm, drive, and innovative ideas have been invaluable. Her leadership has been exemplary, and her success in the business world is well-deserved. I also want to thank Matt O'Conner for his continued contribution, experience, and wisdom. With a solid Board, I am confident we can further elevate BALI's recognition as a premier organisation, and support our members in growing their businesses.
The landscape industry is currently facing increasing demands and opportunities. We hope to attract more individuals to this exciting and dynamic sector. One of the most rewarding aspects I have witnessed recently is the collaboration among different
membership organisations. This unity is driving the industry forward in a positive direction. Our industry faces numerous challenges, including recruitment, climate change, new technologies, and sustainability. I am proud that BALI is at the forefront of addressing these issues.
BALI is a leading organisation in the industry that has grown into a wellrecognised and powerful brand over the past 50 years. Over the next two years, I aim to see our membership grow, with members fully recognising the value of BALI. This will ensure that both current and new members align with our values and join us in our mission. As a membership organisation, I want procurement specialists and specifiers to see the BALI badge as a mark of quality, high standards, attention to detail, knowledge, and experience.
During my tenure as National Chair, I will look forward to the annual National Landscape Awards ceremony in London, which showcases the most talented designs and construction, maintenance and employers/suppliers of a diverse range of green spaces.
As we move forward, I anticipate continued success and growth in our industry. The strategic plan laid out by Wayne Grills and his team inspires confidence and reassurance that BALI will go from strength-to-strength. I
look forward to the next two years as National Chair, and I am optimistic about the future of BALI as a stable and successful membership organisation for the next 50 years.
Best Wishes, Adrian Wickham National Chair
Accredited Contractor
Midlands
• Ravenstone Garden Services
• The Palfreymans Ltd
T/A Urban Planters
North Thames
• Meristem Design
North West
• Barnes Walker Landscapes
Scotland
• Anderson Landscaping
• P1 Contractors
Yorkshire & North East
• Gardenstyle
Accredited Supplier
Midlands
• BHGS
• Elite Precast Concrete
South Thames
• Evergreen Exterior Services
• Fargro
North Thames
• Baumschule Lorenz von Ehren
GmbH & Co. KG
Training Provider
BALI & ROLO
South Thames
• CITP
Training Provider ROLO
North West
• Network Plus Services
Associate Contractor
Midlands
• Compass Contract Services (UK)
North West
• Artful Gardena International
• Koberg
Ihave firmly decided early September is my favourite time of year working at BALI.
We still have the warmth and light of the close of summer (well – when it doesn’t feel like autumn, or winter, or spring for that matter!); the summer shows are still close enough to reflect on; we’re building towards the Autumn trade shows; and the National Landscape Award winners for the year have just been announced - which means in the blink of an eye, we will all be in London at the spectacular Awards ceremony!
Following a rigorous three-day judging process, we are thrilled to announce the 2024 winners of the BALI National Landscape Awards 2024. Congratulations to all this year’s winners, who can be seen on page 24, and we look forward to celebrating with you at the annual awards ceremony on Friday 6 December.
With the Labour Government settling in, they have made several announcements around education, green spaces and planning reforms
which will all impact our industry. Tom Edwards has provided an overview of what these could mean, and how BALI plans to work with the new Government – read more on page 27.
Unpredictability is the only predictable thing about the UK weather these days. With flood risks increasing year on year, historic flood defences are no longer enough to stem the flow of water. Owen Baker delves into SuDS as a long-term sustainable solution on page 36, with GreenBlue Urban also discussing the inclusion of SuDS early in the planning process on page 17.
Attracting new talent into our industry continues to pose challenges. You know you run or work for a great company, but how do you convey this in a job advert, as well as ensure you are asking for the skills needed for the applicant to succeed? Jonathan Pettit has discussed this with two leading recruitment agencies and provides some guidance on page 48.
Best wishes, Katharine Hughes
Editor: Katharine Hughes
E: katharine.hughes@bali.org.uk
T: +44(0)24 7669 8656
M: 07800 573351
Sales: Joanna Pieprzak
E: joanna.pieprzak@bali.org.uk
T: +44(0)24 7518 5614
Registered address: British Association of Landscape Industries
Landscape House Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2LG
Designed by: bdci.co.uk
Print and mailing: micropress.co.uk
Copy Deadline (Winter 2024): 7 November 2024
Front cover: The Grant Horticulture Arts and Crafts Garden, RHS Tatton Flower Show 2024
Client/Specifier/Contractor:
Westminster Council / LDA Design / FM Conway
Project Summary:
Strand Aldwych has been reimagined from a congested four-lane road into a vibrant cultural destination and pedestrian thoroughfare. This project is a celebration of local heritage and educational institutions, featuring innovative urban design.
Objectives:
• To revitalize a central traffic area into a pedestrian-friendly space.
• Showcase the area’s rich cultural and educational environment.
Innovations:
• The implementation of the APRIL GO series, including the first-ever rainbow social seating arrangement adds an emotive colour pallet and a prominent sense of place. The series is sustainably produced, with high-quality materials, and requires minimal maintenance.
• Integration of PORTO, VROOM, and CODE furniture to enhance the usability and aesthetics of the public realm.
Impact:
The transformation has created a new green oasis in the heart of London. Bringing together students, tourists, visitors and commuters in a dynamic and richly cultural space in an area previously dominated by vehicles and congestion.
vestre.com
It is really amazing, exciting and humbling even after 13 years of being at the helm of the Association to be able to see and congratulate all of our National Award Winners. Firstly, I want to say a huge congratulations to those that have won an award and well done to all your team/s for the hard work and effort they put in to make this industry and BALI members the bestt he best... you'll find in the industry.
Once again, we received a great number of entries, which demonstrates the appetite there is still after 48 years of BALI Awards. The standard just gets better and better and is a credit to all of you and your teams delivering day after day.
I always feel like I am in a privileged position as I get to experience the adjudication process and let me tell you the judges on the awards panel fiercely debate the quality aspects of the schemes entered into the awards. They continually strive to ensure that the integrity of the awards is maintained by searching for excellence. This is to be applauded.
It is at this point; I would like to thank our panel of judges, who give their time freely, for their unstinting resolve in ensuring that the National Landscape Awards remain the most sought-after award in the industry. They provide their time, knowledge, and experience across the summer and beyond to ensure that every entry is scrutinised and debated fairly and correctly, and I would like to thank each and every one of them for their time and commitment to the Association and
the awards process.
It would be wrong of me to let this year go without a huge thank you to our Headline Sponsor of the last 10 years Green-tech. They have provided an indefatigable level of support for the BALI National Landscape Awards over the years. They have not only supported the promotion of the event, and they have brought tens if not hundreds of guests to enjoy the celebration of excellence. In the last few years, they have even added their own after party which always goes down extremely well!
So, to Richard and Rachel Kay, Kris Nellist, Richard Gill, Lesley Spence and Kate Humes –thanks to you all for your support.
Further to having recruited in the two full time roles of Skills and Careers Manager and Officer roles respectively, as you would imagine, things have become very active again with GoLandscape and we are now looking at two sides to GoLandscape –GoLandscape Careers and GoLandscape Skills.
The reason for this is that we are still progressing with GoLandscape Skills Academy and the pilot course will run in early October. This has changed somewhat from the original concept and is likely to run on a franchise basis moving forward.
I am excited about what this side of GoLandscape has to offer and how it can
help support the upskilling of those in or industry.
GoLandscape Careers on the other hand goes from strength to strength. We continue to deliver with the support of our GoLandscape Ambassadors to the career’s events/exhibitions in a wide-ranging context and environments. We are so grateful to those Ambassadors that help on a regular basis, but we could always do with more. So, if you can spare a few days or more across the year, then please email: cheryl.ranner@bali.org.uk
The BALI Chalk Fund continues its fantastic support of the GoLandscape initiative and we are extremely grateful for the work that they do with Student of the Year competition and their supporting the GoLandscape Enrichment programmes which allows colleges and training providers to enhance students skills base by placing them on courses that provide ‘industry tickets’ and therefore, become more employable in the workplace. These additional tickets may include but not restricted to hedge trimmers, strimmer’s, PA1 & PA6, Chainsaw certification etc.
The BALI Chalk Fund Trustees are also continuing to support colleges by providing the support to hold a college forum to allow college staff the opportunity to highlight the support they need and want in light of the tough financial pressures they have due to the lack of funding.
The forum held on the afternoon of day one of GroundsFest at Landscape House provided a superb forum to hear direct from the colleges how the Chalk Fund and BALI can help and covered things such as;
• Overview of current support available from BALI
• Open discussion to understand college/ providers challengers & opportunity for developing skills for improved student outcomes
• Proposals for future collaboration
The colleges definitely found the existing initiatives such as; the enrichment programmes and Student of the Year, a great way of connecting the Chalk Fund with students and college staff but more ideas were discussed for future work on new initiatives including keeping and growing the forum which is a college group activity that seems to have been lost somehow over the years.
If you’re not aware of the great work that the BALI Chalk Fund does, please visit balichalkfund.org.uk to see how the charity supports training and education in the landscape sector and how you can help support the charity by becoming a BALI Chalk Champion.
To watch out for
Watch the event calendar for what we are up to in the Autumn including industry shows and exhibitions/events along with a whole range of regional events already in the diary. If you’re unsure what your regional committee have planned, please feel free to contact them to ask or, simply call Francesca at Landscape House.
There are some really exciting and varied range of events planned so, don’t miss out. Check out the events we have planned and book early to avoid missing out. bali.org.uk/events/ Awards ceremony
In addition to the awards entries above, just a little reminder that we will be celebrating landscaping excellence at the awards ceremony at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London on Friday 6 December 2024.
On the day, we will be celebrating the Principal winners from each category of winners, those that the judging panel felt deserved special recognition with the Special Awards and of course the muchcoveted Grand Award.
If you haven’t booked your place at the Awards event of the year, then make sure you book early before tickets sell out. Check out the BALI Awards website at baliawards.co.uk and book your tickets soon!
Membership engagement
Are you making the most of your membership benefits? We would love to see more of you engaging with the Association, the regional events and of course the huge range of benefits that you have at your fingertips:
• Exclusive use of the BALI Accredited logo
• £100 new member referral scheme
• Access to technical support and advice
• A new Independent Dispute Resolution Service
• Technical codes of practice and advice documents
• Parliamentary lobbying on behalf of members
• Attendance at the Designer, Domestic, Supplier and BALI National Contractor’s Forums
• BALI HR/H&S powered by Quest
• BALI Insure powered by Aston Lark
• BALI Jobs powered by Horticulture Careers
• BALI Blueprint powered by Vectorworks
• BALI website - company profile page
• BALI website - list news stories and upload events
• BALI website - Member’s area
• Access to BALI’s online video library
• Company profile in the Who’s Who Landscape Directory
• Editorial opportunities in Landscape News journal
• Landscape News quarterly Journal packed with helpful technical and member articles
• Editorial opportunities in the weekly BALI e-newsletter
• Discounted advertising rates in BALI publications
• Discounted banner advertising rates on BALI website and e-newsletter
• Exclusive opportunity to be a sponsor of the National Landscape Awards
• Exclusive opportunity to enter the National Landscape Awards
• Opportunity to host and/or attend regional events
• Opportunity to host and/or attend knowledge building webinars
• Use the Professionals materials- Promote your accreditation with BALI to your clients Should you wish to find out more about these benefits and opportunities, please feel free to contact the membership team either by e-mail membership@bali.org.uk or by telephone on 024 7669 0333
Landbased Industry Skills Scheme/ Construction Skills Certification Scheme (LISS/CSCS) Industry Accreditation now closed
For several years the strategic direction of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) has focused on ensuring that all applicants can demonstrate the achievement of a nationally recognised construction related qualification. With the withdrawal of the Construction Related Occupation card and the planned removal of the Site Visitor card the next step was the withdrawal of cards issued under Industry Accreditation.
Industry Accreditation allowed workers to obtain LISS/CSCS cards on the strength of an employers’ recommendation rather than the achievement of a recognised qualification. LISS/CSCS closed Industry Accreditation to new applicants in 2013 but those already holding a card were able to renew on the same basis.
LISS/CSCS is led by CSCS who have consulted with the industry and agreed a plan which paved the way for the eventual withdrawal of cards issued under Industry Accreditation.
From 1 January 2020, all LISS/CSCS cards renewed under Industry Accreditation expire on 31 December 2024 and CSCS stopped issuing the card from 30 June 2024. The withdrawal of Industry Accreditation is the final step towards achieving the Construction Leadership Council’s objective of ensuring SmartCards are only issued to those who have achieved, or are in the process of achieving, a nationally recognised landbased related qualification.
Up to now Industry Accreditation has permitted SmartCard holders to operate on live land-based commercial sites solely through an employer’s recommendation but this has now been removed. To find out more information or to apply for a LISS/CSCS card visit bali.org.uk/lisscscs
As always, thank you for your continued support and promotion of BALI.
