Latest News

Current Vacancies - Utility Arborists – Devon & Cornwall

Utility Arborists

Salary : c£16k - £20k + OT p.a. dep on experience & qualifications

Locations : Launceston x 2

Probus x 4 (may relocate to Bodmin)

Helston x 2

Due to an increase in workload we seek to recruit a number of staff to assist in line clearance works across Devon & Cornwall, from our bases at Launceston, Truro and Helston.

Joining a professional team of 45 Arborists delivering Arboricultural Services to the highest industry standards. You will be required to hold NPTC units up to CS 30, 31, 38, 39 and hold UA 1 & 2 Electrical works and a full driving license, preferably with the ability to tow. Ideal candidates will have commercial understanding and be a committed team player with motivation and initiative. 

In return you will receive industry leading pay, bonuses and benefits package inc sick pay and non-contribution pension, full personal issue kit, PPE, uniform, development and genuine career prospects along with the stability and security only available from one of the largest tree surgery companies in the UK.

Please give Iain Johnston a call at our Launceston office to discuss these vacancies further, or submit your CV to recruit@glendale-services.co.uk

Glendale is an equal opportunities employer

Grinding out a better service for our clients.

We’ve just taken delivery of our two new Rayco RG25HD Stump Grinders, supplied by Dorset based Westcon

We’re always seeking to offer our clients the “complete solution” so this investment will hopefully add to our services and mean we are less reliant on hiring equipment and have better control over quality and services offered.

We selected the RG25HD because of its manoeuvrability across rough terrain, whilst being small enough to access gates to back gardens etc, allowing us to offer this service to all our different clients.

For more information on our tree surgery services, please contact your local office and our Arboricultural Managers would be pleased to discuss your requirements.

Services available from all Glendale offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Glendale granted Gangmasters Licence

Glendale have recently be audited and licensed to carry out work under the Gangmaster Licensing Authority.

All companies supplying labour into the Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Shellfish Gathering and Food and Drink Processing and Packaging sectors should hold a gangmasters licence. 

Whilst the vast majority of our work falls outside of GML sector as we provide services and products, we do take on contracts where we supply staff and carry out woodland and tree planting where our customer supplies the trees, shrubs and associated planting materials. For these projects we need to hold a Gangmasters Licence.

The Licence ensures that we have appropriate systems in place to ensure that we look after our staff and have safeguards in place to protect our employees. Glendale will be subject to ongoing inspections and audits to ensure that we remain delivering a positive working environment. Keeping our staff and sub-contractors well motivated and invested in, supports our commitment to them and helps towards our “triple bottom line”.

Landowners can understand more about the GLA and whether the work you commission should be cover by visiting the GLA website. To check to see which contractors are licenced to deliver services in your county or by name visit the public register.

Contract Award - Arbor Consultancy - Mid Devon District Council

Glendale have secured a temporary contract to provide a tree officer for Mid Devon DC for 12 months. To cover maternity leave, this project will involve Glendale offering the full tree officer role to the council, representing the council with planning issues and delivering practice tree advice and support for the council’s tree stock.

Contract Extension - Tree Management - Somer Community Housing Association

The Bristol office has secured a 24 month extension to their contract to deliver tree surgery, consultancy & management to Somer Community Housing Association in BANES.

Glendale have been working on the trees with Somer for 4 years delivering routine maintenance and emergency works and so are delighted that the client has opted to award a full 24 month extension to our partnership.

The Bristol office has 14 Arborists delivering tree surgery to local authorities, housing associations, business and private clients as well as 2 Arb Managers qualified to deliver tree inspections, surveys and reports.

Should you need any assistance with your trees, please contact your local office for friendly advice and assistance from experts able to deliver all areas of arboriculture with fully trained, insured and safe staff.

Glendale helps to create a Gateway to Cornwall.

The Plymouth Arbor and Estates Management teams have been awarded a high profile contract to help in creating a Wildlife Park on the banks of the River Tamar on the westside of the Tamar Bridge.

Elwell Woods is a 2 acre site of neglected woodland adjacent to the Tamar Road Bridge, which will now be transformed into a nature/wildlife parkland, open to residents and visitors.

The project has been awarded £450k from Lottery Community Spaces and will involve Glendale carrying out clearance and woodland improvement works, fencing, gates and pathway construction over the next couple of months. Glendale will be organising a group of volunteers, to work with high profile Cornish residents on clearance works and litter picking. Local champions for the project include Cornwall Councils CEO, Kevin Lavery and The Eden Projects Tim Smit.

Stage 2 of the project will include the erection a giant modern Celtic Cross as Cornwall’s own “Angel of the North”. It will be about 20m high, designed by artist Simon Thomas and will welcome visitors into the County.

Glendale helps with sustainable planting project in Bristol

The Bristol Estates Management teams are currently finishing an important project working with the community in Bristol.

Horfield and District Allotment Association has established a new community growing project which will create a community allotment and forest garden accessible to volunteers and community groups.

The aim of the project is to increase the skills and confidence of local people in growing food through volunteering and training. There is an emphasis on involving people with physical and/or mental ill-health and people with learning difficulties.

Glendale are creating boardwalks, raised beds, fences and gateways across the site for disabled access purposes as well as grading the remaining site in preparation for allotments and the forest garden project later in the year. The Glendale teams have engaged with, organised and managed volunteers from BTCV throughout the installation.

