Practical training sessions for free at GroundsFest

Organisers of GroundsFest have announced that free practical training sessions will be available at the event, which takes place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on 20 – 21 September 2023.

The training will be carried out by Grounds Training – a leading provider of independently accredited education within the sports turf and grounds maintenance sectors. The sessions will be delivered by a fantastic team of Lantra approved instructors which includes Keith Kent, Martin Sampson, Chris Parry, and Steve Potter.

Throughout the two-day event, the Grounds Training programme will include hands-on training sessions on a range of topics including line marking for winter sports and athletics, pedestrian mowers, ride-on mowers, hand held machinery, and the calibration and use of knapsack sprayers and boom sprayers. There will also be a specific management session designed for grounds managers, bursars, club managers and committee chairs.

From management to apprentice, the free training programme will be ideal for all those working in sports turf management, grounds maintenance, greenkeeping, horticulture, landscaping, the maintenance of commercial estates, and local authority parks and green spaces.

“We’re really excited to be running these hands-on sessions. It’s a great opportunity for visitors to receive an introduction to some of the most popular courses we deliver,” said Martin Sampson, Managing Director of Grounds Training.

“The Lantra instructors we’ll have at the event have more than 160 years of industry experience between us; we’re all passionate about delivering high-quality education, and sharing our knowledge to inform, encourage and inspire the next generation. We hope visitors will take the opportunity to build some learning into their time at GroundsFest.”

Event Director Christopher Bassett said that he was delighted to be welcoming Grounds Training to GroundsFest.

“This is an incredible feature which has never been seen at a UK groundscare event and we’re over the moon to have such a superb line-up of instructors delivering the sessions. “The programme offers visitors a fantastic opportunity to come along and receive some real, hands-on training from qualified instructors for free. We have always promised to give back to the industry and this is just the first step towards achieving this.” n www.groundsfest.com

Sustainability top of agenda at SAGE

SAGE will be held at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern on 19-20 July.

SAGE is a hands-on, interactive experience with zero limitations.

Situated at The Three Counties Show Ground, SAGE is based entirely outdoors, with large areas of space available for each exhibitor.

This year, SAGE 2023 is bringing sustainability to the forefront and leading the way in making exhibitions greener. Throughout the event, there will be no disposable plastic water bottles, and instead, fountains will be available to fill up reusable bottles. Similarly, all packaging used by on-site caterers will be fully compostable. At the bar, beer barrels will be replacing bottles, and hired glasses will be used at the networking events to reduce single-use plastic.

In partnership with Bio-Circle, SAGE is going to be hosting the first-ever sustainable solutions summit for grounds specialists. This year, SAGE will also be home to GRASS, the allnew sustainable forum that advises on tailor-made sustainable practices for businesses to help their mission to hit net zero by 2050. Built to support the grounds care industry with knowledge and specialist advice, GRASS will exclusively exhibit at SAGE this year.

Sharing the same values and emphasis on sustainability, TH White Machinery Imports LTD is also proud to be exhibiting at SAGE this year. They will be launching their latest hybrid remote control mower the FRC7, replacing paper brochures with a simple QR code for each brand model, as well as using QR codes in the place of business cards, all in an effort to be more sustainable.

This year, SAGE is set to be bigger than ever before, with visitor interest growing daily.

Come along to discover, demo, and network at SAGE 2023. n sportsandgrounds.events