THE CELTIC MANOR RESORT, WALES

Whitemoss has supplied root zone and top dressing to the Celtic Manor Resort, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2010, since the first sod was cut over 10 years ago.

The material has retained its consistency throughout this period and Dylan Matthews, Chief Executive Officer at the Resort says that from the start Whitemoss has maintained an excellent delivery service.

“Whitemoss are one of only two suppliers who have been involved in the resort since its inception over 10 years ago.

“They were chosen initially because they were able to offer a consistent quality product range and this has remained the same throughout our development period.

“We would not hesitate to recommend Whitemoss as a supplier of top quality bulk materials.”

NEWBURY RACECOURSE

Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire is one of the UK’s most prestigious sporting venues, offering exciting racing on both the flat and over the jumps – and Green Compost from Whitemoss is helping to make the racecourse greener than ever.

With around 30 race days every year, the busy staff face an ongoing battle to maintain the course and fill the divots carved out of the turf by each and every thoroughbred.

To combat the problem the estate staff gather after each meeting to review the course and spring into action. They use a prescription blend of compost and silica sand combined with each divot and seed to repair the course. Each divot is carefully replaced by hand and the labour intensive task takes a team of 16 people, working full time, two whole days to compete the task.

The compost and sand mix is sourced from Whitemoss Eco and it contains pas 100/2005 certified green compost from nationally accredited Cheshire County Council.

Richard Osgood, Estate Manager and Clerk of the Course as Newbury, is a keen supporter of the green compost blend.

“Before green compost became available we used straight sandy soils, but these had a number of drawbacks – germination was slow and the grass appeared to be off-colour.

“We decided to try the green compost mix because we believed it would offer more nourishment to the turf and we’ve not been disappointed.”

A key requirement at the course is to ensure that the turf is repaired and returns to form as quickly as possible in order to guarantee good racing conditions for future meetings.

“And with the green compost blends we haven’t been disappointed,” said Richard Osgood. “We have seen germination happen a lot faster and over winter months the new growth has been exceptional. This growth is helped by the superior consistency of the green compost mixes which are also much easier to work with and apply.”

Occasionally, when the estate team feels the course needs an added boost an extra top dressing of the compost blend is applied to selected areas of the 24 hectare estate using a spreader.

Up to the present Newbury Racecourse has used over 1000 tonnes of the Whitemoss Eco blend, which contains in excess of 60% certified green compost.

“This blend gives our turf a more natural colour, encourages faster germination, creates a healthier soil and is a better consistency of mix,” said Richard Osgood.

“We are delighted with the results we continue to achieve.”