The Horfield forest garden will be unique as every plant will provide food in some way, whether it is fruit, leaves, roots, flowers or stems. All plants will be perennials, meaning that they will stay where they are planted providing a crop year after year. This means that soil cultivation, sowing, planting and a lot of weeding is not required every year - a system of growing food completely opposite to the traditional allotment.

Gareth Walters, Contract Supervisor for Glendale was involved in the writing of the bid for the lottery funding, as well as offering advice and assistance on the type of planting required and designing bespoke boardwalk and fencing designs that best met the client brief and requirements.

Glendale awarded BALI Employer of the Year 2011/12

Glendale is proud to announce that it is this year’s winner of the BALI Employer of the Year Award.

The BALI Awards recognize BALI members who have demonstrated exceptionally high standards of professionalism and skill in a wide range of categories, as part of the landscaping industry. The awards were set up in 1976 and are respected in the UK and abroad as the standard to which others aspire. Glendale won the award for demonstrating good employer and management best practice through a number of HR and training-focused policies and activities. The award recognises Glendale’s “exemplary commitment to training development and personal fulfilment of employees and the creation of a working environment that consistently produces business and landscaping excellence”.

Amongst the work recognised was Glendale’s involvement in apprenticeship programmes and employment initiatives through Future Jobs Fund and Education Business Partnerships. Of particular note to the judges were ‘Training Champions’ who work within regions to identify staff needs and work closely with local training providers as well as the internal training programme available for managers in key disciplines. BALI commended Glendale’s communication functions, including the monthly newsletters, employee forums and an extensive employee survey. Success is celebrated effectively through a range of internal awards where 80 employees were presented with NVQ qualifications. Glendale was praised for its outreach work with community groups and charities, such as Perennial, which enhances the company’s commitment and care to beyond their own staff.

Tony Hewitt, Managing Director of Glendale Managed Services said " We are so proud and delighted to have been chosen as the employer of the year by BALI . Glendale has always endeavoured to ensure that it has a highly trained and well motivated workforce, serving the requirements of its many and varied clients and customers. "

Framework re-award - Landscape Improvements - Wessex Water

Glendale Countryside have been re-awarded a place on a service framework agreement to deliver landscape improvement works for Wessex Water.

We’ve been working for Wessex Water since 2007 delivering a substantial amount of landscape reinstatement works for capital and routine maintenance projects across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset and will continue to do so for a further 3 years.

Works include tree and hedge plantings, seeding and turfing, tree work, fencing and maintenance works.

All works offer a 12 guarantee, with plants supplied by our sister company Coblands, landscape installation and tree work delivered by Glendale Countryside and maintenance and aftercare supported by Glendale Grounds Management. 

Glendale offer a unique solution with specialist companies supporting each other to offer a best value, profession service to clients across the southwest. We are able to draw on experts within the company to ensure that our clients receive excellent quality, service and advice from one unique source.

Glendale cleans up & re-stocks with the Forestry Commission

Our Woodland & Countryside teams at Newbury have commenced a major contract to clear Bracken from Woodlands and Forests on behalf of the Forestry Commission. This project, which will last for several months, includes manual clearance, strimming and stacking of dead Bracken, to allow for re-stocking to commence in the New Year.

Hot on the heels of this award, the Woodland & Countryside teams in Devon & Cornwall have also been awarded a re-stocking contract to plant over 100,000 trees for the Forestry Commission early in the New Year.

The planting is centred on Dartmoor in Devon and along the Glynn Valley in Cornwall to Bodmin. The need to undertake the replanting of coniferous and broadleaf woodlands that have been felled predominantly due to the Phytophthora disease that has spread through plantations in the South West.

Glendale have a long history in Forestry and our Founder and Chairman, Tony Hewitt is a Fellow of the Institue of Chartered Foresters. 

We have been working closely with the Commission over the summer on a number of projects to improve woodlands across the southwest.

Treework in Devon

The Launceston based Arb Teams are very busy at the moment with works being carried out across the County. Some highlights of current projects include

TREE SURVEYS

Completing a full tree safety survey of the entire housing stock for a large Housing Association in South Devon using palmtop PC with tree inspection software.

Completing a full tree safety survey of all Parks & Open Spaces for Torridge District Council.

Completing a full tree safety survey of all sites owned by Her Majesty's Court Service in Devon & Cornwall, followed up by the award of the treework recommended.

TREEWORK

The teams have just started a 5-week project to maintain street trees throughout Plymouth on behalf of Plymouth City Council.

Work continues on the Devon Tree Framework carrying our practical treework at sites owned by Devon County Council

Various treework projects on behalf of Exeter City Council's Housing Department in back gardens, including technical dismantling works, clearance and stump grinding.

The Launceston office is busy working towards Arboriculture Association Approved Status, which we hope will be awarded by the end of the year and is a mark of high quality tree services. 

Glendale carry out tree surgery, inspections, management and care across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and Wiltshire. Please contact your local office for more information on the services available through Glendale.

Reaching New Heights with the Tree Surgery Teams in Devon & Cornwall

After recently taking delivery of two new Landrover Defender tippers, supplied by local dealer Roger Young of Plymouth, our Arb teams have now got their hands on two brand new, purpose built Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS) to assist with safe tree work operations.

