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EDITOR'S BLOG

PARKS MUST BE A STATUTORY SERVICE
It's about time
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

Attending the Green Flag Awards presentation ceremony last week, brought home how vital an asset these wonderful public green spaces are.

Last week I was fortunate to attend one of the three Green Flag Award ceremonies being held to honour the winners of this year’s scheme.

All in all, over 2208 parks and public open spaces in the UK have successfully met the Green Flag standard. I, along with over 200 parks professionals and volunteers, had been invited to attend the event held at National Memorial Arboretum in Burton.

It was certainly a great day for everyone who attended, with the chance to visit the Arboretum, meet up with fellow parks professionals and enjoy the awards ceremony.

As a Green Flag judge it was wonderful to meet up with the many parks people who I had met during this year’s round of judging and witness them receive their awards.

Never has the value of free to access parks and green spaces been more important - with parks continuing to provide a sanctuary for communities to engage with nature, improve their physical and mental health, play and come together.

That’s why I believe it’s important that parks are managed to the Green Flag Award standard, which recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces.

The awards came as new research carried out by YouGov for Keep Britain Tidy revealed:

84% of dog walkers in Great Britain said going to the park made them more relaxed, while 86% said it made them happier.
88% of parents of children aged four to 11 said going to the park makes their child happier, and 65% said it made their child calmer.
22% of parents said a park that feels safe was the main thing they looked for when choosing where to visit
61% of parents said the reason they took their child or children to the park is because it is free.

At the event, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said, “Parks are an essential part of our green infrastructure, playing a key role in our environmental sustainability.

“They are often the beating heart of a community, providing countless benefits to people and wildlife. “Importantly, they provide a green haven for everybody to enjoy, regardless of their age, social status or ability to pay for access. It’s clear from our research that for quality green spaces to meaningfully contribute to our health and wellbeing, they must be universally accessible and fit for purpose.

“The Green Flag Award is a vital component in ensuring the continuing quality of our parks and green spaces, making sure they are managed to the highest standards and are safe and accessible.

“The news that a record number have achieved the Green Flag Award standard is testament to the hard work of staff and volunteers who look after these national assets.”

I feel it is great that we continually see an increase in the number of parks winning this award, however as an ex-parks manager, we still have a long way to go especially when it has been well documented that we have over 27,000 parks in this country.

I have said on more than one occasion that parks are a vital asset to our communities and need proper investment from the government. For me it is about time parks were acknowledged as a statutory service and the relevant funds are made available for the ongoing maintenance of these vital public land assets.

These thoughts are echoed by Paul Rabbitts, chairman of the Parks Management Association, who in a recent blog wrote about the importance of the Green Flag Awards.

NEWS

FINALISTS REVEALED
For the Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards

Rhian Barton and Matt Milligan won the awards in 2021

In our first WEB ONLY story twelve candidates have been chosen to contest the grand finals this September.

END OF AS-MOTOR PARTNERSHIP
With UK distributor

In our next WEB ONLY story, the change comes after 12 years and following the acquisition of AS-Motor GmbH by Ariens Co in May 2021.

GROUNDS MANAGERS ALREADY TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
According to GMA

The GMA have revealed details of Learning LIVE

"Those managing and maintaining sports turf and green spaces are already having to deal with the impact of climate change," says chief executive Geoff Webb.

In the month that saw the UK climate reach unprecedented levels of 40C for the first time on record, the Grounds Management Association (GMA) say they are highlighting the need to place sustainability and environmental issues at the heart of the grounds maintenance sector’s thinking - and at the heart of SALTEX’s Learning LIVE sessions.

GMA chief executive, Geoff Webb said, “Those managing and maintaining sports turf and green spaces are already having to deal with the impact of climate change and industry suppliers are doing their best to innovate and help grounds people to minimise the impact of droughts and floods.

“Extreme weather conditions are becoming more frequent, and we need to continue to educate grounds staff and plan now to ensure that as a sector, we are equipped to deal with what lies ahead.”

Announcing speakers for SALTEX, Geoff Webb said, “Learning LIVE has been designed to provide support, insight, and real solutions to key industry issues, including those relating to sustainability and the environment and we are delighted to be confirming a growing line-up of impressive expert speakers.”

