GreenKeeping

The Grove in Hertfordshire has extended its 22-year relationship with Toro and Reesink UK through a new decade-long agreement, investing in a complete machinery fleet update, a wall-to-wall irrigation system and a suite of digital turf management technologies

The Grove signs 10-year Toro deal with full fleet renewal and course-wide irrigation The Grove in Hertfordshire has extended its 22-year relationship with Toro and Reesink UK through a new decade-long agreement, investing in a complete machinery fleet update, a wall-to-wall irrigat…

Baroness has appointed G&J Peck Ltd to its UK dealer network, giving customers across East Anglia access to the full Baroness mower and maintenance range from the firm's three depots in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk

Baroness expands East Anglia coverage with G&J Peck dealer appointment Baroness has appointed G&J Peck Ltd to its UK dealer network, giving customers across East Anglia access to the full Baroness mower and maintenance range from the firm’s three depots in …

Leading garden machinery distributor Henton & Chattell will return to GroundsFest 2026 in a landmark year for the business, as it celebrates 95 years since it was founded.

The company will unveil one of the biggest collections of new Cobra machinery in the brand's history, with major launches spanning professional sports turf, robotic lawncare and domestic lawnmowers.

Taking centre stage will be the new Cobra Fortis Rotary 34, developed to complement the already successful Fortis Stadium 34 professional cylinder mower range. The new rotary model further strengthens Cobra's growing presence within professional sports turf, offering grounds teams an additional high-performance mowing solution for stadiums, cricket clubs and other premium turf environments.

GroundsFest visitors will also get a first look at a new Cobra out-front mower, the latest generation of Cobra Mowbot robotic lawnmowers, and a number of other new additions to the Cobra range.

The new Mowbot range will include the Mowbot 800RTK X and Mowbot 1500RTK X, both featuring RTK satellite positioning, VSLAM visual navigation and intelligent obstacle detection to deliver accurate, wire-free mowing without the need for a traditional boundary cable. Multi-zone management and app-based control also allow users to easily manage different areas of the lawn.

Visitors will also be given an exclusive preview of the forthcoming Cobra Mowbot Edge, ahead of its planned launch in 2027. Designed to deliver a cleaner finish right up to the lawn edge, the Mowbot Edge features Precision Offset Drive technology, with a motorised lateral cutting adjustment system that moves the cutting disc beyond the wheel line. By allowing the mower to cut to within just 1cm of the lawn edge, the system is designed to deliver an exceptionally clean finish around borders and boundaries, significantly reducing – and in many cases eliminating – the need for follow-up trimming with a grass trimmer.

The Mowbot Edge will also introduce 180° Ultra-Vision Avoidance: Dual-Camera System. Featuring a new Side Camera alongside advanced AI vision, the system enables the mower to identify more than 300 different obstacles and expand its field of vision beyond the direction of travel. This allows it to effectively “see” around corners and respond in real time to pets, children, garden furniture, ornaments and other objects as it moves around the lawn.

Combined, the Mowbot 800RTK X, Mowbot 1500RTK X and preview of the 2027 Mowbot Edge demonstrate Cobra's continued investment in next-generation robotic lawncare and make the 2026 showcase one of the most significant product showcases ever staged by the brand.

A major focus of the stand will also be the continued evolution of the Cobra Fortis range, including the Fortis Stadium 34 professional cylinder mower. Developed specifically for the sports turf market, the professional cylinder mower has been engineered to deliver the precision, consistency and finish demanded by stadiums, golf courses, cricket clubs and bowling greens.

Together, the Fortis Stadium 34 cylinder mower and new Fortis Rotary 34 underline Cobra's growing commitment to the professional sports turf sector, combining robust engineering and exceptional cutting performance with the backing of Henton & Chattell's established dealer support network.

The brand will also showcase its zero-turn and stand-on mowers. The new range includes the ZTR42L and ZTR50L zero-turn mowers alongside the ZTS32L and ZTS36L stand-on models. Designed for large estates, local authorities and landscapers maintaining larger areas, the machines feature heavy-duty cutting decks, premium engines and enhanced manoeuvrability to maximise productivity across demanding sites.

Henton & Chattell will also be showcasing a selection of models from the Billy Goat range. Built for demanding commercial applications, the range includes powerful leaf and litter vacuums, debris loaders, blowers, aerators, overseeders, scarifiers and turf renovation equipment. Designed to help contractors, grounds teams and landscaping professionals work more efficiently, Billy Goat machinery combines high performance, durability and user-friendly operation.

GroundsFest comes during a particularly significant year for Henton & Chattell, as the family business celebrates its 95th anniversary. Over nearly a century, the company has built a long-standing reputation for supplying quality garden machinery and supporting dealers across the UK, with Cobra becoming one of the country's fastest-growing garden machinery brands.

Peter Chaloner, Managing Director of Henton & Chattell, said: "GroundsFest has become one of the standout events in the industry, bringing together dealers, contractors and grounds professionals from across the UK, so we're delighted to be returning during such a significant year for our business.

