Landscape & Amenity Product Update August 2018

Parents claim they have ‘no time’ to take kids to the park

To mark the launch of #LoveParks Week last month

Keep Britain Tidy called on parents across the UK to make time to visit their local green space with their child, as research shows a whopping 75% of children would like to spend more time outdoors.

The research reveals that children in Britain visit outdoor spaces an average of three times a week, with four out of five parents (80%) admitting they would like their child to spend more time outside.

When it comes to barriers to children spending time outdoors, the top reason given by parents was that they don’t have time to take their children to the park.

As a result, classic outdoor skills children often learn in the park could be on the decline, with the research indicating that over a third (34%) of children have never learnt to ride a bike, and almost half (49%) have never climbed a tree.

Love Parks Week celebrates and highlights not just major UK parks, but unexpected areas of greenery, ensuring outdoor space is accessible for all.

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison OgdenNewton said: “Parks and green spaces are an essential part of childhood. It’s great to see that, despite recent concerns about digital distractions, only 19% of children prefer playing on devices to exploring the great outdoors.

“I’m delighted that three quarters of our children actually want to spend more time outside, so I urge parents to help make that happen by frequenting their local green space.

“Love Parks Week is the perfect time to make a date with nature, take part in a host of activities, and explore your green space.”

New funding for innovative projects to build stronger communities

A new £7 million fund to support trailblazing approaches to building more integrated communities in England has been launched.

The Integrated Communities Innovation Fund will help drive forward the proposals to tackle the key causes of poor integration set out in the government’s Integrated

Communities Strategy green paper launched in March 2018.

The new Innovation Fund aims to support similar trailblazing projects that will share their learning more widely, allowing other areas to develop proven approaches to tackling the key causes of poor integration.

Jennie Price, CEO of Sport England, said: “We believe sport and physical activity is a powerful way of bringing together people from all backgrounds and strengthening the bonds between them.”

details in Play & Activity

Sport England

From

the UK, almost 100 more than in 2017. As well as traditional parks, some more surprising green spaces have achieved the awards this year, including university campuses, shopping centres, the Thames Barrier Park, War Memorials and burials sites.

year for Green Flag Awards, and it’s fantastic to see such a diverse range of locations have been recognised.

In the scheme’s 22nd year, it has awarded a record-breaking 1,883 Green Flags to green spaces large and small across

International Green Flag Award scheme manager Paul Todd said: “It has been a record-breaking

STIHL upgrades MultiEngine offering

Adding to its range of MultiSystem tools, STIHL has unveiled the new MM 56 MultiEngine suitable for a wide range of tasks in lawn maintenance, soil cultivation and surface cleaning.

Replacing the MM 55, the new MM 56 delivers more power and torque thanks to the upgraded 2-Mix engine, providing that little bit extra when needed.

STIHL 2-Mix technology also offers higher efficiency and lower emissions, rendering it more economical than its predecessor.

Supplied with a wheel kit as standard, the MM 56 is compatible with the extensive range of existing attachments and is suitable for a host of different applications including edging, lawn aerating and sweeping. Thanks to the

intuitive design, the fittings can be quickly interchanged saving valuable time.

For further comfort, the latest MultiSystem offering from STIHL features an advanced lever system with one touch stop function for simplified starting.

Additionally, the multifunction control handle houses all the engine controls, meaning users can easily and comfortably operate the tool without their hand ever leaving the handle.

As well as being easy to use, the new MultiEngine is designed with a quick and easy foldable frame, making

“We are proud to have so many wonderful green spaces in the UK for people to experience, and encourage the public to head outdoors, explore their local area and find even more unexpected green spaces they can enjoy.”

transportation or storage more convenient than ever before without the need for any additional tools.

STIHL

Green Flag

More

crematoriums to business parks, the Green Flag Award has been presented to both hidden gems and national favourites - celebrating the world’s best green spaces – in 2018.

It has been an interesting summer – not simply because we’ve experienced one of the hottest, driest spells on record.

The heatwave has undoubtedly caused major issues for the industry. But seeing the sharing of tips and advice from users of social media channels, as well as the information being provided by manufacturers and trade bodies, we appear to be a good position to cope.

The annual announcement of Green Flag awards was a welcome piece of good news as another record number of parks and green spaces qualified for the prestigious award. It is testament to the hard work, skill and dedication of those who look after these important assets – whether full-time paid or volunteers – that we can enjoy such high-quality parks and green spaces.

But, as ever, the good news was tempered with more worrying research from the Keep Britain Tidy Group that suggests more and more parents are finding it difficult to juggle work and social life and visits to parks, playgrounds and green spaces are on the decline.

The work to create and maintain high quality sites must continue. But so must the education and awareness programmes to encourage parents to help their children become more active and make use of these impressive facilities.

We have our Play & Activity supplement this month and this is an issue that the API is continually fighting hard to promote.

Elsewhere we take special looks at a wide variety of product areas, from Street Furniture and Pedestrianisation to Compact Tractors and Fencing and Security to Ride-on Mowers.

Despite the odd day here and there of storms and showers, the long hot summer looks likely to continue into this month. So once you’ve finished work for the day, get out and enjoy your park and green space for an hour or so!

National Lottery cash revives run-down UK parks

Country, coastal and urban parks among seven historic greenspaces being revived with £11.4million of National Lottery funding for Love Parks Week

Seven historic parks are to be restored, rejuvenated and reimagined for future generations to enjoy, following news of £11.4m of National Lottery investment. The news comes as people across the UK celebrate Love Parks Week.

The parks receiving money range from expansive country parks spanning over 300 acres to historic urban parks of just 40 acres, alongside an elegant Victorian seaside gardens.

Now, thanks to this money raised through the sale of National Lottery tickets, these important spaces will be sustained for the future by restoring historic features and planting; creating new facilities including play areas, cafes and toilets; and improving habitats for wildlife.

The National Lottery money has been awarded jointly by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund England. The Parks receiving funding are:

Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund joint grants in England:

Headstone Manor Park, London - £1.1m

• Faversham Recreation Ground, Faversham - £1.6m

• Great Linford Manor Park, Milton Keynes - £3.1m (pictured)

• The Mount Pavilion & Gardens, Fleetwood - £2m

• Durlston Country Park, Swanage - £900,200

• HLF only funded grants in Wales and Scotland: Aden Country Park, Mintlaw , Aberdeenshire£1.6m

• Mold Castle, Bailey Hill, Flintshire - £963,700.

HLF’s Chief Executive Ros Kerslake, said: “From expansive cliff-top country parks to pocketsized urban havens, our parks may vary in size, location and design but what they all have in common is the wealth of benefits they deliver to local communities.

“From economic prosperity and ecological diversity to personal well-being, parks are essential to the health of the nation. That’s why we have invested a combined £950m of National Lottery funding in regenerating parks and urban greenspaces so far, and they remain a priority for us into the future.”

AIPH conference to focus on greening old cities

The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) invites all those with an interest in greening cities to its next International Green City Conference to take place in Padova, Italy on 19 September 2018.

This includes city decision makers, planners, landscape architects and horticulturists.

It is one thing to build green space into a city masterplan, but it is something altogether different when the city is already there and the green space is not! Many cities in Europe need to be made greener, but how do you do this and why does it matter?

The AIPH International Green City Conference, ‘New Greening

in Old Cities’, will focus on how to retrofit cities with living green, the plants to use and how this will benefit the health of citizens and environmental biodiversity.

Speakers will include landscape expert, Professor Valerio Morabito from Pennsylvania University, USA, who will talk about how heritage cities in Italy are rising to the challenge of greening.

Professor Paolo Semenzato from University of Padova will speak about how green infrastructure improves the health of citizens.

Dr. Maria Yeroyanni from the European Commission will outline how the EU is supporting city greening and future plans and Dr. Chiara Catalano from Zurich University of Applied Sciences will demonstrate how city greening increases urban biodiversity.

AIPH Secretary General, Tim Briercliffe said: “I am pleased that we can continue our great programme of Green City conferences with this event in Padova. The line up of speakers is top quality and this event provides the perfect opportunity to influence city decision makers to focus more on living green. As an added benefit for people from the horticulture industry they can include it within a visit to Flormart and join other aspects of the AIPH Congress as they wish.”

The conference will take place during the 70th AIPH Annual Congress and within the AIPHapproved Flormart trade fair. The event is supported by Flormart and the Italian Nursery Stock Exporters Association (ANVE).

AIPH

Perennial changes venue for revived Festival Dinner

Perennial has announced a change of venue for its revived annual Festival Dinner.

The event will now take place at The Langham Hotel, the celebrated luxury 5-star hotel on Portland Place, near Oxford Circus in central London and will be hosted by James Alexander Sinclair.

Tickets cost £150 each and are available individually or in tables of ten.

The change of venue comes following a fire earlier this year at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kensington, London, where the event was due to be held.

Chris Crooker, Events Manager at Perennial, says: “Although the Ballroom of the hotel wasn’t directly affected by the fire, damage elsewhere has impacted crucial utilities and the hotel’s management has deemed it impossible to host an event of this size. They have

been incredibly supportive in helping us secure an alternative venue and we are thrilled that the Langham was available. It is a wonderful hotel, with a long and rich history, so it suits us perfectly. We look forward to welcoming guests in October.”

The 2018 Perennial Festival Dinner, which is sponsored by the London College of Garden Design and the Landscape Show, promises to be a fantastic evening of fundraising, with the help of partners and supporters from across the industry.

Taking place on 12 October at The Langham Hotel, the event will begin with a champagne reception in the Portland Foyer followed by a delicious threecourse dinner and entertainment in the Grand Ballroom.

The annual festival dinner was a prestigious event dating right back to Perennial’s origins. On 17 January 1839, the Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution was

founded at the inaugural dinner, which was attended by gardeners, nurserymen and wealthy estate owners. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the dinners drew the attention and support of high society.

In 1852, Charles Dickens presided over the ninth festival dinner and in 1867 it was the turn of Sir Robert Peel, founder of the modern police force.

Andrew Fisher Tomlin, Director of the London College of Garden Design, says: “We are thrilled to be supporting the revival of a great Perennial tradition and know that money raised from ticket sales, and on the night, will help this wonderful charity continue to offer its essential welfare services, which are needed by horticulturists of every profession today more than ever.”

An auction will take place, presided over by Andrew Fisher

Tomlin and Jeremy Storey Walker, with a host of fabulous lots to bid for on the night. Already confirmed are a spa break at Barnsley House and a holiday cottage stay at Easton Walled Gardens.

Perennial

HLF

LI’s new president launches #ChooseLandscape careers campaign

Award-winning garden designer, landscape architect and newly appointed President of The Landscape Institute, Adam White, has launched a new campaign to promote the range of career choices and opportunities in the landscape profession.

Adam announced the #ChooseLandscape campaign at a packed reception at the Garden

Museum in Lambeth, where he accepted the LI Presidency from Merrick Denton-Thompson.

The landscape profession has a huge impact on lives and communities. It has grown by nearly 16% since 2010 and contributed nearly £1 billion to the UK economy.

The LI’s new report, the Future State of Landscape, highlights an urgent skills shortage in the landscape profession.

“Good landscape plays such an important role in all of our lives,” said Adam White PLI.

“It’s where people, place and nature connect. It makes us feel good, improving our well-being through better planned greener cities and open spaces.

“But the nature neurons in our brains are flatlining as we

become less and less connected to nature and there are some pretty big challenges ahead as our cities continue to grow and the environment comes under more pressure.

“That is why I am really pleased to be involved in launching this important campaign at the start of my two-year tenure as LI President. It is vital we tackle the growing skills gap and inspire and encourage more young people to choose a career in landscape by working together across this exciting profession. I’ll be championing the cause throughout my presidency.

“The campaign makes clear the range of opportunities in landscape for all kinds of people – from someone who loves creative design to a science enthusiast, from those that are passionate about tackling

climate change to those who just love using the latest digital technology. All of these passions and skills are needed in the profession.

“That is why as part of the campaign, we have created a special new website to showcase the different opportunities all in one place. From matching hobbies and interests with potential careers, to information broken down by job roles, young people will be able to see at a glance the sorts of skills, background and motivations will help them.

They will also be able to fi nd out the qualifications needed for each role, the salary you might expect and what you could be doing on a day-to-day basis.”

Landscape Institute

Training for success at John Deere

A total of 54 young service technicians are being trained in this year’s John Deere Ag Tech, Parts Tech and Turf Tech advanced apprenticeship programmes, run in partnership with national training provider ProVQ – a increase of just over 60 per cent on the previous year’s intake.

John Deere has also been listed for the second consecutive time in 2018 as one of the best 100 employers for school leavers in the UK, the only agricultural and turf machinery company to be so recognised.

The AllAboutSchoolLeavers. co.uk’s Top 100 Employers for School & College Leavers rankings are based entirely on the opinions of apprentices and school leaver trainees from hundreds of UK organisations.

John Deere’s and ProVQ’s successive annual awards were made in recognition of their programmes’ quality and the opportunities they present to young people working productively in the agricultural and turf sectors.

“We have beaten some very strong competition from other household names, coming first for an engineering and manufacturing company and third overall in the Best Intermediate Apprenticeship

Programme category in 2017,” said ProVQ managing director Julian Lloyd.

“We’ve also been recognised in the Advanced Apprenticeships and Engineering categories this year. To be recognised as one of the country’s top 100 employers for school leavers, as judged by the apprentices themselves, makes us all very proud of our achievements.”

John Deere’s three-year Ag Tech and Turf Tech and two-year Parts Tech apprenticeships lead to IMI Level 2 & 3 Diplomas in Landbased Engineering and Vehicle Parts Competence, and registration at LTA Intermediate level in the industry’s Landbased Training Accreditation scheme. In subsequent years qualified technicians undergo further education and adult training within the John Deere University programme, on a career path that can ultimately lead to the highest possible LTA Master Technician accreditation.

Since the first programme started in 1992, well over 700 apprentices have graduated through the three main schemes and are now working in the company’s nationwide dealer network.

John Deere

will be a welcome addition to your weed control armoury. Highly effective against a wide range of weeds – especially Japanese Knotweed, packs a powerful punch from very low levels of active and a small 1 litre pack. Equally reassuring, has virtually no odour and is safe to grass.

www.icl-sf.co.uk

Please contact your local sales representative for more information.

Nothing gets to grips with invasive and tough, woody weeds like

UK urban forest can store as much carbon as tropical rainforests

Pockets of urban forest can contain as much carbon as tropical rainforests, according to new research led by UCL.

Protecting and planting urban forests is central to building liveable and sustainable cities in a future where global populations are set to become increasingly urbanised. This research sheds new light on the value of urban trees for their potential to store carbon and mitigate climate change.

The new study, published in Carbon Balance and Management, used publiclyavailable airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data collected by the UK Environment Agency, combined with groundbased LiDAR measurements, to generate a map of carbon stored in an estimated 85,000 trees across the London Borough of Camden.

The UCL team found that areas such as Hampstead Heath store up to 178 tonnes of carbon per ha, in comparison to the median value for tropical rainforests of 190 tonnes of carbon per ha.