On Tuesday 10 September 2024, the British Association of Landscape Industries held its National Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
Over 50 members joined executive Board Directors, including National Chair Tessa Johnstone, Vice-Chair Adrian Wickham, Honorary Treasurer Richard Stone and Chief Executive Wayne Grills for the formal meeting, followed by an informative presentation by Lucy Fisher, Operations Director of idverde discussing sustainability from a contractor’s operational perspective.
The propositions passed and approved during the meeting included the adoption of the financial accounts for the year ending 31 March 2024, the proposal to increase membership fees, and the re-appointment of Auditors Benee Consulting.
National Chair Tessa Johnstone has retired from the Board. The Board of Directors and the team at Landscape House extend their gratitude to Tessa for her energy, support and guidance over her five years he as a Board Director, the last 18 months as National Chair. Matt O’Conner will therefore, continue as Immediate Past Chair.
Wayne Grills took the opportunity to thank Tessa “for her guidance and direction, support and friendship during her 18 months as National Chair, which has been invaluable. She has been a real strength to the organisation, supporting me and other board members, especially Adrian Wickham, Matt O’Conner and Richard Stone as the executive team, moving forward the strategy, improving board governance and reporting”.
Wayne also highlighted some of the key activities and focus of BALI, including internal research on membership journey to better support members, progress on GoLandscape Careers and Skills, and lobbying and collaborative activities with other industry organisations, developing further industry research and support for the industry.
Members unanimously accepted of the director’s recommendations to appoint Adrian Wickham, Glendale Managed Services as National Chair and Matt Nokes, Ground Control as Vice-Chair.
Adrian took the opportunity to thank Tessa, highlighting the energy she bought to the role. He spoke of his commitment to supporting members and building the membership base. He said, “I want members to be confident in BALI, feel they are part of a dynamic and market-leading industry association, and get value for money. We have societal changes to address, including technology advancements, environmental impact, and sustainability. We need to work together inter-generationally, as what we do now may not benefit us, but will benefit those coming after us.”
In addition to Tessa Johnstone, three Board Directors have stepped down this year due to work commitments - Shazna Ali, Tim Howell, Stuart Simpson. Again, the Board and the team at Landscape House extend their thanks for the support and time they have given to the Association.
The Board now welcomes five new Directors - Alistair Bayford, Managing Director at Frosts Landscape Construction, Kersten Catella, Sales & Marketing Director at Wyevale Nurseries, Mark Gregory,
Managing Director at Landform Consultants, Paul Lynch, Managing Director at Elmtree Garden Contractors and David Twist, Founder and CEO of Elite Landscapes.
On the new appointments, Wayne Grills commented, “We are proud to welcome Alistair, Kersten, Mark, Paul and David to the Board. I look forward to working with them to support the delivery of our ambitious strategy and to continue to drive industry forward.”
Following the conclusion of the formal AGM proceedings, Lucy Fisher gave an insightful presentation on her experience of implementing sustainable practices into her job role as Operations Director at idverde. She highlighted the challenges of busting through the jargon and timescales to achieve carbon net zero and discussed the practical steps she and her team have taken on projects, which has resulted in carbon reduction, biodiversity improvements and ultimately cost reductions.
landscapes, sculptures and SXG mower for cutting we purchased another
excavating and landscaping grass cuttings and leaves
PTO’s and systems off one tractor. If we can attach
“Here at the Garden of Cosmic Speculation with it’s vast landscapes, sculptures and gardens we are never short of jobs to do. We already have a SXG mower for cutting the lawns and one TXG tractor, so to help with the workload we purchased another TXGS24 23hp subcompact tractor.
“With the front loader and bucket fitted it’s largely used for excavating and landscaping purposes. It’s also used for towing trailers, transporting grass cuttings and leaves for easy disposal. With the two tractors we can run the PTO’s and systems o one trailer and can unload into a trailer attached to the other tractor. If we can attach something to them, then we can use it.
“ISEKI o er exactly what we need, they are reliable, comfortable and safe to use. I would recommend these machines to absolutely anyone.”
Ben Wakefield, Portrack House
The pilot week for the GoLandscape Skills will run between 7 and 11 October 2024. Previously known as the BALI Academy, GoLandscape Skills is BALI’s initiative to develop higher level training standards for the Landscaping Industry. The pilot week is designed to evaluate several aspects of the proposed skills offer which is designed to support for those already working in the industry. Our aim is to produce standards that the industry is demanding and that reflect recognised best practice. With this in mind, we have written standards after consultation with industry leaders and with reference to the relevant British Standards.
BALI has been working with Laser Learning Awards to develop a new paving standard. Laser Learning Awards is a recognised awarding organisation and by working with them, BALI will ensure that the standards meet the requirements for accreditation and can be accurately assessed. Laser has reviewed the draft standard for paving, and this is what will be trialled during the pilot week.
The GoLandscape team will continue to work with Laser to develop further accredited standards in other areas. This will mean that when the full programme of GoLandscape Skills standards is rolled out, they will be endorsed by an accredited, independent, awarding organisation – enhancing the standards’ credibility.
We are working with BALI approved training provider Holly Landscape & Training in Guildford to deliver the training. Holly Landscape & Training has been a concrete fixture within industry - throughout London and the Home Counties - for over three decades. Lyndon Weekes will provide the training and assessment through the week, he has worked in the land-based sector for over 40 years and has experience in landscaping, garden maintenance, nursery stock and farming. He is passionate about the need for the sector to become more qualified and wants to provide realistic and hands on holistic training to ensure the sector is seen as a professional industry. We are fortunate that in addition to the new paving standard we are also able to deliver abrasive wheel training as Holly Landscape & Training are registered to deliver NPORS. As well as the hands-on training, the programme will also involve practical and theoretical tests to assess learning and knowledge.
GoLandscape has invited 8 specially picked trainees to take part in the five-day pilot programme, each of these individuals have come from a BALI member and been identified as ready to take the next step in raising their skills levels and to benefit from engaging in the pilot process.
We will use the week to assess the quality of the standard and how it has been delivered. GoLandscape will be seeking feedback from the learners on the course, the employers
who have kindly supported the pilot by making their staff available for the week, and the trainer. This will help us to gauge the success of the pilot and to help us plan what our next steps will be in the development of the suite of standards.
By the time of publication of Winter Landscape News, we will be able to update you on how the pilot week went and what we have learnt from it. We will also be able to confirm the next steps GoLandscape Skills is taking and what the future holds.
This is an exciting moment in the development of the standards and GoLandscape Skills. We are looking forward to welcoming participants in October and letting you all know about how it went.
Jonathan Pettit GoLandscape Skills and Careers Manager
Readyhedge hedging plants, like the mixed native hedging shown here, are container-grown in the UK and fully acclimatised to UK conditions. With over 20 years’ experience, Readyhedge delivers hedging to rely on, wherever you are.
As we moved from spring to summer, each region has continued the momentum as we strive to deliver regular events not only for members, but also potential new members and students, to increase engagement, building knowledge and encourage network development.
Our events have received good attendance, and I am pleased to be meeting more and more people from not only different companies, but different people spread across the country from the same business.
There is still a lot planned for later this year and ample ideas for an exciting and even better 2025! I look forward to meeting those of you who already attend regional events and to welcoming new faces, continuing to increase engagement for you all!
With bountiful ideas for places to visit we have delivered a diverse range of events featuring Warley Place Nature Reserve and the half-acre Magnolias garden, Paradise Fields to learn about the recent beaver rewilding project, a visit to Joseph Rochford Gardens to learn more about the nursery and have an insight into the prestigious International Rose Trials and finally a visit to the American Ambassador’s Residence, Winfield House in Regents Park.
Visiting Warley Place at the start of Spring was the most perfect time of year to visit.
Our new Vice-Chair, Noel Brock was in attendance, bringing his passionate interest in wildlife and biodiversity; there were several species found including an array of alpine newts!
Next was Paradise Fields, which is home to the first urban beaver population in the UK and project managers, Citizen Zoo, gave the group a highly informative introduction to this flagship London rewilding project. While we were not fortunate enough to see the beavers themselves, there was plenty of evidence of their activity and how they are already making a positive change to the urban landscape.
Visiting Joseph Rochford Gardens gave a great insight into the nursery, from irrigation to peat free trials and plants, and it was remarkable to see the nursery in peak season. Learning about the rose trials on the day was fascinating about the long processes involved in growing and how many UK and international growers there are and how they are judged. Noel Brock also gave an insightful talk on the importance of diversity and later found some interesting creatures to discuss with the group.
A truly remarkable event was our visit to Winfield House, the American Ambassador’s residence in Regents Park. Long serving Head Gardener, Stephen Crisp gave us great insight about his career and the history of the gardens, before giving us a truly unforgettable tour around all areas of the gardens. We were all thankful to him on the day, especially as he is also retiring this year.
"Wonderful day learning from skilled gardeners how they manage their specialist gardens. Every garden has different requirements and needsso fascinating hearing from those in charge of achieving this."
Rosemary Coldstream MSGD MBALI
A bite to eat and then off we went to the Royal College of Physicians Gardens where Head Gardener Jane Knowles was waiting for us. She spoke about the history of the Grade 1 listed building before guiding us around the five house gardens of plants, fruit and seeds before the main garden area which featured an eclectic mix of plants from all over the world.
Building on a successful AGM earlier this year, the committee decided to hold a social football tournament, raising money for charity, Thrive. This was a fantastic afternoon, which saw everyone bring their competitive nature (whilst still remaining professional!). It was a great opportunity for people who work together over the phone to meet in person and a good networking opportunity in general.
The next event following this was a visit to the award winning, natural pool specialist Ellicar. On the day Director Sarah Murch
covered a host of topics including benefits function, biological filtration, design considerations and construction methods, planting, maintenance and costs of natural swimming pools, as well as more practical considerations.
Over the Spring and Summer months there have been a variety of socials in Bristol, Bath and Shaftesbury. These have been led by regional Chair Paul Lynch, previous Vice-Chair Tessa Johnstone and now current Vice-Chair Suzi Cross. They have purposely arranged these smaller informal meets in a bid to build engagement with members and nonmembers in all areas of the region and this has been a big success seeing a whole host of people from the industry.
The recent visit to Wright Landscapes saw over 30 delegates attend on the day, giving ample opportunity to meet new people and make new contacts. The nursery tour was visually stunning as we wandered around with impressive pots and a variety of wellestablished plants and trees. There were a variety of talks, starting with award-winning Nathan Webster sharing insight into his career to date. This included how he started in the industry and discussion on various gardens he has designed and won awards for.
We then had Patrick Clayton and Henry Wilkinson from civil engineering company Renaissance, who both gave an informative talk covering drainage particularly sharing insight into a few local projects they have worked on and delved more into SuDS.
Finally, one of the North West’s newest committee members, Mark Youde, Landscape Academy gave an engaging talk on business performance and productivity which was both engaging and inspiring.
Almost a year on from the previous visit to Knepp Estate, we revisited for an exclusive, member-only event in June. We started the tour in the new Wilding Kitchen and Shop, where they enjoyed a the chefs table three course lunch before heading over to the Walled garden. Head Gardener, Charlie Harpur talked us through the Knepp rewilding project journey, as we walked around the stunning garden.
In August we changed direction, with an event that started with The Plantman, Darren Stobbart giving a tour of two London offices sharing insight into internal planting projects. We then became more social with the liquid history tours, venturing around London’s historic pubs, learning about the pubs and cities history whilst networking together.
Following the success of reforming a committee for the East Anglia region earlier in the year, we decided on an informal ‘who’s who’ event to enable people to reengage with each other and chose Nethergate Brewery purposely for this.
On the day we invited Samuel Moore, Consilium Hortus who gave us a great talk. On the day he shared how he started and built his business, discussed some of his completed projects, as well as talking candidly about business challenges, tendering and how worthwhile he has found marketing the business at exhibition shows such as Garden Designs.
The group were then given a talk from Victoria at the brewery before sampling the local beers and having a tour of the onsite brewery learning about the processes and taken to make the different varieties on offer and learning about the distillery process of vodka, gin and rum also there.
"A great day [at Boningales] meeting people from different sectors within the industry , in a relaxed and informal setting"
Fleur SmithFullbrook Nursery
The recent visit to Boningale Nurseries was a great opportunity seeing members and non-members attend together. On the day we visited the propagation site where Nerys, the long serving site manager, explained the process of raising plants from both seed and cuttings and the measures that are put in place to ensure healthy growth and success rates including new bio control methods. We then travelled over to the main nursery to see the next stage of the potting process, had a tour of the wider nursery and had a great presentation by Ryan Simpson on plant health, biosecurity, plant specification, the use of technology in horticulture and how both their brands names Boningale and ViridisPlants are utilising this. Thankfully we had great weather for this and ended the day in one of the local pub gardens enjoying lunch and networking together.
