Sports & Recreation Clubs
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Operations Grounds Manager and has previously worked as a groundsman at Lilleshall. This experience has put him in good stead for a challenging role in managing the grounds and development of the site.
He also tries to inspire others in the team;
Philip has a saying, that was taught to him by his manager, which has been adopted by all the staff at the national centres; “the standard you walk past, is the standard you accept”, so he is constantly asking questions of the staff at the sites to maintain the highest standards. Lilleshall is certainly a busy site, especially when all the pitches are in use. Philip has a staff of six; Peter Bolland is the Grounds Supervisor, who is supported by Ben Wenlock, John Silvester, Matt Haycox, Sam Arrowsmith and Julian Hardy. Julian is the longest serving member of the team, having recently completed forty years service. The whole site is spread over 330 acres of
All grass verges are cut and presented with stripes, litter is picked daily and shrub and flower beds are maintained to a high standard
sprawling Shropshire countryside, there are plenty of mature specimen trees planted in and around the historic hall which, additionally, is surrounded by an array of formal ornamental gardens. Two members of staff are employed on
the pitches and four on the gardens and informal grounds but often, during busy periods, everyone has the relevant experience to fill in and help each other out when needed. The main drive to the hall is 1.8 miles long with an impressive avenue of Wellingtonia trees planted along both sides. The grass cutting of the verges either side of the drive usually takes a full day to mow. The presentation of the grounds is always uppermost in Philip’s mind; first impressions is a key driver, along with the performance of the pitches. With that in mind, every effort is made towards ensuring they are presented in the best light and are in the best condition for play.
All grass verges are cut and presented with
stripes, litter is picked daily and shrub and flower beds are maintained to a high standard. That presentation continues through to the pitches, with neat line markings and even stripes, so that the wow factor is presented across the board. The pitches are in use most days of the
week, with weekends being fully booked by many teams. A lot of Football League clubs’ youth sides also use the pitches, playing regular match fixtures during the football season. As well as football and rugby, there is also a big demand for high profile archery events on the sportsfields, which bring a new challenge for the grounds team to maintain the high standards set. Lilleshall currently provides nine full size
natural soil/sand based pitches, with six of them having primary/secondary drainage systems, enabling maximum use during the winter period. To date, there have been no cancellations on any of the pitches this year,
PC JUNE/JULY 2015 I 45
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