Ground-based LiDAR is a new technique pioneered by the team at UCL to measure carbon in tropical rainforests, but for

the first time it has been used closer to home in Camden, UCL’s local borough. Previous estimates of carbon stored by urban trees have relied on measurements from trees outside of cities, which may be quite different.

LiDAR uses millions of laser pulses to build a very detailed picture of the 3D structure of trees. This allows the team to accurately estimate how much carbon the trees have absorbed via photosynthesis during their lives. It also allows them to estimate the carbon sink provided by urban trees, important for helping to offset fossil fuel emissions.

Urban trees provide many ecosystem services essential for making cities liveable. This includes providing shade, flood mitigation, filtering air pollution, habitat for birds, mammals and other plants, as well as wider recreational and aesthetic benefits.

According to Treeconomics the services provided by urban trees in Greater London are estimated to be worth £133m per annum. The carbon storage capacity of urban trees alone is valued to be worth £4.8m per annum in Greater London, or £17.80 per tree.

The scientists hope that their research will help to better

understand the value of urban trees and influence future urban planning. They also hope their research will help to demonstrate how different urban trees can be from their wild counterparts, and even from each other across different urban settings.

The work was kindly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, in part through the National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO). The team are very grateful to David Houghton, Interim Tree Manager for Camden Council and Highgate Cemetery for access to data and sites.

The winners of the GIMA Awards 2018 are announced

The winners of the GIMA awards 2018 have been announced at the Celtic Manor Resort in South Wales.

The pinnacle of the garden retail industry’s calendar, the event brought together manufacturers, retailers, members of the press and industry figures, to celebrate the 17 highly-deserving winners.

This year Neudorff with its VineWeevilFree - Nematodes is the proud winner of the GIMA Sword of Excellence, whilst Woodlodge has scooped the GCA Supplier of the Year for the first time. The Gardenex Export Achievement Award has this year been awarded to Crest Garden, as a result of the company’s expansion of its Kent & Stowe range into 40 countries. Gardena, Fallen Fruits, Willow Wand, Primeur, Burgon & Ball, Deco-Pak, Smart Garden Products, Apta, Vitax and Evergreen Garden Care (previously The Scotts Miracle Gro Company) complete the winners roster in 2018.

GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall, commented: “This year we have seen some emerging brands cement their place in the market,

as well as established brands showcasing exactly what makes them market leaders.

“It’s great to see so much variety, and I’m sure you will agree when I say that the calibre of winners has far exceeded expectations, with each highly deserving of their award.

“A huge thank you to all our judges for volunteering their time. Their input, keen eye and industry knowledge has helped us to create a final roster of winners that best demonstrates the endless enthusiasm, innovation and inspirational content that helps make the garden retail industry such an exciting industry to be part of.

“Finally, I extend my thanks to all those that have entered the awards in 2018, as well as our sponsors, without whom we would not be able to put on an event of this scale.”

SEAN MCGEACHY

MCGEACHY

GIMA

Arb Association

Finalists of the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year 2018 revealed

The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, Toro and Reesink Turfcare have revealed the 12 fi nalists who will contest this year’s Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards.

The 30th hosting of the finals of the prestigious awards will once again take place at BIGGA House, following a nationwide search for the country’s leading student greenkeepers.

Thirty-seven candidates took part in the interview process, with 12 talented candidates making it through to the grand final, to be held at BIGGA House on 17 and 18 September.

Up for grabs will be the 30th Toro Student Greenkeeper of

the Year award and the 3rd Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year award.

Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year finalists are: Daniel Ashelby, Wilmslow Golf Club; Tim Brown, Hockley Golf Club; William Curran, Hever Castle Golf Club; Dan Dooley, Mount Murray Golf Club; John Scurfield, Morpeth Golf Club; and Richard Warlow, Celtic Manor Resort.

The Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year finalists are: Aaron Hurdwell, Harleyford Golf Club; Adam Jackson, Ferndown Golf Club; Harry Misselbrook, Harewood Downs Golf Club; Danny Patten, Lee Park Golf Club; Liam Pigden, Burnham & Berrow Golf Club; and Reece Tomalin, Trentham Golf Club.

Each year the awards enable BIGGA, turf maintenance equipment manufacturer Toro and distributor Reesink Turfcare to celebrate those talented young greenkeepers who are dedicating themselves to a career within the industry.

The Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year winner will receive an eight-week all expenses paid scholarship in America, including a six-week residential turf management study course at the University of Massachusetts, a trip to the Golf Industry Show in San Diego and a visit to Toro’s facilities.

The Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year winner will receive a work experience placement at the exclusive Vidauban Golf Club in southern

France. They will also receive a trip to Continue to Learn at BTME and enjoy a five-night package that includes hotel, four days of education, travel and £125 expenses, plus a Toro training voucher.

BIGGA

Ransomes chosen for Palace Gardens

Blenheim Palace, located in Oxfordshire, and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, has taken delivery of a Ransomes MP495 cylinder mower to maintain its prestigious gardens.

Hilary Wood, Head of Gardens at Blenheim Palace, manages a team of 10 full-time and six part-time staff who are tasked with manicuring 120-acres of gardens, and some of the 2000acres of parkland across the 12,000-acre estate.

“We have a lot of land to maintain at Blenheim Palace, and it’s important that we have the correct machinery for the job,” Hilary said. “We have been using Ransomes ever since I first arrived in 1981; so more than 37 years. We have had Ransomes Commander mowers in the past, which have been brilliant, and we have now opted for the new Ransomes MP495, which we have been using since April, and it has exceeded all expectations.”

Ransomes

Otterbine diffuses the situation

Weeks of high temperatures have turned golf courses across the country brown and triggered Amber health warnings. One thing you can do is keep your lakes and ponds well aerated to prevent them from becoming stagnate.

A perfect example of this on an epic scale comes from Frilford Heath, the 54-hole championship golf course complex near Oxford, which had an Otterbine Air Flo 3 diffuser installed in its 6m, 10-milliongallon reservoir to aerate the water two years ago.

The idea was to make the water good enough quality to irrigate the course, says course manager Sid Arrowsmith.

“We experienced, as anticipated, algal growth; the surprise was how much algal growth,” he explained. “Reesink’s Rob

Jackson visited us regularly and I think even he was surprised at how abundant it was.”

The water now is crystal clear again and while Sid is under no illusion that an algal bloom is possible, especially in this weather, the diffuser is ready for the challenge. “There is more oxygen in that reservoir than ever before. If we did incur another algal bloom, the water is in the best possible position to counteract it.”

For Sid, the Otterbine diffuser has done exactly what he intended it to do – it has made 10-million-gallons of water ready to use and given the club a degree of self-sufficiency it hasn’t experienced before.

Otterbine

SKARPER to launch new chippers at SALTEX

SKARPER will launch of 2 new models at SALTEX 2018 - you can see the Chippers on stand E100 and watch live demo’s outside.

The T120 Pro is an off road towable chipper on flotation tyres suitable for use with ATV’s or 4WD vehicles, it offers the user a chance to get to areas which are otherwise inaccessible saving a lot of time and energy.

A Briggs Vanguard 23HP engine gives you a decent chipping capacity of 120 mm or 4 3/4 “.

The C120 Pro is a compact version of the same machine,

the slim profile of this chipper gives you a working width of just 73 cm. It can get through most garden gates or standard doorways it has incredible performance thanks to the same Briggs Vanguard 23HP engine.

Upson Mowers

Honda’s summer of savings continues with handheld garden machinery

Honda (UK) is celebrating the summer weather with savings of £50 across its range of petrol powered brushcutters, hedgetrimmers and leaf blowers. This offer is available now until 30th September 2018 from Honda’s authorised UK dealer network and its online storestore.honda.co.uk,

Honda’s brushcutters are designed to be as comfortable to use as they are powerful, delivering reliable, constant power and torque in the most demanding environments. These extremely tough and reliable 4-stroke garden tools can tackle any job, no matter how long, short or awkward – and with the choice of two powerful 25cc or 35cc 4-stroke engines – they are up for any challenge. Customers can benefit from £50 off each model in the range, with prices now starting from £305.

BP

Compact multi-purpose rear mounted shredder, available in working widths from 2.37 to 3.03 metres.

Customers can also enjoy the £50 saving on Honda’s powerful and efficient leaf blower. Our lightweight blower is the first of its kind to pack a 4-stroke engine. The great ideas do not stop there; with features like airflow cruise control, using the Honda leaf blower makes the work that bit easier and it’s now available for just £309.

Honda’s hedge trimmers benefit from this offer too, with both models now priced at £469. The hedgetrimmer has the benefit of the unrivalled Honda GX25 engine, to make light work of garden tasks.

Follow @HondaUKPower on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up-to-date with all the latest news on Honda’s power products.

Honda

Hultafors acquires Hellberg Safety, Scandinavia’s leading PPE innovator

The Hultafors Group which owns Snickers Workwear, Solid Gear Safety Footwear and Hultafors Tools has acquired Hellberg Safety.

Hellberg Safety is a specialised supplier of PPE Equipment which includes highly advanced hearing protection products, face protection and communication solutions for personal protection.

David Clark, managing director of the Hultafors Group UK says: “We will now be able to offer the UK market an even more extensive range of top quality premium brand products, ideally suited to protect the personal wellbeing and safety of the discerning professional tradesman and woman.”

Hultafors

Complete freedom of movement with the newest working clothes

Check out the latest workwear designs from Snickers Workwear that will really stretch you to the limit on site.

There’s 37.5 high-tech Undergarments, plus Jackets, Trousers and Accessories added to the RUFFWork, FLEXIWork and ALLROUND clothing families for both professional craftsmen and women as well as the range of Hi-Vis garment collection for maximum safety and wellbeing.

They’re all working clothes that deliver superb functionality, comfort, protection, and are equipped for any task at hand.

Complimented by Snickers’ Profiling and Embroidery

services and the UK’s most extensive range of garment sizes, Snickers’ Workwear System delivers the ultimate solution to make every man and woman’s workday easier and safer.

Snickers

See our landscape mainenance range at www.kuhn-amenitypro.co.uk

True innovation with every Toro renovation

When Toro developed its irrigation strategy, one of the early thoughts was longevity, so it should therefore be no surprise that Toro sprinklers dating all the way back to the 1960s are easily updated when clubs look to renovate their irrigation. The existing sprinkler body is simply fitted with the latest Toro head technology not just replacing new for old, but for more precision, accuracy, efficiency and economy.

In the case of Toro pop-up sprinklers, the company’s 600 series that launched in the US back in 1967, and 700 series first seen in the 1990s, can be easily interchanged with Toro sprinkler head conversion assemblies, in as little as 60 seconds! The same applies to the more recent DT series and 835 series, too.

And most of the time, says Reesink Turfcare, an official

distributor of Toro Irrigation in the UK, these upgrades can be made without the need for mini-excavators and massive disruption. Infinity sprinklers for example have been designed to be upgraded from the top down with the Smart Access feature

allowing future upgrades to be faster, easier and cheaper.

Plus, it’s not just the sprinklers that can be upgraded, Turf Guard in-ground moisture sensors and Lynx control system software can be integrated into existing

irrigation systems. Some have credited Toro’s Lynx control system for example with bringing industry buzzwords ‘interchangeable’ and ‘futureproof’ irrigation to life.

Reesink Turfcare

Oak framed garage kits by Round Wood of Mayfield

If you have a project requiring a traditional oak framed garage, you may want to consider the range of ‘Chippy’ kits offered by Round Wood of Mayfield.

Kit frames are particularly suited to trades people (as well as accomplished DIYers) as they are pre-designed, available on short lead times and go together easily. All buildings are preassembled in workshop, with

posts being numbered, to ensure ease of fit once on site.

The range of ‘Chippy’ kits comprises 47 standard designs, from 1 to 4 bays, in a variety of roof profiles. Additional options of half-bays, log stores and side aisles allow for most requirements to be catered for (although modifications are possible).

Round Wood supply nationwide from their base just outside of Mayfield. In addition to oak framed buildings they offer hardwood decking, oak and walnut flooring, joinery products and garden features.

Round Wood of Mayfield

The Pot Company offers plastic-free living with new homeware range

The Pot Company is contributing to the move away from plastics with a colourful and inspiring collection of eco-friendly homeware – made from ground down bamboo.

With single use plastics hitting the headlines for posing one of the most significant risks to our planet, the wholesaler to the Garden Centre industry has taken over the wholesale distribution of the Green Tones range, a recycled alternative to plastics, ceramics and glassware.

In bright, bold tones, the sleek products offer a natural choice for those wanting to ditch the many commonly-found

plastic items inside and outside the home including garden pots, picnic sets, children’s tableware, pet bowls and takeaway coffee cups.

The Pot Company already has several retailers for Green Tones products, including the Eden Project and Round Wood of Mayfield.

The Pot Company

Marshalls products to protect and serve police

Marshalls, the UK’s leading hard landscaping manufacturer, has partnered with Northamptonshire Police to help secure its new headquarters in Kettering.

A range of products from Marshalls’ Landscape Protection portfolio have been provided to help secure the exterior of the building, including Geo bollards and seating, a Pluto cycle shelter and bespoke concrete planters. The full range of products help protect public spaces while also fitting seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

The new Northern Accommodation Building has been developed to replace the outdated police stations in Kettering and Corby and provides modern, fit-for-purpose custody facilities and office accommodation to better support operational policing in the north of the county.

The site consists of a 20-cell custody suite and three-story

office building which can accommodate more than 300 officers and staff. It will house both Northamptonshire Police and the county’s Fire and Rescue Service.

Jaz Vilkhu, Managing Director of Marshalls Landscape Protection, said: “The specification required to protect facilities such as the Northern Accommodation Building means only the most secure products will do. However, it is also vital they fit into and complement the surrounding landscape.

“Our Landscape Protection products achieve the desired aesthetic aim while also protecting against any potential accidental or criminal damage, ensuring the new building is fit for the future.”

Kate Perriss, estates manager at Northamptonshire Police, said: “While our new base is state-of-theart on the inside, we also recognised the importance of securing the building’s exterior too.

UltraScape is the ‘Quay’ to success

“The products provided by Marshalls’ Landscape Protection help us do this effectively and subtly, without making the building imposing and enabling us to provide a modern office and workplace to support policing in the north of the county.”

Marshalls works with the public sector and businesses to manufacture and recommend Landscape Protection products with the appropriate safety ratings. It employs approximately 2,500 people across the UK.

The FTSE 250-listed company’s Landscape Protection product line consists of specially designed street furniture, which includes benches, planters, litter bins, cycle stands and bollards, manufactured to PAS 68/69, PAS 170 and IWA 14.1/14.2 standards. These are used to create safe, attractive spaces that protect the public, while integrating seamlessly into the surrounding environment.

Contemporary paving given a touch of style

Brand new Mahina paving from Bradstone gives any garden a modern and refined feel with its textured and stylish finish.

It features a contemporary fleck to replicate grainite, allowing you to create a truly unique look.

