The light shines on IOG In Action event at Sunderland AFC
Published Date: 26/02/2010
Dreary Wearside weather did nothing to dampen the spirits of the 70 plus delegates to the IOG’s ‘Trends & Issues in Groundscare’ event at Sunderland AFC, when Head Groundsman Adrian Partridge and his team hosted the first of this year’s IOG’s In Action series at the Stadium of Light.
Sponsored by Dennis, Fleet Line Markers, Harrod UK, Lloyds/Hunter Grinders, Scotts, Syngenta and TSL Turfcare Specialists, the day’s proceedings were opened by Kevin Duffill, the IOG’s Head of Sales & Marketing. His informative update on IOG progress included a reminder about this year’s IOG National Conference and Industry Awards in November.
The audience then heard Ian Lacy, the IOG’s Head of Professional Services, outline the scope of the IOG’s activities – including the fact that the IOG is an accredited Train to Gain and City & Guilds training provider, the growing significance of CPD and that the IOG last year staged 150 training courses throughout the country!
Ian then informed delegates about the IOG’s expanding network of Regional Advisors – two new posts are being created this year covering the Midlands and the South East, to complement existing Regional coverage for the North, Wales & South West and Scotland.
There followed a series of informative presentations:
- Tim Colclough of Turftrax asked delegates to think deeply about ‘Renovation and Beyond’ – reminding them to determine the issues and identify the causes;
Simon Hardcastle of Scotts discussed ‘Current developments in turf Nutrition’, and explained how the company’s iTurf programme guides users into applying the right products at the right time and in the most efficient way; Syngenta’s Dr Simon Watson outlined ‘Optimising application’, detailing the benefits of the company’s new spray nozzles (reduced drift-less waste) and reminded the audience of the many useful features of the Greencast website; ‘Cutting edge Technology’, aka mower blade grinding, was ably described by Clive Nottingham from Lloyds/Hunter Grinders, and he pointed out that back lapping is no substitute for grinding; and The HSE’s Keith Anderson presented ‘Risks in the Workplace’, a timely reminder about the dangers of, for example, vibration and noise and work. With a host of equipment on view and a series of informative pitch-side product demonstrations by Dennis, Harrod UK and Fleet Line Markers, delegates subsequently enjoyed an interesting tour of the stadium.
