Steve Bullman

Due to the ongoing uncertainties surrounding Covid 19 and after consultation with our sponsors, exhibitors and visitors, the Directors of APF 2021 have reluctantly taken the difficult decision to postpone the event for a further year. The revised plan is to roll forward the show to 22/23/24th September 2022 at the same venue at Ragley Estate. The decision was taken after carefully considering many factors and the results of a survey sent out to current exhibitors, previous exhibitors who had not yet booked and visitors. The results from the survey were invaluable in helping us reach the decision. The key points which led to the decision included: The current ban on mass gatherings is still in place with no indication of if or when this restriction will be lifted. 80% of exhibitors were in favour of a postponement A majority of visitors consulted were in favour of postponement Exhibitors indicated that they would need a six month lead time to order machinery The current level of restrictions and quarantining of anyone visiting the UK would severely affect exhibitors, their staff and visitors from abroad being able to attend Concerns raised by exhibitors about attending and whether it would be viable for them to do so with possible enforced restrictions on attendance affecting visitor numbers Visitors expressing concern that the event would not be as good as usual with fewer exhibitors and features The requirement of many of our suppliers for 100% upfront payment on booking with no refund at a time when we have no guarantee that we will be allowed to hold the event. Exhibition Secretary, Ian Millward commented “It is heartbreaking that for a second time we have had to make this decision. But, taking all of the above into account, it became obvious that the only sensible option was to postpone until September 2022. The show is the industry flagship event and, before arriving at a decision, we were keen to consult our sponsors, exhibitors and visitors regarding their views about the viability of holding it this year. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of postponement and this reinforced our own feelings as organisers. No one wants a show with reduced numbers of exhibitors and visitors. It was very gratifying however that, despite over half of visitors preferring the event to be postponed until 2022 85% of visitors who replied to the survey said they would attend whatever restrictions were in place, which shows how important the event is to our industry.” The Government road map, published today, for easing restrictions suggests a possible timescale around the end of July for staging large events, it also makes it clear that this cannot be guaranteed. This date would be too late for both our exhibitors and ourselves to plan and run the event successfully. Social distancing restrictions may still also be in place which would make the event unviable financially for us. This uncertainty leave us no option but to postpone. Although the decision to postpone will impact on us financially, we remain in a robust financial position and exhibitors will not be at risk of losing their site fees. We will roll these forward to APF 2022. Any visitors who have already bought advance tickets can either carry forward their tickets to APF 2022 or request a refund. By announcing the cancellation early we hope that we have minimised any possible costs which might have been incurred by exhibitors. We hope that all our exhibitors, sponsors and visitors agree with our decision to postpone and that by doing so we can all have a far better event next year” If you have any queries about any of the above please contact us on 01428 723545 or email us at [email protected]

RFT Services has switched its entire groundscare and arborist machinery fleet to STIHL cordless tools, a move that has not only enhanced the maintenance programme of the entire grounds team, but also offered significant environmental benefits. RFT Services is part of the Flagship Group and provides facilities and grounds maintenance to over 31,000 homes and 800 communal garden areas across the East of England. To ensure the grounds maintenance programme runs efficiently as possible, it is vital that the team utilise the most reliable, robust and best performing equipment available to meet the needs of any application all year round, even in the toughest weather conditions. The responsibility of overseeing the 27 strong groundscare and arborist team is led by operations manager Glen Ray, who has been working at RFT Services for more than three years. With the team having used STIHL petrol machines for a number of years, and after a trial period with their local dealer GDC Ltd, Glen decided to switch to a machinery fleet made up entirely of STIHL cordless tools, and it wasn’t long until the maintenance team were realising the benefits battery technology has to offer. Glen said: “Our business is built upon delivering great service to our customers and that means ensuring more than 800 communal areas are maintained to the highest standard. For us to achieve this, it’s imperative that we have to implement a rigorous maintenance programme to ensure gardens and parklands are in the best possible condition all year round for tenants to enjoy. “Although petrol and diesel engine powered equipment is and will continue to be very popular, I was intrigued by the advancement in battery technology and the benefits this could bring to my maintenance team, especially from a noise-sensitive operation point of view. “Previously, one of the difficulties we had as a team was that we only had certain time frames in which to carry out regular grounds maintenance tasks due to the noise level of petrol tools during operation. When operating landscaping and arborist machinery in residential areas, it’s important to conduct this work when it will cause minimum disruption. Add to this that petrol machines are generally more expensive to run and maintain, I was very intrigued by battery technology and how this could potentially enhance our maintenance operations. “After speaking to GDC Ltd, the team trialled a number of cordless tools, including the STIHL FSA 130R Brush cutter, BGA 100 Blower, HLA 85 Long reach Hedge Trimmer, HTA 85 Pole Saw, HLA 65 Hedge trimmer AR 3000 Battery and fast charger overall and the general consensus was that they were very impressed with not only how quiet the tools were during operation, so much so that they didn’t need to wear ear protection, but also their performance, which was on par with petrol equivalents. “In addition to performance, the battery tools also bring environmental benefits, which is a big plus. The team doesn’t need to store costly fuel on site and all we have to do is simply replace the battery if it runs out which is very rare, helping to keep machine downtime to a minimum. We are a community driven business, so it’s great that the battery technology allows us to be more sustainable in our maintenance practices. “Since then, we haven’t looked back when it comes to battery tools and have invested in a STIHL cordless machinery fleet that includes pole pruners, hedge trimmers, brushcutters, blowers, mower, and chainsaws to name a few. “The quiet operation of the cordless tools, as well as being able to handle the toughest jobs, has enabled my team to carry out maintenance tasks at any point during the day, which has ensured we can implement a strict maintenance regime that meets the highest standards. Reliability is also a key consideration to avoid costly downtime, and the tools need to be comfortable and simple to operate so my team can carry out their work efficiently. That’s exactly why we chose STIHL equipment. “As with grounds maintenance teams, we pride ourselves on the work we carry out and strive to do this to the highest standard. The use of battery technology and the reliability of the machinery from STIHL has helped push our maintenance programme onto the next level and we look forward to carrying on our proud tradition of providing tenants with communal areas they can enjoy and relax in.” For more information on STIHL’s extensive range of professional battery powered tools, please visit www.stihl.co.uk.