Available in two shades of grey – light and dark – this strong and durable paving comes in two sized pavers. To complement the look, pair it with Bradstone’s Panache matching walling and edging.

UltraScape’s BS 7533 compliant Mortar Paving System has been used as part of the £80m redevelopment of Baron’s Quay in Northwich town centre.

UltraScape’s BS 7533 compliant Mortar Paving System comprises of Pro-Bed HS fine bedding mortar, Pro-Prime slurry primer and Flowpoint rapid set flowable grout.

Pro-Bed HS is a fi ne bedding mortar formulated to meet and exceed the strict requirements set out in the British Standard. Available in 3 sizes, 25kg, 30 tonne silos and 1 tonne bulk bags - the latter of which was used on this project - ProBed HS provides you with the perfect amount of material for all project sizes.

Instamac

Marshalls

Bradstone

Resin Bound pathways for woodland walk in botanic garden

Addagrip approved contractor Limegate Ltd has installed over 1300sqm of Terrabase Rustic Resin Bound porous surfacing for paths for Wakehurst Place, owned by the National Trust.

Wakehurst Place on the High Weald of West Sussex consists of over 500 acres of beautiful ornamental gardens, woodlands and a nature reserve. Funded and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the site is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild seed conservation project in the world.

As part of a project to renovate existing walkways and create new pathways at Wakehurst Place, VGC Construction was contracted by Graham Construction to excavate and re-build over 450 linear metres of footpaths in the Bethlehem

Woods area of the gardens. The requirement was to provide surfacing that would be decorative, hard wearing, sympathetic to the woodland environment and porous enough to provide maximum drainage in this wooded area.

Addagrip’s ‘no-dig’ Terrabase Rustic Resin Bound porous surfacing was the perfect solution. Using a 6-10mm aggregate size in a Rustic Oak blend, the patented system provided a ‘rustic looking finish with excellent drainage. The product was installed onto a mix of different surfacing types including a cellular confinement system to minimize disruption to tree roots and deal with the lateral drainage requirements of this hillside location.

The finished pathways offer a decorative yet practical solution that deals with the drainage issues, providing a surface that is hard wearing, low maintenance, suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs to give all year access to the beautiful woodland area.

Addagrip

Hampton Court debut draws the crowds for Composite Prime

Welsh Slate turns itself inside out

New coffee table-style brochures showcasing Welsh Slate products for interior as well as exterior applications have been launched by the leading UK manufacturer.

The eight-page brochures dispel the myth once and for all that Welsh Slate, part of the Breedon Group, is just about roofing, with stunning photographs proving the product’s versatility for a wide range of uses.

Blue Grey) and finishes (riven, honed, flamed and machined) there the similarity ends.

The exteriors brochure features copings and sills, as used at the ME Hotel in London, walling and cladding as used at the National Waterfront Museum and many prestige private properties, paving, and roofing as used at York Racecourse and St Mary Abbots Church, London.

Composite Prime’s outdoor decking solutions made a highprofile garden debut in the prestigious surroundings of Hampton Court Palace earlier this month.

With the summer heatwave bringing record temperatures –and record crowds – the RHS Flower Show, the world’s largest annual horticultural exhibition, proved the perfect launch pad for Composite Prime’s HD Deck Dual.

It featured on the show stand of Northamptonshire summerhouse and garden buildings manufacturer, Scotts of Thrapston, and caught the eye of thousands of visitors, including many professional landscapers and designers. The entire product range combines Forest Stewardship Council FSC 100% certified hardwood timber from well managed, sustainable sources, and recycled plastic.

Composite Prime

Both beautifully illustrated brochures talk briefly about the company’s quarries in North Wales, including Penrhyn at Bethesda and Cwt-y-Bugail in Llan Ffestiniog, being a focal point for the production of UK natural stone for the past 700 years - the slate’s 500 millionyear-old pedigree is reflected in the fact it is still handcrafted.

Although both show the range of colours (Penrhyn Heather Blue and Grey and Cwt-y-Bugail Dark

The interiors brochure features flooring, as used at the British Museum, interior walling and cladding, worktops, and fire and hearth surrounds.

No matter inside or out, the brochures reinforce Welsh Slate’s suitability for a wide range of contemporary and heritage architectural and interior design uses due to its aesthetics, durability and low maintenance.

Hard landscaping shapes visitor experience at Battle of Britain Bunker

Charcon, the commercial hard landscaping division of Aggregate Industries, has supported the development of a popular visitor attraction, helping to shape the new Battle of Britain exhibition and visitor centre in Hillingdon, Greater London.

The project, which was part of a £6 million investment in the borough’s heritage, saw a stateof-the-art building become a brand new interactive visitor centre that tells the story of a

top secret plot to defeat the German airforce in the Battle of Britain.

To enhance the visitor experience at the new centre, 500m2 of Andover Textured Paving in Silver Grey and Light Grey was specified for the hard landscaping around the perimeter of the exhibition, as well as special step units.

This exceptionally durable yet stylish paving incorporates uniquely formulated Cornish

aggregates to provide enhanced performance and aesthetics, perfect for high volume pedestrian areas.

Officially unveiled by Boris Johnson, MP for Uxbridge & South Ruislip, along with Cllr Carol Melvin, Mayor of Hillingdon, the Battle of Britain Bunker is now open to the public.

Martin Mullan, Territory Sales Manager at Charcon, said: “We

are so pleased to have been able to offer our knowledge and product proficiency to a project of national, and even international, significance.

“Charcon is delighted to be supporting the London Borough of Hillingdon by providing a positive visitor experience that will ensure the heritage of the site lives on.”

Charcon

Welsh Slate

SENCO build on Fencing Stapler success

SENCO, a world-leader in fastening systems for over 70 years, have been delighted with the fencing industry’s reaction to the SENCO GT40FS Gas Fencing Stapler in the 2 years since its launch into the UK.

Now available from a large number of outlets across the UK, this cordless gas-driven stapler frees workers from the laborious task of driving staples with a hammer, & is ideal for multiple fencing applications in agricultural, forestry & landscaping environments, or for other wire-to-wood stapling jobs.

Matt Lago, SENCO’s UK Product Manager, has been delighted by the reaction the tool has received. “Fencing contractors & landscapers have been amazed at the time savings the tool brings & it’s no surprise that some of the largest fencing suppliers in the UK are now stocking the products”.

Driving fencing staples with a 12mm crown, in lengths of 33 & 40mm, the powerful GT40FS has been developed in combination with the SENCO

Polar gas fuel cell for clean combustion & high-voltage ignition even down to low temperatures. The tool features an adjustable depth of drive for depth control and a customized nose for positioning the staple accurately over wire. The tool comes complete with 2 batteries, carry case & a 2-Year Warranty.

The hot-dipped galvanized staples have a divergent point which gives extra holding capability, & are supplied in weather-proof tubs. One of the great advantages of using collated staples over loose is that every staple you buy, you use!

On-site testing has shown the tool can be up to five times faster than manual stapling, something which can only increase productivity & reduce labour costs. Weighing only 3.73kg it also means you can staple all day without wrist-strain.

For details of how to try out the GT40FS please contact KyoceraSenco on 01925 445566 or visit our website www.senco.eu

BSW unveils garden fence panel range

BSW Timber has just unveiled a brand new range of garden fence panels that has been introduced to complement its existing fencing components.

The sawmill group now manufactures four types of panels for domestic applications, in addition to acoustic solutions and

Estate railing creates boundary for housing development

traditional components such as posts, rails and boards.

BSW’s lap, closeboard and feather edge fence panels are high pressure treated to use class 3 – and its innovative ‘seawave’ design uses imported timber and is exclusive to the company. This follows BSW’s recent announcement that they are tapping into the acoustic fencing market with Soundshield™ – a system designed to reduce noise pollution in residential areas.

David Chapman, Sales and Marketing Director for BSW, said: “We developed the garden fence panels to expand on our current fencing offer and we

believe that with this range there’s something for everyone.

“All panels use high-quality, treated timber which ensures that the final product is not only aesthetically attractive but robust and reliable as well.”

He added: “We’ve also made sure that panels can form part of mixed loads which will be particularly beneficial during quieter times when cash flow is tighter.”

The panels all include a capping rail for a neater finish and the lap, feather edge and seawave designs are also framed.

BSW Timber

Palisade Fencinga strong physical barrier

Steelway Fensecure’s palisade fencing offers a strong visual deterrent to possible trespassers.

Its sturdy construction creates a strong physical barrier that is tough to break down. The lack of footholds and with sharp edges they are hard to climb. This style of fencing also offers relatively low maintenance.

An array of applications can benefit from palisade fencing including local authorities, education facilities, sports departments, theme parks and caravan parks.

Purpose (SP) specifications. For more information visit the Steelway website.

Steelway Fensecure

Metal railings and gates manufacturer Alpha Rail has been appointed to manufacture, supply and install metal estate rail for a housing development in Derbyshire called Deer Park.

The estate railing was installed to the exterior of the newly built homes to provide a perimeter boundary, whilst retaining an open and spacious feel.

Phil Ball, Sales Director at Alpha Rail said: “Alpha Rail

has a great reputation for installing metal railings on housing development projects right across the UK.

“This particular project demonstrated our versatility in being able to manufacture a number of bespoke metalwork products that have helped meet the contractors design specifications.”

Alpha Rail

GT40FS CORDLESS FENCING STAPLER

Steelway Fensecure’s Palisade fencing is available in General Purpose (GP) and Security

TIMco launch new gate and fence hardware range

TIMco, one of the UK’s largest independent suppliers of screws, fasteners, fixings and power tool accessories, has launched a new hardware range under the brand TAURUS.

The new range is TIMco’s first venture into fence and gate hardware and will include a broad range of products for external use.

The TAURUS range has been designed and manufactured

to meet the high standards associated with TIMco and items within the range are sold with TIMco’s quality fixings and fasteners to ensure a high-quality product throughout.

The new gate and fence hardware range has no officially launched, with the range consisting of hinges, gate catches, bolts, hasps, staples, chains and fence accessories.

TIMco

Kyocera

API supports Mental Health in Childhood report

The Association of Play Industries attended the launch of the ‘Mental Health in Childhood’ report at the APPG on a Fit & Healthy Childhood at Westminster.

The All-Party Group was formed to find ways to improve children’s health and wellbeing and is calling for a positive approach to the Government’s Child Mental Health proposals.

Publishing this its 10th report. Mental Health in Childhood, the APPG is championing early intervention rather than relying upon expensive later-stage crisis services.

API Chair Mark Hardy, says: “As the UK association which champions the importance of play in children’s healthy development, we very much welcome the Group’s call for a Secretary of State for Children.

“As a nation we face an unprecedented increase in children and young people

suffering from mental health problems, from anxiety to depression, and these issues are very often precursors for mental health difficulties in adult life.

“Our own research has uncovered an alarming decline in playgrounds and spaces in which children can play freely. As more

and more children retreat indoors, alone and engaging primarily with their tablets and phones, their mental health is suffering.

“In this APPG report we present the case for halting this decline and providing the facilities children need in order to play before it is too late. Play is

Coalition pressures Government on parks and play areas

A coalition of national organisations has come together to call on political leaders to save the UK’s parks.

The Charter for Parks, calls on Prime Minister Theresa May and First Ministers Nicola Sturgeon, Carwyn Jones and Arlene Foster, to reverse the decline of local parks across their nations.

The Charter calls on the UK’s four political leaders to:

• Endorse a legal duty for all public green space to be managed to a good standard.

• Ensure adequate longterm resources for ongoing maintenance, management and improvements.

• Recognise the right of every citizen to have access within walking distance to a good quality public green space.

• Celebrate the central role well-run parks play

in our neighbourhoods for all sections of our communities.

• Embed effective protection from inappropriate development or use, or loss of any part of our parks.

• Encourage and enable community involvement and empowerment of local people and park users.

The coalition of organisations behind this charter include ourselves, along with Greenspace Scotland, Fields in Trust, Friends of the Earth, Llais y Goedwig (the voice of community woodlands in Wales), The National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces, The Parks Alliance, The Parks Agency, The Gardens Trust, Unison, and 38 Degrees.

Allison Ogden-Newton, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy said: “As the operators of the

national standard for parks and green spaces – the Green Flag Award – we know how important the provision of these quality spaces is to local communities, and we welcome this charter.”

Rishi Sunak, the minister for Parks and Green Spaces said: “I am fully committed to working together with the many organisations, voluntary bodies and local communities who dedicate their own time to support the sustainability of our much valued parks and green spaces.

“While there are many challenges ahead, I am excited by the work the Parks Action Group is undertaking to identify positive solutions, so we can continue to provide safe and inclusive green spaces for our diverse communities to enjoy.”

Britain Tidy

integral to the happiness and wellbeing of young people – it is not a luxury we can afford to cut back on.

“A Minister for Children would be a clear signal that the Government is prioritising the welfare of children in this country. To be a child is to

play and harsh restrictions on their opportunities to do so are damaging. We will continue to champion play as a vital component of children’s healthy mental, emotional and physical development.”

API

FSPA lobbies on Brexit

The FSPA’s close links with UK government, particularly the Department for International Trade (DIT), mean that they are uniquely placed to lobby on behalf of the sports and play industry as a whole.

As one of Europe’s largest trade bodies, they work closely with their trade association counterparts overseas, particularly FESI – the Federation of the European Sporting Goods

Brexit represents a time of enormous change and uncertainty, with issues around the movement of workers, trade tariffs and standards and regulations having the potential to impact UK businesses.

The FSPA is consulting with its members, feeding back concerns to the relevant UK government departments and negotiating on its behalf.

Keep

Focus on the vibrant play industry

Tremendous 10 years for Taraflex at Grammar School

Ten years ago, when The States of Guernsey in the Channel Islands wanted to source 500m2 of sports flooring for The Guernsey Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre that would be future proof. they turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor to provide the solution with their world-class, uber performing Taraflex Evolution sports flooring for their main sports hall.

Chris Dyer, Building Maintenance Manager, Education Services, States of Guernsey, said that at the time, the previous flooring was approximately twenty-three years old and not fit for purpose in relation to health and safety.

“After research in to multi-use flooring and receiving samples from various companies I ascertained that Gerflor was the most practical for our needs,” je explained.

“We were absolutely delighted, as the installation back in 2007 went very smoothly and created a fantastic transformation. This was the first time we had used Gerflor products.

“Subsequently we have used Gerflor products on numerous projects as the quality of the

materials they use is of the highest standard.”

Taraflex has an excellent construction and wear layer, not surprising given the fact that Gerflor have more than 70 years of experience with sports flooring.

It offers a wide range of colours and is suitable for a variety of applications. Taraflex sports floors have been made since 1947 and used by the largest international sports federations (volleyball, handball, badminton, table tennis) for decades. Through partnerships with these federations, Gerflor has been present at the Summer Olympic Games since 1976.

Taraflex is available in 17 colours and three wood-effect designs. The all-new Evolution product is now safer, higher performing and offers even more protection than before. The greater protection has been obtained due to a total

re-engineering of the CXP-HD foam technology in the Taraflex Evolution.