"While celebrating our 95th anniversary gives us the opportunity to reflect on our heritage, it's equally important to look ahead. Cobra has evolved dramatically in recent years and we're continuing to invest heavily in new product development across domestic and professional markets. This year's GroundsFest showcase reflects that ambition. From professional sports turf machinery and the latest robotic lawncare technology to new ride-on and lawnmower launches, we're looking forward to showing visitors just how far the Cobra range has developed and where we're taking the brand next."

Representatives from the Henton & Chattell team will be available throughout GroundsFest to discuss the latest product launches, demonstrate the new machinery and talk to dealers, contractors and end users about the continued expansion of the Cobra range.

Swaffham Golf Club course manager Colin Hutt on managing free-draining chalk profiles with limited irrigation, and why soil sampling and annual programme reviews matter as much as the products themselves

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Mallorca's largest golf resort has added autonomous fairway mowing at Son Muntaner, a closed-loop orange grove and carbon-neutral status at its Sheraton - all steps towards a 12 percent cut in golf emissions by 2028

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With drought squeezing water resources across the UK, The Belfry's greenkeeping team is presenting a DP World Tour championship course using nothing but treated wastewater from the resort - and says the surfaces are as good as ever

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Improving and maintaining woodlands in deprived communities is linked with reduced antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication use, research suggests.

People living in deprived communities are less likely to use medication for depression and anxiety if they have easy access to well-maintained woodlands, the study found.

Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow analysed data from more than 129,000 people over five years.

The study is one of the largest analyses of its kind, assessing how investments in local woodlands in and around towns in Scotland affect people's mental health.

The researchers used NHS prescription records and census data to see whether people living within a 10-minute walk of an improved woodland area were more or less likely to be taking medication for depression or anxiety.

Woodland improvements had been supported through Scottish Forestry's Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) initiative, which provided funding for practical improvements such as new footpaths, better signage, and community events.

The initiative prioritised areas that were more socially and financially disadvantaged, where woodlands required improved management to reduce barriers and enable more local people to use and enjoy them.

People living in urban deprived communities that were close to a woodland area that had been made more welcoming and easier for people to use were 10 per cent less likely to be prescribed antidepressants and six per cent less like to be prescribed anti-anxiety medication, than those living further away.

This was the case even when accounting for other factors linked to mental health outcomes, such as demographics and poverty.

The benefit of living near these woodlands showed up for the same people even when their proximity to these woodlands changed. For example, when someone moved closer to an improved woodland, their need for medication went down.

By tracking the same individuals over time, the researchers say they can be more confident that it was the woodland improvements making the difference, rather than simply healthier or wealthier people happening to live in greener areas.

Professor Catharine Ward Thompson of the OPENspace Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh’s College of Art, who led the study, said “The research provides stronger evidence on the mental health benefits of woodland improvements for local communities than was possible in earlier studies. It also shows that these benefits may contribute to reducing inequalities in health across the population.”

Dr Scott Ogletree, of the OPENspace Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh’s College of Art, who undertook the analysis, said: “For the first time, we have an opportunity to link data on mental health services with a long-term national urban forestry intervention programme to offer the kind of evidence required to inform future forestry policy.

Our results tell us that relatively modest investments in local greenspaces can make a real difference to people's mental health. Nature focused initiatives like WIAT can be a valuable tool to complement ongoing efforts to improve wellbeing and mental health.”

Around one in eight people globally live with a mental health condition, and those in poorer communities tend to be hit hardest. At the same time, these are often the communities with the least access to good quality parks, woodlands, and greenspaces.

The researchers say that their findings make a case for integrating nature-based interventions into public health strategies, particularly in urban areas where greenspace can be limited and poorly maintained in certain neighbourhoods.

The research team have worked with experts from Scottish Forestry and Forest Research for over 20 years to gather evidence on the social and health benefits that local woodlands can offer to communities, pioneering work on this topic within Europe.

Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands Jim Fairlie, said: “This groundbreaking study provides further compelling evidence of the benefits that local woodlands deliver for people and communities. The association between the investment in woods in and around Scotland’s towns and cities, and lower prescription use for depression, and anxiety highlights the importance of continuing to expand, manage and improve these valuable green spaces.

“The Scottish Government is committed to increasing woodland creation across Scotland, with a target of 18,000 hectares per year by 2029/30. We are also committed to increase tree planting in urban areas to improve air quality, support biodiversity and enhance quality of life for communities across the country.”

The research used census data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study which tracks the lives and health of thousands of people in Scotland to help researchers understand what affects people’s wellbeing.

The research was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the GroundsWell Consortium, a UK-wide research partnership funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP), that studies how green and blue spaces, can improve health and reduce health inequalities.

As official partner of the inaugural Portugal Invitational at The Els Club Vilamoura, Kress brought 75 turf professionals to the Algarve to see robotic mowers working on a live course - not on a demo stand

Kress puts autonomous mowing to the test at Portugal Invitational As official partner of the inaugural event at The Els Club Vilamoura, Kress brought 75 turf professionals to the Algarve to see robotic mowers working on a live course – not on a demo stand.