U P D AT E
NEWS
GREEN SPACES
SEARCH FOR BEST PARK UK-WIDE GREEN space charity, Fields in Trust, has launched a campaign to find the UK’s best park, as voted by the public. This unique award is open to all public green spaces across the UK through a simple online nomination. Perhaps your local park is great for a Sunday afternoon stroll, your neighbourhood playground is a hive of children’s activity, or a nature reserve provides a stressfree space to relax – this is your chance to help your favourite space gain the recognition it deserves. Nominations are open now until 1st July at www.fieldsintrust.org/best-park
GROWING BUSINESS
SEED FIRMS MERGE DLF SEEDS HAS reached an agreement to acquire PGG Wrightson Seeds. DLF is a leading seed player in the northern hemisphere, and PGG occupies a similar position in the south, so the combined business is seen as a significant strategic leap towards a global presence. DLF chief executive Truels Damsgaard said: “To stay ahead of the competition, it is of utmost importance to gain scale in your business, to support biotechnology while minimising timescales and risk.”
DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS
REESINK DEAL REESINK TURFCARE HAS secured the UK distribution rights for Core Solutions, a core collecting blade attachment from US-based Nordic Plow. Designed for sports surfaces, the attachment fits onto all brands and models of aeration equipment and bunker rakes, including the Toro ProCore 648 and 864 and Toro SandPro.
10 THE GROUNDSMAN June 2019
e e en re re nited it t e nso es t dor o er
OPERATION MATADOR
Celebrating 60th anniversary of epic lawnmower challenge
FIVE FORMER STUDENTS who drove a Ransomes Matador mower nonstop from Edinburgh to London’s Hyde Park in 1959 have reunited to commemorate their epic journey. Tom Hudson, Mike Smith, Mike Savage, Hugh Tansley and John Wilson, who were all apprentices at the De Havilland Aircraft Company and day-release students at Hatfield
Technical College, hatched the plot, known as Operation Matador, 60 years ago to test the reliability of small petrol engines. The mower, modified with a larger sump to provide enough lubrication for the 400-mile trip, was parked on the lawn at the university to greet the intrepid Operation Matador team as they arrived.
OBITUARIES
GORDON ‘FRED’ NEATE READING FC HAS paid tribute to Gordon ‘Fred’ Neate, the former player and groundsman who has died aged 78. Neate arrived at Elm Park as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1956 and served the club for 53 years before retiring in 2009. He turned professional in 1958 but his career was hampered by injuries and he was forced to retire in 1966 when he was just 25. He was offered the post of groundsman by Reading chairman Alf Smith and continued in the role when the Royals moved to the Madejski Stadium in 1998. A club statement read: “Gordon always liked a laugh, a chat and a friendly word with the fans – except when they got on his pitch! We extend our heartfelt condolences to Gordon’s family.”
ANDREW RODWELL SCH FOUNDER AND former MD Andrew Rodwell has passed away after a short illness, aged 80. Due to health concerns, in December 2018 Andrew and his family had decided to hand over the running of SCH to two of his longterm employees, John Free and Ian Holder. In a statement, the firm said: “SCH had been Andrew’s passion for more than 30 years, and his hard work has put the company’s future on a successful trajectory. We will continue to trade as normal, so that his legacy is maintained.”