The countdown has begun for the most prestigious event in the landscaping industry: the 2024 National Landscape Awards. Scheduled for 6 December 2024, this year's event promises to be a spectacular celebration of excellence, innovation, and achievement in the world of landscaping.
Hosted at the elegant JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London, the event is set to attract the best the landscaping community has to offer, including designers, contractors, suppliers, and clients.
Why attend the National Landscape Awards?
Celebrate excellence
The National Landscape Awards are renowned for recognising and rewarding the highest standards of landscape design, construction, and maintenance across the UK, as well as highlighting companies who supply and provide outstanding products to the industry and support their staff. Attending the event allows you to be part of this grand celebration, acknowledging the hard work and creativity that drives the industry forward.
Networking opportunities
Rub shoulders with industry leaders, innovators, and influencers. The Awards provide a unique platform for networking, offering you the chance to connect with potential clients, collaborators, and suppliers. Build relationships that could propel your business to new heights.
Gain Inspiration
Witness some of the most inspiring and groundbreaking projects in the industry.
From stunning private gardens to large-scale commercial landscapes, the showcased projects will spark new ideas and push the boundaries of what is possible in landscape design and management.
Enhance your brand
Being part of such a prestigious event can significantly enhance your brand's reputation. Whether you’re an established business or a new entrant in the industry, attending the ceremony can help you gain visibility and credibility. Showcase your commitment to excellence and join a community that values quality and innovation.
Educational value
The event is not just about celebration; it’s also about learning and growth. Gain insights from award-winning projects and understand what it takes to reach the pinnacle of success in the landscaping industry. The experience is bound to enrich your professional knowledge and inspire you to strive for excellence in your own projects.
The JW Marriott Grosvenor House, located on the iconic Park Lane, offers a stunning venue for the event. Enjoy a day of luxury and elegance with exquisite dining, and the chance to witness the joy and pride of the Award winners. It’s an event that combines professional enrichment with personal enjoyment.
Event Information
Date: 6 December 2024
Location: JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London
Ticket Cost:
Individual place - £227
Table of 10 - £2,120
Table of 12 - £2,544
Timings: Reception: 11am
Luncheon and Awards: 12pm
Close: 4:30pm
Dress code: Business attire
How to purchase tickets
Tickets are now available for purchase through the Awards website at baliawards.co.uk. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be part of the most anticipated event in the landscaping calendar. Secure your spot today by visiting baliawards.co.uk/ceremony and follow the easy steps to book your tickets.
Join us on 6 December 2024, at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London for an unforgettable celebration of the very best in landscaping. Whether you’re attending to celebrate your own achievements, to network with the industry’s elite, or simply to be inspired, the 2024 National Landscape Awards promise an experience like no other. Mark your calendars, purchase your tickets, and get ready to be part of landscaping excellence!
Emily Feeney
Events Project Manager
Front gardens play a key role in shaping the aesthetic and functional appeal of residential properties. As the first visual point of contact for visitors and passers-by, a well-designed front garden significantly enhances ‘kerb appeal’, creating a positive first impression and helping people to feel welcome and relaxed on arrival at the property. Beyond aesthetics, front gardens contribute to the environmental health of urban areas too, improving the quality of life for residents and wildlife.
Unfortunately, there has been a trend recently to pave over front gardens, with very little plant
cover (if any). This is very damaging for the environment. Organisations such as the RHS have been actively campaigning for a return to soft landscaping – stressing the importance of planting up areas of hard landscaping. Benefits range from better health and wellbeing and providing food for bees and butterflies, to helping reduce flood risks.
In his latest blog post, James Scott MBALI, FSGD, Managing Director and Principal Designer of Accredited Contractor, The Garden Company aims to highlight the numerous benefits of a well-designed, plant-based front garden and to outline
Sandy Oaks, a residential park catering to the over-45 age group, recently faced a challenge in securing its picturesque 35-acre woodland setting. The park, home to 149 individual residents, required a 2.5metre high retaining wall to protect homes and gardens from potential landslips.
The park management needed a solution that would provide robust protection against
land movement, blend seamlessly with the surrounding countryside and complement the park’s architectural aesthetic to add value to the existing development.
After careful consideration, the contractor chose new BALI member, Accredited Supplier Elite Precast Concrete’s Retainer-Rock® modular walling system. This innovative solution matched the client’s requirements and was available within days of ordering,
the design considerations he considers when working with a client’s space, big or small.
This includes looking at the ‘why’ and the ‘how’. James explores the benefits of a well-designed front garden, including the aesthetics, the environmental and social impact a front garden can have. He also discusses his design considerations for a front garden –including the practical requirements, as well as creating depth and focal points to provide year-round interest.
Read the full blog at thegardenco.co.uk/ transforming-your-front-garden-the-whyand-how/
allowing for site time programmes to be fulfilled.
Despite being a first-time user and facing adverse weather conditions, the contractor successfully constructed three walls in a matter of days, and with two block face finishes available – Cobblestone and Liscio Stone – the retaining wall has integrated seamlessly into the park’s natural surroundings.
By choosing Elite’s low maintenance, cost effective Retainer-Rock® walling system, Sandy Oaks has not only enhanced the safety and security of its residents but also maintained the natural beauty of its woodland setting.
This solution demonstrates how modern engineering can effectively address the unique challenges faced by residential parks catering to an aging population.
Elite Precast provide quality products and expertise to enhance the built environment, creating safer spaces by securing and protecting people and infrastructure. They emphasize excellent customer service, fast deliveries, quality products and trust. eliteprecast.co.uk
Over recent years, the scandal of our sewage-polluted watercourses and seas in the UK has received widespread publicity.
Our “combined” sewers collect foul sewage and rainwater, and most of our older towns and cities rely on this type of drainage. Newer developments have a “twin pipe” solution, with a separate foul sewer and surface water sewer, and this design usually does not cause trouble - except for misconnections. So, by simply reducing the amount of rainwater entering the combined sewer from our properties, we can help reduce the overall problem.
Utilising green infrastructure for stormwater management
With a newly elected government, the industry is waiting on the enactment
In April 2020, Gary Thompson made a strategic move by acquiring Accredited Contractor VDW Landscapes, a decision that reflects both his extensive experience and vision for growth in the landscaping sector.
Thompson, who spent the early part of his career in construction before dedicating 32 years to corporate leadership, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this new venture. His background uniquely positions him to navigate the complexities of the landscaping industry, particularly in its intersection with construction.
Under Thompson's leadership, VDW Landscapes has experienced significant expansion over the last four years, marked by the opening of new premises in Reading, complementing the existing depot in Chichester. This strategic growth not only enhances the company’s operational capacity but also strengthens its market
of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 in England; Wales did so in 2019. This requires most new build developments to submit a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) proposal to the SAB (SuDS Approval Body) for approval before construction commences. This also removes the automatic right to connect new developments to the mains drainage system, thus forcing developers to consider SuDS early in the design process.
The inclusion of SuDS at the master planning or development site planning stage has a significant effect on the viability and cost-effectiveness of SuDS integration and the ability of SuDS to deliver multiple benefits. Master planning provides a strategic approach to consider the (sometimes competing) requirements for development.
presence, allowing VDW to better serve its clients across the construction industry.
VDW Landscapes specializes in soft landscaping, with a reputation for designing and building award-winning show homes and public open spaces. The company’s commitment to quality and innovative design has made it a sought-after partner for construction projects, catering to both residential and commercial sectors. Thompson’s acquisition is expected to further elevate VDW's profile in the industry, leveraging his corporate insights to streamline operations and enhance service delivery.
The landscaping sector is poised for growth, with increasing demand for aesthetically pleasing outdoor spaces and sustainable landscaping solutions. Thompson’s vision for VDW is not just to maintain its current success, but to push the boundaries of creativity and excellence in landscaping. As the company continues to thrive under his stewardship, it is well-positioned to lead the way in transforming outdoor environments, setting new standards in the industry.
vdwlandscapesltd.com
While gently introducing SuDs to developers is widely considered not to have worked, many developments have poor sustainable drainage solutions that can even be detrimental to the properties’ value. The new legislation will help improve the delivery of these essential features to everyone’s benefit.
Accredited Supplier GreenBlue Urban has long advocated for landscape professionals’ early intervention in the design process. Schedule 3 will further enhance their status as vital designers of critical infrastructure.
To support the industry, GreenBlue Urban offer a range of CPD seminars, designed to keep professionals updated with the latest industry knowledge, standards, and regulations concerning sustainable practices.
GreenBlue's CPD emphasise the importance of incorporating green infrastructure, such as tree pits, rain gardens, and stormwater management systems, into urban designs to enhance environmental sustainability.
CPD seminars are available on the following topics:
• Successful SuDS: adapting to climate change
• Maximising green opportunities in our urban environments
• In person tree pit demos - best practice tree pit design and install tips! For further information, visit greenblue.com
The Natural History Museum's new gardens are now open after a five-year redevelopment plan that transforms the five-acre garden into an urban haven for people and wildlife.
This transformation provides a new green oasis in the city, enhancing biodiversity and offering a beautiful space for visitors to connect with nature as well as a world-class outdoor living laboratory for ecologists and environmentalists to help them understand better the diverse and hugely important role that Urban Nature has to play in our cities.
The Evolution Garden supported by Evolution Education Trust takes visitors on a geological journey from the Precambrian Period about 4.6 billion years ago, through the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous periods, all the way to the present with each metre of pathway marking five million years of history.
Each of these geological periods is represented by one or more rocks from the UK incorporated into the garden landscape. Using rocks formed during particular moments in Earth’s history, as well as plants and sculptures, the garden tells the story of life on Earth, and Accredited Supplier, CED Stone is very proud to have been asked by the Natural History Museum project team to source and supply almost all the stone for the newly transformed gardens.
The garden starts at the museum tunnel entrance from the South Kensington subway,
the Precambrian period being depicted by an immersive canyon made from the oldest rocks in the UK: Lewisian Gneiss.
Lewisian Gneiss, with its distinctive banding, is a metamorphic rock over 2.7 billion years old and can be found on the Western Isles and the West Coast of Scotland. We knew about an old quarry on Barra where we might source some large Lewisian Gneiss boulders. The quarry was operational in the 1990s, and the rock from this quarry was used to build a road between the islands of Barra and Vatersay.
Barra is a small island on the southernmost tip of the Hebrides and is not the easiest location to get to. But the garden could not have started, nor could the project be completed without this rock. MD Giles Heap made the epic trip to Barra together with Dr Paul Kenrick, Neil Davidson, Alex Scally, Toby Fielder and Darren Higgins, ending in a flight overseas in a small fixed-wing plane and landing on the beautiful sands of An Tràigh Mhòr (The Great Beach).
The team visited many other quarries across the country sourcing stone for the project, and thanks to these efforts, there are more than 26 different rock types in the garden spanning Earth's geological periods, including a Cambrian Period slate from North Wales, Cornish Granite formed during the Early Permian Period, a Red Sandstone from Scotland formed in the Permian Period when there were deserts in Scotland, and Chalk from Northern Ireland represents the Cretaceous Period.
The youngest stone in the gardens is Scoria. Formed in a volcanic eruption in Iceland this stone marks the Permian-Triassic extinction, a series of extinction pulses that contributed to the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history.
As visitors walk the pathways in the footsteps of evolving life on Earth, there are fossils, brass inlays and 3D reliefs visitors can touch. In the Jurassic garden, amidst the tree ferns and cycads, you will find a weatherproof bronze cast of the Museum's much-loved Diplodocus. Throughout the garden, there are rocks which can be used as seating so that visitors can rest and immerse themselves in the gardens. Each rock seat will be in the period it was formed.
This remarkable project is one of the most complicated yet rewarding schemes CED Stone has ever undertaken, only made possible after decades of experience sourcing unusual stones across the UK and the rest of the world.
The journey to this achievement involved approximately five years of intensive research, sourcing, supplier engagement, and numerous design team meetings.
The project presented some tricky logistical challenges and required extensive travel to far-flung parts of the British Isles and other places. The culmination of these efforts is a testament to the hard work of the entire project team, including Szerelemy, J&L Gibbons, Feilden Fowles, Walter Lilly, Mace, and, of course, The Natural History Museum itself.
cedstone.co.uk
Accredited Supplier CORE, is committed to making life easier for landscapers and contractors.
This is why they are launching the CORE Stock Partner Network, a strategic initiative designed to enhance accessibility to their best-selling products, support local businesses, and reduce their environmental impact. They have partnered with select, independent builders’ merchants across the UK who share CORE's dedication to
exceptional customer service and quality. CORE is proud to welcome Accredited Supplier Sherborne Turf and South Wales Turf & Top Soil into the network. These family-run businesses have a strong reputation for quality and service in the landscaping industry, making them ideal partners as CORE expands it's reach.
What does this mean for Landscapers?
1. Local convenience: No more waiting for deliveries or paying expensive carriage
As a business owner in the landscaping industry, you're no stranger to hard work. Your days are packed with client meetings, site visits and managing your team.
