Association News

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Association, responsible for providing strategic leadership and the ultimate direction of the organisation. At the recent National AGM, a new Chair and Vice-Chair were voted in, along with 4 new Directors. Although the Board work together for the best interests of the Association and its members, each has their own focus and passion within the wider industry.

Executive Board:

Nigel Bowcock, Chair Acre Landscapes

I’ve been a Board Director since 2014, and I am excited to start my tenure as Chair. I co-founded GoLandscape, and will continue to support its growth, helping the Association reach the target of recruiting over 100 Ambassadors to deliver the GoLandscape message.

Richard Stone, Treasurer Bawden Contracting Services

On the Board, I undertake the role of Honorary Treasurer, responsible for financial reports, financial analysis, and budgeting. I take an active part in all Board activities, with a particular passion to help develop the Association’s digital offering, evolving business planning and improve processes.

Wayne Grills, Chief Executive British Association of Landscape Industries

I’m committed to raising the association’s profile at both government and industry level. I support cross-industry working groups and committees, representing the Association and its members, including APPGHG, Scottish Ministerial Industry Roundtable Group and the OHRG.

Tessa Johnstone, Vice-Chair Johnstone Landscapes

As Vice-Chair of the Board, I look forward to supporting Nigel and Wayne in ensuring all strands of the new strategy are delivered. I will also continue to work alongside Adrian Wickham to support and build on the work we have started in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion arena.

Matt O’Conner, Immediate Past Chair, John O’Conner Ground Maintenance

My vision is one of constant innovation and delivering benchmarked landscape services via a skilled and trained workforce. I will support the current Chair and Vice-Chair and am driven to ensure quality is the golden thread that runs throughout the association and its membership.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Shazna Ali MCM

With an objective, pragmatic and collaborative approach, I support industry initiatives and am active with trade organisations across client sectors. I look forward to bringing this approach to the Association as a new Board Director.

Paul Downer Oak View Landscapes

I am a great believer in “giving back”, carrying out guest lectures to students and act as a mentor providing business advice and support to less experienced companies. I am also a GoLandscape Ambassador and a Trustee of the BALI Chalk Fund.

Tim Howell Mitie

I have worked within the landscape industry for almost 4 decades. For the last 5 years I have actively participated and am currently Chair of the BALI-NCF. I am excited about my recent appointment to the Board and look forward to supporting the Association and its members.

Stuart Simpson Ashlea

I have been active within the landscape/ horticulture industry for over 37 years and have been an Association Board Director for 11 years. I am passionate about landscaping and delivering quality works for future generations to enjoy.

Adrian Wickham Glendale Managed Services

I believe that I can be part of a passionate Board which can protect and ensure that the future of the industry is good for all the people within it; as well as promote the industry to all those who may have never considered a career within it.

Jake Catling The Landscape Consultants

As South Thames Chair and now a Board Director, I am in a position to continue helping GoLandscape increase industry engagement both through better story-telling on a local and national level. My other focus is the development of the Academy pilot.

Richard Gill Green-tech

I have been on the Yorkshire & Northeast committee for 10 years and am currently Vice-Chairman, as well as being a GoLandscape Ambassador. I’m very honoured to join the Board, and look forward to helping increase membership levels, and support the industry’s leading association.

Matt Nokes Ground Control

I am a chartered Landscape Architect with over 20 years industry experience. I feel I offer a perspective on the Board that compliments the other Directors and focus on encouraging and promoting integrated collaboration to create high quality landscapes.

Ricky Whiteman Gavin Jones

As Student Director, I promote the industry to people who may be considering a career or studying towards a qualification in the industry, sharing my experience and enthusiasm of how fulfilling and diverse a career in our industry can be.

Maylim celebrate Grand Award win at National Landscape Awards

Accredited Contractor Maylim celebrated at the 46th National Landscape Awards, taking home the prestigious Grand Award and Principal Award in their category for Hard Landscaping Construction (non-domestic) - Over £500K for the redevelopment of the unique Exchange Square, London.

