S & C Slatter last week hosted their second Bursars Golf Day at the Worsley Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club in Manchester.
Once again the Golf Day was organised to coincide with the start of the ISBA Annual Conference at which the company was exhibiting and presenting The Slatter Group .
Group Director Jason Douglass welcomed everyone as the traditional pre-play bacon rolls were consumed with great relish (they were exceptionally fine examples!) and our ‘Tournament Director’ Chris Marriott outlined the programme and logistics for the day.
In the evening, players and event support staff convened in the Club’s Manchester Suite for the competition prize giving, a three-course meal, the odd glass of wine and some very good conversation – most of which revolving around what a great day it had been. However, the chances of Liverpool winning the Champions League Final and the challenge facing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were debates also given a good airing!
Team 1st Place: Simon Piggott The Leys Cambridge, Tony Collinson Lady Barn House School, Paul McKeown Oakham School, David Thompson Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls.
Team 2nd Place: Richard Fletcher, Richard Thompson, Jon Lawrence Bridgewater School, Mark Mackenzie Crooks St. Helen’s School.
Team 3rd Place: Paula Vanninen Arnold House School, Gerard Garcia Beechwood Sacred Heart School, Gary Johnson, Tim Tracey.
Longest Drive: Men. Tony Collinson, Lady Barn House School.
Nearest the Pin: Matthew Swift, Stafford Grammar School.
The Team 1st Prize, for each player, was two tickets to the BMW PGA Golf Championship at Wentworth in September, courtesy of The Sports Consultancy.
And the name of Robert Lougee, recently Bursar at Salesian College, was drawn ‘out of the hat’ to win the Calloway Golf Bag kindly donated by Tim Tracey of Collinson Construction.
A special ‘thank you’ was of course given to Chris Marriott of The Sports Consultancy for all the great work he did both prior to the event and on the day – picking the teams, drafting the order of play and confirming the results.
Many of the guests in thanking The Slatter Group for organising the Golf Day, expressed the hope that it could be continued as an annual event which even more Bursars could have the opportunity to enjoy.
We’re delighted that the Harlequins Foundation will be joining us at our Rugby Turf Workshop on 24th January 2019. Their Manager Paul Wilson will be giving a special presentation of the wonderful work the Foundation does in the rugby community to promote health & wellbeing.
Paul has been with the Harlequins Foundation since 2015, co-ordinating and managing delivery of the Harlequins Foundation programmes.
A former rugby player, Paul very much ‘leads from the front’ and in 2017 took on the challenge of the London Marathon to raise funds for the Harlequins Foundation’s mental health campaign.
Their Vision:
A world where the power of sport is used to drive positive change.
Their Mission:
To use the Harlequin network and brand to inspire, educate and equip individuals and communities at home and around the world to change their lives and fulfil their potential.
Their focus is on inspirational, sustainable and transformative solutions that tackle inequality, poor health and the challenges facing the most vulnerable in society by using education, skills development and entrepreneurship.
Movember Partnership
This September The Movember Foundation, Harlequins Foundation and Harlequin FC announced a long-term partnership that will see them team up for a joint initiative committed to help rugby fans, and the wider community,
The partnership is focussing on improving awareness of men’s health issues during the season as well as raising funds to deliver a mental health and wellbeing project in the 2019/20 season aimed at reducing self-harm and suicide amongst young men.
The partnership brings together a joint ambition between the Club and the Foundations to address the issues around men’s health and provide information and guidance on what to do when health suffers. They are planning several campaigns, focused both on awareness and fundraising, and during the partnership the funds raised will be invested into projects aimed at parents, coaches and young men; all delivered through the Harlequins Foundation.
That’s Leisure News the in-house newsletter of Willmott Dixon, one of the largest construction companies in the UK. Featured is a case study of the fabulous Elmbridge Xcel Sports Complex on which we worked as specialist provider of the outdoor sports facilities and support infrastructure. Xcel is acknowledged as one of Surrey’s leading sports venues and very much a model of how to successfully create and deliver a multi-asset community development.
Our partnership relationship with Willmott Dixon looks to achieve continuous improvement in service performance and delivery, and commits to collaborative working during all stages of the construction process.