It offers a P1 category shock absorbency 25% to 35% and a new 7.5mm thickness. The latest double density CXP-HD foam technology means improved comfort and protection for users, and the new D-Max surface reenforcement with its fibre glass grid now delivers 20% increased comfort and better durability.

Taraflex also offers greater than 45% force reduction, making it unrivalled in the marketplace in terms of offering comfort for users. Taraflex meets the EN Standard of 22196 for anti- bacterial activity (E. coli - S. aureus - MRSA) (3) returning >99% levels of growth inhibition.

The product is also treated with Protecsol, which renders polish redundant and is triple action meaning no polish is ever required, it contributes to easy maintenance and is anti-friction burn and slide/grip. Taraflex has a double density foam backing and with another bonus, it’s environmentally friendly.

Taraflex Evolution from Gerflor also meets the EN 13501-1 fire classification. It is also ideal for renovation works and is available with the Dry-Tex System perfect for new construction or refurbishment projects with damp sub-floors.

Gerflor

RTC enjoys a busy and productive summer

The start of the year has proved successful for RTC Safety Surfaces, with the last three months proving extremely busy with highprofile and unusual projects.

For example, the company was not only faced with the challenge of creating an interior surface, but the project was for well-known fashion brand Stella McCartney.

With a new store set to open on Old Bond Street, London we installed grey wet pour within the children’s department. The access to the area presented a challenge as it meant setting up at the top of a flight of stairs and installing the surfacing down thirteen steps. However,

after technical representatives carried out a site visit, a plan was put in place to ensure minimum disruption.

A second indoor project was completed for Beacon Climbing Centre in Wales. The black and Fireblend design was inspired by the popular game ‘The Floor is Lava.’

RTC also completed an installation of resin bound rubber mulch at Rugby Radio Station. Working over six days the team installed over 860m² of safety surfacing, including over slopes and mounds to create a play area that can be used safely in all weathers.

Another resin bound rubber mulch install was a Daily Mile style track at Ford Motor Company in Northampton. The track was to be installed directly onto grass between two buildings. Mulch was certainly proving popular, as we carried out a project for Kompan that included mulch, wet pour and Enviro-Pave. Working at Normanby Hall Country Park in Scunthorpe the design involved pathways, leaves and animals.

Alongside this, RTC also carried out a very special project at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In the past few months it has installed over 200m² of wet pour surfacing to create the hospital’s first outdoor space for children. The surfacing was designed by Disney, with waving lines and a Micky Mouse compass to fit with the play areas ‘reef’ theme.

Also in London, RTC installed in playground surfacing in the Royal Borough of Kensington, to replace the surfacing that had been contaminated during the Grenfell fire.

RTC Safety Syrfaces

Monster Buddy takes a

New from Leafield Environmental are the friendly Monster Buddies… cheerful waste collection bins that eat enormous amounts of waste and simply refuse to be overlooked.

Produced in pastel blue or purple, highly durable, easy to clean polyethylene Monster Buddies have a huge capacity of 100 litres when used with the optional plastic liner or 120 litres when used with a plastic sack. They are equally suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Monster Buddies are a great way of encouraging children to dispose of their litter in the proper manner. The bright colours and novel, fun design will capture children’s

imaginations and their perpetual smile will brighten any day.

Leafield Environmental

Timberplay champion concrete as an alternative material for play

Famed for wooden play products, Timberplay also offer a range of concrete play pieces, all designed to capitalise on the strength and tactile nature of the material.

The Stroking Stones have been a popular mainstay of the Timberplay collection for many years, and these have been joined by several other products, most recently the Concrete Rope Course. These products have been collected together within one mini brochure, which is available as a pdf on request.

The Concrete Rope Course is sure to be a popular addition to the Timberplay range. It is the ideal product for busy play

areas it can accommodate many children at any one time. The design presents many different challenges, so will appeal most to older children.

Concrete is a supremely flexible substance. It can be produced in infinite shapes and colours, can also be ground, waxed, polished, painted or glazed. This means concrete delivers many different tactile experiences and the patina also changes and develops over time. It is, therefore, an excellent material for play and dovetails well within the existing Timberplay range.

Timberplay are the UK partner of German play specialists

have reservations about specifying wood, so concrete products are likely to be of great interest.

Timberplay

Hove haven gets upgraded 3G football pitch

A haven for dog walkers, runners, playing kids and sports players in Hove has had its football pitch upgraded.

Brighton & Hove City Council appointed Essex-based ETC Sports Surfaces to the 70x31m pitch reconstruction at Hove Park, East Sussex.

The project consisted of the resurfacing of an existing Artificial Grass Pitch (AGP) with a modern 3G artificial grass surface, fencing, pitch divider, sports equipment & associated works.

AGPs are commonly Astroturf, but ETC combine this surface with their 3G surface to make a more durable pitch that is all-weather.

ETC worked alongside Desso Sports UK, who supplied the iQ3 50 artificial grass, while Zaun Ltd manufactured and provided 225m of its Duo8 Super Rebound sports fencing system plus two pairs of double gates and one single leaf pedestrian gate.

Duo8 Super Rebound forms a robust play area that is highly durable, low maintenance and ‘graffiti-proof’, with great rebound properties similar to a wall and rubber inserts between panels and posts to keep ‘rattle’ during play to a minimum.

Hove Park is popular with local residents, dog walkers and runners. The park covers almost 40 acres and features a mix of large areas of open grass, mature trees, flower beds and recreational facilities.

At the eastern edge of the Park is the ‘Fingermaze’, a piece of public sculpture carved into the park and lined with stone and lime mortar.

The Fingermaze is a giant fingerprint which incorporates a Cretan labyrinth within its whirling design.

The 3G football surface is growing in popularity among clubs and schools as one of the best synthetic pitches.

3G pitches are split into two broad varieties: the dynamic base, which is a hardwearing, cost-effective choice of synthetic grass surface; or the non-abrasive engineered base, considered the optimum 3G pitch with the ideal look, feel and endurance,

providing the right shock and slide performance. A major advantage of modern allweather artificial pitches is their adaptability.

ETC Sports Surface

New lease of life for sports surface thanks to Replay

The Pasture (Fairways) Sports Complex boasts an astroturf surface which is a hub for sport in the community of Sherburnin-Elmet, North Yorkshire.

A true multi-functional pitch, it see’s many hours of play per week taking its toll on the condition of the surface.

Synthetic specialists Replay Maintenance were recently called in to conduct their Rejuvenation process, which has given the pitch a new lease of life.

Owned by Selby District Council, the day to day running of the site is controlled by Parish Council Clerk of 34 years Margaret Gibson. “The Pastures is a great asset and hosts a variety of sports including hockey, football and tennis.

“The upkeep of the pitch, together with the surrounding park, falls to a contractor but this is really just on an ad-hoc basis and following months of poor weather, and high play usage the pitch was in need of a more thorough deep clean.”

The services of Replay were recommended by a local England Hockey representative, to which Replay are the sole official maintenance partner. “Replay came in to conduct their Rejuvenation process at the end of April and the end result was fantastic. It refurbished the pitch to a point where it looked

like a new surface which was welcomed by all of the clubs and players who use the site.”

Replay’s unique Rejuvenation process uses constant airflow plenum technology and compressed air to remove the contaminated top layer of sand; restore the pile to vertical and fill again with new clean infill. It can restore a surface to an ‘as new’ condition for appearance, drainage and performance and often double the playing life of a pitch for a fraction of the cost of a replacement carpet.

Following the successful Rejuvenation, the Parish Council made the decision to appoint Replay on a service agreement basis which will now see them visit twice a year to conduct a deep-clean.

Sales Director of Replay Maintenance Nick Harris reiterates the importance of planned maintenance. “Choosing regular, arranged maintenance gives you peace of mind that your surface is getting the treatment required, at a fixed amount and at intervals that suit the needs of each individual facility.

“With Replay we also conduct pre and post maintenance testing to show the difference the maintenance regime is making, enabling you to plan future requirements far more effectively.”

Richter Spielgeräte who have a reputation as one of the World’s best playground companies. Working alongside Richter, Timberplay have also begun delivering projects in challenging territories, for example the Middle East, Qatar and Egypt.

With extreme temperatures to contend with, many developers and Landscape Architects

Replay Maintenance

Proludic celebrates local business award

The Proludic Team had a fantastic time at the 2018 Nottingham Post Business Awards last night and were proud to be recognised as a finalist from 28 category entries.

Rob Baker, Managing Director, was presented with the award for being one of three nominated as a finalist in the Contribution to the Community category.

He commented on this achievement by saying: “It is great to be recognised for all the work that we do locally. I would

like to take this opportunity to thank our staff who continually strive to make the difference in the community that they both work and live in.”

The Nottingham Post Business Awards brings together the best and brightest of Nottinghamshire’s business community, to celebrate the contribution they make to the local economy. Held this year at the East Midlands Conference Centre, the glittering ceremony celebrated the hard work these companies put in to make them a success.

HP Sportsline provides an expert finish

Junckers HP SportsLine is a water-based two-pack paint for marking of court lines and colouring of other areas on wooden floors in gymnasiums and sports halls.

Junckers HP SportsLine is recommended on Junckers HP SPORT coated and Junckers prefinished lacquered floors. The range can be mixed to obtain other colours.

Junckers manufactures high quality solid wood flooring for all types of sport courts and gyms, including basketball courts, handball courts, volleyball courts, futsal pitches, racquet courts, squash courts and multipurpose arenas.

With experience gained from manufacturing solid hardwood floors since the 1930’s, Junckers has the technical expertise to design and supply the optimal performing high quality solid hardwood flooring. Flooring solutions suit all indoor sport and activity areas, including, gyms, fitness flooring, athletic facilities, and multipurpose rooms.

Junckers sports floors perform with unique area-elastic characteristics and this gives athletes the ultimate freedom of movement, protects against injury and ensures that they can achieve their best.

Junckers

Close to 150 nominations were received for the awards this year, making it one of the most popular events so far. These were then whittled down to 40 finalists

14 different categories to represent the very best the region has to offer.

Monster Double Matrix multi-play towers above new play provision

Wicksteed Playgrounds has recently completed a brilliant refurbishment to supplement the existing outdoor play facility at Cowan Park in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire. With a zone already in place mainly geared towards the under-fives, it was decided that a new area should be created with an emphasis on catering for older aged children.

Artificial cricket nets installed at Durham University

Working on behalf of a main contractor, Dura-Sport have installed a new twin bay cricket practice facility at Durham University’s Collingwood Campus.

The 240m² facility features Dura-Sport’s ECB Approved DSi-pro cricket system, surfaced with DSi-weave superior wilton woven cricket carpet.

Dura-Sport have been installing, resurfacing and refurbishing artificial cricket pitches, often referred to as ‘non-turf’ pitches and practice facilities for a wide range of clients throughout the UK and Europe for over 20 years.

Its in-house management and installation teams have extensive knowledge and experience of delivering cricket projects of the highest quality.

Dura-Sport take pride in its ability to offer clients a bespoke service and tailored advice, managing every aspect in-house from concept to completion.

In addition to providing the best possible service it also offers the highest quality materials and the best value for money on the market

After carrying out extensive consultation with various user groups and the local community, Wicksteed was commissioned by the council to carry out the design, supply and installation.

This £200k refurbishment project, initially required a big, steel centrepiece at its heart, but no particular theme had been agreed upon. In close collaboration with the customer and Wicksteed’s designers a

space theme emerged and the scheme they created included a fantastic, bespoke double Matrix multi-play climbing unit system, complete with twin towers.

This dynamic new provision, full of inclusive, diverse and exciting play equipment is all installed on space-themed colourful graphic surfacing.

It also includes a sensory area with Musical Instruments, a range of swings and a Ground Trampoline among other products.

Feedback from the local community has been extremely positive and everyone is delighted to be able to now enjoy a thrilling new play park.

Wicksteed

Dura Sport

Daredevil Grandmother opens new nursery play area

A daredevil grandmother was the guest of honour at the official opening of a nursery’s outdoor play area after she took on the fastest zip wire in the world to raise money for it.

Courageous Carys Thomas, 77, raised £1,500 by completing the daunting Zip World challenge in Snowdonia to help Cylch Meithrin in Deiniolen, Gwynedd, fund its brand new 12,000 playground, which was designed and manufactured by outdoor play experts Creative Play.

The nursery had a bare concrete yard for several years but after securing community grants and public donations, including Carys’ sponsorship money, they have finally been able to transform the unused space into a much-needed safe and educational play facility.

Chester-based Creative Play installed wetpour safety fl ooring, a slide, wigwam and climbing frame to transform the concrete space.

The nursery, which caters for children aged two and a half to four years old, has also separately purchased metal fencing, a shed

and sandpit to complete their new outdoor space.

Carys, who has lived in the village since 1963 and whose four grandchildren all attended the nursery when they were younger, hailed the new play area as “fantastic”. She added: “It makes it all worthwhile when you see the smiles on the kids’ faces. They were really enjoying themselves, playing and running around. The play area is fantastic. A lot of very good work has gone into. It’s just what the nursery needed.”

Carys’ daredevil exploits came about after she won the opportunity to take on the longest zip wire challenge in Europe at Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda, in a raffle at her local bingo.

The building of the new play area was carried out by a team from Creative Play and their projects are designed to suit the client’s specifications, depending on their budget and location.

All of Creative Play’s equipment is designed and manufactured in Chester by the company’s in house teams, who use state of the art equipment and each specialise in timber, plastic or metal.

For Creative Play project manager Maldwyn Lewis it has been a particularly satisfying job to work on given he has lived in the village for 25 years, and he was full of praise for Carys and everyone who helped make the project a reality. He said: “It’s the type of community where everyone knows each other. I know Carys and her sons and the way she used the zip wire prize to her advantage to raise money for the play area is amazing.

“I can’t say I’ve ever come across someone raising money that way for a project like this. But it’s a close community here and it was a nice project for me to handle being local. The nursery is really pleased with the end result and that’s what matters most.

“The project has gone really well. They had nothing before and now it’s transformed.”

Creative Play

Wicksteed Playgrounds go the extra 100 miles for charity

An intrepid (and fit) team from Wicksteed Playgrounds has just completed a 100-mile charity bike ride as part of the company’s Centenary celebrations this year. The 6-strong team of cyclists took on the challenge to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Around £1,500 has been raised so far via the funding page: https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/wicksteed100years to help make a child’s wishes come true.

For a century Wicksteed has brought fun and thrills to generations of children across Britain and beyond. This year marks the company’s incredible milestone of 100 years of designing, manufacturing and installing outdoor play areas that, today, lead the way in terms of innovation and creativity – something its founder, Charles Wicksteed set out to do back in 1918.

Wicksteed is holding several events throughout the year and the

cycle challenge was one of them. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was set up to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Granting their wish gives them hope for the future, strength to cope and resilience to help fight their condition. They’re given quality time away from the daily realities of living with their condition and the chance to make magical memories they can treasure forever – whatever the future may hold.