What if there was a way to reclaim some of that precious time? Enter the world of automation, which can help streamline your operations, reduce human error, and frees you up to focus on what you do best, creating beautiful landscapes. Follow our tips below to start automating:
1. Scheduling and Appointments
Automated scheduling tools such as Calendly can save you from double-
booking or forgetting an appointment. Customers can book their appointments based on your availability, and you get notifications and reminders.
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Tracking client information, follow-ups, and project details can feel overwhelming. Tools like HubSpot, Zoho CRM, or Jobber automate customer interactions and follow-ups, and even send quotes and invoices. Customers get timely updates, and you get to focus on designing an award winning garden.
3. Invoicing and Payments
Chasing payments is time consuming.
fees. CORE products can be collected from a trusted local merchant at your convenience. This means more flexibility, less downtime, and more control over your projects.
2. Cost savings: By picking up locally, you save on delivery charges, making your projects more cost-effective. And because the stock partners sell at the same trade price as CORE, there is no premium for this added convenience, just savings.
3. Environmental Impact: Fewer deliveries mean fewer vehicles on the road, which translates to a reduced carbon footprint. By choosing to collect locally, you are not only saving money and time, but also contributing to a more sustainable future for our industry.
At CORE, “Built for The Trade, by The Trade” is more than a slogan; it’s their philosophy. CORE products can be collected understand the challenges of the trade because we’ve been there. The CORE Stock Partner Network is about providing real benefits for landscapers, making products more accessible, sustainable, and convenient. corelp.co.uk
Automate your invoicing with tools like Xero or Free Agent. They can generate invoices, send payment reminders, and integrate with your bank. Automated payments mean you get paid on time without any awkward conversations.
4. Social Media Management
.Tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social let you schedule posts in advance, manage interactions, and analyse performance. This keeps your online presence active and engaging without stealing hours from your day.
5. Task Management and Workflow Automation
Platforms like Trello, Asana, or Monday can help manage projects and tasks more efficiently. You can create workflows that automate repetitive steps, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
6. Email Marketing
Stay at the forefront of your customer’s minds through automated email campaigns. Tools like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Sendinblue can help create and schedule emails for promotions, seasonal tips, or newsletters. Automated follow-ups ensure that potential leads don't slip through the cracks.
By automating these aspects of your landscaping business, you can transform how you work. You’ll have more time to focus on your passion, creating stunning outdoor spaces and less time buried in admin tasks. sonesaccountancy.co.uk
GreenBlue Urban’s unique suite of products act as the interface between nature and the built environment.
T: +44 (0)1580 830 800 E: enquiries@greenblue.com W: greenblue.com
Founded in 1994, Accredited Supplier Green-tech has evolved from a small startup into a leading supplier of landscaping and forestry materials, playing a crucial role in promoting sustainable practices in the industry. To commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary, the team has pledged to try and raise £30,000 for five great charities – £1,000 for each year the company has been trading.
Supporting charities and taking part in community initiatives has always been a core part of the Green-tech ethos, which is why the team wanted to merge this celebration with an ambitious drive to raise much needed funds for several charitable organisations.
The nominated charities are the BALI Chalk Fund, Candlelighters Trust, Perennial Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society, Macmillan Cancer Support and Shelter.
Renowned for their generous industry support, Green-tech has been the Headline Sponsor of the BALI Awards for the past 10 years and is the proud sponsor of the ProLandscaper 30 Under 30: The Next Generation Awards; highlighting the company’s commitment to the future of the landscaping industry and the upcoming talent within.
Green-tech’s Sales Director, Richard Gill adds, “We always want to give back and by supporting the BALI Chalk Fund and other industry charities such as the Perennial Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society, we are able to help
these people directly associated within the landscaping industry with career opportunities, financial advice, support and much more.”
To raise funds for the nominated charities, the Green-tech team has taken on six huge challenges throughout 2024, starting with a Big Sleep Out in the Green-tech yard in March (yes it was cold and wet!) and finishing by walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks in August. The other challenges the team undertook were the Roundhay Half Marathon, Total Warrior, the Knaresborough Bed Race and a Virtual Bike Ride from John O’ Groats to Lands End, which saw over 60 of the team cycle well over 2000 miles in 5 days, smashing their target of 874 miles!
The challenges were not for the faint hearted and put the team through their paces both mentally and physically ensuring they worked together to complete each one. Kris Nellist, Managing Director said, “It was fantastic to see so many of our staff get involved. A big thank you to everyone who has kindly donated, from our suppliers and customers, to friends and family. We still have a way to go to reach our £30,000 goal so if you can help please visit justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/30kfor30yrs and donate what you can –for five great causes.”
2024 has been a year of celebration for Green-tech, and the best way for the team to celebrate with customers, suppliers and industry friends alike was by hosting an Open Day at their head office in Yorkshire. On 5 September 2024, Green-tech gave
attendees an exclusive behind the scenes look at how the company operates, with informative seminars throughout the day. Suppliers had stalls showcasing their product ranges at the event, and there was plenty of entertainment on offer, ranging from laser clay pigeon shooting to team games.
The day was very well received by attendees and summed up what the last 30 years has been about for Green-tech - a sense of community within the landscaping industry. green-tech.co.uk
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The National winners of the 2024 BALI Awards have been announced!
Following a summer of site visits to all UK project entries, and three days of discussion, deliberation and debate by the judges, who were joined by BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills and Event Project Manager Emily Feeney. 79 National Awards have been presented to 56 companies across 24 categories.
As has come to be expected of BALI Accredited members, the level of quality and complexity of many of the schemes entered in this year’s Awards has once again highlighted the commitment of members to continue driving the industry forward, while increasingly considering the environmental impact.
Head Judge John Melmoe said:“Each of this year's National Landscape Award winners exemplifies outstanding quality and craftsmanship. The attention to detail in these schemes is truly remarkable, with every element thoughtfully executed to create cohesive and inspiring outdoor spaces.
To win any Award at this level, with such a high standard of vetting in place, is a true testament for any business or individual that receives one. The level of innovation and the skill demonstrated is evidence of the exceptional talent in our industry. These projects set a benchmark for excellence.”
Wayne Grills said:“These schemes, and our members, showcase meticulous attention to detail, innovative design, and a profound respect for the natural environment. Each project reflects the highest standards of the craft, resulting in landscapes that are both beautiful and enduring. The dedication, endeavour and skill of the teams behind these winning entries are truly commendable, making this year's winners a standout in the industry.”
He added, “The winners in the Employer Excellence and Supplier Exceptional Service categories have also demonstrated an
unwavering commitment to excellence, not only in the quality of their work and products but in how they support their employees and clients. Their dedication to fostering positive work environments and delivering outstanding service is truly commendable and exemplifies the best practices and demonstrates leadership in our industry."
This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Aurie Styla, an award-winning comedian, actor and writer, and will be held on Friday 6 December, in the Great Room at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.
Congratulations to all the winners, and good luck on the day when the winners of the Principal and Special Awards, and the revered Grand Award, will be announced. Full details of the winning entries can be found at baliawards.co.uk along booking details for the Awards ceremony.
Domestic Garden ConstructionBetween £30K - £60K, sponsored by Composite Prime
• Karat Landscape Design & Construction for Private Residence in Islington
• Sanctuary Landscapes for Contemporary Entertainer
Domestic Garden Construction - Between £60K - 100K, sponsored by Johnsons Nurseries
• Formosa Landscapes for Hampton Garden
• Landesigns for The Tranquil Garden
• Smart Landscape Design for Maes Knoll Drive
• Vu Garden Design & Landscaping for Elder House
Domestic Garden Construction - Between £100K - £250K, sponsored by Van den Berk Nurseries
• Bluefish Landscaping Contractors for Private Residence in West Byfleet
• Garden Club London for Girdlers Road
• Graduate Gardeners for Private Garden in West Oxfordshire
• HG Landscapes for Private Residence in Wimbledon
• JJH Landscapes for Our Happy Place
• Landscape Associates for An Elizabethan Garden with a Modern Twist
• PC Landscapes for Private Residence in Ashtead
• Urban Earth SW for Lyme Bay View
Domestic Garden Construction - Over £250K, sponsored by Europlants UK
• Bluefish Landscaping Contractors for Private Residence in the Surrey Hills
• Bowles & Wyer for A Cambridgeshire Garden
• Castle Landscapes for The Walled Garden
• Esse Landscapes for Whitehouse Cottage
• Garden Club London for Wandsworth Garden
• Graduate Gardeners for Private Garden In The North Cotswolds
• Landesigns for Down To The River
• LDC for Crestwood House
• LDC for The Grange
• Outdoor Options for Private Residence in Wimbledon
• Ryan Alexander Associates for Isle of Wight Project
• Stephen Ogilvie for Regent Terrace
• The Garden Design Company for The Manor House
• The Outdoor Room for A Private Residence in Kew
• TSLandscapes for A Contemporary Cottage Garden
Domestic Garden ConstructionSoft Landscaping, sponsored by Joseph Rochford Gardens
• Graduate Gardeners for Private Garden Near Cardiff
Soft Landscaping Construction (nondomestic) - Under £500K, sponsored by Evergreen Exterior Services
• Bowles & Wyer for Castle Hill Quad, St Peters College Oxford
• Jack Moody Landscaping and Civil Engineering for Mercia Forest Crematorium
Hard Landscaping Construction (nondomestic) - Under £500K, sponsored by Greenblue Urban
• Jack Moody Landscaping and Civil Engineering for Vinci HCA (Harbourne Hospital)
Hard Landscaping Construction (nondomestic) - Over £500K, sponsored by MCM
• Elite Landscapes for Bow Green Marketing Suite
• Wright Landscapes for Rochdale Town Hall Community & Schools Development, sponsored by Greenbelt Group
• Blakedown Landscapes (SE) for RHS Garden Wisley - The Oudolf Landscape
• Blakedown Landscapes (SE) for Greenwich Park Revealed - LWP Set C
• Goddards (Landscape Contractors) for Appleby Blue Almshouse, Bermondsey
Regeneration Scheme - Under £500K sponsored by Ground Control
• Gavin Jones for Monk Bridge (The Junction)
Regeneration Scheme - Over £500K, sponsored by Hillier Nurseries
• P Casey (Land Reclamation) for Sheffield General Cemetery
Grounds Maintenance - Free Public Access, sponsored by Reesink UK
• Greenbelt Group for Barton Seagrave
• idverde for Manor Gardens
• Quality & Service for Exchange Square
Grounds MaintenanceLimited Public Access
• Elite Landscapes for White City
• Giles Landscapes & Management for Granta Park Cambridge
• John O’Conner (Grounds Maintenance) for The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
• Nurture Landscapes for Stockley Park
• Willerby Landscapes for White City Place
Grounds Maintenance - Private
• Frosts Landscape Construction for HYLO, Finsbury Tower
• idverde for Manchester City Football Club
• Quality & Service for Kingswood Fields
Accredited Contractor & Accredited
Designer Joint Submission, sponsored by Easigrass
• Adam Vetere (MBALI) & JJH Landscapes for Our Happy Place
• Paul Cowell (MBALI) & PC Landscapes for Private Residence in Godalming
• Tony Woods (MBALI) & Garden Club London for Wandsworth Garden
Interior Landscape – Installation
• Biotecture for House of Elements Living Wall
• Biotecture for EQ Bristol Living Wall
Interior Landscape – Maintenance
• Nurture Landscapes for FSI
Roof Garden or Podium Landscaping
- Under £500K, sponsored by Bourne Amenity
• Goddards (Landscape Contractors) for Appleby Blue Almshouse, Bermondsey
Roof Garden or Podium Landscaping - Over £500K, sponsored by Green-Tree Topsoil
• Elite Landscapes for Kings Road Park
• Frosts Landscape Construction for Northcliffe House
• Wright Landscapes for Stockport Interchange - Viaduct Park
Design Excellence - Overall Scheme between £50K – £100K, sponsored by The Millboard Company
• James Scott (MBALI) for Contemporary Sanctuary
• Rosemary Coldstream (MBALI) for The Tranquil Garden
Design Excellence - Overall Scheme Over £100K, sponsored by Wright Landscapes
• Adam Vetere (MBALI) for Our Happy Place
• Paul Cowell (MBALI) for Private Residence in Ashtead
• Robert Hughes (MBALI) for The Dairy House
• Tony Woods (MBALI) for Wandsworth Garden International
• Beijing Sunshine Landscape Co. for Guangfo Glory of Thrones
• Beijing Sunshine Landscape Co. for Moon Villa
• DDON Planning and Design Co. for The Flowing Light Wateryard
• DDON Planning and Design Co. for The Pine Garden Poetry
• Guangzhou GVL International Planning & Design Co. for Zhangdian District Children’s Park in Zibo City
Supplier Exceptional Service, sponsored by idverde
• George Davies Turf
• Provender Nurseries
• Sones Accountancy Services
Employer Excellence - Turnover
Over £2.5M
• Garden Club London
• George Davies Turf
• Majestic Trees
• Wright Landscapes
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Written by Tom Edwards, Head of Policy and Public Affairs
AGeneral Election to remember with no time wasted so far. In a historic turn of events, the Labour Party emerged victorious in the 2024 general election, marking a significant shift in the political landscape of the United Kingdom. 300 MPs were re-elected, 335 candidates became MPs for the first time and 15 candidates became MPs again after a gap in service. This makes up 650 MPs in Government, where a record high 263 (40.5%) are women.