The annual National Landscape Awards, held at the iconic JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London celebrates the skills, hard work, quality, commitment, and successes of Association members and are the largest awards of their kind in Europe. They recognise excellence in landscape design, construction, and maintenance both in the UK and overseas, as well as supplier exceptional service and employer excellence.

Credit: Daniel Fisher

This is the second Grand Award win for hard and soft landscaping specialists Maylim, who won back in 2017 for One Tower Bridge. They have over 20 years’ experience in executing high-quality public realm and landscaping schemes, as well as highway and civil engineering projects, across both public and private sectors.

The Grand award-winning project, ‘Exchange Square’ sits at the heart of Broadgate, London’s largest pedestrianised neighbourhood. Suspended above the tracks of Liverpool Street Station, the landscape, spanning 5,000m2, unfolds across several levels to create a more natural topography. Exchange Square is a new public park, which has been re-imagined as a bucolic landscape with trees, generously planted borders, and green space.

Rather than simply demolish the existing scheme, the contractor chose to ‘deconstruct’ it, dismantling and removing the hard materials, including 300 tonnes of granite and 20 tonnes of boulders, and re-purposing them on other public realm projects. This approach has reduced the environmental impact and financial costs of the new scheme and must surely be the sustainable way forward for future public realm projects.

Credit: Daniel Fisher

This year’s National Landscape Awards’ Judges, led by experienced Chair John Melmoe, jointly commented that “This scheme is not only an exemplar of public realm landscaping excellence, fully deserving of the Grand Award, but also a lesson in finding and pursuing alternative solutions to the challenges faced by contractors who are replacing existing hard landscapes.”

The project aimed to transform the ageing, corporate and rectilinear former square into an accessible, natural city park with sweeping curves and a fourfold increase in green space. A bespoke and unique pallet of materials was used across the scheme, quite different to any other public realm in the UK. Over 3,000 individual pieces of CNC cut terrazzo form the sweeping amphitheatre, cascading water feature and raised planters.

From start to finish, placemaking was at the very heart of the project. Throughout the construction period, Maylim’s interaction and collaboration with local communities and businesses surrounding Exchange Square extended the positive impacts of the scheme, providing opportunities for rest and relaxation amidst the bustle of city life.

Chair of the Judging Panel John Melmoe concluded: “The repurposing and reusing of existing materials on this project has reduced the environmental impact and financial costs of the new scheme and must surely be the sustainable way forward for future public realm projects.”

Ibrox Stadium Tour

Glorious Autumnal Events

It has been an incredibly busy time within the industry, however the regional committees have been making the most of getting together outdoors, enjoying the last glimpse of summer sun.

Regional Events

The South Thames regional committee arranged an event at the glorious Griffin Nurseries in Liphook for a tour of their nursery. The afternoon was well attended by both members and non-members to enjoy delicious food courtesy of Earth to Oven, knowledgeable talks on plant health delivered by Andrew Gaunt and Soil Specialist, Nicky Snoad.

Key suppliers were also in attendance, including Schellevis, BHGS, Makita, Platipus Anchors, City of Irrigation, and Compact Loaders. “I thought it was great. Really useful information from the sponsors. I haven’t been to one of these for a while, so nice to catch up with people and absorb some info.” The North Thames committee visited Majestic Trees in St Albans. Steve McCurdy kindly welcomed us to his nursery for an afternoon which included a tour of the nursery covering how they prepare the trees from delivery to tree pit, and the importance of tree sourcing. He

Visit to Majestic Trees

also shared knowledge about the many industry regulations they must adhere to.

