Lord Wandsworth College Uses John Deere Turf Equipment To Maintain Elite Facilities
Lord Wandsworth College, a prestigious school in Hampshire with a history of churning out elite athletes, recently celebrated its centennial with a major grounds care investment, upgrading its fleet of John Deere equipment.
About Lord Wandsworth College
The college was founded in 1922 after Lord Wandsworth left a large bequest for the education of children of agricultural workers and children who had lost one or both parents. “The outdoors is still at the heart of the school, although the emphasis on farming has been replaced by sport, with notable former pupils including rugby stars such as world cup winner Jonny Wilkinson and British & Irish Lion Ugo Monye,” says Grounds and Gardens Manager Alistair Cotton.
A Lot Of Grounds To Cover
The school boasts more than just professional athletes in its illustrious alumni. The school has also seen Squadron leader George Johnson of the 1943 Dambusters raid, HelloFresh founder Patrick Drake, and Claudia Gwinnutt, creator the beauty brand Circla, among the students to walk its halls. Sports remain a focus on the 1,200-acre campus, which is dotted with sports pitches, running tracks, and amenity grounds. Cotton’s grounds team cares for 150 acres, including 14 winter pitches ranging from full-size rugby and football to pitches for touch rugby and seven-a-side football.
“There is also a full-size and half-size AstroTurf pitch and, in the summer, there are six grass cricket squares, two artificial cricket grounds and a grass 400-metre running track,” says Cotton.
Finding The Right Equipment For The Job
Cotton notes that the grounds would provide enough work for 13 people, but currently he only has a staff of five. Having efficient equipment is imperative for his team so they can quickly move from one task to the next. This year’s kit upgrade was done not only to better service the fields but also to support the college’s environmental goals.
The school has opted for electric equipment when possible, including the addition of five electric TE Gators, and installing solar panels on the roofs to help offset utility bills. The solar panels will eventually allow the Gators to be charged using on-site renewable energy. The grounds team works around the school’s timetable, finishing tasks before students will be out on the pitches and tackling major projects during school holidays.
“We try to do as much ourselves as possible and keep contractors to a minimum—we’re lucky that the school has the financial resource to provide the extent of the machinery we require,” Cotton says. “There aren’t many schools that would.”
Positive Reviews
The crew uses Deere’s 7700A fairway mowers to cut the cricket outfield during the summer and to cut the winter pitches in season. A 9009A cuts in-between the pitches and athletics area. The school also purchased an 8900A triple mower, two 4066R tractors, and a 3046R compact tractor. The Gators are equipped with trailers to transport mowers and other equipment around the grounds.
“The team has been really pleased with the new kit—with John Deere, it doesn’t matter what machine you’re in, it’s all the same excellent quality and ease of operation.” Cotton says.
The college is one of the few independent schools to use a John Deere ProGator GPS sprayer. It’s an investment that Cotton says saves on chemicals and improves the whole process. “We’ve put the infrastructure in for GPS on the three-series tractor as well so we can use it for fertilising and other things.”
Find John Deere Turf Equipment
You’ll find a large selection of new and used John Deere turf equipment, including mowers such as the TerrainCut 9009A, for sale on NeedTurfEquipment.co.uk.
Source: Deere & Company