This victory is seen as a response to widespread calls for change from the electorate, addressing pressing issues within the Economy, our Healthcare and NHS services, Policing, Housing and Environmental Sustainability. With a renewed mandate from the electorate, Labour is poised to implement an ambitious agenda aimed at transforming the nation's social and economic policies, particularly focused on planning for construction and infrastructure reforms to drive growth.
Off to a bold start, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Government have made many announcements that have caught the Association’s attention around education, green spaces and planning reforms. The newly renamed Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government unveiled planning reforms that include mandatory housing targets for councils, a review of the greenbelt to identify ‘grey belt’ land for housing development, and new requirements for local housing plans.
While the Association applauds the bold steps to tackle the housing crisis and stimulate economic growth, we are disappointed that the critical role of green spaces in enhancing sustainability and community well-being within housing estates was not sufficiently highlighted. The Association is in the early processes of engaging with MPs and policymakers within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to advocate for policies that balance housing development with the preservation and enhancement of green spaces. We encourage members to reach out and share their thoughts and expectations so that we can represent them when engaging with the Government.
On the education front, the Association has welcomed the creation of Skills England, the pause to defunding post-16 qualifications and the cancellation of the Advanced British Standard (ABS). The Association is working to support the Government on behalf of members to help with a better understanding of what the demand for varying skills is around the country and recognise the different needs at a regional level. This will allow skills funding and delivery to be flexible so that it can address local needs.
Whilst the announcements on the pausing of defunding and the cancellation of the ABS are welcomed and understandable due to the economic climate we find ourselves in, the association will be ensuring that our concerns and needs on behalf of members regarding the present skills gap and lack of entry routes.
The announced pause on post-16 education defunding should allow a more considered review, that minimises disruption and ensures equitable opportunities for all students. With the landscape and horticulture sector vital to assist the government with delivering its environmental commitments on carbon zero and biodiversity, taking steps to support our industry to address the growing skills gap and providing further entry routes for new entrants will have long-term benefits for the UK. The Association will work with the Government, industry bodies, businesses and training providers, to help realise these commitments.
How BALI will be working with the new Government
The Association has analysed Labour’s manifesto, identifying multiple leverage points that we will use to help raise the profile and the perceived value of the industry amongst members of Parliament, making landscaping an increasingly viable career option and an educational pathway that is full of opportunity to develop and upskill. These leverage points are:
The Labour manifesto sets out to protect and restore nature by taking action to meet the Environment Act targets that were set out in 2021 in partnership with civil society, communities, and businesses. The Party has pledged to create one National River Walk in each area of England, three new National Forests and an increase in responsible access
to nature-rich habitats through woodland creation and restoration of public land. This is a robust set of proposals, and a welcome start to reclaiming, restoring, and protecting our natural environment. From details in what habitat protection means, to the timeframe in which these commitments will happen and who the Government will consult when it comes to planning; there is a consistent lack of detail and strategic planning. Therefore, the Association will engage with the Secretary of State and Ministers to ensure that these concerns are answered. Additionally, the Association will signpost the skills and knowledge within our membership and the wider industry as one of the key factors that need to be considered when pursuing the design, development and maintenance of the soft and hard landscaping requirements that exist within the creation of these green spaces, river walks and woodlands.
The Association will also work within its cross-industry groups, like the Environmental Horticulture Group and other neighbouring Associations and bodies to continue the push for a transition to a nature-based economy that has the proper development of green skills and jobs to carry out the development and maintenance of green spaces at the centre.
The pledges in Labour’s Manifesto aim to enhance educational standards in the UK. They are ambitious and the Association hopes that this will support more teachers and students, making for a more inclusive and empowering educational system across the UK. The manifesto acknowledges that the existing educational framework does not sufficiently cater to the practical and technical needs of these fields, leading to a gap in skilled professionals and accessible training opportunities. The Association will be working hard to ensure that there is a focus on sectors such as landscaping and horticulture, which have been notably impacted by a lack of skills and opportunities over previous years.
Labour's education policy includes significant investments in both secondary and tertiary education, the Association hopes that this will ensure that students have ample opportunities to pursue careers in landscaping and horticulture. Investments are expected to involve expanding the curriculum in schools, where the Association will be engaging and working with crossindustry groups such as the EHG so that the Government can be signposted to the importance of including more vocational and technical training, as well as increasing funding for land-based colleges and universities that specialise in relevant
disciplines. The Association encourages the Labour Government to endeavour for greater access to Landscape Management and Architecture, Soil Sciences and Botany within this manifesto pledge. By having more of these courses available around more of the country, we can lessen the barriers to Landscaping as a career, with a focus on the nurturing of the green skills and green jobs that come out of studying.
By enhancing the accessibility and quality of these courses, Labour aims to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the industry which is a much-welcomed change, and the Association will do its part in keeping the Government accountable to this commitment.
To address the skills shortage, the manifesto proposes a multifaceted approach. This includes developing apprenticeship programs that are closely aligned with industry needs and ensuring that students gain hands-on experience and practical skills from an early stage. Labour also plans to establish partnerships with businesses and industry leaders to create a pipeline of talent that is well-prepared for the demands of the workforce. The Association hopes that these initiatives are designed to make careers in landscaping and horticulture more attractive and viable, providing clear pathways for young people to enter and progress within the sector.
Moreover, Labour is committed to ensuring that these educational opportunities are equally accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic background. The manifesto highlights the need for
targeted support and resources to help students from disadvantaged communities pursue long-standing careers. This includes providing financial aid, career counselling, and outreach programs to raise awareness about the opportunities available, to which the landscaping and horticulture sector encourages great opportunities. By removing barriers to education and training, the Association and the Labour Government can work together to create a more diverse and skilled workforce that can drive innovation and sustainability in the landscaping and horticulture industry.
The Labour manifesto refers to the creation of 1.5 million homes over the course of Parliament, with the use of brownfield and grey belt land where possible to fulfil this. The Government’s reforms include mandatory housing targets for councils, a review of the greenbelt to identify ‘grey belt’ land for housing development, new requirements for local housing plans and recruiting more skilled planners. These measures are aimed to address the pressing need for affordable housing and to invigorate economic growth through increased construction.
The Association had hoped that the Government would recognise the landscaping industry as a key stakeholder in the implementation and maintenance of greenspaces and high-quality habitats which deliver on the aims of Biodiversity Net Gain within planning reforms. However, so far, announcements from the Government have left us slightly concerned and disappointed, as the critical role of green spaces in
enhancing sustainability and community well-being within housing estates has not been sufficiently highlighted nor given the attention that it deserves.
Through ongoing engagement, the Association has identified the opportunity to work with The Office for Place. This is the Government Department that helps Local Authorities renew their local design codes for developments. There is scope for an injection of good landscaping practices in design codes where the creation and maintenance of green spaces and general greenery in developments is seen as a key design aspect not only for environmental and drainage systems but also for wellbeing and livelihood.
Robust provisions for green spaces in development plans and planning reform are essential and must not be an afterthought from the Government in the race to meet the 1.5 million home-building commitment. The Association will work with members and provide support to ensure that they are ready to collaborate with local authorities and developers surrounding the design and implementation of landscaping solutions that support sustainability, nurture biodiversity and promote community well-being as the housebuilding agenda becomes more established. It is essential that as we build new homes and infrastructure, we do not compromise the green spaces that are fundamental to our quality of life. This is something that BALI will strongly and repeatedly campaign for throughout this Parliament.
The Labour manifesto sets out plans centred on achieving significant advancements in energy, transport, digital connectivity, and local governance. Labour aims to leverage both public and private sectors to drive these initiatives, which are geared towards creating jobs, reducing energy costs, and supporting a green transition.
In terms of the goal surrounding making the UK a clean energy superpower, Although the core focus surrounds technological approvals and advancements in technology like solar, wind and nuclear, the Association is pursuing engagement with the Government that highlights the importance of the hard and soft landscaping requirements that lessen the environmental impact of infrastructure projects of this scale. The Association will work with members to ensure that we are prepared and capable in terms of supporting the Government in this rollout of landscaping estate that compliments the infrastructure being built. Removal of rebated fuel from landscape and highway maintenance works is a particular obstacle to this aim, and there is hope that the government reconsider this policy change that has penalised many members responsible for the maintenance of infrastructure sites.
Closing remark and an invitation to our members
The future for the landscaping and horticulture sector looks promising with Labour's ambitious plans for infrastructure,
planning, education, and green spaces. The Labour Party's victory in the 2024 general election marks a turning point, bringing new opportunities for growth and development. As we move forward, BALI implores to its members share their experiences and thoughts so that the industry's voice is heard, and its potential fully realised. This can be done to the Association directly or by writing to your local MP. In due course, the Association will be releasing support on how to get in touch with your local MP or Councillor with additional information on how constituency representation in Government works.
Together, we can make a significant impact on the UK’s environmental and economic landscape, supporting and challenging the Government to help shape policies that align with our collective values.
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Written by Owen Baker, Technical Officer (Policy and Research)
The British Association of Landscape Industries has become a strategic partner of Driving for Better Business (DfBB), a National Highways initiative aimed at reducing work-related road risk by protecting staff who drive or ride for work, as well as other road users.
Industry identified as a road user requiring improvement actions
Leaders of the DfBB initiative first invited the Association to become strategic partners due to the landscape industry's reliance on light goods vehicles (LGV), a category which includes any commercial vehicle with a gross weight of 3,500kg or less. For the landscape industry this is most likely to be a standard panel van, but the category also includes derivatives such as crew-cab, box van, chassis cab, tipper, drop-side, compact/car-derived, electric and pick-up vehicles.
Landscaping, and particularly landscape construction and maintenance, sit in a similar category to site-based trades including construction, demolition and engineering,
where driving is an integral part of the job role but not always considered as such. This means there is a tendency to overlook the risk posed by work-related driving activities, and the skillset required to safely carry out this aspect of the business activity.
Consequently, LGV is a category with a poor record in relation to both accident statistics and roadside vehicle checks.
The images on the right highlight some of the defects regularly identified by Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) inspectors during roadside checks of light commercial vehicles and trailers:
1. Damage to tyre side wallcord exposed
2. Vehicle towing trailer with nonfunctioning indicators and stop-lights
3. Trailer with poorly secured load
4. Trailer with poorly secured load
5. Trailer with unsecured item
Recent safety campaigns led by National Highways, targeted at inspecting commercial vans during road-side inspections, revealed the following trends:
• Two thirds of vans stopped at the roadside by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) had a serious mechanical defect
• Following inspection, 40% of vans were prohibited from continuing their journey
• Half of all new vans fail their MOT at first attempt
Furthermore, a research report written by the Parliamentary Advisory Council For Transport Safety (PACTS), What Kills Most On The Roads, highlights vans and light goods vehicles as having the highest rate of ‘other road user deaths’ per mile travelled; 64% of those killed by vans were vulnerable road users and more pedestrians were killed in collisions with vans than any other road user group.
Responsibility placed on employers – and employees
Drivers of company vehicles are responsible for ensuring their roadworthiness, which includes undertaking daily checks with the aim of identifying defects. Managers should provide employees with training and have procedures for reporting defects, but it is the driver who may be required to provide evidence of these checks if challenged by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) or Police.
• hazards that should be considered by employers as potential causes of harm include:
• roadworks, traffic and congestion
• vehicle condition
• fatigue and distraction
• time pressure
• the weather
• behaviour of other road users
• lone workers
• vulnerable workers
Employers must also assess workers capabilities and competence, and should consider the following elements when choosing workers or allocating work:
• experience, attitude and maturity, driving record, physical fitness
• physical capabilities: ability, age, health
• vulnerability of workers e.g. young workers, those who are new to a job or task, inexperienced or trainee
• skill and expertise to do job safety
• driving offences
• ensuring licence, insurance and MOT are legal and up-to-date
But it’s not just vans and trailers…
The danger of driving for work is not unique to the landscape industry or to drivers of light commercial vehicles; research reveals driving for work is one of the most dangerous things employees do, and around a third of road deaths (and one fifth of serious injuries) involve someone driving for work, which includes use of a company car or van, pool car or van, or an employees’ own car, van or motorcycle.
Serious consequences of failing to manage work-based driving
Google and social media can be relied on to highlight the consequences of not managing work-based driving correctly. Use of mobile phones whilst driving company vehicles is common, as is inconsiderate driving; both are commonly caught on third-party dashcam or phone cameras and reported to the Police – or worse, publicly shamed on YouTube or Twitter/X.