Back inside he delivered inspirational presentations ‘Lifting, Moving and Planting Big Trees’ and ‘Success Doesn’t Just Happen’, an insight into his own personal story establishing the business. “Thanks to Steve McCurdy of Majestic Trees for hosting the tree handling session. Steve is an experienced and long ranged nurseryman who is an inspiration to the industry”

The Scottish committee got together at the iconic Ibrox Stadium Rangers F.C. for a tour of the stadium. They received exclusive insight into the maintenance

Griffin Nurseries Tour

and preparation from Head Groundsman of 37 years, David Roxburgh who remains passionate and proud to be part of the stadium’s history. “The visit to Ibrox was very informative, David the head groundsman had a wealth of knowledge and was more than happy to share this along with an overview of how intricate his job at Ibrox is. Overall, a real insight into how much work and commitment it takes to keep the pitch looking as good as it does.”

Webinars

The Association partnered with the Tree and Design Action Group (TDAG) to deliver an informative webinar discussing how to retain existing healthy trees and plant news trees as part of development projects. Hosted by Jeremy Barrell and David Johnson, the webinar gave a real insight into the importance of protection around urban and rural areas, including why it is so important to protect them around developments, how trees are important both aesthetically, as well as for wellbeing, nature and wildlife.

As with all our webinars, this is now available ‘on-demand’ within the members area of the BALI website.

The regional committees, along with the team at Landscape House are now hard at work developing a selection of events, workshops and webinars for 2023. For a list of scheduled events, please see page 50. Regular updates will follow in due course via email and on the website bali.org.uk/events. For more information, or if you have a suggestion for an event or webinar, please contact francesca.bienek@bali.org.uk

Mental Health

a year on...

On World Mental Health Day 2021, the Association launched a new initiative, reaching out to members to consider the value of having a mental health first aider in their team, and committing to support mental health in the workplace. A year on from the launch, we look back on the initiative, as the Association launches new dates for the accredited Mental Health First Aid courses for 2023.

Never more so than in recent times has support for mental health been so important. Poor mental health carries an economic and social cost - approximately £116 billion a year in Great Britain in 2021/22. Stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 51% of all work-related ill health cases and 55% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health*.

Mental Health First Aiders are a vital part of any organisation. In the current climate, Bianca Jones from EDP Training states they have increasing reports of anxiety around Christmas and the cost of living crisis. She feels it is a business necessity to have trained people on hand that are able to: • Spot the signs and symptoms of poor mental health to aid early detection and early prevention • Have an understanding of the common mental illnesses • Know how to be supportive and listen empathetically and genuinely to somebody • Have knowledge of resources that can be used to signpost people to professional help • Encourage self-help strategies

Since the launch, the Association has supported its members train over 90 employees across 60 organisations in mental health first aid. This is a positive start to our commitment to supporting mental health within the industry. The Association’s Mental Health First Aid initiative has continued to go from strength to strength with many more businesses booking employees onto the available courses, taking the pledge to enable more awareness and support to those around them.

Bianca also highlights the benefits on having onsite Mental Health First Aiders include:

• A psychologically safe workforce • Decreased absenteeism and presentism • Longer tenure and retaining employees • Increased wellbeing and productivity /outputs

All this not only leads to a safe and supportive work environment, but also highlights the significant business benefits as a result.

The Association, in conjunction with all those who have taken the courses in 2022, would like to thank Bianca and her team for delivering such a heavy subject with such an easy going, warm approach and always there to support as required.

I found the course very insightful and feel that I have learnt a lot and gained a lot of confidence when approaching mental health in and out of the workplace. The structure of the course was great – it was nice to have a mix of discussions, interactive sessions, breakout rooms and self learning. “

Mental Health First Aid Training Courses 2023

We are continuing to offer the 2-day online accredited Mental Health First Aid courses to Association members at 50% discount in 2023.

The course has a new format with self-learning being removed and runs 9-5pm with regular breaks with a maximum of 16 delegates per course. The course includes a workbook, digital manual, lanyard, app access and access to the MHFA platform for webinars and useful information.

The 2023 course dates are now finalised, visit bali.org.uk/training now to secure your place. • 30 - 31 January 2023 • 13 - 14 March 2023

• 12 - 13 June 2023 • 25 - 26 September 2023

* Source: https://www.hse.gov.uk/ statistics/causdis/stress.pdf

Bianca Jones - a qualified MHFA England instructor