One such presentation is by Tony Hanson managing director, Environmental Solutions International and Robin Price, director of quality and environment at Anglian Water. Geoff says, “Their paper on ‘Reducing the impact of future water restrictions on golf and sports turf’ is a timely subject as we deal with the results of climate change and approach drought restrictions in this country. Tony and Robin will look at the implications of temporary use bans and changes in water abstraction rulings, and how this will prevent turf irrigation in 2023 and the ways to implement water resilience practices.”

Tony Hanson explains the importance of this subject to the industry, saying, “Due to climate change, population growth, and historically high personal consumption, there is simply not enough water available in the UK without action - the water sector will have to use demand management to ensure public supply. Turf irrigation must simply become less dependent on mains or direct irrigation abstraction.

“The Water Resilience Plan has been designed to guide users on what they need to do and keep them informed of water industry funded seminars and workshops. If you irrigate turf you will need to review alternative water sources for irrigation, create water storage on site - water you control and can use in a drought to cover at least 21 days and review and assess your irrigation management and system."

The Learning LIVE schedule this year has been extended to over 30 sessions, with additional papers attacking the key issues for the grounds care industry of pay, career development, how to negotiate in the workplace and how to find out about the millions of pounds of grant funding available from sports clubs.

More information can be found on the event’s website.

The show takes place at the Birmingham NEC on 2-3 November.

NEXT GEN TURF MANAGERS ANNOUNCED
FTMI Class of 2022

20 ambitious greenkeepers who will participate in the Future Turf Managers Initiative 2022 have been revealed.

BIGGA has revealed the 20 ambitious greenkeepers who will participate in the Future Turf Managers Initiative 2022.

Each year Jacobsen and BIGGA invite 20 up-and-coming association members to participate in the intensive training programme, which has been credited with developing some of the greenkeeping industry’s most influential course managers and head greenkeepers. This year Jacobsen and BIGGA celebrated the first FTMI graduate to achieve the links superintendent position at an Open Championship venue in the form of Royal Liverpool’s James Bledge.

FTMI was first hosted in 2013 as a two-day education event and since then has expanded around the world, with similar schemes being introduced in Spain, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand.

For 2022 the structure of FTMI has been adjusted to become a hybrid event that combines workshops at Ransomes Jacobsen’s headquarters in Ipswich, online education sessions and two days of education at BTME in January 2023. FTMI focuses on personal and professional development, rather than agronomy-based subjects, and utilises the expertise of leading course managers, dynamic trainers and industry experts to mentor and educate the next generation of industry leaders.

Candidates are selected based upon an anonymous judging criterion, with the panel gaining an insight into the achievements and ambitions of each applicant, who must be educationally active on a national and regional level.

BIGGA learning & development executive Deb Burnett said, “As an increasing number of FTMI graduates achieve success in their careers, we are reminded of what an incredible learning opportunity FTMI is for BIGGA members. When the 10th FTMI class convenes this year, we’ll be welcoming some of those early delegates back as mentors and I look forward to seeing them inspire the 2022 class, who will then gain the knowledge they require to achieve similar greatness in their own careers.

“Our youngest candidate this year is 22, while the oldest is 47 and that shows how FTMI is available to all BIGGA members. All you need is the desire to learn and progress your career and I’m delighted that among the Class of 2022 we have such a varied mix of people who can share ideas and experiences and who have all got through to this stage based upon their own merits.”

The members of the FTMI Class of 2022 are:

Aaron Allibon, first assistant at Orsett
John Anderson, senior greenkeeper at Prestwick
Rhian Barton, assistant greenkeeper at Royal Liverpool
Andrew Barr, deputy head greenkeeper at Greencastle
Tom Bromfield, assistant greenkeeper at Trentham
Ray Cotgrave, deputy course manager at Pleasington
Marcus Davies, assistant greenkeeper at Wentworth Club
Michael Gibbons, first assistant at Dunham Forest
Sean Harvey, senior greenkeeper at Frilford Heath
Peter Lewis, senior greenkeeper/irrigation technician at Royal Liverpool
Darren McLoughlin, deputy head greenkeeper at Erskine
Matthew Milligan, first assistant at Rudding Park
Malcolm Mitchell, deputy head greenkeeper at Burghley Park
Wayne Mulrooney, deputy course manager at Great Barr
Robert Munro, assistant superintendent at Cabot Cliffs
Ryan Oliver, assistant greenkeeper at Hornsea
Adrian Parsons, assistant greenkeeper at Wenvoe Castle
Michael Russell, assistant greenkeeper at Ormskirk
Steven Thomas, deputy head greenkeeper at Prestonfield
Elliot Walters, deputy course manager at Robin Hood

WENTWORTH TEAM UNVEILED
Greenkeepers from across Europe selected

Volunteers will gain an unrivalled behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the BMW PGA Championship this September.