Upgrades to skate park thanks to eibe

eibe was delighted to be invited back by Midhurst Town Council to upgrade and enhance its much-loved skating arena in the summer of 2018.

Working with Julian Quail, Assistant Clerk and Heather Ongley, Clerk, eibe refurbished the Steve McGill Skate Park that it originally installed almost 20 years ago in the year 2000.

At a cost of £7,000, replacement Skate Skins were fitted to the Quarter Pipe, Start Platform, Fun Box and Ollie box.

Eibe hopes the ramps will last at least another 15 years and that the local children continue to have as much fun as they have done for the last two decades. eibe

Creative Play’s own teams install the equipment and surfacing for their playgrounds to meet the requirements of the client and their own rigorous quality standards.

Wicksteed

Germinal makes selecting grass seeds, wildflower mixtures and fertiliser options a doddle

Germinal has launched a new website aimed at making it easier for landscape architects and sports turf professionals to get the very best results from their amenity spaces.

The new website - www. germinalamenity.com - includes complete specifications and usage guides for Germinal’s full range of landscaping, wildflower and sports grass seed mixtures.

All product details can be easily cut and pasted into external documents, making it simple for landscape architects to insert them directly into the appropriate project specification.

“As well as constantly investing in research and development to bring first class grass and wildflower seeds and turf care products to the landscaping and sports turf sectors, we are also conscious of the constant need

to provide the industry with the latest news and advice,” explains Richard Brown, Germinal Amenity Sales Manager.

“Our popular range of ‘Grade-A’ grass seed mixtures is always evolving to ensure our products remain the best available. The new website has therefore been developed to make it easier for customers to keep abreast of our developing range of products and to enable them to specify the most

appropriate products to suit each site’s individual requirements.

“We’ve also populated the new website with a collection of advice guides and video resources covering a range of useful topics from simple overseeding and sowing ‘how-to’ guides, to more detailed explanations of the importance of key success factors such as soil pH, the use and application of nutrients and how to physically

manage recently renovated and established swards and amenity landscapes.”

The website also contains a selection of standardised fertiliser plans – written and designed by Germinal’s FACTS (Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme) qualified experts – to enable everyone from novice gardeners to professional turf growers to get the best results from their amenity facilities.

The new www.germinalamenity. com website also features a ‘Product Selector’ tool which makes it as easy for landscape architects to find the most appropriate products. “As well as our Grade ‘A’ range of landscaping specific grass seed mixtures, our portfolio also includes a wide range of ‘Regional Environmental’ and ‘General Landscaping’ wildflower mixtures.

“These products enable landscape architects to choose the most appropriate wild flower and/or grass seed mixtures to suit their specific project,” Richard

Brown adds. “However, with such a wide variety of options to choose from, specifying the right products can often be a time-consuming, and, at times, confusing process. We’ve therefore developed an interactive configurator tool which makes it simple for landscape architects to select the best products for each project. And, just as before, any orders placed before 2pm will be shipped and delivered the next working day.”

A new section, which contains details of a range of CPD resources and seminars, has also been added: landscape architects can contact their local Germinal technical specialist who will be happy to visit them to provide more detail on a range of topics such as how to establish and maintain wildflowers and understanding the latest plant nutrition protocols.

Germinal

What lies beneath: key considerations for 3G pitch specification

With cost, permeability, and performance all key contributing factors in the construction of 3G pitches, and specification largely governed by carpet manufacturers, choosing the most appropriate sub-base can prove to be a challenging process for contractors and end-users alike. Tim Edwards, Technical Sales Manager Tarmac’s Topsport product line, explains the importance of choosing the correct sub-base system for an artificial pitch.

Once solely found at stateof-the-art professional sports clubs, 3G pitches are a synthetic surface option that have rapidly grown in popularity across a variety of applications over the last decades. Now they are just as likely to be installed at a school as they are a Premier League Academy.

This has largely been attributed to the enhanced usability of an artificial installation, as they can be used in most weather conditions. Not only does this lead to year-round playability, but for those sites that hire out their facilities, it can lead to improved revenue streams too.

However, while the playing surface, or carpet, is often the main talking point of an

installation, the sub-base is arguably just as – if not more – important given it provides the ‘feel’ of a pitch and aims to help mirror the playability of a full grass installation. It also determines the ability of a pitch to both hold the optimum amount of water within the surface, and ensures any excess is able to freely drain away. As such, it can be very expensive and time consuming to correct if done wrong.

3G pitches are typically installed over one of two types of base –dynamic or engineered – with budget often being the main factor when commissioning an installation. Dynamic bases offer a more accessible route for the likes of schools and amateur sports clubs, as engineered bases are likely to be more suited to professional installations given their relatively higher cost.

An engineered base tends to consist of a Type 3 stone sub-base, topped by a porous open-textured asphalt layer and shockpad. This ensures long-lasting performance and excellent stability, and is likely to operate effectively for a number of carpet cycles. However, given the cost of installing an engineered asphalt base, it is frequently used by elite sport teams rather than by

club teams or schools, simply due to expense.

A dynamic base is a more accessible way for those clubs and schools with smaller budgets to achieve a 3G pitch which replicates a natural grass surface.

Typically, a dynamic base consists of a crushed limestone

bed which is then topped with a shockpad (although this step is optional) before the carpet is laid. Dynamic bases are also particularly hardwearing and able to withstand significant impact –ideal for training or municipal pitches which will be in regular use throughout the year, or pitches which will double up as both rugby and football pitches.

Getting the right blend of material in a dynamic base is a very specific process and crucial to guaranteeing the permeability and performance of an artificial grass surface. One of the more common errors we see when creating a dynamic base is using a blend that fails to balance the drainage and stability requirements of the pitch.

To give some context, a base consisting of 2-6mm crushed limestone will offer excellent permeability and allow any water to freely drain through the pitch without waterlogging the carpet, yet will fail to

deliver the requisite stability to allow the contractor to lay an even carpet. This could lead to a bumpy and uneven finished installation which would certainly be noticeable when playing on it. Conversely, a purely 0-6mm blend would offer improved stability but inferior drainage. To overcome this issue, Tarmac’s Topsport team has designed a bespoke blend of 0-6mm Dynamic Layer stone which is both inherently stable, yet offers the necessary permeability to allow water to freely drain from the carpet surface at the optimum rate.

However, even blends which are labelled the same can vary considerably across the country and from quarry to quarry. In particular, the type of limestone used and the way it is crushed can impact the composition of the dynamic layer. For example, a hard or carboniferous limestone is likely to produce a less fine dust, while a softer magnesium limestone is likely produce much more dust.

To combat this, at Tarmac we blend our Topsport dynamic layers in line with BS EN 10976:2013 Clause 9, and ensure we keep consistency in our blends across the country by looking at the source components, offering a bespoke blend per supply unit. This is particularly useful in minimising geological issues and keeping logistics down on a project, as the cost of transporting materials can quickly add up.

With minimal industry standard specification routes or legislation to follow, determining the most appropriate product can be a challenge for end-users who must rely on manufacturers and contractors to guide them correctly. Carpet manufacturers often provide a fairly specific sub-specification of what they’d like a contractor to use with their products, to ensure optimum stability and the most effective co-efficient of permeability to prevent the carpet from becoming waterlogged. However, this can vary considerably depending on the turf type and manufacturer.

Ultimately, the sub-base construction can make or break the performance of a 3G pitch. Failing to get the right blend of aggregates can easily result in a surface that is uneven or poorly draining. In the absence of an overarching standard governing dynamic base composition, contractors must commission pitches in line with carpet manufacturer guidelines.

However, the ambiguity often associated with such specifications can create room for error. With contractors ultimately bearing the responsibility of pitch construction, taking the extra time to fully understand the intricacies of dynamic base composition can be the defining factor between a happy or disgruntled end-user.

Trio of newcomers to the McCormick line-up

McCormick has added three new models to its range, designed to appeal to users who need a capable 70-90hp tractor on a keen budget.

The new McCormick X4m tractors come with Deutz cfourcylinder engines that meet latest emissions rules, while providing a choice of 69hp, 75hp and 88hp outputs.

“We recognise that there is a need for a tractor with a simple specification that keeps the price down but that’s engineered for performance and durability,” explains Ray Spinks, managing director at McCormick distributor AgriArgo UK and Ireland.

As standard, the newcomers have a straight-forward mechanical clutch and 12x12, 40kph shuttle gearbox with 540rpm pto.

A 30kph 16x16 creep option is available for operators who want the extra ratios and slower speeds for specialist turf equipment.

Single-speed 540rpm pto is standard but an economy 540rpm setting can be added for low-demand power-driven implements to minimise noise levels and fuel consumption.

Traction tread radial tyres – 420/70R28 on the back, 320/70R20 on the front – are

standard with various options including turf tyres also available.

A dual element hydraulic pump provides 20 litre/min dedicated to steering and 45 litre/min to supply the 2700kg rear hitch and up to three single/double-acting spool valves.

There’s a choice of cab or open operator platform.

Kubota secures a home win

With five adult teams consisting of over 100 players and a junior membership of approximately 400 players, Thame Football Partnership is a ‘community club’ in every sense, with the continued support of Kubota UK – which has its UK headquarters in the town - and local residents.

Club Chairman Richard Carr said: “Our network of local connections and their passion within the community not only keeps the club going but keeps pushing it forwards.

Significant investment in Ventrac equipment at club

Wrotham Heath Golf Club, situated in the rolling Kent countryside near Sevenoaks, has taken delivery of a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor with two alternative mowing decks and a

stump grinder attachment, from local dealer MAB Groundcare.

Bryn Preece is the head greenkeeper and has been at the club for the past six years, having previously worked at West

Malling, Nizels and a spell in Riverside Golf Club in Tasmania.

He heads a team of five greenkeepers and works closely with former Captain and current Greens Chairman, Stan Topliss.

“This is one of the best pieces of equipment that I have ever purchased,” Bryn said.

“I contacted the UK distributor, Price Turfcare and arranged a demo here for the team and the Greens Chairman. We selected the toughest area we could find, some banks covered in bracken on the 3rd fairway. and it dealt with it with ease. In fact, it was the best machinery demonstration I have ever seen.

“We are a heathland course and over the years bracken and unwanted trees have encroached on the margins. We have embarked on a five-year planned process of returning it to a more traditional state and in just the first couple of weeks since

delivery the Ventrac has proved its worth.

The ToughCut deck is great at removing the bracken and allowing the underlying heather to thrive. It can go anywhere on the course and tackles any slopes with ease. We do everything in-house and the versatility is amazing.”

Greens Chairman Stan Topliss added: “This was a significant investment for our club and we are delighted with the purchase of this Ventrac.

“As Bryn said, its versatility is amazing; with the Countour deck we can manage many areas around the course and the stump grinder comes into it’s own for woodland management.The ToughCut deck is a marvel. We will certainly be looking to add more attachments and I know that Bryn is hinting that he would like a second machine.”

Price Turfcare

Our partnership with Kubota UK has been paramount to our continued success, now more than ever as rising membership numbers continue to place a strain on our resources and quality of ground maintenance.”

Kubota’s B2650 compact tractor, supplied by local dealer George Browns, has been at the forefront of the machinery fleet, enabling the local volunteers to regularly maintain the nine pitches, including four full size adult pitches.

The compact tractor is used for a range of tasks including mowing of the pitches, seeding and fertilising and general maintenance by the volunteers who view the work as a ‘labour of love’ for the club. With over 1,000 people on site each weekend as part of training sessions and match fixtures, it’s vital that the pitches are kept in top condition.

The aspirations of Thame Football Partnership to continually evolve has seen it recently be granted planning permission for the construction of two new pitches, ready for the start of the new 2018/19 season.

Karen Tipping, Marketing Manager at Kubota UK said: “As a significant employer for the Thame community, we’re extremely proud to be a part of the Thame Football Partnership by loaning the use of our B2650 tractor, but by also providing support and advice on how it can continue to go from strength-to-strength.”

Kubota

McCormick

New addition to popular John Deere range

John Deere has added the 3038E compact tractor to its range, aimed at landscape contractors, groundscare maintenance service providers, and sports turf managers.

The 3038E is equipped with a Stage IV diesel engine developing 37.3hp. A hydrostatic transmission with Twin Touch foot pedals provides the operator with simple, comfortable controls to select exactly the right speed for the job at hand.

The tractor’s independent pto can be engaged on the go, eliminating the need to stop and use the clutch. An easy-lift bonnet that provides access to the engine bay for maintenance.

A new 300E front loader has been designed to complement the 3038E and features a curved

boom and durable components. Together with the tractor’s tight turning circle, it is designed to offer a highly manoeuvrable combination for materials handling, whether working indoors or outdoors. Four-wheel drive is available as standard for more demanding applications and difficult ground conditions.

The 3038E compact tractor also offers telescoping draft links to make attaching and removing rear implements easier, compatible with a wide range of implements, including mowers, rear blades and posthole diggers.

John Deere

New Kioti DK6010 now available

Kioti introduce thenew exciting DK6010 model of tractors available with open Platform ROPS or a spacious airconditioned cabin.

The DK6010’s replace the NX models that have been successfully sold into the UK targeting Golf, football clubs contractors and land owners a like.

The engine is the reliable Tier 4 Kioti 60hp engine economical to run with plenty of power and torque.

There are three versions of Transmission available, manual shuttle, hydraulically assisted manual shuttle (both with 16 forward and 16 reverse gears including creep) and now 3 range, twin pedal hydrostatic. The large capacity servo HST unit in these models is mechanical giving a reliable and easy to use system reducing operator fatigue.

TYM doubles West Sussex dealer network

TYM Tractors has welcomed Rafferty Newman in East Hampshire to its dealer network, and in doing so doubles TYM’s coverage to the groundscare market in the West Sussex area.

It’s not one of the biggest counties in the country, but Sussex has plenty of agricultural and groundscare customers, including private estates, smallholdings and farms in need of a compact tractor, says Mick Challen, owner of the 50-yearstrong Rafferty Newman.

“There was a demand to meet in our area. Tractors have been part of our range in the past and after hearing about TYM’s reputation for quality, we got in touch with its distributor Reesink Turfcare and joined forces with them.

“Often customers come into the shop without knowing exactly what kind of product they’re after but knowing the tasks they need it for. We’ve previously offered tractors but more recently, while we’ve been specialising in UTV and ATV vehicles, there have been times when customers’ tasks have called for more than a vehicle – for front loaders or PTOs.”

Now Mick can cater to these needs again, as he explains: “We now stock the excellent value TS25 with HST and loader, along with the popular T353 manual tractor and midduty T433 roll bar tractor, as we thought these would most appeal to our customer-base – clearly we were right as the latter has already sold! It’s great to know we can cater to any of our customers’ needs and order in any tractor from the TYM range, ranging from 25-105hp.”

Scott Turner, southern regional sales manager at Reesink Turfcare, comments on the new partnership: “There’s enough of a demand for TYM in Sussex to warrant two dealers meeting it and the appointment of Rafferty Newman ensures sufficient coverage in the area. There are a good many reasons why Rafferty Newman has such a strong, loyal customer-base and we are very glad to entrust them with the TYM brand by welcoming them to our everexpanding dealer network.”

