U P D AT E
NEWS
DIARY DATE
AMENITY CONFERENCE
Knotweed growing unchecked in a residential garden
WEED RISK
SURVEY SAYS BRITS STRUGGLE TO IDENTIFY KNOTWEED A SURVEY HAS revealed that less than a fifth of people in Britain can identify Japanese knotweed. Described by the Environment Agency as “the UK’s most aggressive, destructive and invasive plant”, Japanese knotweed can grow by up to 10cm a day during the summer, quickly becoming well established. It can damage buildings and render them unsellable until a treatment plan is implemented, and it costs the UK £166m a year to treat it. The survey, commissioned by Environet, also found a lack of awareness about the legal responsibility of homeowners to prevent the weed from spreading. Only 36% knew they could be sued and just 18% were aware that they could face prosecution under ASBO legislation.
Despite people struggling to recognise the plant by sight, general awareness of knotweed is high, with 76% of Brits having heard of the plant, compared to 75% last year. www.environetuk.com
NUMBERS UP
TOP-CLASS TRAINING JOHN DEERE HAS been named for the second year as one of the best 100 employers for school leavers in the UK – the only agricultural and turf machinery company to be recognised. The firm has also seen a 60% increase in 2018 in the number of young service technicians being trained on its Ag Tech, Parts Tech and Turf Tech advanced apprenticeship programmes, run in partnership with training provider ProVQ.
A heat map showing the prevalence of knotweed throughout the UK
NEW SKILLS
CASH BOOST
£10m for rugby league facilities
THE RUGBY LEAGUE World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has announced its second major initiative from the tournament’s ‘Inspired by 2021’ legacy programme. Some £10m will be invested in local clubs and community projects as part of the RLWC2021 Facilities Legacy programme. The government investment, delivered by Sport England, is part of RLWC2021’s ambitious plan to grow KEEP IN TOUCH
THIS YEAR’S AMENITY Forum annual conference and exhibition has the theme ‘Change, Challenge and Opportunity’ and will be held once again at the Pirelli Stadium, Burton upon Trent, on Tuesday 9 October. Delegate rates: £75 + VAT for supporter organisations and £85 + VAT for others. There is a £10 discount for early bird registrations before 1 September. For further information, visit www.amenityforum.co.uk/conference/ the-amenity-forum-conference-2018
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the sport and make it more visible, engaging and welcoming to current and potential participants. The funding will be split into large transformational community projects, for example refurbishing changing rooms and installing new artificial pitches. The remainder of the funding will be used for smaller-scale initiatives such as supplying new kit or new equipment to clubs.
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Institute of Groundsmanship
DURHAM WORKHOP The Durham Cricket Board Groundstaff Association (DCBGA) will be running An Insight into Football Groundsmanship at Professional Level workshop at Newcastle United FC’s Academy Training Centre, Benton on 13 August from 6.30pm to 8pm. The session will cover preparation, maintenance and renovation and will include informative talks. Call 07739 856564 to book. twitter.com/the_iog
www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 7