Failure to assess risk also has the potential to result in fatal accidents – both employee or third party.
Tiredness or falling asleep is a foreseeable risk in industries where the working day is punctuated by long periods of driving –often early in the morning or late at night. Type ‘Renown Consultants Limited’ into Google to read a recent case which resulted in a business being fined £450,000 alongside £300,000 costs after being convicted for failing to ensure two of its workers were sufficiently rested to work and travel safely. The two workers died after crashing into a parked articulated lorry after a night shift in the early hours of the morning.
Securing loads is another safety-critical decision made by industry members each day. The consequences of getting this aspect wrong are fatal – usually for third party roads users. Type ‘Harry Dennis’ into Google to read a recent case where a child was killed by a scaffold board that had been inadequately secured to a transit van.
The driver pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to four years in prison and disqualified for seven years.
Health and safety law applies to driving just as it does a fixed site
Health and safety law applies to driving for work, either as employees or anyone working for a business including limb (b) workers (dependent contractors) and self-employed people. The law applies to company vehicles as well as grey fleet (a vehicle owned and
driven by a worker for business purposes).
This means employers have a duty to manage health and safety risks to workers who drive or ride any vehicle as part of a work activity in the same way they would on a fixed site.
To comply with legislation, employers are expected to:
• Not do anything that puts drivers at risk.
• Ensure work-related driving activities do not endanger other road users.
• Put appropriate policies and procedures in place.
Employees are required to follow policies and procedures in relation to driving when at work.
It’s worth noting that, whilst commuting to work is not generally classified as driving for work, if someone starts a journey from their home and travels to a work location that is not their normal place of work, this is regarded as driving for work.
All members of the Association have access to the DfBB website; a powerful learning resource with downloadable materials and interactive self-assessments to help employers a) understand their responsibilities and b) implement best practice in their work activities. Use of the website and material is free – and anonymous.
The statistics suggest that, whilst most landscape professionals have the knowledge, skill and experience to design, construct and maintain gardens safely, some do not have the knowledge to fulfil their obligations in relation to road safety. Mindful of this, the DfBB website provides an interactive gap analysis tool to provide users with an evaluation of their existing fleet risk.
By sharing details including number of staff who drive for work, number of company cars and number of vans or light commercial vehicles, as well as details of any policy document used, the tool will help stakeholders establish how their organisation is managing the risks associated with occupational driving, as well as highlighting areas of weakness.
Completion of template questions allows users to download a personalised report, with guidance on where and how they may seek to improve on their current practices. The assessment is designed entirely for the benefit of the user; the results are not shared with third parties.
The DfBB website also contains a
benchmarking tool, intended to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to identify how their fleet compares to others in terms of incidents per million miles and cost per incident.
Need for a policy
Research suggests more than a quarter of businesses whose employees drive - either a car, light commercial vehicle or heavy commercial vehicle - as part of their role have not considered driving as part of their employee risk assessment, and do not have a documented driving for work policy.
A driving for work policy is like any other work-based policy; a statement that outlines an organisation’s practices and procedures, and the setting of clear expectations concerning employee behaviour and workplace procedures. Workplace policies are an important tool in safeguarding an organisation from risk.
An employer should outline what behaviour is expected from their employees when driving for work, as well as the risks likely to arise when employees drive as part of their job. A policy document allows a business to both assess risk and outline measures to tackle these.
The policy builder tool allows businesses either to create a new policy from scratch or review their existing policy to ensure they are adequately covered. The policy created will ensure employees are aware of their responsibilities as an employee – and road user.
The policy builder tool on the DfBB website allows employers to tailor policies according to individual business by covering aspects such as:
• Consequences of non-compliance
with policy
• Policy monitoring
• Driving license checks
• Employee fitness to drive
• Eyesight
• Medical conditions
• Fatigue
• Wellbeing
• Driver competence
• Vehicle considerations
• Roadworthiness
• Safe loads
• Vehicle cleanliness
• Vehicle security
• Engine idling
• Private use of company vehicles
• Towing
• Journey
• Journey planning
• Safe driving
• Safe speeds
• Seat belts
• Driver distraction i.e. use of mobile phones & eating/drinking
• Driving in adverse weather
• Passengers
• Smoking
• Fines and penalties
• Breakdowns
• Accident protocol
• Incident reporting
• Grey fleet driver policies
• Fitness to drive
• Hold a valid driving license
• Vehicle is appropriate for the journey and MOT’d
The policy also bestows responsibilities on individuals:
Senior Managers - from the head of the organisation down, to provide a safe working environment through the provision of wellmaintained vehicles that are fit for purpose.
Managers - should ensure work duties and practices are not planned that pressurise employees into driving in an unsafe or illegal manner and will challenge any unsafe attitudes and behaviours, encouraging each other to drive safely. They will co-operate with the monitoring, reporting and investigation procedures following a reported incident of non-compliance with this policy.
Office-based employees - will inform their manager of any information or concern regarding the health, wellbeing and safety of an employee who is required to drive for work and maintain complete and full records for employees and vehicles being used for work journeys. Office-based employees must be aware of the company policy on mobile phone use while driving and not put colleagues who may be driving at risk in this way.
Employees who drive for work - should make themselves aware of and comply with all company policy and procedures relating to driving for work. They should raise concerns to their manager around anything that may affect their ability to drive safely and cooperate with any investigation procedures regarding reported incidents that may involve them.
Aside from the risk and legal perspective, implementing a driving for work policy and supporting this with the resources on offer from the DfBB website has the potential to:
• Reduce collision repair costs
• Reduce maintenance costs
• Reduce fleet insurance and excess costs
• Reduce third party claims costs
• Reduce fuel use and emissions
• Reduce replacement staff and vehicle costs
• Reduce hidden management and admin costs
Further information
Driving for Better Business website: drivingforbetterbusiness.com
Owen Baker Technical Officer (Policy and Research)
Written by Owen Baker, Technical Officer (Policy and Research)
Users of LinkedIn and Twitter/X will have noticed their newsfeed increasingly featuring projects where Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) have been retrofitted in urban areas.
The scale of these projects range from small rain gardens, planters and filter strips to large redevelopment sites with geo-cellular storage systems, pervious surfaces and green roofs.
In London, SuDS are being installed at such a rate that an interactive map has been created by the Greater London Authority to identify the location of schemes, which are frequently constructed within schools, highways, parks and housing estates.
The common denominator amongst many retrofit SuDS schemes is their integration with surrounding landscape and use of planting. Existing ‘green’ areas of all sizes and shapes are being re-purposed to offer flood prevention in addition to the many other benefits more commonly associated with parks, gardens and miscellaneous soft estate in urban areas.
Together with most other urban areas throughout the United Kingdom (UK), London is at serious risk from flooding. The frequency and severity of flooding events is forecast to increase in the UK, placing a burden on the health and well-being of individuals, as well as potential social issues including damage to property, displacement, disruption of employment and/or education, financial burden and illness/injury arising either from the flooding event or aftermath.
According to UK Health Security figures, 6.1 million people currently live in flood-prone areas. This figure is forecast to increase under all climate change scenarios, but particularly where high-warming and/or limited global decarbonisation prevails. The number of people in the UK significantly at risk of flooding is projected to increase 61% by 2050 under a modest warming scenario (2°C) and 118% in a high warming scenario (4°C).
Little historic consideration for flood risk
Historically, most urban areas were constructed with little consideration for flood
risk management or resilience. Development was teamed with hard, engineered solutions which interrupted natural flooding processes, removed water storage capacity, increased overland flow and reduced infiltration.
Most existing stormwater drainage infrastructure was based on past climate trends which proved inadequate for contemporary flood events. Indeed, up until relatively recently, coastal (fluvial) flooding was the focus of concern, rather than pluvial (surface water) flooding.
Without mitigation, surface water flooding poses a significant risk to urban areas during periods of high rainfall, and can cause:
• surface water flooding of buildings and transport routes
• pollution of rivers and canals with contaminated surface water from roads
• release of raw sewage into local rivers
Wet weather in summer 2007 led to the country’s largest peacetime emergency since World War II, with over 46,000 homes and 6,000 business flooded. It was a brutal awakening to the combined
effects of climate change and inadequate infrastructure and planning.
The Government, under pressure to respond to perceptions of failure in managing flood risk, initiated The Pitt Review which sought to review the lessons learned from the flood event and make recommendations on better management of surface water. New approaches in urban design were required, which reflected the appreciation that society should live with, and make space for, water.
The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 was introduced with the aim of directing flood risk management and land-use planning. Whilst priorities would be set by Ministerial Departments, the Environment Agency was nominated as being operationally responsible for managing risks from main rivers and sea, with local governments responsible for local flood risk.
The term ‘protection’ was dropped in favour of ‘resilience’, and with it, the notion of containing water with hard engineering. This meant greater emphasis on the creation of climate-resilient places, with the ability to cope with high volumes of water in multifunctional green infrastructure.
By creating natural flood management systems and temporary rainwater storage areas, the flow of water could be better managed and the risk of flooding in upstream and downstream areas reduced.
SuDS was born
SuDS is one example of resilient infrastructure. Introduced as a concept in planning policy during the 1990s and supported in The Pitt Review, SuDS was presented as a solution to buffer the effects of heavy rain.
First by increasing infiltration and storing water, and secondly by desynchronising peak flows. Importantly, SuDS eases the pressure on sewer systems, therefore decreasing the risk of sewer flooding, which triggers the release of raw sewage into local rivers and the sea.
Intrinsically linked with landscape features
SuDS relies heavily on integration with landscape features and, just like the term landscape, is a collection of processes and features rather than a singular item. A series of components, commonly categorised into the groups listed below, work together to fulfil the ambitions of a system:
Source control
Responsible for management of precipitation close to where it falls by maximising permeability and reducing the need for offsite management. Examples include green
roofs, rainwater harvesting, permeable paving and other permeable surfaces.
Swales and conveyance channels Facilitate movement of water, either underground through pipes or overground via vegetated channels, between SuDS components.
Filtration or removal of sediment may be achieved via filter strips, trenches or bioretention areas. This may occur through trapping within the soil or aggregate, on plants or on geotextile areas within the component.
Captures surface water run-off and allows it to soak back through to the subsoil and water table. Examples include soakaways, infiltration trenches, infiltration basins and rain gardens.
Retention & detention
Components intended to provide storage (the retention of surface water) either on the surface via ponds, or underground in tanks or geocellular tanks. Retention components such as ponds feature a permanent pool of water, whereas detention components are normally dry, flat, open areas of grass designed to store water for a short time in the event of heavy rain.
Wetlands
Densley vegetated areas, responsible for removal of sediment, metals and particulates from surface water runoff. Often placed upstream from lakes or ponds to improve
water quality entering wetlands. Commonly feature species including Typha latifoli (Great reedmace or bulrush), Sparganium erectum (branched bur reed) and Juncus effusus (Soft rush). Can be used according to the catchment size.
Research suggests SuDS have the most beneficial effect when rainfall is managed close to where it falls, which has led to the proliferation of small schemes in urban areas during recent years.
Due to the intrinsic link between SuDS and natural processes, many members will have worked on schemes that feature landscape elements combined with water management techniques. Rain gardens and bioretention planters have been widely implemented in urban areas in recent years. Both derivatives have the potential to convert small areas of highway verge or public realm into viable SuDS components, and to intercept high volumes of surface water at little cost.
Challenging conditions dictate hardy plants capable of transitioning from very hot and dry to wet weather in a short space of time. Consequently, planting palettes are likely to feature grasses, sedges or rushes.
Where there is space, trees may also feature as a component of SuDS, providing they are suited to the environment and supported by appropriate infrastructure. And it’s not just Salix that can be specified in SuDS schemes; BALI supplier member, Hillier Trees, make several recommendations for trees including
liquidambar styraciflua, pinus sylvestris, platanus x hispanica and betula nigra
Even SuDS covering small areas have the potential to hold large quantities of water and delay release of stormwater into sewer systems. Whilst there is (surprisingly) little publicly accessible data to highlight exactly what positive effect SuDS have on a wider scale, peer reviewed research suggests flow rate reductions and postponing stormwater release into sewers for several hours are possible from small schemes.
Larger SuDS have been successfully integrated into new building development sites ranging in area from single factories and schools to housing estates and retail areas. In this scenario, several drainage components are generally used in series to improve water quality, control runoff and reduce pollution, with the aim of mimicking the natural pattern of drainage prior to the land being developed. Public open spaces are commonly used as additional surface water storage areas during periods of higher rainfall, resulting in large dual-purpose landscaped areas.
Implementation: a stumbling block
Peer reviewed research has revealed that, whilst resilience and SuDS have emerged as commonplace concepts in flood risk management, implementation of high-quality SuDS schemes has been constrained. Firstly, by a patchwork framework of policies, and secondly, lack of resources – either financial or the ability to access information/expertise.