TYM Tractor

Independent rear and mid PTO are standard as is the Kioti Automatic PTO system feature. When engaged this switches the rear PTO shaft drive on and off automatically during lift. This is a good safety feature and protects PTO shafts from vibration and damage.

The cabin gives the operator a comfortable and efficient work space. A large left hand console gives storage space and a power socket. A loader joystick, cruise control and linked pedal are standard on the HST model.

Kioti

AS Motor provides high performance for slopes

The New AS 1040 Yak ride-on flail mower from AS-Motor Germany GmbH & Co. is a major innovation for ride-on mowers and is the latest addition to the AS Motor family which includes both 4WD and 2WD models.

In high grass, flail mowers are particularly impressive due to their

high work rates, robustness in the event of unseen foreign objects and offer consistent cutting results.

The AS 1040 YAK 4WD’s newly developed 100cm wide robust flail mowing unit is a superior alternative to conventional rotary mowing units.

The mower, available from PSD Groundscare, offers significantly less risk of damage and also ensures operator safety. It has balanced weight distribution –45% on the front axle and 55% on the rear axle which ensures outstanding traction and safe working irrespective of the terrain.

Ariens has the x-factor

The latest range of zero turn mowers from the Ariens Company is the IKON-X, built with a fully fabricated, heavyduty tubular steel frame.

The IKON-X is driven and steered by the rear wheels via an independent transmission and uses levers for braking and steering; the deck is belt driven.

An adjustable high-back, adjustable seat includes arm rests and there’s a vibration reducing floor mat on the spacious operator platform.

Powered by a Kawasaki 726cc engine, top speed is 12kph. Available in two models, the IKON-X 42 with a 107cm cut width and the 132cm cut IKON-X 52, the commercial

Ariens

PROFESSIONAL OVERSEEDING RESULTS AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE

As the years pass, every decorative lawn is subject to ageing. Grass dies and species disappear which causes a reduction in the density of growth. This gives opportunity for pests, weeds, moss etc. to take over the lawn. Scarifying and spraying can help to briefly interrupt the decline, but the only long term solution is to rejuvenate the grass. The key to success is overseeding. The new DZC 600 overseeder from Eliet makes high tech overseeding possible for an affordable price.

INNOVATIVE OVERSEEDING TECHNOLOGY

1. CUTTING OPEN THE SOIL The cutting blades at the front of the machine cut open 10 (0.4”) to 15mm (0.6”) deep grooves in the soil of the lawn in preparation for the grass seed. 2. REMOVAL OF EXCESS SOIL The blades rotate over the top and cast the soil in an arch to the rear of the machine so that it does not fall into the newly cut grooves. 3. PRECISION SOWING A clever and compact seed distribution system, Helix Seed DuctTM, carries the seed under the projected excess soil into small funnels leading to discharge channels precisely located above the clean grooves. 4. INJECTION A small

Lastec introduces the R-Series zero turn mowers

Lastec introduces the R-Series zero turn mower engineered for the homeowner who is looking for exceptional quality, cut and craftsmanship.

The heavy duty, commercial grade R-Series joins the Lastec product range recognized throughout the world for first class manufacturing, top quality components, and exceptional customer service.

Lastec, built in the United States for more than 25 years has been designing and selling premium mowers for high-end golf courses throughout the world.

The R-Series is available in 52” or 61” cutting widths and is powered by a 26HP Kohler 7000 series vertical shaft gas engine. Featuring fully welded steel decks, heavy duty fabricated frame, and Hydro-Gear ZT3100 dual integrated hydrostatic transaxles.

Lastec ensures a durable, dependable zero turn mower that is engineered to last for years of heavy use. Optimal control and comfort is accomplished by the ergonomically-designed operator seat, large diameter ergonomic control arms to eliminate fatigue, easy height of cut adjustment and large commercial turf 22” diameter rear tires for better traction and overall ride quality.

With the R-Series mower you can have the same cut quality at home that some of the top golf courses in the world rely on every day to keep their turf looking great.

Trust in Toro’s TITAN HD with MyRIDE

Users can expect high quality, with landscape professionals worldwide agreeing that the TURBO FORCE deck provides commercial-grade strength and a fantastic quality of cut.

The innovative MyRIDE suspension system provides a smoother ride, helping reduce fatigue and enabling the operator to mow for longer and cover larger areas; therefore, increasing productivity and return on investment. The suspended operator platform allows for 7.6cm of travel, isolating bumps and vibrations during use. The feature also allows the operator to easily and quickly adjust rearshock ride settings to suit their individual requirements, without the need for tools.

The TITAN HD zero-turn mower also provides the unique ability to easily attach hand-held tools, such as line trimmers, and other accessories directly to the mower with innovative tool-mounting brackets – not only saving the user time, but also improving efficiency and productivity.

The mower features a reliable and powerful commercialgrade engine to provide optimal performance. The heavy-duty air filtration system protects the engine from contaminants and prolongs product life.

Other hard-wearing features such as the two-barrel carburettor, automotive-style piston assembly, cast-iron cylinder liners and self-cleaning air filter housing, ensure this engine is up to the task.

Hayter

PSD Groundsman

The TITAN HD Series with MyRIDE from Toro delivers durability, professional results and performance.

Lastec

quality cutter deck is fabricated from 10-gauge steel, and the 13 cutting heights from 3.8-11.4cm are adjusted by a dial on the control panel.

Kubota makes the grade at Bath Spa University

For Penny Snowden, Grounds Manager at Bath Spa University, the biggest challenge facing her grounds maintenance team is managing the balance of diverse student activity whilst keeping the historic 88-acre Newton Park campus in pristine condition all year round. Having the right equipment and machinery that can help Penny and her five strong team achieve the best results is absolutely paramount.

“We use Kubota groundcare machinery because of its reputation as the best on the market,” continued Penny. “We need machinery we can trust, that doesn’t let us down and that can get the job done effortlessly.

“Operator comfort and ease of control are also vitally important. We get all this and more with Kubota. This is backed up by first class aftersales support from our local independent Kubota dealer – Lister Wilder.”

Penny’s most recent addition to her machinery fleet is a Kubota STW40 compact tractor. With the ability to handle a range of tasks with quick and powerful performance, the STW40 features hydrostatic power steering and Kubota’s unique Bi-Speed turn to make turning much easier and smoother with minimal potential damage to a ground’s surface. With 360-degree visibility thanks to its four-pillar cab design, the 40HP

STW40 is powered by a powerful Kubota engine, renowned globally for its innovation and performance.

Along with the STW40, Penny also has a Kubota diesel ride-on mower in her fleet, the G26. Ideal for precise and clipping-free mowing in high presentation areas, the G26 is a versatile mowing solution that helps the team increase productivity and tackle difficult jobs with ease. Bath Spa University’s estates team also have two Kubota RTV utility vehicles for getting around the site and across difficult terrain with ease.

Penny continued: “Not only is the G26 an absolute workhorse when it comes to grass cutting, but it’s also fantastic for leaf collecting too in Autumn, allowing us to produce our own compost for the beds and borders, saving us valuable time and money. The two RTV’s not only allow us to access areas that others vehicles can’t reach, but they also enable us to be more efficient when transporting materials around the campus, meaning we can split our team up to get more done.

“All four machines play their part in helping Bath Spa University look a first class site that everyone involved with at the campus, from the lecturers, students, and my grounds team, are extremely proud of.”

Baroness UK dealer network continues to grow

Platts Harris Ltd, the groundscare equipment dealer with depots in Tuxford and Darley Dale, has been appointed the Baroness UK distributor for a territory encompassing Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and south Yorkshire.

Part of the Lookers PLC group of companies, they provide complete product sales and support services with territory-specific sales teams and field engineers based at their Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire premises.

Groundscare Sales Manager Allan Gray commenting on the appointment said the company

was delighted to be working with the Baroness team.

“Their well-respected range of fine turf care products fits well within our existing product portfolio of groundscare machinery,” he added. “Although only just appointed, we have already receiving significant interest in Baroness from golf and fine turf managers.”

Baroness

The ride-on mower with remote control functionality

Mowing on steep and difficult terrain has always been a challenge for the machine operator.

The AS 940 and AS 940 XL ride on brushcutters, available from PSD Groundscare, have been especially developed for this demanding application.

With ride-on brushcutters, steep slopes can be mown conveniently and economically. However, there are always areas where mowing is very unpleasant or

unsafe for the operator, including steep terrain, loose substrate, mowing under trees and bushes, along hedges and even areas around wasp nests.

AS Motor have the solutionthe AS 940 Remote Control which offers all the benefits of the standard AS 940 but with the option to convert to remote control when required.

PSD Groundscare

Upson Mowers enjoys expansion

Upson mowers in Essex have recruited several new staff members lately to cope with growing demand.

Offering several brands of new machinery including Hustler turf, Stiga, Ventrac and Skarper. They’re also renowned for their high quality reconditioned commercial mowers - an attractive proposition considering the long warranties and low prices. Upsons carry a range of

stock with a choice of up to 50 commercial mowers - triples, 5 gangs and rotary ride ons, all their machines are hand-picked by expert buyers, to be honest they look like new when they come off the production line.

The business has focused heavily on customer service and attention to detail, earning them several 5-star reviews for outstanding service - highly recommended.

Upson Mowers

Kubota

Council invests in electric mowers

Thanet District Council is introducing new electric lawnmowers to its open spaces fleet. Run on lithium-ion batteries rather than diesel, these modern mowers available from Overton are greener, quieter and cheaper to run.

They will be used at Ramsgate Cemetery and Margate Crematorium and are all part of the council’s commitment to creating a clean and welcoming environment in Thanet.

The council has purchased six new mowers including 2 walk behind mowers to be used equally across the two sites.

The 3RIDER is coming

Dvorak, the Czech Republicbased manufacturer is seeking to enter the ride-on market with the 3RIDER, currently in long term testing ahead of a commercial launch.

The 3RIDER can be operated by a seated driver on slopes of up to 15 degrees and when the slope becomes too extreme, the operator switches to remote control.

Dvorak’s Dance Step steering system used on the remote controlled machines enables omni-directional mowing: fourwheel drive and four-wheel steering allows the mower to move forward, sideways and backwards with unlimited continuous turning of all wheels through 360 degrees.

The axles are independently attached to the main frame allowing the mower to articulate on uneven terrain.

The operator´s seat is centrally located and the front mowing deck is attached to the main frame at midpoint and kept on the terrain by a torsion bar. This is said to provide the operator with a 360deg view and allows the mowing deck to float, following the contours of the terrain.

A front-mounted 1.6m deck uses seven small high-speed rotary motors and blades. The front row of four blades rotates in one direction, while the rear bank of three rotate in the other direction.

Changing to the mulching option requires the standard blades to be replaced with mulching blades and a switch on one of the drive motors is activated so that in mulching mode, all blades rotate in the same direction.

Spider mowers are distributed in the UK by TH White Imports.

TH White

The New ISEKI SF224 and SF235 are high performance out-front collector mowers.

A class leading, turbine driven, 950 litre collector combined with either 54” or 60” mower decks, ensures highly productive grass cutting and collection in wet or dry conditions.

When full it can be emptied at any height upto 2125mm. Belt-free mower decks and easy access service items simplify maintenance and increasing productivity.

Cllr Fairbrass, Deputy Leader of Thanet District Council said: “Electric mowers, which last for 7 hours of constant work, are vastly preferable to diesel models because they generate no carbon monoxide emissions and are low noise.

“The mowers don’t just offer public health and environmental benefits, they also reduce risk to our staff. What’s more, they enjoy low running and maintenance costs which is part of the council’s ongoing efficiency drive.”

Overton

New UK distributors for Grasshopper

Scamblers is now the UK importer for the range of Grasshopper zero turn mowers.

The Grasshopper product is aimed at large gardens and estates to commercial contractors.

Ed Scambler explains: “It is a top end product with 21, 25 and 30hp Kubota diesel engines and 24hp B&S Commercial petrol units.”

“Decks from 1.2 to 1.5m are made with high quality materials featuring heavy duty spindles and offer the added benefit of the only machine on the market to offer a 4XRD deck. This gives a

fourth blade for added mulching and even grass distribution on rear discharge decks.”

He adds: “Grasshopper is also the only manufacturer that offers an upfront zero turn machine.”

Scamblers aims to build a dealer network for Grasshopper in the UK and improve spares back-up, Ed says: “Machines and spare parts will be held at our warehouse in Bourn, Cambridge with parts that are not in stock coming direct from the USA, subsidised by ourselves.”

Scamblers

Las Brisas invests in the future with John Deere

Real Club de Golf Las Brisas at Marbella in Spain is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, as well as its first full golf course maintenance equipment fleet deal with John Deere and local dealer Agronimer.

Arranged through David Fernandez, the head of Agronimer’s golf division, the new fleet has been acquired in a five-year John Deere Financial agreement worth one million euros, and is supported by full PowerGard maintenance cover.

Machinery includes tees, fairway, greens and rough mowers, both compact and larger utility tractors, Gator utility vehicles, sprayers and bunker rakes. The latest E-Cut hybrid electric models now make up 100 per cent of the club’s ride-on greens and fairway mower fleet.

Las Brisas general manager Paul Muñoz and course manager

Rafael González-Carrascosa head up a team of 24 greenkeeping and workshop staff. They have overseen an ambitious five-year multi-million euro project to redesign and renovate the course, which was necessary because the original design had begun to show its age.

Rafael González-Carrascosa said: “This new agreement with

John Deere and Agronimer includes not only the purchase of all the equipment necessary to keep our course in perfect condition, but also continuous training programmes for the operators and mechanics, customised parts management and tournament support when required.

“One of the key factors in choosing John Deere was that we only had to deal with one supplier, one brand and one dealer offering the right finance deal, so it made things easier all round. The John Deere range is comprehensive and offers good quality engineering as well as reliable dealer service and support.

“We’re very happy with the hybrid electric mowers, particularly the 8000E fairway machines, which were chosen for their quality of cut and light weight.

“The Gators and tractors are really good machines too, so we’re confident we’ve made an excellent choice. Most importantly, the members are really happy with the improvements we’ve made and the way the course now plays.”

John Deere

Wettest

Turbo power from Italian manufacturer

Gianni Ferrari has two additional machines to top the Turbo and Turbo Z ranges.

2018 mowing season

A survey by lawnmower manufacturer Cub Cadet has found that the 2018 lawnmowing season started over three weeks later than it did in 2017.

The results found that the most popular day for the first mow of the lawn in 2017 was the 26th March, whereas this year it was the 19th April – 24 days later.

This year, England had the wettest March since 1981 with an average rainfall of 102.2mm, and the UK as a whole had its wettest March in a decade with 104.44mm on average. This was followed by a mini-heatwave in mid-April which saw some of the highest temperatures in April since 1949 – a combination which inevitably caused lawns to have a growth spurt and spark the starting of lawnmowers across the country.

