THE PC TEAM DAVE SALTMAN
MD. Passionate about the sports turf industry, but also a true romantic at heart. A recent treat for his partner, Nicky, was long weekend away to Cardiff, where Dave was overseeing a match at the Millennium. And who said romance was dead?
JOHN RICHARDS
Operations Director. Recently returned from a lengthy tour down under where he was the proud recipient of the title ‘grandfather’ for the first time. Rumour has it that he nearly managed to fit in some work in between his grandparenting duties.
LAURENCE GALE
Joint Editor. A rugby fanatic who is not only the coach for a local team, but has also re- signed for his club making himself available for selection in case of need (or should that be desperation?). Wife, Dawn, does not know about this latest development, so keep it to yourselves.
PETER BRITTON
Sales and Production Director. Enjoys his golf and likes to be out on the course whenever he can. Kicking his heels during the spells of frost, but at least his unexpected spare time has been put to some productive use - cuddling his 7 months old granddaughter.
ELLIE TAIT
wearing her distinctive white Pitchcare blouse during Harrogate Week, and more joint visits with Laurence. Truly, can life get any more exciting!
ALASTAIR BATTRICK
Web Developer. Back to his Lancashire roots for Christmas and his regular fix of northern air and black pudding... and to proudly introduce his two month old daughter Matilda to his family and friends. Returned refreshed, healthier and talking a completely different language!
SHARON TAYLOR
Company Accountant. Gradually taking over the office with her obsession for paper trails. Now has more filing cabinets than everyone else put together. Recently received a Most Valued Customer award -f the local paper mill!
from DAN HUGHES
Marketing Coordinator. New boy who is giving the Shop a complete overhaul. A graduate in Public Relations and Management, he is also very sporty with rugby and football amongst his preferred games. Fit and intelligent -llooks like a change in recruitment policy for Pitchcare!
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PR and Marketing. Has more than most to look forward to in the new year -t
the prospect of
WELCOME TO
Well a very big welcome to 2006, I sincerely wish that each and every one of you has a very happy and prosperous year. We’ve been celebrating too, not just at Christmas and the New Year, but also with Dr Kate Entwistle for her BRITTIR Award for best technical article. We launched this magazine with the clear intention of providing a good mix of technical and ‘from the horses mouth’ non-technical articles that make each issue a damn good read. Despite being only six months old, the Pitchcare magazine found itself with nominations in all three BRITTIR Literary categories - Best Technical Article; Best Non-technical Article and Best Design and Layout - and our congratulations go wholeheartedly to Kate. We’re bringing to you the biggest magazine that we’ve produced to date, 72 plus pages of great editorial, written by contributors from industry, education and grass roots sport - I promise an enjoyable read.
IN December Pitchcare hosted the internet café at the NTF Conference in Blackpool. The seminars proved to be the best yet, with speakers delivering topical information across a broad range of subjects. The conference was well received and delegate numbers topped 400. It is definitely worth putting a date in your diary for this years event - the opportunity to learn from highly respected professionals should not be missed. Many of you will be reading this magazine in advance of the BTME show. BIGGA’s Harrogate Week is the largest indoor turf event in Europe,
encompassing a wide range of activities for all those involved in the
management of fine turf. It is coupled with a broad
education programme covering the management of resources and fine turf for all sectors of the industry, including greenkeeping and groundsmanship. It’s a fantastic week which gives everyone the opportunity to meet up with old friends and see the latest products and machinery in the market place. There’s no shortage of accommodation and the bars and restaurants are condensed within a square mile or so, right outside the conference centre.
On the theme of training, we are pleased to announce that Pitchcare has launched a series of on-site operator training courses, which are run in conjunction with NPTC/LANTRA/CPCS trainers and assessors. The courses provide competence training from manual handling to PA1-PA6 certification. Full details are on the ‘Education & Training’ section of the Pitchcare website where you can book courses for your staff and keep up to date with current employer legislation.
EVER considered purchasing online? It’s a quick, easy and convenient way of purchasing a whole host of useful products. Over the last few months we’ve been taking advantage of the quieter winter period and increased our on-line shop stock. With over 10,000 items now listed we believe we have the largest collection of products, all available to purchase at the click of a button. Our latest addition to the Pitchcare team, Dan Hughes, explains more in this issue.
Life throws interesting challenges at all of us from time to time but, if there was ever a current challenge to face, it is ‘where does our Industry go from here’? To me there is some way to go, in uniting for a common goal. The rumblings about education, trade shows and organisations continues, but be assured the coalition of an industry is uppermost in our minds. Pitchcare’s ethos has been, from the start, to provide a transparent service for the Industry, publishing technical and general information as well as the latest news, making it freely available for all who need it. Member interaction is important and the freedom of speech and dissemination of information has already helped accelerate the introduction of many new initiatives; all of which help to meet the needs of Groundsmen and Greenkeepers, but move us quicker towards a professional and well respected Industry.
Best wishes, DAVE SALTMAN Managing Director
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