In many cases MEWPs provide safe and quick access to trees and a secure working platform for our staff to operate.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 does not say we have to use MEWPs for all tree work. But we always consider MEWPs when planning work.  To assist our teams in carrying out tree work to the safest possible standards Glendale have six of these machines in the Southwest

MEWPs are particularly suited to:
• Tree work in urban areas
• Work on diseased or dying trees where tree climbing is difficult or arduous because of tree species or tree form
• Where there is a number of trees to be worked on.

These machines allow fully trained staff to easily access trees for tree work and inspections, without the need to climb the tree. This is particularly important when working on young trees or diseased trees which may not take the weight of a climber.

With maximum working heights of 25 metres and narrow access for the southwest roads, these machines have have been designed using feed-back from our staff to understand what they need to do the job.

At £55,000 each, they are a real asset to the teams and will ensure that work is carried out quickly, easily and above all safely for staff, clients and members of the public.

Promoting healthy, natural play for Schools.

Contract Award - Woodland Management - Cornwall

The Cornwall Estates Management team have secured a major contract for the management of the entire young woodland portfolio of Imerys Minerals.

Imerys are one of the largest quarry companies in the world, and have significant interests in Cornwall through China Clay extraction. Imerys own over 1000 hectares of woodland in Cornwall and Glendale will be providing woodland aftercare include beating up, strimming, spot spraying and invasive species control.

The China Clay Woodland Project was one of the largest woodland planting programmes in the UK in recent years and Glendale were part of the initial framework of companies involved in the planting project. We are now delighted to have been asked to take over all the sites for the aftercare and ongoing maintenance.

We currently have 12 staff working on the project, with this level of staff expected to remain on the contract for the rest of the year, and ongoing maintenance in 2012. If all goes well, there is an option to continue the project for another 24 months.

Glendale have several similar contracts throughout the southwest, with dedicated, specialist Managers able to offer assistance and advice to woodland owners, supported by a team of local direct labour ensuring greater control, quality and investment in staff. Please contact your local office for more information on how we can help you maintain your woodlands

Focus on the Customer – The Glendale Partnership Forum 2011

As part of our commitment to 100% customer satisfaction and as a result of the current changes in funding and a push towards the “big society” we recently held two Partnership Forums in the Southwest.

The events were held at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare and Roadford Lake in Okehampton and were designed to meet with the great and the good in greenspace and land management across the Southwest.

With presentations by BALI, The Arb Association, Greenspace and Civic Trees the day was packed with opportunities for learning, discussion and problem solving with our clients.

Glendale used the opportunity to gauge the views of our working practices and understand where we are working well, and where we need to improve.

Attendees included Managers from Local Authorities, The MOD, Housing Associations as well as Environmental Charities such as The Woodland Trust and Groundwork. Environment Managers from a number of private clients and landowners also played their part in what turned out to be a very successful couple of days.

Regional Director, Terry Doyle said “This is the first time we’ve done anything like this, and both days turned out to be very positive. We are now able to better understand how we can operate to best meet the needs of our clients and evolve our services in a market place that is under enormous pressure to find savings and changes with delivery. We have built better links with our clients and look to embrace the “Big Society” with initial partnership discussions started with charities and volunteering organisations which will develop over the next few months”. Plans are already in place for similar workshops next year.

River Bank Maintenance with the Environment Agency

The Devon Estates Management teams have been busy working alongside teams from the Environment Agency to maintain riverbanks throughout Devon.

We are regularly called upon to assist the EA with this important work, which assists in keeping invasive weeds under control as well as playing a major part in the flood defence systems for the County by ensuring that important waterways remain free from blockages.

On our current project which involves vegetation management, we have had teams working for seven weeks on programmed maintenance, grass cutting and vegetation clearance on riverbanks and waterways.

Glendale has huge experience in all areas of vegetation management, invasive weed control and riparian management. Please contact your local office for more information on how we can help you with your waterways, invasive weed control and general maintenance needs.

Contract Extension - Tree Management - North Somerset

The Bristol office has secured a 12 month extension to their contract to deliver tree surgery to North Somerset Council.

Glendale have been working on the trees in North Somerset for 8 years, having been re-awarded the contract in 2007 and have up to 6 Arborists working for the Council on routine maintenance and emergency works.

The teams are approved by the Arb Association and the extension of this contract further supports our aim of delivering first class services to residents of North Somerset.

The Bristol office has 14 Arborists delivering tree surgery to local authorities, housing associations, business and private clients as well as 2 Arb Managers qualified to deliver tree inspections, surveys and reports.

Should you need any assistance with your trees, please contact your local office for friendly advice and assistance from experts able to deliver all areas of arboriculture with fully trained, insured and safe staff.

Update from the Landscaping teams

The SW Landscaping team are as busy as ever delivering landscape improvements across the Region. Major projects currently underway include

Exeter Science Park
Linked to the initial Innovation Centre Project which Glendale completed, the Exeter Science Park is one of the most significant investments in the South West’s rapidly expanding knowledge economy. There is extensive soft landscaping involved with this project. Meticulous planning by the Glendale Landscaping team has ensured that this project is currently on plan, despite significant multi trades onsite and complicated scheduling.
This landmark development, due to open in 2013, is driven by a partnership between Devon County Council, East Devon District Council, Exeter City Council, the Met Office, the South West Regional Development Agency, and the University of Exeter.
My Place Centre, Paignton
Another large project on the go at the moment is the My Place Centre in Paignton. A conversation of a grade II listed, former Council Office building and its grounds into a world-class sports centre encouraging activities such as BMX and skateboarding as well as beach and water based activities like kite surfing and kayaking.
Waitrose, Exeter
Our largest current project, this major redevelopment will see a dramatic improvement on the current disused site, bringing it back into public use. Major soft landscaping around the site will soften the new building, with planting of shrubs and semi-mature trees. The project is currently running to budget and the store will even be opened a month earlier than originally planned!!