BIGGA members will gain an unrivalled behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the BMW PGA Championship this September after being selected to join the Wentworth Club’s greenkeeping team for the duration of the event.

Supplementing Wentworth Club’s inhouse greenkeeping team will be 24 volunteers from across the greenkeeping association. The volunteer BIGGA members will fully integrate with the Wentworth greenkeeping team and take on important maintenance tasks to help prepare the course for play each day.

Wentworth Club courses and grounds manager Daniel Clarke said, “We value our relationship with BIGGA highly and given every member of the Wentworth greenkeeping team is a part of the association and has access to the training and education it offers, we know how committed and capable these volunteers will be as we prepare the West Course for the DP World Tour’s flagship event. Over the years the BMW PGA Volunteer Support Team has evolved from being a helping hand to now being an instrumental part of the in-house greenkeeping team and I’m excited to welcome them all to Wentworth Club in September.”

The BIGGA members who have been invited to join the Wentworth team as volunteers for the duration of the BMW PGA Championship are:

Wayne Aris, Langley Park GC
Callum Atkinson, Prestbury GC
Tom Barnett, Drayton Park GC
Euan Bogle, Lanark GC
David Bruce, The Gleneagles Hotel
Martin Coe, China Fleet CC
Luke Fitzpatrick, The Buckinghamshire GC
Calum Forsyth, Carrbridge GC
Jack Hall, Lutterworth GC
James Hook, The Bristol GC
Greg Jones, JCB G&CC
Ryan Lindsay, East Sussex National GC
Daniel Long-Greatorex, JCB G&CC
Thibault Marcazzan, Le Touquet
Charlie Munn-Cocks, Camberley Heath GC
Stanley Murphy, Ealing GC
Scott Patrick, Prestwick St Cuthbert GC
Daniel Rigby, Chigwell GC
Andrew Sellars, The Grove
Matthew Shaul, Ashby Decoy GC
Tom Silcock, Prestbury GC
Ben Sixsmith, Ganton GC
Philip Slater, West Herts GC
Ross Traill, Kilmarnock (Barassie) GC

PRO DEALERSHIP COMMITS TO A YEAR OF FUNDRAISING
For North West Air Ambulance

The activity kicks off this month with a company-wide sponsored cycle.

Professional machinery dealers GGM Group have committed to a year of activity to support the North West Air Ambulance.

The activity kicks off with a company-wide sponsored cycle, with staff getting on their bikes and riding between their two depots in Haydock and Colne along the Leeds-Liverpool canal on Friday 12th August.

Over 20 team members, from across all departments, will take on the 95km route, finishing off with a well-deserved team bbq to celebrate.

The business, which operates across the North West and Yorkshire, is following in the footsteps of last year’s highly successful charitable efforts, where the organisation raised over £10,000 for charities across the North West, and is keen to build on this success and keep the momentum running.

Managing director Chris Gibson said, “Every year we aim to carry out a number of physical challenges to raise funds for our company charity and it’s a huge highlight in our calendar. We’ve previously completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks and in 2020 we didn’t let lockdown dampen our spirits, carrying out a charity walk and cycle ride in socially distanced stints. We’re very much looking forward to this year’s event and it’s great so many team members want to get involved.”

The event will raise money for the organisation's chosen company charity of the year, the North West Air Ambulance. Since the charity launched in 1999, it operates 365 days a year and they have responded to over 24,500 missions across the Northwest and must raise over £9.5m each year to remain operational.

Chris Gibson concluded, “I am hugely proud of what our staff have committed to do and it is teamwork in the truest sense. Not everyone regularly cycles, yet they have committed to taking part in this challenge for our charity. As a family business, it’s fantastic for us all to come together.

“It’s a key part of our ethos at The GGM Group to give something back to the local community and North West Air Ambulance provide an essential service. Amazingly they receive no government or NHS funding so every penny we raise for the charity makes such a lifesaving difference.”

To support the team and make a donation visit their Justgiving page.

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