news@landscapeandamenity.com EMAIL: news@landscapeandamenity.com
Lands cape & Ame ni t y
Product News February 2022
www.landscapeandamenity.com
1
Special Feature Play & Activity
Government announces £39m levelling up fund for parks and green spaces The Government has announced a total of £39 million to refurbish parks in areas of the country with the lowest access to green space has been welcomed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. Alongside the existing £9m UK-wide Levelling Up Parks Fund which provides direct grants to deliver over 100 green spaces in the communities with the lowest access, a new £30m parks fund will deliver up to £1m to at least 30 local parks in England for refurbishment with an emphasis on facilities for young families. Over the past two years, we have seen how essential parks and green spaces are to people’s well-being and this much-needed investment was described by the charity’s Chief Executive today as a welcome first step in the drive to ensure that everyone in the country has access to a quality park, regardless of where they live.
Keep Britain Tidy manages the Green Flag Award on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and, while the number of parks reaching the international Green Flag Award standard – the mark of a quality green space – has increased each year, there are far more awardwinning parks in London and the South-East than in the rest of the country. The charity’s Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “It is fantastic to see the Government recognise that access to quality parks and green space must be part of the levelling-up agenda.
but this targeted money is a first step in the right direction and an acknowledgement that parks are a vital part of our country’s green infrastructure.” Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said councils were pleased to see culture, heritage and sport recognised for their impact in communities and be placed among the list of priorities in the white paper.
“As well as making a fundamental contribution to pride of place, they support local literacy and skills, and boost wellbeing, productivity and innovation,” he continued.
a local difference, but it is important that councils are given the funding flexibilities to invest in the facilities and activities that will make the biggest difference for their community.
“They also form a crucial basis for the creative and visitor economies which help form our international reputation and bring our places to the world stage.
“We look forward to working with government to ensure the insight of local councils contributes to the Levelling Up Advisory Committee and its sub-groups.”
“The specific funding investments, such as for football, will make
Green Flag Award
“We know from our research that for parks to be able to contribute to improvements in health and wellbeing, they must be accessible, wellmanaged and maintained and offer something for everyone within the community.
The results of the trial highlighted the strong tolerance of certain DLF diploid varieties together with 4turf, which now forms the basis of a J Premier 4Turf – a brandnew Johnsons Sports Seed mixture launching in 2022. Johnsons Sports Seed have launched J Premier 4Turf. New for 2022, it is the first mixture of its kind to combine the top-performing perennial ryegrasses from the trial
Following ongoing dialogue with the DLF technical team since
Page 8
Hedge & Verge Mowers Jane Carley spotlights new robotic technology
“Parks funding has been significantly reduced over time
to deliver improved tolerance to Brown Patch, together with the outstanding wear tolerance and visual merit of the original J Premier Pitch mixture. J Premier 4Turf takes full advantage of the most tolerant diploid and tetraploid varieties, with 20% 4turf – formulated with 10% FABIAN and 10% TETRAGAME.
The latest news and case studies
Enquiry 1
Pages 12-15
New mixture for 2022 from DLF Collaboration In response to the increase in reported instances of Brown Patch in the UK football industry, DLF have undertaken a screening programme for the last two years to analyse the tolerance of different varieties.
Hard & Soft Landscaping
early 2019, Head Groundsman at Reading Football Club Chris Last became the first to trial the new J Premier 4Turf mixture. In conjunction with the trial results, the objective was to deliver a mixture with even greater resilience, even faster establishment and improved wear tolerance. DLF
Enquiry 2
is key to #GroundsWeek Bolstered by the success of last year’s #GroundsWeek campaign – the GMA’s annual awareness week that celebrates the vital role grounds staff and volunteers play in making sport possible – this year’s campaign, from 28 Feb to 6 March, will encourage more people to work or volunteer Last year’s #GroundsWeek campaign reached more than 135 million people, secured support from 1,193 organisations and individuals across sport
READER ENQUIRY 4
and generated more than 3,000 mentions on social media. The UK’s ‘Great Resignation’ has seen many individuals quit their jobs, re-consider their priorities and seek different career opportunities. The GMA wants to use #GroundsWeek to highlight the personal and professional benefits that a role in grounds management can offer from a volunteering, job change, or career pathway prospective. The GMA
Enquiry 3
Sweepers, Collectors, Blowers & Vacs New machines and solutions for groundscare Pages 16-17