Glendale are able to work with clients to deliver any soft landscaping project, from £500 to £500,000, we have a dedicated Southwest based team who will react and partner our clients throughout their project build.

Our in-house nursery, Coblands grow and supply our trees and shrubs, our professional tree management teams help with initial surveying and clearance works and our grounds maintenance division take on the aftercare for the client. Glendale is able to offer specialist services from start to finish from one unique source. All to BALI, ISO9001 & 14001 standards, using dedicated, uniformed staff with industry leading quality, professional and health & safety procedures
Please contact the Exeter office for more information about our Landscaping solutions.

A successful South West Woodland Show for the Glendale Woodlands team

Glendale Countryside had a very successful show this year.

Our Bristol AAAS Arb Teams were the main demonstrators of practical tree work throughout the day and our Woodland & Countryside stand, offering advice on Woodland Management was very busy.

Our Founder and Chairman Tony Hewitt, a Fellow of the Institue of Chartered Foresters, was at the show all day and it offered a great chance for the team to catch up with old faces and understand what's new in the sector. Woodfuel continues to offer considerable opportunities for clients and Glendale.

Orchard & Estates planting in South Oxfordshire

The Newbury office is busy finalising plans for another large project for the planting season.

The team will be planting a new orchard, with over 30 different varieties of traditional fruit & nut trees, as an extension to a well established kitchen garden.

As well as the orchard, we’ll be installing 300 metres of wildlife hedging, fencing and over 2 acres of native wildflower meadows.

The entrance to this substantial country house will be enhanced with over 140 semi-mature trees which will form a sweeping avenue towards the house.

Glendale’s Woodlands & Countryside Manager, Bill Griffiths is overseeing the entire planting project, offering advice and assistance on the practical application of the clients brief.

Glendale has completed several orchard projects over the last 18 months and carried out the installation of one of the largest arboretums in the UK in 2010. Our Woodland Managers have huge experience in delivering projects that meet the needs of the client, their budget and the local environment.

Please contact your local office to discuss any future project you have. We’d love to be involved with it!

Parkland Estates Project - Wiltshire

Glendale have secured another major project in Wiltshire, to carry out parkland enhancements to a large private estate.

Works include substantial natural landscaping around two recently created lakes, softening and enhancing the natural environment with conservation edge tree planting and creating species rich grassland seeded with a locally sourced wildflower mix.

On top of the lake projects the client has also commissioned similar natural softening around a Helipad in the grounds of the Estate.

All works will be completed using the direct labour teams at Newbury & Bristol and overseen by our Woodlands & Countryside Managers.

It certainly looks like things are taking off for the Newbury team this winter!!!

Rope Access works - Cornwall

Our Plymouth Arbor teams have been busy working on vegetation clearance works along the A38 at Dobwalls on behalf of the Highways Agency.

This project was to remove invasive weeds growing from the face of the banks alongside the busy A38, where specialist access equipment couldn’t be used. Our specialists staff have undertaken various types of work in order to stabilize steep embankments and cliff faces, works include, removal of trees and vegetation, installation of netting to prevent slippage or rock falls as well as complete management of trees and vegetation, planting and establishment of new vegetation.

There is considerable dangers with unmanaged trees and shrubs on cliff edges and steep slopes, the effect of the wind on a tree, transfers down the trunk into the roots, this movement loosens the soil until eventually there is not enough left to support the tree. This effect can be lessened through crown reduction, lessening the area for wind force, creating a smaller tree, and this denser crown helps prevent the effects of erosion caused by wind and rain.

Please give one of our local offices a call to discuss any rope access or tree work problems you have and one of our Managers will be only too happy to pop along and see what we can do for you.

Reminder on Ragwort

The NFU is reminding Farmers and Land Managers of their responsibilities when it comes to common ragwort, the toxic weed that is potentially fatal to livestock.

The yellow plant grows commonly on farmland, waste grounds and at the edges of footpaths and pavements and is particularly visible this time of year although there are a number of other plants it is sometimes confused with.

Common Ragwort poses a real risk to animal health because it can have fatal consequences if ingested either in its green or dried state.

Livestock owners should be vigilant so that their stock isn’t exposed to the risk of ragwort poisoning.

All grazing land should be regularly inspected for ragwort when animals are present and it should be pulled, removed and disposed of responsibly using a registered waste carrier. Ragwort should be disposed of in deep landfill.

Glendale recommend that ragwort isn’t eradicated, but controlled where there is a risk of spreading to neighbouring land which is used for grazing or conserved forage production.

Ragwort control is recommended in a DEFRA code of practice, so is not actually an offence not to control it, but failure to do so could be used in evidence should legal action be taken against landowners in the event of animal deaths.