Whilst responsibility for SuDS, along with flooding and climate change, has been decentralized to local planning authorities, this responsibility has not been supported by the provision of additional resources. Lack of training, collaboration and general understanding of SuDS within planning departments stifles their success and results in suboptimal results.
Research suggests that, despite financial contributions made by the developer of a site to local authority, maintenance of SuDS places a strain on local authority resources and is frequently omitted from cyclical activities. Feedback from local authorities suggests grass-cutting and litter picking activities are carried out, whilst specialist activities such as silt control and vegetation management are not carried out due to lack of funds. This risks undermining the integrity of systems and their long-term contribution to flood resilience.
Reports also suggest local planning authorities lack resources to monitor or enforce failures either in the construction or maintenance of SuDS schemes.
A new of era of the Flood and Water Management Act… and better SuDS?
There is hope the overdue incorporation of ‘Schedule 3’ into the Flood and Water
Management Act 2010 will resolve some of the issues currently stifling the widescale specification of SuDS projects in the UK.
Expected to be implemented later this year, Schedule 3 will mandate the incorporation of SuDS into new developments. Furthermore, construction work cannot start without approval from Dedicated SuDS approval bodies (SAB), who must consult relevant organisations or authorities.
Stakeholders hope the inclusion of Schedule 3 will lead to developers considering site-level drainage from the outset, and the implementation of high-quality solutions rather than a box-ticking exercise. The Association hope ongoing concerns regarding maintenance are addressed and will liaise with stakeholders regarding this aspect.
Further reading
Retrofit SUDS Map, London: apps.london.gov.uk/suds
Owen Baker Technical Officer (Policy and Research)
01432 845200
www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk enquiries@wyevale-nurseries.co.uk
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arbon sequestration is a crucial component of the UK’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change
. In Landscape News Summer, Barcham Trees discussed the work they have undertaken with Treeconomics to research and provide data on the carbon capture potential of trees, as well as the introduction of tree tags, showing the potential carbon capture of specific trees.
Over the past twenty years, Origin Amenity Solutions has been supporting similar research for grass. Landscape News met with Alistair Hayes, Local Authority & Contractor Sales Director for OAS, and Howard Wood B.Sc. (Hons) Environmental Consultant to discuss the research, the potential of carbon sequestration in grasses and how the industry needs to pull together.
Studies vary as to the amount of the Earth is covered by grassland, mainly due to differing definitions and types of grassland. These estimates range between 30 – 60%. In the UK, the Woodland Trust and Wildlife Trust both estimate the coverage to be 40% - equating to over 37,000 square miles -
providing a huge opportunity to consider the carbon sequestration potential.
Unlike trees, where the carbon is stored in the woody biomass and leaves, grass stores carbon underground in the roots and soil. Once the carbon is in, it doesn’t come out unless the soil is disturbed. Considering the amenity sector – golf courses, football and rugby pitches, public parks, as well as other grassland areas including domestic gardens, the carbon sequestration potential of grass is considerable.
With a focus of researching carbon sequestration in trees, why not do the same for permanent grassland? In 2005, OAS partnered with French grass breeding company Top Green, to measure the carbon storage in organic matter in the grass soil. The first phase of the research undertaken by the team was data collection about what grasses can do. Howard, who has been involved in the project since its inception, explains the methodology and how this has been used to provide verifiable information of carbon sequestration potential in different grass species.
Trees and grasses as with all other chlorophyll-based plants use photosynthesis to convert CO2 into organic compounds using sunlight.
Trees lock carbon as lignin (woody matter) with 80% of the biomass being above ground in tree trunks and branches. For grasses, the woody parts of the plants are the fibrous roots, with 70 - 80% of the biomass underground.
Denser, deeper, faster growing grass root systems will produce more organic matter and hence more carbon.
We can best visualise the root mass of grasses as a carbon reservoir representing about 27 tonnes of CO2 per hectare. When roots die, they decompose into humus and the carbon is transferred into the soil. In addition to roots, some grass clippings and leaves may also transform to humus.
Carbon sequestration into the soil is thought to increase annually and stabilise after about 50 years although it may not have a maximum holding capacity in certain climatic conditions. If the organic matter
does not decompose it may build up as peat deposits, this is what happens on moorland. The build-up of thatch on sports grounds is a parallel process; subject to compaction and anaerobic conditions the rapid formation of organic matter is easily observable in a season.
The research first looked at the potential differences for carbon sequestration between grass species at the Top Green trial grounds sown in 2005 at Les Alleuds, France; having access to several hectares of 1m2 plots.
The method of analysis, known as L.O.I. (Loss on Ignition) involves burning off the organic matter from the dry soil samples at 450oC for several hours and comparing the results to the baseline soil organic matter (SOM) before the grass was sown.
The initial results showed significant differences of carbon sequestration between species varying from 4.7 to 20.5 tons of CO2eq / yr.
Since 2005, the research has been extended to look at grass cultivars on trial plots in Denmark as well as in France. Here, it was observed a greater difference between the cultivars of a species than between the averages of species. It was also observed that the Danish trial plots sequestered about half as much carbon as the French trial plots. The conclusion was this was caused by the different soil types, the climate and the length of the growing season. The results, however, did show an excellent consistency between cultivars wherever they were grown.
It should be noted that all the grass cultivars tested are registered cultivars that have been compared by the BSPB (British Society of Plant Breeders) for visual merit, disease resistance, recovery etc.
With the research results in hand, the team then looked at how they could be best put to use. Given the wide choice of grass cultivars with proven qualities that are used in sports and amenity mixes, it made sense to offer the cultivars with better scores for carbon sequestration to those wishing to reduce their carbon footprint.
OAS selects the better performing cultivars for the Carbon4Grass seed range. Comparative graphs in the literature show the difference between a selected Carbon4Grass mix and a standard mix where the carbon scores have been compared.
Typically, the differences represent 20%30% increases in carbon sequestration. It should be remembered that these results are based on trial plots, real time monitoring of carbon sequestration on golf courses, sports grounds and amenity areas should be undertaken if the exact figures are required for any particular geographical location.
To measure the carbon impact of any area, there needs to be an understanding of the carbon cost to the environment of creating and maintaining the green spacemachinery, men and products used. Matching this against a green audit provides a benchmark of carbon in versus carbon out, providing a positive/neutral/negative carbon figure.
Support data on emissions is available from UK Government, as well as from the EU. But there is currently no agreed national industry standard for undertaking a carbon audit of a green space, so OAS has developed their own methodology, as Alistair explains, “You test what you have ‘today’ – this provides the benchmark. From this benchmark you undertake a repeat audit – ideally this should be annually in exactly the same area the original test was taken. Over time this builds up a picture of the impact, and as a result, potential changes to work practices can be undertaken to reduce the carbon maintenance cost, as well as introducing additional carbon storing options (tree’s, grasses etc).
Much of this type of improvement work is already undertaken across the industry, with councils introducing different working practices, such as using mowers that remove the requirement for additional strimming, and the movement towards electrification of
vehicles and machinery.
In addition, the majority of amenity areas, such as sports pitches undertake overseeding to maintain the quality of the grass, providing an ideal opportunity to introduce new, carbon efficient species to further enhance carbon reduction.
With some data now in place for measuring carbon for grasses and trees, in theory auditing predominantly single species areas – such as woodland or sports pitches, can be considered more straightforward than areas such as parks and similar environments where there is significant diversity of green structures, and limited holistic data available.
When choosing a grass seed mix, having a focus on carbon reduction for a green space is important, but it must also be balanced with ensuring the space is fit for purpose. Howard notes, “first and foremost the grasses must be fit for purpose, for example hard-wearing for a football pitch, or aesthetically pleasing for a lawn – these are the primary selection criteria. But the monitoring and measuring of the carbon is an additional benefit that comes through.”
In addition, implementing changes to support enhanced carbon sequestration, such as changing grass species, introducing new trees and plants, and changing machinery is not a quick or simple process -
nor an option that will show immediate cost reductions, as as auditing and monitoring of sites has to be allowed for. With consistently rising costs, budgets are already being squeezed to their limit, so focussing only on improving carbon sequestration tends to not be the primary reason for any change.
While carbon sequestration through trees and grass represents a valuable tool in the UK's climate strategy, its successful application requires a holistic approach. This includes ongoing research, practical implementation strategies, and careful consideration of costs and benefits. As the industry continues to evolve, collaborative efforts and innovations in both tree and grass management will be key to maximising the carbon sequestration potential and contributing to the broader goal of climate mitigation
The Carbon4Grass range from Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) has been developed to support the industry’s awareness of carbon mitigation in amenity and landscaped areas.
The research undertaken into carbon sequestration has shaped the range, with cultivars that have proven to sequester (lock up) more carbon specifically chosen to help mitigate the environmental impact of maintaining intensively managed turf without compromising on quality.
Within the Carbon4Grass range are 10 mixtures for sports grounds, golf courses, and amenity applications, including ‘Low Maintenance’ ultrafine rye and fescue blend ideal for landscaped areas. Incorporating
Creepstar creeping perennial ryegrass for stabilisation and recovery, and Angelina perennial ryegrass known for the shortest re-growth, Low Maintenance delivers a hard-wearing, dense and drought-tolerant sward with lower requirements for mowing.
Jayne Leyland, Product Portfolio Director for OAS said, “Sustainability is a major part of the OAS environmental strategy and that of many leading sporting venues. To offer customers the Carbon4Grass range is a great way to not only assure quality performance and results but to make significant inroads to helping our customers offset their carbon footprint.” originamenity.com
Members have continued to showcase their skills and expertise at the RHS summer shows, being presented with an array of medals and awards, in addition to supporting charitable causes, sustainable practices and encouraging the next generation.
At RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, Accredited Contractor Acacia Gardens demonstrated their expertise across two gardens.
The Way of Saint James Show Garden was set in Galicia, Spain, and designed for a prominent Galician family, drawing inspiration from the region’s extensive gardens. Key elements of the garden include a pilgrim statue, Camino symbols such as the Santiago cross and a yellow arrow, a water fountain, a natural pond, boulders, trees, and woodland planting. These features create an atmosphere reminiscent of the pilgrims’ journey.
In addition to being awarded a silver medal by the RHS, the garden also won the esteemed People’s Choice Show Garden Award.
The Acacia Gardens team also built Get Started Garden, The Making Sense Garden, which also won both a silver medal and the coveted People’s Choice Get Started Garden Award.
The Making Sense Garden is more than just a garden; it’s a sensory haven meticulously crafted for individuals with smell and taste disorders. It enhances the senses of sight, sound, and touch, providing a therapeutic space for exploration, relaxation, and social interaction.
“The creation of The Making Sense Garden involved meticulous digging to achieve the sunken garden effect, with a curved path and steps seamlessly connecting to the ground level. This showcases the exceptional expertise of the Acacia Gardens team. Winning the People’s Choice Award is the highest accolade we could wish for as landscape contractors. Bringing this beautifully and thoughtfully designed garden to life was a pleasure, and having our efforts recognised by the show’s visitors is gratifying. Our business is about pleasing customers, so this award is a true honour.” Herman Pobrati, Managing Director, Acacia Gardens.
The Association was promoting members and their Accredited services at the show. With the amazing support provided by Accredited Suppliers, Clifton Nurseries and Growing Revolution, the trade stand was transformed into an oasis, which drew members of the public, allowing the team to promote the benefits of using a BALI Accredited member.
Just two weeks later, the team headed up to RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, where, once again, we were promoting BALI members and the importance of accreditation. Taking a slightly different approach to represent BALI members, the team were working from the glorious Show Garden designed and built by Accredited Contractor Grant Horticulture.
The Silver-gilt medal winning ‘Grant Horticulture Arts and Crafts Garden’, celebrated architecture, gardening and craftsmanship, drawing on some of the key creative themes from the Arts & Crafts period to create a garden which is modern, yet rooted in traditional practice.
With this garden, designer Callum Bain MacKay aimed to highlight the value of local artisans and craftspeople, and a return to thoughtfully produced items and structures, with a focus on environmentally sound practices and utilising locally available materials instead of relying on cheaper, less sustainable alternatives.
Entertaining Meets Nature, the Young Designer garden built by Training Provider The Landscape Academy and sponsored by Composite Prime, was not only awarded a Gold medal, but also received the People’s Choice for Best Young Designer Garden.
The garden combined two entertaining spaces, each with a distinct purpose and feel, separated by a feature waterfall and planting. Young designer Callum Corrie aimed to showcase the possibilities of creating a useable and functional outdoor space that not only provided a relaxing and inviting social space, but also a haven for wildlife by offering homes, shelter and food.
Callum was mentored through the process of creating a garden for the RHS show by The Landscape Academy, who supported Callum through the different phases from design and build, including specification, construction principles, show garden builds and business development.
“Education and development are vital to the success of our industry,” says Academy Director Mark Youde. “The Landscape Academy was founded to offer support and knowledge among the younger generation, career changers and industry professionals. We’re pleased to see that with people like Callum, there’s an increase in the recognition of the broad skill set and diverse range of career paths within this exciting industry presents.”