The lawnmowing season survey campaign was launched last year as part of Cub Cadet’s ongoing project into assessing the impact of changing weather patterns on lawns, and this is the first set of comparable year-on-year data that has come from the project.

The survey is an annual project that will assess the long-term

impact of the weather on UK lawns, as well as looking at the short-term effects it can have in delaying the start of the season.

Discussing the results, Phil Noble, Sales and Technical Manager for Cub Cadet UK, said: “Sales discussions within the industry suggested that the season had started later this year so it’s interesting to see this reiterated by our survey data. There have been many contributing factors and it’s not entirely surprising that people started mowing later when you consider the extreme and varied weather we had earlier in the year with the Beast from the

East followed by an unusually warm April combined with lots of rainfall.”

“The weather was really varied – if we didn’t know what the weather was doing, it’s not surprising that the grass didn’t! We now wait for the data from the close of the survey later in the year to see if the whole season has shifted.”

The earliest fi rst mow was as early as the 3rd January, with the latest being reported on 13th May.

Cub Cadet

Zero turn Turbo Z 440 has seen significant developments to the traction unit while the new DualCut mulching and rear discharge deck has been introduced.

This heavy duty deck has a cutting width of 155cm and offers quick conversion from mulching to rear discharge. It also lifts hydraulically into the vertical position for servicing.

In addition to the Dual-Cut deck, the machine can also be used

with various attachments such as the flail mower, snow blade or other non-collecting decks from the Turbo 4 range. Styling updates include a new light kit.

The Turbo Z 440 is now powered by a Kubota V1505-T fourcylinder diesel engine, with the hydrostatic transmission using a Danfoss pump and motors, with reduction gear boxes in an oil bath. These improvements are joined by a cardan shaft PTO, foldable ROPS and two-wheel oscillating rear axle.

Also new is the Turbo 4 Fifty, which comes equipped with a

1400 litre capacity collector, with 230cm dump height. A new collecting turbine is designed to offer increased air flow, longer life and easier maintenance, with the option to disengage the collecting turbine when using non-collecting attachments.

Permanent four-wheel drive gives increased capacity on slopes and the new 180 RCA collecting deck has a 170cm cutting width and opposite rotation; the Dual-Cut deck is also available for this machine.

March in a decade, following by mini-heat wave, proven to have delayed

Gianni Ferrari

Versatility and durability are important factors in Etesia’s success

and basically thought that if we can turn that into a ride-on then we will have a machine that is more efficient, shorter, narrower and totally unique to the market.

The development of that machine (the Hydro 100) started in the mid 1980’s and first appeared on the UK market in 1989 at SALTEX later that year. Since then other manufacturers have come along, seen that it works, and have done their own variations of it.

Q: The earliest ride-on machines were

A: Etesia were the first manufacturer to produce a direct cut and collect ride-on mower. The other products on the market at the time required some other means of moving the grass between the deck and the box. Invariably that meant fitting a turbine on the side of a tractor with a tube going round into the grass box to collect the grass clippings.

Q: Why did you not follow suit?

A: There is no point in trying to copy something that is already out there. For us, the whole idea is to try and improve on something. We looked at the pedestrian mowers we already had in our range, which were cut and collect straight into a box,

Q: Over the years how has this unique design evolved across other models in the ride-on range?

A: The basic concept of the original Hydro 100 was enlarged, if you like, to produce the H124D. We used the same principle of direct cut and collect into a grass box but in this case, instead of having wheels operated by chains, we went hydraulic and then included hydraulic motors to give us that great big opening between the wheels whereas our competitors always used traditional tractors in the early days with traditional axles - hence the reason why they couldn’t have a direct cut and collect machine.

The main thing you have to remember is that when we had the chance to build our own machine we were not like everybody else in the marketplace in adapting a tractor and wanting to cut grass.

We actually started by saying “right, what is the most important thing to achieve, a really good mowing deck and collection system able to handle the wettest of grass, and how do we now turn that into a cut and collect ride-on mower?” We perfected the cutting and collecting elements and then built the tractor around that taking into account operator comfort and safety. That is why our machines look so different to the competition. Every other manufacturer seemed to build the tractor first and then put the cutting deck underneath, a grass box on the back and then join the two together by pipes.

Our approach was and is always to be different, we do not produce “me too” products. And that was the same principle used when we built the H124D. We wanted to go bigger, and more efficient, and again we started with the cutting deck and then obviously built the vehicle around it.

Now, we’ve got three sizes of cutting width in our ride-on range – 80cm, 100cm and 124cm.

In the 80cm cutting widths we have the semi-professional and professional with the Bahia and Hydro 80 range. We go to the 100cm range which is the Buffalo 100 - the direct descendant of the original machine which still carries all the same ethos from the one built in 1989. We then go into the high-lift diesel 100, highlift petrol 100 and then the 124 petrol and diesel.

Q: What have been some of the recent developments in the ride-on mowers?

A: We tend to stick with a winning formula, it takes years to create a reliable machine, so we do not change things on a regular basis just to have something new to sell. For example, our H124 range has changed little in outward looks from its original conception in

the late 1990’s and the same was for the Hydro 100. However, in late 2016, the Hydro 100 had a complete new face lift with new engines and transmissions. Diff lock was included at the time as well, so it had a radical upgrade although the actual principles of the machine still remained the same. Our principles have never changed, but it has been brought up-to-date in terms of styling, movement and other upgrades.

Q: Are there any exciting developments to look forward to in the future?

A: Yes, because it is a changing world we find ourselves in. Petrol and diesel in particular are starting to lose favour amongst many cities and towns throughout the UK and Europe and alternative fuels and alternative methods of powering equipment is being looked at. As a manufacturer always offering unique solutions this is something that we are taking very seriously in our future development. We are not a company that follows others - we produce unique machines. There are certainly some exciting developments

that will take place over the next 10 years and we work towards that development as opposed to re-creating something that is commonly found from the other manufacturers out in the market already.

Q: Are there technological or robotic modifications coming up?

A: Robotics is an increasing product group - especially throughout Europe. The European sales of robotics are now in line with ride-on sales and are quietly taking over in general.

We haven’t seen it in the UK yet, but in the last twelve months we have seen a huge increase in robotics in the UK. As a result, we are very much looking at that product line on different solutions for the future market but not just in the way we traditionally think of robotics but in other avenues as well.

Q: Eco friendly product designs and regulations are important considerations. What new challenges have there been in this area for you?

A: I think the biggest factor is the cost of lithium batteries and the required amount you need to power the likes of ride-on mowers and that type of product. At the moment it is still a very costly alternative to lead acid or petrol or diesel, so cost will always be an issue to some customers.

The other challenge is transportation. Transportation regulations are not keeping up with the production or the capabilities of lithium as it is today. There are changes coming in transportation laws which already mean a lot of the carriers just do not want to transport it. Lithium batteries of the sizes that are now coming on the market require special transportation and are classed as dangerous goods and that is becoming more and more of an issue. You can’t, for instance, mix batteries on a lorry with non-dangerous goods – this could well result in substantially increased transport costs, something that is going to be difficult for most people to digest.

Etesia

Iseki tackles difficult tasks with ease

Iseki’s new SF224 and SF235 mowers are offered with 22 or 32.5hp Iseki diesel engines and 1.37 or

tools, using a single point height adjustment lever. Adjustment range is from 20-125mm in 5mm or 10mm increments as required. Both sizes of decks may be fitted with a mulching plate if required, and can be flipped up to 65 degrees for maintenance and cleaning.

Routine maintenance and servicing is eased by improved access to the engine, radiator and service points.

Iseki

The

Les Malin, Managing Director of Etesia UK, explains how years of research and development have helped create Etesia’s successful and popular range of ride-on machines.

unique from their conception. How were they unique?

Weaving Machinery’s new machines unveiled at RWS 2018

Weaving Machinery launched two new machines to this year’s Royal Welsh Show. The new offset flail – the Blade 260 – offers sheep farmers unprecedented precision and compatibility when mowing grass and is the first completely offset flail to be combined with a hydraulic break back, able to swing clear of damaging obstacles in the terrain.

The Blade 260 makes precise grass management easier than ever, ideal for reseeding pastures and maintaining optimum grass length.

“The Royal Welsh is always a highlight of our year, especially the friendly atmosphere and chance to spend time with our customers and friends,” says Simon Weaving, Sales Manager at Weaving Machinery. “We’re excited to share the new Blade 260 and the R520 with farmers looking for ease of use and power. It’s the ideal setup for smooth pasture management.”

“This flail is perfect for farmers looking for a more precise cut on the first pass,” said Simon. “Removing thistles, ensuring an optimum grass length – this makes the hard jobs go smoother.”

Blade 260 specifications include: 260cm cutting width; 1340kg;

rRear tractor mount; power slew with break back; Side Skids; and 120HP tractor requirement.

As well as the Blade 260, Weaving Machinery also showcased the R520, its joystickcontrolled hedgecutter.

The fully proportional joystick controls are specifically designed for operators seeking comfort and convenience during their cutting routine, offering a system that is immediately intuitive and usable, combining the reliability of cable controls with the comfort of a joystick.

Main specification of the R52O include: 5.2m reach; 1.25m cutting head; 1250kg; cable rotor engagement; rotor reverse; power slew with break back; 200L oil tank; and 120HP tractor requirement.

“We believe that farm machinery should be as intuitive as possible,” added Simon. “The Blade 260 and R520 demonstrate that easy to use machinery can deliver real power. We’re enthusiastic about putting the most innovative tools in the hands of farmers. Easier work for fantastic results – what could be better?”

Twiga compact range expands

Spearhead Machinery has added two new models to the Twiga compact reach arm range, offering the increased flexibility of front mounting.

The Twiga Compact 360 and 460 Front Mount feature parallel arm geometry, hydraulic safety breakout, and mini-pilot controls. They are supplied with 1m flailhead or a choice of other cutting attachments, and front mounting is designed to optimise operator visibility from the cab.

Improvements to the 3.6 and 4.6m reach arms have been made through an added offset position designed to allow the operator to work in tighter, higher spaces, giving more manoeuvrability. Another new feature is the fold flat arm position bringing the machine over for a lower point of clearance to further improve visibility.

Arm lengths for the Twiga machines range from 3.2m in the Twiga Compact, to the 9m Twiga Flex.

The two original Compact models, the 320 and 420, offer sideways reach options of 3.2 and 4.2m and can be mounted at the rear or front of a compact tractor with a minimum tractor power requirement of 25hp.

Spearhead’s TWIGA Classic series is based on the Excel 565, powered by a 65hp hydraulic system and comes with parallel

arm geometry and hydraulic safety breakout as standard.

Arm reaches range from 4.7 to 6.4m and with a tractor power requirement from 60–100hp.

Flailheads are available in widths of 1.2, 1.5 or 1.6m with either direct or belt drive.

Alternative attachments include the Quadsaw and Cutterbar attachments which can cleanly

VERSI-Series from McConnel offers outstanding results

Designed for demanding professional contractors working in the verge maintenance, amenities and ground-care sectors, the VERSI-Series offers a comprehensive range of cutting positions that enables operators to tackle even the most demanding work environments.

The VERSI-Series, named for the outstanding cutting versatility, can be fitted to a wide range of compact tractor and utility vehicles.

Featuring a full-width hydraulic side-shift for precise close-in cutting; the arm also has 180-degrees of power slew and

Hedgecutter makes use of Blaney innovation

Blaney Group’s C600 hedgecutter featuring the company’s power shredding technology for a tidy finish.

Blaney says that as an independent manufacturer with no links to any other range, there are no restrictions to its design, giving the ability to offer experienced users exactly what they want.

The new Blaney Compact hedge cutter is equipped with a cutterbar trimmer, featuring a low friction, self-lubricating design to be easy to drive and reduce wear and associated maintenance costs.

It is also said to give enhanced performance even on older tractors with less oil flow, and be ideal for smaller or compact tractors for lighter hedgecutting tasks where a flail head is not required.

The range extends from a Compact trimmer to a telescopic Contractor machine with 6.5m reach. For those who have special requirements and want a different combination of features, Blaney can tailor machines for a custom build.

New ‘Soft Touch’ proportional control options have been developed in response to customer demand, designed to be more responsive to further improve finish and user comfort.

can cut on both sides of the tractor at the touch of a button.

The PA3430 VERSI’s positioning system delivers safe, legal and effective highway grass maintenance ensuring that the machine can cut either the verge or the central reservation while travelling in the same direction as the traffic.

With a choice of either 3.4m or 4.0m reach, 2 advance control options and 10 attachments it is truly versatile.

Front and rear mounting and a rotating flailhead, ensure these compact and maneuverable

Remote Mowers

cut tree branches up to 200mm diameter. For larger workloads and 90-100hp tractors, the Twiga Mid range is available in reaches from 5.5 to 7.0m, with two models having a telescopic reach as standard. Forward reach arm sets are available to give the operator improved visibility.

Power Arms offer operators cutting flexibility.

In addition, the ability to switch cutting positions quickly and easily, coupled with a rotating

arm and flailhead enables VERSI machines to thrive in a variety of confined and challenging environments.

McConnel

Weaving Machinery

Spearhead Machinery

Blaney

Looking up in County Down

Things are looking up in County Down for contractor Robert Harrison after he switched to a new Twose TW67T-5 for the upcoming season.

Based in Greyabbey, Robert covers around 2,500 hours a year cutting hedgerows –working primarily for local farmers and building companies around the county.

He wanted a combination of reach and cutting power, as well as precise controls and strong build quality so he purchased Twose’s flagship TW67T – 5 from local dealer McCord Machinery of Cookstown, specifying it with a 1.5m HD flailhead with competition flails.

The TW67T-5 features 6.7m reach, 65hp high-performance hydraulics, and a Telescopic arm extension to enhance manoeuvrability and cutting flexibility.

Robert comments: “It’s a strongly-built machine and the

performance is excellent. It delivers a powerful cut and a great finish. “

One of the key innovations available on 5 Series machines is the new Electric Proportional Joystick – which offers precise proportional control; innovative touch-pad controls and a twist grip for enhanced functionality; and an ergonomic design.

“The joystick controls are ideal for working long hours when

hedge-cutting because they are comfortable and easy to master. The stick is well-designed and grips comfortably in the hand so it feels very intuitive to control,” he adds.

“I love the 6.7m reach and the telescopic arm extension. It’s been very reliable - I have had no problems in the first 500 hours and would definitely recommend it to others.”

Twose

EGO offers power and performance to ground care professionals

To meet the needs of ground care professionals in terms of power, performance, convenience and wellbeing, EGO Power+ is launching its first dedicated range of commercial cordless garden tools.

Powered by the patented design of the 56V Arc Lithium battery system, which delivers the power of petrol without the petrol, the range includes a hedge trimmer.

EGO have spent a lot of time talking to professional users to better understand what is required from them of their tools. The result is a range of tools designed to perform beyond the expectations of even the most challenging user.