Glendale carries out ragwort identification and control across the southwest and have held a ragwort control contract with Devon County Council for 7 years. Should you have any concerns about Ragwort or any other invasive weed control on your land, please contact your local office and we will be happy to pop along and have a look.

NEBOSH Success for Glendale's SW General Manager

Congratulations to Jim Strang, our General Manager who has successfully passed the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety. The NEBOSH National General Certificate meets the academic requirements for Technician membership (TechIOSH) of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)

The NEBOSH Certificate is obtained after completing a 12 day course, which covers all areas of Health & Safety followed by a full day of exams and a submission of coursework.

Jim is now able to offer technical assistance to all Managers on practical solutions to any Health & Safety issues they may have whilst working for clients.

All Senior Managers in Glendale hold the NEBOSH Certificate and all Contract Managers hold the IOSH Managing Safely Certificate.

Countryside Day for Local Schools

Our Bristol Office recently participated in a Countryside Day as part of the North Somerset County Show. The North Somerset County Show is held annually by the North Somerset Agricultural Society and the team wanted to demonstrate their commitment to working closer with the local community.

This was the first countryside event the Bristol Team has been involved in and the NSAS were overwhelmed by its success.

The Team designed a simple quiz for the event. The aim of the quiz was to introduce pupils from local primary schools to trees and how wooden products are used in the countryside. The quiz encouraged the pupils to identify the trees they saw. It also lead them around a woodland path on the hunt for wooden products such as ‘kissing’ gates, footbridges, stiles, gateposts, firewood, etc.

Jon Eglin, Contract Manager at Bristol felt the public response to the activity was very positive and the children involved were very engaged in understanding the countryside practices and a repeat appearance at the County Show in the summer is already being planned.

Green Flag Success for Glendale in the Southwest.

The SW Grounds Maintenance team are celebrating a triple crown of successes in this year's green flag awards as three parks maintained in partnership with our clients and the community have secured this prestigious award.

The Green Flag Award Scheme is the benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas in the UK and is essential in driving up the standards of parks and green spaces, demonstrating a well managed and maintained open space. 

This year’s award winning parks are

• Bicclescombe Park – Ilfracombe – North Devon District Council
• Yeo Valley Community Woodland – Barnstaple – North Devon District Council
• Tessier Gardens – Babbacombe – Torbay Council

Well Done to Don & Duncan at North Devon and Peter & Mike at Torbay as well as all the teams on the ground for their hard work in achieving these awards.

As a company, Glendale maintain 66 Green Flag Parks across the UK. For more information about the Green Flag Award Scheme, please visit here 

Report finds local authorities can save money by planting woodland in Parks

A new Woodland Trust study compares the costs of maintaining grasslands with different types of woodlands and suggests that Local Authorities could achieve significant savings by planting woodland in urban areas instead of paying to maintain amenity grassland space.

The Woodland Trust report, Trees or Turf, was carried out by Landform Consultants and compared the cost of maintaining grasslands with different types of woodland over various phases, including establishment and long-term management from 10 to 50 years.

It found that naturally-colonising woodland is significantly cheaper to maintain - by almost £2,000 a year - than all types of grassland in both the short and long term, however the study also showed that although complex mixed woodland was cheaper than maintaining grassland, it was more expensive in the long term.

Glendale plant 100,000’s of trees every year and has huge experience in developing woodlands. Our Managers are available to assist in the plan, design, implementation and maintenance of any Woodland you wish to plant and are happy to carry out audits of areas of amenity grassland and look for potential spaces to convert to woodland.

We can offer a no obligation feasibility study of areas that you may have in mind.

Please call your local office for more information on our Woodland services and for more information on the excellent report visit here 

A New Start For Torbay’s Green Spaces

Glendale can now be seen attending to parks, gardens and open spaces in the North of Torbay.
We were awarded the contract after a thorough evaluation, which demonstrated best value to residents.

On top of meeting the high standards put in place by the council, other areas of improvements being introduced during the contract include:
 
• recruitment of apprentices
• 100% of green waste recycled into compost and reused in Torbay parks
• resident and staff surveys to gauge the views of stakeholders
• joint induction & training of staff with Torbay Council.
• closer working with local charities, community groups and other council contractors to deliver best practice and a seamless service across the Bay.

Glendale employ more than 140 staff in the South-west, with offices throughout the region. After recent successes Glendale are one of the South-west’s fastest growing businesses, and have created an additional 35 jobs in the region over the last 6 months. 

Terry Doyle, Glendale’s South-west & Wales Regional Director, said:  “Glendale are delighted to be working in partnership with Torbay Council to provide the local community with clean and tidy green spaces that they can continue to be proud of. Our recent successes have been based upon essential services, delivered by local people who live and work in the communities they serve and really care about their neighbourhoods and the environment.”

Cllr Jeanette Richards, Torbay Council’s Executive Lead for Tourism and the Environment, said:  “We were really impressed with the whole package offered by Glendale, which will offer the quality and value for money that Torbay Council expect. We believe that the new contract will see benefits across the area and deliver a long-term partnership that we can all be proud of.”

Glendale keeps it local, supporting the Southwest

Glendale hold a 2-day Managers’ Conference every year to allow our Managers to meet up, discuss changes in the sector, share best practice and improve their skills and knowledge.

To support the Southwest Region, the 2011 Conference was held at Weston-super-Mare. The venue, The Winter Gardens, was superb and with nearly 100 Managers staying, offered a fantastic boost to the local economy whilst allowing our colleagues from as far afield as Stirling, Scotland and Hastings the opportunity to visit a beautiful part of the country.