Members also supported gardens through sponsorship. Accredited Supplier London Stone sponsored Career Changer Garden, The Better New Build, receiving a Silvergilt medal. The garden was designed to inspire new build homeowners and property developers to make more of their spaces and seek alternatives to artificial grass.
Accredited Contractor Wright Landscapes and Accredited Supplier Talasey Landscape Solutions sponsored the Silver medal winning The 1804 Garden, a Show Garden bringing attention to the heightened skin cancer risk associated with working outdoors.
BALI is proud to offer member access to a wide range of benefits. One of the most comprehensive benefits offered to Accredited and Associate members is through BALI HR / H&S, powered by Quest. No matter what type or size of business, the services provided through this resource can be beneficial to everyone.
Through this service, members have unlimited access to guidance, advice and a host of standard documents and templates relating to HR, Health and Safety, Tax and VAT, and Legal.
All services can be accessed through the dedicated advice line - 0116 243 7881where the team can provide advice and guidance on a range of topics, from simple queries to serious problems or issues. Below gives you an idea of some the areas the team on the advice line can help you with.
HR
• Employment, company or commercial law
• Disability issues
• Staff grievances and disputes
• Contracts of employment
• Equal pay
• National living wage
• Managing apprentices
• Eligibility to work
• Medical capability
• Calculating holiday or sick pay
Health & Safety
• Training
• Gap analysis
• Risk assessments
• Health & Safety policies and documents
• Accident reporting
• First aid requirements
• Employee safety handbook
Tax and VAT
• Corporation tax calculations
• HMRC enquiries and investigations
• VAT and tax return form help
• Penalties
• Travel and subsistence costs
Law
• Legal or contract disputes
• Commercial or company law
• Data protection
• GDPR
• Debt collection
• Insolvancy
In addition to the advice line, members also receive access to a suite of documents online, which includes over 750 free, downloadable templates covering employment (including an additional section specifically for Northern Ireland), health and safety and legal matters. The documents include template policies, letters, forms, checklists, risk assessments and how-to guides.
As a small business, access to this free, unlimited support can be invaluable, removing the requirement to pay a thirdparty. As a larger business, this is a fantastic resource for HR, Finance or Commercial teams to access to provide clarification, or use a template as a starting point, saving time.
The service offers two routes to get the support you need.
Calling 0116 243 7881 gives you access to five advice lines - HR, Legal, Health & Safety, Tax and VAT. Members have unlimited access to all lines, with the HR and legal lines available 365 days a year. The lines are manned by very experienced advisors who can answer any questions you may have or help resolve issues. When you call, you will be asked for your Quest account number, this is the same as your BALI org reference number, found on your membership certificate.
The website - bali.questcover.com - is the repository for all downloadable documents. All members will have received the login details when you became an Accredited member of the Association (this would have been sent to the main contact).
The membership team are always happy to help with any queries you have relating to this benefit, or any others, so feel free to contact a member of the team on (+44) 024 7669 8658 or via email at membership@bali.org.uk
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When employers tell us about the difficulties they face in recruiting the right staff for their businesses, the challenge of writing a standout and appealing job advert features highly, as well as a smooth recruitment and on-boarding process.
Many employers tell us that job adverts and recruitment can be “a nightmare” and so are looking for guidance on how to improve their recruitment and retention record.
The GoLandscape team contacted to two recruiters in the industry to seek their advice and tips on how to write a better job advert and help to ensure that your selection process works to find you the best people for the opportunities you have.
Nicola Rogers, Groundwork, based in London, works with businesses, social enterprises, and training providers to recruit candidates to jobs and training schemes across the capital. Sarah Want works for land based and food sector recruitment specialists MorePeople and is also a committee member for the Young People in Horticulture Association.
We asked them both what a good job advert might look like. While both Sarah and Nicola told us that there was no perfect answer, they assured us that there were many things that you can do to make your job adverts stand out and improve your hit rate.
Before starting, ensure your business has an online presence. Sarah told us “Ensuring you have an online presence in the form of a website or social media such as LinkedIn or Instagram is of utmost importance”
It is currently a candidate driven market, with candidates having access to many job options, having an online presence gives those prospective employees the chance to view your company and get a feel for your values. People are unlikely to apply for a role with a business that they can’t find anything out about. Whilst websites take time, an Instagram or LinkedIn page can be a bit quicker, and posts on projects, current work etc can go a long way.
As more people look at websites and online content “on the go”, when you write your job advert think about the equipment prospective candidates may be using. Walls of text are hard to read on a phone.
Your job advert from the off should be eye catching. Your opening paragraph should be brief but inviting. Try to ensure that the job title relates to the job in hand and avoid using acronyms, abbreviations or other jargon that may confuse anyone looking at the advert. Attention spans are getting shorter with people reading for about 12 seconds on average before they get bored, so your advert needs to grab people in the first few sentences.
Your job advert is part of a sales pitch; you are selling your job to candidates. So, think about what your ideal candidate looks like and what kind of things you absolutely need from a prospective employee. Nicola told us, and we have also heard this from many employers, that jobs can be learnt, and skills can be taught – but it’s difficult to teach or learn a good attitude.
Always ensure you are highlighting the benefits of working for your company, added value benefits should be prioritised
such as flexible working. Remember a 3% pension is not a benefit but rather the minimum required by law – so everyone will be offering this!
Think carefully about job descriptions and how the job could be made flexible to encourage more applications. Also be aware that the job description is not the job advert! So, don’t be tempted to list what the job needs by simply putting the job description into the advert. Be creative and find ways to make the role, and your company, attractive. Keep the advert easy to read, but ensure the candidate can have access to the job description.
Try and word the advert in a nonspecific way; Sarah explains “rather than say you must have 5 years’ experience in a job, say you will have experience of working in this sector”this encourages those who may not have the exact experience required to apply, therefore broadening your reach.
Make sure your advert has contact details such as an email address or telephone number, being accessible to everyone is important. Finally, once you’ve written your advert get someone to read it before you post it, make sure it encapsulates your company and the job on offer.
You may well have several roles that you are looking to fill, and you may see it as a timesaver to run similar ads for those roles. Nicola advises against this and sees this as a false economy. “Taking a few extra moments to ensure that the ad has the right wording for different roles will help ensure that you are getting the right candidates to interview and will save you time in the long run”.
Recruitment costs time and money so do everything you can to get it right in the beginning. If something isn’t working, then make a change to your advert.
In a candidate driven market meaning people who are actively looking are likely to have multiple opportunities available. Sarah stressed that it’s more important than ever that you get the job advert right. Try to make the job/advert as open as possible and so appeal to as many prospective candidates as possible.
Also think about the words you use within the advert. Making some criteria essential may put off candidates whose skills and qualifications don’t exactly meet the criteria. If more criteria are defined as desirable, then candidate who closely match will be more tempted to apply – widening your appeal. Always have equality at the front of your mind when writing the person specification and job description. And while you should always be honest about the workplace – do paint a positive picture!
You should also be thinking about how you can cast the widest net possible. It may be that you need to reword your advert to make the job as flexible as possible to appeal to as wide an audience as possible – even hoping to attract candidates that you may not normally consider (or who may not consider you).
If your advert places demands on the candidate that they cannot meet - and are not truly essential to the role - you may well be dissuading a whole swath or people who would come with the right attitude to thrive in your business.
And if your job advert isn’t getting the responses that you expect, don’t be afraid to go back to it and reword it! It’s always a good idea to have someone look over the advert before its posted – a service Sarah at MorePeople can help you with – but keep the advert under review. Recruitment is a process, not just a one-off exercise, and with a few tweaks an advert that hasn’t worked, may become a success.
Similarly, Sarah says it’s important to think about where you place your job adverts and the words you use to hit search algorithms. Words that may work well on sites dedicated to land based or environmental jobs may not fare so well on more generic job sites. So, choose carefully where you are placing the advert, is it the right place for your target market?
Once you do get some applications, you will need to think about the next step in the process.
Nicola, who has experience working with a range of candidates including those who could be classed as “hard to reach” reminded
us that your interview and assessment techniques may have to adapt depending on who has applied for the role.
At interview, make candidates feel at ease, have no more than three people on your panel, ideally one or two. If the candidate needs to speak to more than 3 stakeholders, add in additional dates for interview. If a candidate is nervous, try and start the interview with some informal, small talk. Maybe talk about the hobbies section on their CV, the football or Olympics, something that can put them a bit more at ease and make them comfortable before heading back to the interview process. Be friendly and make sure that you give the right impression about your business to help ensure a good fit with the new employee.
Competency based questions are standard, but can you re-frame them? Asking questions about hypothetical situations may yield more fruitful answers. Always leave time for the candidate to ask questions, and ensure you answer them fully. Don’t forget the candidate is interviewing you as well!
Not everyone interviews well. It may be that, for more practical roles, an assessment day or a practical demonstration of skills, where you can see them undertake aspects of the role, may give you a better chance to see what they can bring to the job.
Ensure that after each stage of interview you are managing the candidates’ expectations, Sarah explains “Throughout the whole process make sure the candidate knows your timelines give feedback when you promised to, it is up to you to manage their expectations”. Remember candidates currently have their pick of the job market, the impression that you give during the recruitment process will form the basis of their impression of you and your company.
As we said earlier, recruitment is time consuming and can be expensive. Once you have found the right person for the role, you want to do all you can to keep them! Have
realistic expectations about new employees, ensure the onboarding process is smooth. Planning in regular catch ups through their probation period will mean you and they can address any issues as they arise. Think about arranging a mentor for them during this time so that they feel the company are committed to them and their future, “equip them to succeed” and you will reap the benefits.
Further support
For employers in the Greater London area, consider using the London Green Space Skills Hub jobs board. Supported by the Mayor of London, Groundwork runs the jobs board and supports the employer through the process or writing and monitoring job adverts. Visit their website greenspaceskillshub.london/ jobs for more information.
For employers in other areas of the country, jobs can be posted on the YPHA jobs board free of charge at ypha.org.uk/full-time-opportunities
For more information on more people visit their website morepeople.co.uk
As a BALI member, remember you can benefit from reduced rates when you post job adverts on Horticulture Careers horticulturecareers.co.uk
Confirmed dates for industry shows and events in 2024. Correct at time of print. For the most up-to-date listings visit bali.org.uk/events
2 October Regional event: RHS Harlow Carr bali.org.uk/events
4 October Regional event: Machinery and Tools bali.org.uk/events
15 - 16 October Trade show: FutureScape London futurescapevent.com
23 October Regional event: London Stone uncovered bali.org.uk/events
30 – 31 October Trade show: SALTEX saltex.org.uk
21 November Regional event: South West Christmas social bali.org.uk/events
6 December National Landscape Awards baliawards.co.uk
Perennial is excited to invite you to participate in a thrilling firewalk fundraiser on 18 October 2024. Set against the stunning backdrop of Hever Castle, this unforgettable experience will challenge your courage and strengthen your commitment to supporting the horticultural community.
The event starts at 3:00pm, allowing participants to experience the serene beauty of Hever Castle’s grounds before facing the flames.
With expert firewalk instructors on hand to provide comprehensive training, you can be confident that you'll be fully prepared to
walk across hot coals and blaze a trail for a good cause.
By registering for £25 per person, with a fundraising target of £150, you will directly contribute to Perennial’s essential services, which include health and financial wellbeing and training and development programmes for individuals in the horticultural industry.
For over 185 years, Perennial has been a reliable safety net for horticulturists in need. They understand the pressures of the job and are here to help when it matters most. Now, more than ever, it’s vital for both organisations and individuals in our sector to support Perennial. By doing so, we can ensure that our
industry brothers and sisters are taken care of, no matter what challenges they face.
Neil Miller, Head Gardener at Hever Castle shares his enthusiasm “As a long-time supporter of the fantastic charity Perennial, I literally can’t wait to get my boots off and walk across hot coals for them at Hever Castle on the 18 October! We think it will be a really wonderful (and unforgettable) experience and would love as many of our horticultural friends as possible to join us on the day and raise lots of funds for a charity very close to my heart.”
“We are delighted to host our second firewalk at such a prestigious and historic location,” says Eleanor Steele, Community Fundraiser at Perennial “The Firewalk is not just about the thrill of the challenge; it’s about coming together as a community to support those who nurture the landscapes and gardens we all cherish. We encourage everyone to join us for an unforgettable evening that promises to inspire and make a real difference.”
Nathan Day, from Plan & Plant, who took part in Perennial’s 2023 firewalk shared his experience “Being able to challenge ourselves and prove that we can tackle anything was great, but to connect with like-minded peers was a lovely reminder that we are part of a wider endearing community. If you have the time or enthusiasm to help others, we highly recommend signing up for their next challenge!”
Lean more at perennial.org.uk/support-us/ events/firewalk-for-perennial
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