Organisers of this year's SALTEX have announced ‘The Workshop’ - a new feature delivering live, hands-on machinery guidance for professionals and volunteers.

Sessions will be led by turf machinery expert, Tom Stidder. With more than 27 years’ experience in turf care, Tom’s career has taken him from a workshop technician to senior technical training and consulting positions with major turf machinery manufacturers.

Now an independent trainer and advisor, he works with organisations such as The Football Association (FA), the All England Club, The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and football clubs worldwide, including involvement in preparations for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The sessions are promised to tailored to both community-level and professional grounds teams, covering mowers, sprayers, compact tractors and more. And each session will also demonstrate best practice in action.

Community sessions are designed for volunteers and operatives who want to build confidence and competence when working with core machinery. They will offer the essential knowledge to operate equipment safely and keep it performing at its best.

Professional sessions are aimed at turf managers and experienced grounds staff responsible for delivering high standards on larger or more specialist sites. These sessions go deeper into optimising machinery for performance and turf health, helping refine approaches and get more from equipment. 

Tom Stidder said, "I’m really excited to bring this brand-new workshop to SALTEX. It’s all about helping grounds teams get the most out of their kit in a simple, hands-on way."