Guests at this year’s Conference included Andrew Gill – Vice President of the Institute of Horticulture as well as a representative from our Charity Partner, Perennial.

UK Drought - Woodland Creation & Watering Advice

More rain fell in England and Wales in the last week than at any time since the start of February, alleviating the drought that has affected areas across the middle of the country. Most of the rainfall came in south Wales and the south-west of England, two of the areas worst hit by the dry spell.

In general terms it is best to let trees find their own water, and it would have to be in extreme circumstances that watering established plants would be required. However, across much of the country, the soils are "exceptionally dry" after England's driest spring in a century. This means it will take much longer than usual for the land to recover, even if strong rainfall continues. 

Below are some tips and ideas for maintaining your young woodland over the summer months.

Mulch - The use of mulch around plants has two main benefits

It suppresses weeds, reduces competition and gives the plant a better chance of growth, but it also retains moisture in the ground, reducing the need for watering. 

Well-applied mulch will permit all available water to soak through to the roots as well as preventing water loss through evaporation. 

When carrying out planting projects, we always apply a good 100mm layer of mulch, which we recycle from out Tree Surgery works or obtain from our sister company EcoSci

Hedges - Similar to the maintenance of woodlands mulching hedge lines will assist in keeping things cool and moist in normal circumstances.

If a constant water supply is easily accessible, the installation of a drip pipe, or leaky hose will produce benefits. These are very simple and easy to install and will assist young plants throughout the establishment period. The drip pipe should be installed prior to mulching and then covered. This ensures that the water reaches the soil quickly, and reduces evaporation, whilst hiding the hose and leaving a natural look to the hedge base.

Larger Trees - During a typical warm summer, (if there is such a thing these days) a tree with a one-metre canopy will require approximately 40-80 litres of water per week.

When planting a larger tree we always install a watering tube around the rootball to ensure that any water goes directly to the roots.

After planting, trees will need watering once or twice per week, depending upon conditions. This should be sufficient to wet the soil thoroughly, but not to the point of saturation.

As with all trees, dressing of bark mulch will reduce water loss from evaporation, and act as a weed suppressant.

Our sister company Civic Trees is the longest established tree moving and specimen tree supply company in the UK. No-one know more about planting and maintaining large trees than the team over at Civic.

Newly Planted Woodlands - In many cases where large numbers of smaller trees have been planted, it is not economically viable to water them. In such cases it may be more cost effective not to water at all, but simply to replace failures. We allow for a 5% tolerance in all our planting for deaths and factor in beat up to our prices. This offers client’s confidence that there will be no big surprises in the future and projects are delivered that best meets the brief.

The Glendale Guarantee - Through properly understanding our clients’ needs, selecting the best quality trees from our in-house nurseries, Coblands and factoring in proper maintenance and management of your trees, Glendale is able to offer guarantees on the success of your project. 

It's the wrong time of year to be planting trees, but the right time to start planning so please call our Woodland & Countryside Managers at the Launceston, Exeter, Bristol & Newbury offices for more information and free initial site visit and assessments.

New Office Network Further Supports our Clients

To further support our new clients and on the back of 17% organic growth this year, we have opened several new offices and depots across the Region. 

These offices are at 

• The Glendale Yard, (adj Helston Sports Centre), Church Hill, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 8NR

• Unit 4, Tresillian Business Park, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 4HF

• The Store Yard, Ebdon Road Cemetery, Ebdon Road, Worle, Weston-super-Mare, BS22 9NY

We are also sourcing an additional new depot in Torquay which should be operational by the end of the month. Our strategy is to have an office within 1 hour of anywhere in the Region and with plans for Dorset & Mid Somerset already underway we should be able to acheive this in the near future.

2011 is proving to be one of our most successful years ever, with long-term partnerships being started throughout the Region and across all our operating area as clients seek a simple, honest approach to contracting from specialist Managers who live locally and offer friendly helpful advice.

Services available from all Glendale offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Glendale Assures Quality & Environmental Good Practice in the Southwest

After a grueling 4-day assessment our offices at Launceston, St Austell, Bideford and Barnstable has retained both their ISO9001 & ISO14001 registration.

ISO 9001 is an internationally-recognised standard for quality management, ensuring that we have proven processes in place to meet our customer requirements and demonstrates that quality assurance is of paramount importance to Glendale.

ISO 14001 is an internationally-recognised certificate for evaluating how well we manages our environmental responsibilities. It demonstrates that we manage our environmental duties in a responsible manner and reduces the risk of breaking the law and the impact our operations have on the environment.

The audit consisted of 3-days of reviewing our policies & procedures, both the documents and confirmation that they are being put into practice, as well as a day visiting sites and teams who demonstrated their understanding of our systems and requirements.

Bristol Office retains its Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor Status

We are delighted to announce that our Bristol office has successfully retained its Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor Status after a recent audit of our office, systems, management and staff.

Glendale Countryside’s operations at Bristol have been found competent to provide arboricultural contracting services to clients.

The Arboricultural Association's assessment of Approved Contractors is not limited to our knowledge of trees and tree maintenance but also our understanding and practical application of current arboricultural practices as well as our compliance with legislative requirements of arboricultural contracting and with health and safety requirements and our excellence of service to clients through efficient business management.

