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We use an S800tx. Does the job of an extra man on a daily basis. Very reliable with great support. One of those ones you look back and kick yourself for not getting one sooner

Not at the moment but easy enough to get! I could have it within the next week!

Not a massive amount of work around Dumfries for Arb workers unless you’re into utility or railway stuff! It’s luck of the draw though - find the right company at the right time and you’re sorted!

Any long duration jobs on that require another groundie for a month or so in Scotland or NW England? Got my own saw, PPE and my CS30/31 ticket. Can bash rhododendrons etc too if need be!

not too bad at all ;-)

Alright Just bought a load of climbing kit with the intentions of making the move from groundie to climber... Can any of you recall ever being told or can you suggest what trees are best for practicing climbing techniques on? Cheers

Yeah thats fair. I looked up some reviews and they seemed 50/50 so asked the question on here. I then looked further and read plenty horror stories - i think ill go back to the drawing board and get things done the hard way!

I have been doing some research to find out about funding that could be available to start up free-lancing (training/equipment). I put my details into a few websites who offer advice on where to find funding etc. Ive just been on the phone to a woman from UK Business Funding Centre. She took some details and had a look to see if there was anything out there for me. It all sounds quite promising but there is a catch - £349 to access the database... It is refunded to me once i recieve funding from one of the government schemes, apparently? Anyone had any experience with it? Could be an expensive scam or it could save me £thousands...

Mountain biking Marshaling at downhill mtb races Playing pool Pub

Thanks for the replies. I am based in SW Scotland but happy enough to do a spot of travelling! Ive managed to get in touch with some useful contacts now

Alright lads and ladies! Tomorrow i am heading down to London to donate my blood stem cells to someone who is suffering from a blood cancer such as leukemia or lymphoma. I thought i would take this opportunity to spread the word about the fantastic charity and the work they do! Millions of blood cancer patients worldwide require a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant in order to overcome their illness. What Anthony Nolan do is match people from their register with the people requiring a transplant. To be on the register you need to go to their website and sign up - that is what i did about 4 years ago... Once i filled in my details they sent me out a 'spit kit'. All i had to do was spit in a tube, put it in their prepaid envelope and post it back to them! They could then determine my blood tissue type from my saliva sample... About 2 years later they contacted me to notify me that i had quite a common tissue type and that i stood more chance of being a match for a patient and requested i send them some blood samples for further analysis. They sent me a blood sample kit, i got some samples taken by the doctor and these were then posted away... Roughly 2 months ago they contacted me to tell me they have a patient who potentially needed my blood stem cells. I had to send another load of samples away and they then confirmed i was a match and asked if i would make the donation. I agreed... 2 weeks ago i travelled down to London from my home in Scotland and had a medical examination - they took a load more blood samples (23 i think) plus gave me a chest xray and an ECG. A week later they confirmed that everything was A-Okay and that i was fit to donate... Over the last 3 days a nurse has come to my house and injected me with a steroid that makes my bonemarrow produce more stem cells. Tomorrow i go to a hospital in London for my 4th course of injections. The following day, Tuesday, is my donation day. I will arrive at the hospital at 8.30am and they will hook me up to a strm cell seperating machine and the donation process will begin. Once they have collected the stem cells they have 72 hours to transport them to wherever in the world the patient is and plant them into them! The charity cover all your expenses - transport, hotel, food, loss of earnings etc. It is important that they keep adding new doners to their forever growing register so if you have ever considered joining or want to learn more about it then please go to Anthony Nolan | Saving the lives of people with blood cancer. I am also running a 10k in Glasgow in October to raise awareness of it all. If you have a spare quid or two then feel free to add it to my pot at http://www.justgiving.com/peterhardytryingtorun If anyone wants to ask any questions about any of it then fire away Cheers folks!

Fair play to that pilot! Cool project to be part of though, definitely a story to tell at the pub at the weekend!

Ive recently been in a very similar situation to yourself. Still quite young and trying to break into the industry the most efficient way to suit yourself. I went to college and it turned out to be a bit of a farce. Learned whatever was needed to tick the boxes on the course but it didnt leave me much more employable. Get your CS30/31 and your chipper ticket and maybe also your CSCS card and learn what you want and need along the way. I contacted someone at the emploment department at my local council, we had a meeting and she linked me up with local charities and grant giving folk who helped me fund my training. It took me a while to get the ball rolling and make the initial phonecall to arrange a meeting but once you get going it is well plainsailing and well worthwhile! Ive registered myself self employed and now sub contract to tree surgeons and forestry businesses. Now im making money and im picking up my tickets and buying my own kit to establish my own business. Best of luck!

Alright guys, this is mainly aimed at tree planting contractors but anyones input is appreciated. How do i get involved with working with you lot? I have done a couple of planting jobs as a subcontractor but its only on a very rare occaission. I've met lads that seem to be working every day of the planting season but i dont have much luck finding the job adverts. Am i missing something somewhere?

First of June in SW Scotland, surely you dont need me to tell you what the weather is like?!