Bank tractors offer high productivity in difficult areas

The Reform specialist bank tractor range features a Muthing MU-H200 flail, the fourspeed hydrostatic drive 70hp that makes it a versatile and productive machine.

The Reform Metrac H7RX is the spearhead of the company’s midrange. It offers the professional and local authority user a compact power unit tailor-made for a wide range of municipal tasks, including safe operation on steep slopes up to 45 degree angles to directly address operator health and safety issues.

The H7RX’s low centre of gravity, combined with constant power hydrostatic drive provides maximum ground contact and the suspended front axle ensures that all four wheels have permanent ground contact even on uneven terrain. Additionally, an inching pedal means the operator can work around trees, shrubs etc,

with confidence. Depending on the task, selection can be made between four wheel, front wheel, rear wheel or continuously adjustable crab steering mode.

Muthing’s MU-H200 high tempered M-Hammer flail or optional shackle flail with self-sharpening cutting edge is designed to offer a clean cut and maximum shredding whilst using less power. The distance between the outer rotor circle and the roller provides perfect contour following, quality of cut, superior mulching and shredding performance.

Reform

The hedge trimmer has blades that are made from laser-cut steel with diamond-ground edges to ensure a sharpness and cleanness of cut. Unlike other manufacturers they are then laser-hardened to ensure they stay sharper for longer, even when cutting through the toughest hedge.

In an industry first, the brush cutter has a carbon fibre shaft which makes it more lightweight for ease of handling, but, even more importantly, it makes it extremely strong. Where standard aluminium shafts bend or get damaged, this shaft stays strong to meet the day-to-day routine of handling, transporting and storing.

“Reliability is a must for ground care professionals, but comfort is also essential when people are working every day. The development of our battery

Too steep to walk?

The Gekko from innovative, multi-award winning German manufacturer Koppl means you can now choose whether to operate your mower via walkbehind or remote control. The Gekko is a robust and reliable solution for banks mowing that is suitable for heavy use in tough working conditions including verge areas that are difficult to reach via the easy to use remote control function.

Benefits include:

• High performance & multiattachment capabilities

• Powerful 23 HP petrol engine

• Remote control range up to 300m

• Capable of working on slopes up to 45°

• High ground clearance and low centre of gravity

• Cutting edge innovations including revolutionary twist-grip steering

Koppl have been manufacturing since 1896 and produce an extensive range of implement

technology is matched by a commitment to high-spec construction, giving users a suite of tools engineered for their needs,” explains Steve Roskell of EGO.

“The range is comfortable and convenient to use, delivers exceptional results and – backed by the EGO Arc Lithium battery – matches and even exceeds what can be achieved with conventional petrol-powered tools.”

EGO carriers (5.7hp – 23hp) and attachments including sweepers, rotavators & mowers to suit individual specific needs.

For further information please contact PSD Groundscare: Tel: 01282 856819 or Email: sales@psdgroundscare.com

Remote control gives Flailbot the edge

Each of the two tracks can be independently extended by the operator by 250mm, widening the footprint to aid stability and grip and allowing the mower to operate on inclines up to 55 degrees.

Rubber and studded steel track choices offer optimum traction for different surface conditions, whilst automatic track tensioning prevents track loss.

To maintain the optimum cutting height and angle, the cutting heads float over the terrain and are adjusted automatically.

Mowing options include 1.182.05m standard flails, 1.28 and 1.65m forestry heads and a 1.45m rotary unit which can be fitted with a barrier mower disc.

A range of tools and accessories allow Flailbot to be configured for a wide range of applications, including stump grinders, trench cutters, earthmoving, snow clearing and agricultural processing.

Remote control makes Flailbot ideal for use on hilly, banked and even mountainous areas, says Bomford Turner. With a range of up to 150m, the remote unit offers precise joystick control of forward or reverse track speeds, from 0-7kph. The unit also displays real-time data, including machine incline, attitude and speed.

PSD Groundscare

Bomford Turner has added two new models to its Flailbot range in 2017 - a compact 40hp model, and the larger Supreme 70hp model.

Bomford Turner

Make short work of autumn clean up

Billy Goat wheeled vacuums are suitable for all residential, commercial and municipal property clean up requirements.

Designed for use on both lawns and hard surfaces, Billy Goat wheeled vacuums are built to last, with many now being in service around the world for more than 20 years.

The Billy Goat range of vacuums features 13 products, the newest of which, added in 2018, is the KV601. The KV601 builds on Billy Goat’s 40-year legacy of strong suction, simple operation and reliable design that makes outdoor vacuum clean-up easy.

It is part of the KV series which is designed to meet the needs of both the domestic and residential markets, however, the KV601 boats a Briggs & Stratton

Professional series engine which is designed to tackle the toughest of tasks. Not only that, but it has low emissions which meet the latest EU directive EU-V for emissions.

Whether it’s residential clean-up for your patio, lawn, driveway, walkway, shrubs, beds, decks, trees, or fence edges – the KV inhales and bags all clean-up debris. An optional hose kit helps between shrubs and beds and harder to reach areas. The series has both hand and self-propelled models, and has a 27” width with a five blade impeller and serrated edges. The KV Series maximises suction and tackles debris with ease. It is also available with an on-board 2” chipper to help clear branches too.

For smaller jobs, the lightweight Little Billy is perfect for domestic and residential applications; it is 20” wide with a wide nozzle that provides superior suction and instantaneous clearance. For additional suction all Billy Goat vacuums are available with optional hose kits.

Winners announced for Polaris’

‘Ultimate RANGER Experience’ Competition

The winners of the ‘Ultimate RANGER ® Experience’ competition have been announced.

Polaris launched a competition in May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their best-selling utility vehicle, the RANGER.

Entrants were given the chance to win an ‘Ultimate RANGER Experience’, by uploading a picture and caption showing their own personal RANGER experience. The competition was a great success with over

GROUNDSMAN turf aerators and turf cutters score at the World Cup

Based in Ballymoney Co Antrim N. Ireland, Groundsman manufacture their unique brand of professional Turf Cutters, Turf Aerators and Accessories.

With over 25 years’ of experience and a worldwide reputation for durable high performance equipment, GROUNDSMAN machines are used by sports club facilities, hire shops, contractors, local authorities and landscapers around the world.

The Groundsman model 460HD Elliptical Plunge Action Pedestrian Turf Aerator and model TMC46 Four Wheel Drive Turf Cutter have scored a hat trick of orders over the past 18 months with multiple

units having been put to work on pitches at various facilities across Russia over the past eighteen months in preparation for the big event.

These machines proved able to cope in the extreme conditions

that can be encountered after a harsh Russian winter and helped ensure the pitches used at the recent World Cup provided high quality playing surfaces.

Largs BC opt for 21st century mowing equipment

Largs Bowling Club is home to one of the largest greens in the west of Scotland, comfortably able to accommodate eight rinks in either direction.

In charge of the day-to-day upkeep is Greenkeeper Ron Hempseed, who can be found watering, brushing and mowing the green six mornings a week. This job has been made all the more pleasurable after the club purchased a Cub Cadet 22” INFINICUT from MTD

Specialty Turf Products in April this year, making them one of the first bowls clubs in Scotland to have one.

They first heard about the INFINICUT through contractors Pro-Turfcare who work alongside Ron, conducting the more complex monthly maintenance.

With regular play, including morning rinks, the green takes a pounding from play but the Cub Cadet INFINICUT is delivering

Henton & Chattell

Groundsman Industries

Cub Cadet

320 entries being submitted throughout May and June from 36 participating

reviewed by a panel of judges, including a representative from Polaris Industrial Design in the USA, to select the winners. The judges were looking for authenticity, inspiration and enthusiasm for the brand.

Polaris

Kubota helping young people fulfil their potential with PACCAR Scout Camp partnership

Kubota UK has joined forces with PACCAR Scout Camp, a charity funded organisation dedicated to helping young people achieve their physical, intellectual and social potential.

The Japanese manufacturer is working in partnership with PACCAR Scout Camp as part of its on-going initiative to support charities that are focused not only on improving the prosperous life of humans, but also protecting the environment.

Karen Tipping, Kubota UK’s Marketing Manager, said: “We are delighted to support the PACCAR Scout Camp. The work and commitment of its 120 volunteers to give children of all ages the opportunities to experience the great outdoors is fantastic.

“For many of the camp’s 50,000 visitors a year, it can be the first time they will have ever experienced the outdoors like they can at PACCAR Scout Camp. It’s an adventurous experience that’s not only fun and entertaining, but it can help build self esteem, confidence and team building skills.

“These values are important to Kubota and we are extremely proud of our manufacturing excellence and our commitment to the environment, highlighted by our ‘For Earth, For Life’ brand statement. Being partnered

with PACCAR scout group is excellent and we are so pleased that we can aid them with the brilliant work they do’’

To help the camp’s volunteers get around the 67-acre site, Kubota has donated its rugged and robust RTV-X900 utility vehicle.

Cliffe Brooke, Operations Manager at PACCAR Scout Camp, commented: “On behalf of everyone at PACCAR, we would like to thank Kubota and our local dealer George Browns for their support. We are a charity organisation, and like all charities, we need funding to be able to survive. With Kubota donating us the RTV-X900, it means we can focus our funds on what’s most important – continually improving our site and facilities to make the experience our visitors have when they come here, even better.

“The machine will make a huge difference operationally, making life much easier for our volunteers, from ferrying equipment around for activities, to woodland management and general maintenance. It will also allow us to access areas of the 67-acre site that we previously couldn’t.

“The Kubota brand is synonymous with quality and reliability, we’ve had a Kubota compact tractor now for over ten years and it never lets us down. We are really looking forward to putting the RTVX900 through its paces now and seeing what it can do. It will be an integral piece of machinery that will be used every single day so we are delighted to receive Kubota’s support.”

Kubota

SISIS Auto Rotorake needs to be seen to be believed

Andy Richards, Grounds Manager at Shrewsbury School, has claimed that he is amazed at the amount of material the SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5 removes from the School’s cricket wickets.

Set over 120 acres with approximately 800 pupils, Shrewsbury School is one of the most prestigious independent schools in the land. Boasting academic excellence, the School also has some of the finest sporting facilities in the UK.

Andy and his team work tirelessly throughout the year

to provide sports pitches of the highest quality, and when it comes to his cricket wickets he puts his faith in the SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5

“We use the Auto Rotorake specifically for cricket because it does such a good job,” says Andy.

“Previously, we had an older Rotorake in our armoury and because we were so impressed with it there was absolutely no reason to try something else.

“I had a demonstration of the new Auto Rotorake last year, decided to purchase one and it is a definite upgrade. The amount of material you can take out of a wicket with the brush reel and the verticutting reel sometimes needs to be seen to be believed.”

The SISIS Auto Rotorake MK5 is a powerful self-propelled heavy duty scarifier designed for the removal and control of thatch on fine turf.

SISIS

Mecalac reveals technical specification for MDX site dumper range

Mecalac Construction Equipment UK Ltd has revealed the full technical specifications of its eagerly-anticipated MDX cabbed site dumper range.

A Stage IIIB-compliant engine, all-new dashboard design and a ground-up focus on site safety features makes the MDX Mecalac’s most innovative site dumper range ever.

Available in both six and ninetonne payloads (6MDX and 9MDX respectively), each model pairs stylish aesthetics with impressive operator

functionality. Unparalleled integration of the cab within the ground-up design, inspired by the highly-acclaimed Mecalac MWR wheeled excavator, provides outstanding visibility while minimising noise and vibration.

Mecalac

After

the heatwave garden pests

will emerge more hungry than ever

The current prolonged dry weather has already ended in some parts of the UK with reports that the rain has encouraged garden pests to come out on the hunt for tasty plants to sate their drought driven appetites.

Top of the list of predators enjoying the rain are – of course – slugs, but chafer grubs and leatherjackets are moving up through the damp soil to resume

their destructive work on lawns – and the birds know it – and in the fruit and vegetable areas, all sorts of pests are once again on the prowl.

Regardless as to whether you have been lucky enough to have rain or not, now is the time to plan your pest counter attack and the best way to protect vulnerable plants, vegetables, fruit and lawns is to harness

nature’s own pest control –beneficial nematodes.

These microscopic worm-like creatures live naturally in the soil hunting down their prey. The BASF range of Nemasys nematode control products dramatically increases their numbers, protecting your garden against attack.

Nemaslug controls small slugs, Nemasys Biological Chafer Grub Killer and Nemasys Biological Leatherjacket Killer will protect lawns and Nemasys Biological Fruit and Vegetable Protection works against root fly maggots, caterpillars and many more pests, including Scarlet Lily Beetle larvae.

All Nemasys products are added to a watering can or a hose feeder. Children and pets do not need to be excluded from treated areas and they are all suitable for organic gardens.

BASF

DLF mixtures provide solution to Cricket wickets and outfields

A ‘historic and inspirational cathedral setting’ provides the backdrop for studies to the pupils at The King’s School, Gloucester.

In charge of maintaining the 3 hectares of gardens and sports grounds across multiple sites is Head Groundsman Richard Bowman.

When he re-joined the school for his second stint in 2011, having originally started as an apprentice in 1999, he made the switch to seed from DLFs’ Johnsons Sports Seed and Masterline ranges which looks to be a decision set to stay.

“Sport is an important part of life for pupils at King’s and we’re fortunate to have two and a half hectares of sports fields and facilities across the school’s sites” explains Richard who is supported by a team of five. “I’ve worked on our seed programme with Ian Barnett, now of DLF, for a number of years and have valued his input and advice. He

SMALL YET PERFECTLY FORMED

suggested we try Johnsons J Premier Wicket for our cricket ground, with which we achieved great success. This opened our eyes to what other mixtures were out there.”

Ian recommended they trial PM79 from Masterline on one of the schools three cricket outfields.

“We gave it a try following the launch of DLF’s 4Turf

Tetraploid Perennial Ryegrass, and specifically the PM79 mix because of the darker sward colour it delivers meaning less reliance on chemical inputs. It’s also known for its hard-wearing qualities which is important for our outfields, which also play host to rugby.” Pleased with the results of the trial, Masterline’s

PM79 is now used across all of the cricket outfields, with wicket mixture PM36 employed on the junior and second squares.

“Our junior and second team facilites are in use five or six days a week, for training and matches at weekends, and then convert to rubgy on a similar play schedule. Because of the high-use on these surfaces, they require more frequent overseeding to keep these looking and playing well so budget-wise, the Masterline seed becomes a better option here.

Meanwhile J Premier Wicket is delivering the top-quality surfaces we require on the first team square

McConnel’s compact Power Arm series combines the benefits of a light, robust design with outstanding manoeuvrability and precision.

Offering a choice of reach from 3.4m to 4.8m and powerful dependent 30hp hydraulics, 30-series Power Arms can be fitted to a wide range of utility vehicles and compact tractors including front or rear mounting. Available with a choice of proportional control systems and a range of attachments including fine cut rotary heads, multisaws and cutterbars, the machines deliver all the benefits of McConnel’s advanced hedge and verge-cutting technology for compact and low horsepower tractors.

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DLF