The standard required by the Association is very high and Approved Contractors are subject to reassessments at regular intervals to ensure that standards are maintained. The standards themselves are regularly reviewed to ensure that they reflect contemporary arboricultural research findings, legislative and health and safety requirements, business practices and customer expectations.

We are naturally delighted to have maintained our standards at Bristol and think all the guys based there have done a great job to assist the company in achieving this very high benchmark for quality & standards.

Services available from all Glendale offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Tree Management – The Complete Solution - Supply, Plant, Inspect and Maintain.

Owning trees, no matter how few, brings benefits to the local environment, but also responsibilities.

Glendale provides tree survey and inspection services to landowners across the UK, which brings with it piece of mind and reassurance that their trees are well looked after.

All landowners have a responsibility to keep users of your land, and those on neighbouring property, public highways or rights of way safe from harm. That duty includes dangerous trees which may present a risk.

Reasons for Inspection

Safety - Owners, occupiers and those responsible for trees have a duty of care to anyone who may be affected by a dangerous tree on their property. Negligence of tree inspection processes is likely to be found when a tree has not been sufficiently looked after, and where it leads to foreseeable harm. In these circumstances the owner/occupier will generally be found negligent in their Duty of Care.

Management - Inspection of trees makes management easier. A report will aid your understanding of the your tree stock; improve your planning and understanding of the environmental, whilst bringing financial benefits as planned maintenance is normally far cheaper than reactive.

Development - Existing trees can enhance new development, but it is important to get the balance between trees and buildings right. British Standards requires developers to bring in a specialist at an early stage to complete a full tree survey and produce recommendations for a site.

Tree survey services

Glendale has tree survey packages to suit any aspect, including:

- woodlands with PRoW and highways;
- private properties;
- estates with areas of formal public access and roadside trees (parks, cemeteries and estates etc);
- street trees;
- development site surveys.

Data collection

Using PDA’s, these surveys enable GPS plotting the exact location of trees, ensuring efficient and accurate data is captured. Clients receive a report that meets the objectives and needs.

Management reporting

Site specific management plans can be produced. The database created then allows trees to be coded or highlighted for easy understanding of works requirements, type or condition.

Glendale has Arboricultural Managers and Surveyors at our offices in Helston, Truro, Launceston, Barnstaple, Exeter & Bristol, who are more than happy to discuss your requirements and concerns and deliver a cost effective solution that will give you piece of mind.

Charity Partner 2011 - Perennial, the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society

As one of the largest employers in the sector, Glendale understands that our staff are professional in all they achieve during their career.

To further support those in the market we lead, we are proud to have selected Perennial, the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society as our Charity Partner for this year, opting to become a Gold Perennial Partner

Perennial is the national charity for those who work or have worked in horticulture and their spouses/ partners when they face adversity or need. People they help include: arborists, gardeners (qualified and unqualified), grounds staff, nursery workers, parks staff, landscapers, propagators... and many others.

Perennial’s history is rooted in the 19th Century, but the charity has moved with the times as both horticulture and the needs of its people have changed. Perennial helps by providing money and services, and by ensuring people get the help they need from government departments, public and private organisations that are there to assist.

Perennial's vision is to be the automatic first port of call in times of need for all those who are working in, have worked in or retired from horticulture.

For more information on the wonderful work Perennial do for people please visit and support Perennial 

Glendale takes delivery of its new fleet

The recently re-awarded Western Power Tree Management contracts in Cornwall have taken delivery of their new fleet of vehicles to service the contract. In total 18 vehicles have been bought and are being delivered over the next few weeks. 

On top of the standard Ford Transit, the backbone of our business, are the new Suzuki Jimny 4x4's.

These small, lightweight but very capable 4x4's have been purchased by Glendale to assist our Tree Surveyors in reaching out of the way areas throughout the County, including locations such as Bodmin Moor.

These vehicles allow Surveyors to work the power lines, assessing the tree work required and obtaining permission from the Landowner prior to the Arb Teams carrying out the work.

Glendale will take delivery of a range of 4x4's over the next few months which, as well as the Jimny's include Skoda Yeti's and Land Rover Defenders.

We are also awaiting the delivery of two new, purpose built MEWPS that are currently being built to our specification and should be with us in June.

Our vehicles are quite striking and are noticed all over the Region, so do give the guys a wave if you see one!!

Glendale retains Constructionline approval

We are pleased to announce that we have achieved approval to the Constructionline pre-approval database.
This means that Glendale has been through a pre-selection process that audits our policies, procedures and performance we offer to our customers.
This allows our customers and our management team to save valuable time in pricing works; bringing our costs down which we can offer back to our customers in savings, whilst reassuring customers that we are a safe, sustainable  company with good standing.

Silvanus Services has successfully passed a thorough assessment on the following systems.

Financial Information – Inc our accounts and financial standing, reassuring clients that we are a financially stable company.
Customer References – Asking our customers what we are like and what the quality of our workmanship is like.
Insurances – Making sure that we have the appropriate Insurances to fully cover our customers in the event that something goes wrong.
Health & Safety – Ensuring that we have robust Health & Safety systems, protecting our staff, our customers and other people exposed to our work.
Equal Opportunities – Ensuring that our employment procedures are fair and transparent.
Environmental Standards – Ensuring that our work has a minimal impact on the Environment as possible.
Category Compliance – Ensuring that we have the right workforce for the work we are tendering for.
Management Team – Ensuring that our Management systems are robust, clear and work effectively.

