I would imagine that one of the genuine bugbears of a turf professional's life is a lack of recognition of one's work.

Not that anyone gets into the industry for fortune and glory or some form of celebrity! Far from it.

It is however natural that anyone who takes pride in their work, will once in a while appreciate some positive feedback. Be it from players, managers, officials or the general public. Having someone who benefits from your hard graft, recognise that their world has been improved by your toils, and these environments don't just occur by themselves, is its own achievement.

For them to then take the next step to actually praise those responsible . . . well let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!

A recent event which attempted to address this poor recognition by the wider public of what our green space custodians achieve was the Amenity Forum's Conference. Taking place at the Pirelli Stadium, Burton on Trent a couple of weeks ago, the core message which the event concerned itself with was ‘Making a difference for everyone’.

The event reminded delegates that without professional maintenance of amenity areas, every UK citizen would be affected. Those involved in amenity keep the roads and trains running, the streets and pavements clean, our sports surfaces in top condition and our parks fun and enjoyable places.

A key message which the Forum was very keen to express was that weed, pest and disease control is not just a nice thing to have, but essential and important.

In his address, John Moverley OBE, Independent Chairman of the Amenity Forum, urged everyone involved to have real pride in what they do and to help communicate to the wider public the important work undertaken - vital for health, safety, our environment and ensuring green spaces are fit for purpose.

Continuing the theme of having pride in what the amenity sector delivers for public benefit was John Ledwidge, Head Groundsman responsible for maintenance and improvement of pitches used by Leicester City FC.

Maintaining top quality pitches is a high pressure job and John spoke about how it demands a very high degree of professionalism and dedication.

He was followed by thought provoking presentations from Mark De Ath (Headland Amenity) and Peter Corbett (Rigby Taylor) who looked to the future and what weed, pest and disease management might look like.

John Moverley concluded the day, urging everyone to get behind the current communication campaign seeking to increase general understanding of the importance of amenity management.

As John said, "It really does keep Britain moving."