This is further illustrated by a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) session we recently presented for key team members of Willmott Dixon. The objective was to impart and share technical knowledge of key elements of the sports construction process and provide Information on our five service divisions. Some twenty executives representing a wide range of responsibilities attended and listened to panel of presenters led by S&C Slatter Commercial Director Jason Douglass.
Both Willmott Dixon and S&C Slatter recognise and support the benefits to be accrued of early supply chain involvement in project development..
The new sports facilities officially opened recently at Willowbrook are an impressive confirmation of Eton College’s commitment to excellence in all aspects school life. A pavilion with a striking contemporary design and presence is very much the focal point as it looks out on the superb new hockey pitches built by S&C Slatter.
Two full size and one training pitch have been completed to the FIH National Performance Standard creating a significant resource for the game which is enjoyed by some seventeen teams at Eton. Obviously S&C Slatter’s status as an FIH Certified Field Builder and its holistic engineering skills were important in pursuing and delivering a build programme tasked with producing an end product of the highest order.
The company’s relationship with manufacturer partner, and FIH Preferred Producer, FieldTurf, also ensured provision of a superb playing surface – the sand-dressed Hockey Gold Elite.
However, the process driver was very much embracing and implementing a highly detailed project plan with finite attention to detail in both pre-build planning and on-site management. Our Pre-Construction Manager Ben O’Connor and Contracts Manager Peter Fowler were key team leaders and they were delighted when independent auditors visited the site during works and scored us maximum marks for quality management system ISO 9001: 2015 and health & safety compliance.
When visiting you’ll even be impressed by the parking arrangements. Its not often that a car park goes beyond the purely practical but that’s the case at Willowbrook. Here the design and layout, including the access roadway and paths, show an eye-pleasing mix of angles, curves, colours and textures which adds visual interest and creates a sense of space. Even the Illuminated bollards set within the borders are softened by the imaginative use of plants such as ornamental grasses.
This type of feature is very much a specialism of the company’s Slatter Surfacing & Civils division. In addition to Eton it has earlier this year completed major car park schemes for independent school clients such as Roedean, Kingshott and The John Lyon School.
The Willowbrook project once again confirms the position of S&C Slatter as the Country’s principal provider of multi-asset sports and leisure facilities.
Insightful presentations and discussion of artificial grass pitches led by a panel of acknowledged experts including World Rugby and FieldTurf together with Robert Lougee of Salesian College and Ben Grigor of Queen Ethelburga’s.
Plus a special presentation by Paul Wilson of the Harlequins Foundation on their Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds programme.
Includes a buffet lunch and the opportunity to enjoy the excellent facilities of the Members Lounge.
Everton has become the latest high-profile football club to enjoy the benefits of new football turf facilities provided by sports construction specialists S&C Slatter. A full-size outdoor pitch and smaller indoor one at the club’s renowned USM Finch Farm Training Complex have been refurbished and upgraded with new FieldTurf CORE 42-17 football turf playing surfaces.
Prior to introducing the new systems, the company’s refurbishment technicians had to release, uplift and remove from site both the existing artificial grass surfaces and shock pads without causing disruption of the overall pitch structures.
Having completed the removal process and preparation of the sub-base formations, a new in situ-bound rubber shock pad was machine-laid to fine tolerances over each pitch footprint. This is a highly-skilled operation where attention to detail and vigilant supervision of quality assurance is paramount if one is to achieve the required finished specification.
However, S&C Slatter’s ISO 9001:2015 certified Quality Management System provides a control and monitoring framework for all projects; embracing the full range of on-site programmes and activities. This links with our on-going training and education commitment which ensures that all our team members benefit from regular appraisals and personal development courses.
Installed over the new shock pad systems is FieldTurf CORE 42-17 football turf which represents a genuinely revolutionary development in artificial grass technology. The fibre has a hardened centre for exceptional resilience and durability but a soft outer layer for optimum player comfort and interaction. This combination has prompted many to comment that CORE is the most exciting innovation we’ve seen for many years.
The completed full-size pitch has been independently tested and certified as compliant with the FIFA Quality performance standard while the indoor pitch meets the specified requirements of EN 15339-1.
