Creating grounds that pupils remember
For many independent schools, the first impression created by beautiful grounds can be crucial as they seek to impress parents of potential pupils. But a school like Cranleigh also has a habit of creating impressions of the lasting variety for young people who will look back on days spent in a glorious setting.
The extensive campus blends historic buildings with modern, purpose-built facilities in 280-acres of beautiful Surrey countryside, with plenty of surrounding green space for relaxation and physical enjoyment. Maintaining that outdoor environment is a daily challenge that has occupied Denis Bloomfield, Cranleigh’s Grounds Manager, for the past 22 years. Even with all that accumulated experience, it’s a role that doesn’t get any easier as he and his team of 15 respond to the growing pressures caused by climate change.
“We are on a predominantly clay site, so are acutely vulnerable to very wet, mild winters and very hot, dry summers,” he says. “It means that managing grass surfaces is becoming increasingly difficult. We are now well used to occasional freakish weather events, but the big picture is that the seasons are now less defined than they were.”
Given that the school has not just a wide range of sports pitches but gardens, paddocks and a golf course, grass cutting is a major pre-occupation. This is especially the case in summer, with the school fielding multiple boys and girls cricket teams, for which pitches have to be prepared.
Changing weather patterns mean that mowers no longer go into mothballs in October, with only extreme ground conditions negating the need to cut grass. In Cranleigh’s case, the extent and nature of the grass-cutting operation meant that it made good sense to acquire a Baroness GM2810 five-deck rotary mower to add to the pair of Baroness LM2700 multi-cylinder mowers that were already in place. All came from Lister Wilder, the GM2810 on the advice of Area Sales Manager, Mark Carter.
“We chose it because we wanted better presentation and greater flexibility of use,” says Denis. “Previously, most of our wide-area mowing was done by a tractor with wrap-round gang mowers and we didn’t feel that gave us the finish we wanted. It was more awkward to use, so we were reliant on an experienced operator to get the best from it.
“The good thing about the GM2810 is that it gives us a good finish right across all our winter sports pitches, and at the same time we use it for the semi-rough on the golf course and large open areas of amenity grass. It’s very productive and much more user friendly for our operators, whatever their level of experience.
“One of the things we like most about the whole Baroness range is that it doesn’t seem to have gone high tech for the sake of it. There isn’t the obsession with microprocessors and smart brains, all of which are great when they are working but bring you to a halt then they are not.
“In an industry where you are working in all weathers with multiple operators at different levels of experience looking after equipment and have to pressure wash it and clean it, you don’t want your mowers to be overly technical. In addition, we have our own mechanic, so we don’t want something that relies upon doing diagnostics with a laptop.”
Denis also likes the fact that the cutting height adjustment on the GM2810 is quick and easy, which is ideal when it might within a truly short time be switching from a rugby pitch to a golf course. Also important is the fact that the rotary blades are effortlessly changed if the mower should hit a stone, with minimal downtime.
Cranleigh has also recently invested in a Kubota RTV-X1110 from Lister Wilder to move staff and equipment around the large site, the latter via the cargo bed or on a small trailer towed behind.
“We have used Kubota RTV’s previously; we liked them, they were reliable and they lasted well,” says Denis. He is particularly impressed by the innovative new variable hydrostatic transmission and dynamic engine braking, allowing the RTV-X1110 to more smoothly stop and resume climbing without the need for braking.
He adds: “We also made the decision to buy one because we have a good working relationship with Lister Wilder. We know the machine is good, know the brand is good and we know we can rely on the parts back-up.”