S&C Slatter and manufacturing partner FieldTurf regularly work together on projects funded under the Football Foundation Framework and have earned a reputation for consistently building and delivering quality football pitches of the highest order. You will also have seen our pitches featuring regularly in televised FA Cup matches most recently at Haringey Borough and previously Maidstone United and Sutton United. In fact, four teams in this year’s first round ties have football turf stadium pitches built by S&C Slatter with FieldTurf playing systems.
Olympic Hockey Gold and Bronze medallist Helen Richardson-Walsh recently joined the Mayor of Brighton & Hove Councillor Dee Simson for the official opening of the superb new Roedean School hockey pitch constructed by S&C Slatter.
Helen, who along with her wife Kate, is a Sports Ambassador for the School, performed the time-honoured tradition of ‘cutting the ribbon’ and used the opportunity to encourage the pupils to take full advantage of the opportunity to practice and play on such a facility. She said that in her experience ‘it really will make a difference’.
The new pitch has been fittingly titled ‘Pitch Perfect’ by the school and is referred to as such on the Donors Board which the Mayor unveiled as part of the ceremony. It has been certified to the FIH National Performance Standard and features a FieldTurf Hockey Gold Elite artificial turf playing surface.
Great sensitivity and imagination were necessary in developing the design and construction specifications due to the technical challenge of the sloping cliff top location and the need to minimise any visual impact on the local environment. The solution developed by S&C Slatter focussed on an extensive cut and fill operation with a series of retaining walls creating construction footprints inset and modelled into the hillside.
Despite the huge amount of excavated material generated by the process, all was retained and re-used on site in accordance with the parameters set by the school and planning authority. This entirely removed the need for costly and disruptive disposal.
However, the hockey pitch is just part of a wider development completed by S&C Slatter which also included the complete refurbishment of the tennis court complex, the creation of a new natural grass sports pitch and the building of a formal tarmacadam car park and access road. A network of new pathways, transitions and hard standings have been formed to link all these elements.
The end result of the project is an outstanding and highly practical asset for the school.
The whole contract process was delivered by the S&C Slatter in-house Pre-Construction and Engineering teams with Contracts Manager Peter Fowler responsible for on-plan performance. Find out more in our Case Study.
If you’re not achieving the daily mile because your playground or sports field isn’t up to the task, we can help get it in better shape.
Is your activity area:
We’re experts in designing and building open space areas for play, general activity and sport. Spaces which are versatile, hard wearing, easy to maintain and just great for kids.
Everything is done ‘in house’ through our own specialist teams.
We’re resourced to deliver projects of all sizes and complexity so call us today on 01635 345210 to arrange an initial discussion on what you want to achieve with your open space.
Ask for Matthew Thompson who is our Project Manager specialising in school play and activity.
That’s the strong recommendation of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) if you are considering a new artificial turf hockey pitch. They believe this will help protect your school or club’s investment by introducing a contractor who has a proven ability to consistently build to the FIH Hockey Turf and Field Standards.
As you would of course expect S&C Slatter is such an FIH Certified Field Builder.
In fact, we were the first company to receive this prestigious endorsement and certification back in 2016 and since then have installed many pitches which have been awarded an FIH Certificate of Field Performance.
These have included new hockey facilities for Eton College, Roedean School, Benenden School, Yateley Hockey Club, Warwick University.
Among the qualities and capabilities sought by the FIH a field builder must consistently prove to be and or possess:
The FIH Certified Field Builder designation is an important part of the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf, which is designed to ensure the sustainability, affordability and accessibility of hockey turf worldwide.
S&C Slatter has a substantial heritage in the design, build & maintenance of sports facilities and estate infrastructure. Our one stop service reach embraces all elements of project development and delivery for new build, refurbishment or replacement programmes.
Five specialist in-house divisions – Sports Construction, Surfacing & Civils, Design & Planning, Sports Maintain and Smart Pitches – provide a group of focussed, customer-centric, in-house resources highly tuned to specific project works and specifications.
Our commitment to in-house resourcing gives us direct and full control over quality assurance and works programming, both of which contribute to a higher standard of finished product.
In addition to its FIH Certified Field Builder status, S&C Slatter is recognised, accredited and certified by a number of governing and advisory bodies. These embrace quality management systems (QMS), procurement, supply chain management and risk management as well as sports and construction-specific performance standards.