Focus on Safety... Managing Safely

Four Managers from the Southwest have recently passed the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s Managing Safely Qualification.

This 4 day course is designed to get Managers up to speed on the practical actions they need to take to handle Health & Safety in their teams and covers the following areas of Health & Safety in the workplace.

Introducing Managing safely
Assessing risks
Controlling risks
Understanding Managers responsibilities
Identifying hazards
Investigating accidents and incidents
Measuring performance
Protecting our environment

All Glendale Managers in the Southwest now hold either the IOSH Managing Safely or CIEH Supervising Safely certificates, which hopefully goes someway to reassuring clients that when you employ Glendale to carry out work on your behalf we won’t cut corners and always ensure that Safety is paramount.

Congratulations to Iain Johnston (Arb Manager - WPD), Mike Dennys (SW Landscaping Manager), Jon Eglin (Arb Manager - Bristol) and Bill Griffiths (Woodlands & Countryside Manager - Newbury) on achieving this qualification.

Glendale takes off with Bristol Airport

The Arb Association Approved Bristol office has continued it great start to the year with the award of a large clearance project with Bristol International Airport.

Bristol Airport have commence an ambitious project of expansion and re-development and have asked Glendale to get involved at the very start of this project with initial clearance and enabling works.

We hope to continue this relationship over the next 2 years with fencing and landscaping works.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

An Amaizing Project for Newbury.

The Newbury office have secured a contract to trial the growing of Maize on a closed Landfill site owned by a large Waste Management company.

The client are keen to grow bio-energy crops on previously unused land that becomes available as they close and cap off Landfill sites. Glendale are working with them to trial and develop the best possible growing conditions and varieties to produce a sustainable crop for use within their Anaerobic Digestion Plants, which mix food waste with Maize to produce clean, green energy.

The initial 10 hectare trial is underway and the client have already agreed for a further 45 hectares to be started at two locations in South Oxfordshire.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Re-Award of WPD Arboriculture Contract

Silvanus have been awarded its largest ever Arboriculture Management contract with Western Power Distribution to maintain the infrastructure of it powerline network across the majority of Cornwall, including visits to the Isles of Scilly and parts of North Devon.

This award, for a 5 year period, with the option to extend for a further 5 years and starts on the 1st March 2011.

Our teams will survey, permission and clear over 5000 miles of powerlines over the next 5 years, ensuring that trees do not encroach on the powerlines and keeping the lights on across the southwest peninsula.

We will be welcoming at least 12 Arborists into Silvanus who will TUPE over from two other contractors as well as recruiting an additional 10 Arborists and 3 Apprentices.

The award of this contract, continues a partnership that started over 18 years ago with the award of our first contract with WPD.

We're Growing our Own in the Southwest!

Congratulations to Alex Hall who has completed his 2-year formal apprenticeship in Arboriculture within our Arb teams and graduates in February from Bicton College. Alex was the first Apprentice taken on in the Southwest and will continue his personal development over the next 12-18 month carrying out further job specific and practical training.

We have 2 other Apprentices in the SW being trained in both Horticulture and Arboriculture and with our commitments to nurturing young talent, at least 3 additional Apprentices will be taken on in 2011, bringing our SW total to 6.

A busy start to 2011 so far!!

Bristol has great start to the year.
Our Arboricultural Association Approved office in Bristol has had a great start to the year with the award to 2 major contracts.

We have been awarded an initial clearance contract to carry out tree surgery on behalf of Devizes Town Council as part of their multi million pound Heritage Lottery Funded Improvements to Hillworth Park, which will involve over 85 man-days of work.

We have also been awarded over 140 man-days of work with the Environment Agency to carry out enabling works along over 2km of waterways as part of the Haydon Wick Flood Defence Project just north of Swindon. Works include site clearance and tree surgery.

The Bristol office also carries out term Arboriculture works for North Somerset District Council and Somer Housing.

SW Landscaping secures first major contract of 2011
Mike Dennys and the SW Landscaping team, based in Exeter came back after Christmas to the news of the first large project award of the year. The contract to carry out soft landscaping for Exeter University is now underway and is valued at over £150k.

Countryside Management steady, with new clients rolling in
On top of the large project in Cornwall (see December news) our other Countryside Contracting offices have had a good start to the year.

Projects of note include;
The award of scrub clearance & fencing with British Airways at their Harmondsworth Moor Country Park and a very large tree planting project, near Crawley!!! We're also planting over 100,000 trees across Devon & Somerset with 6 clients and yet more rhodi clearance in West Cornwall.

We're busy, but only take on work we can handle, so please do give us a call to discuss any projects you are thinking of where we can help.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Preferred Supplier Award - Treeworks - Devon County Council

Silvanus is delighted to announce that it has been promoted to "Preferred Supplier" status to carry out tree works across the majority of Devon Country Councils Highways, Properties and Estates.

The award, for a 2-year period with the option to extend for a further 2-years means that Silvanus will be carrying out, Emergency, Urgent and Planned Tree Maintenance across some 13,000km of road network as well as nearly 800 properties, from Offices to Schools, Nurseries to Libraries. There is also the opportunity for non-Council organisations such as Colleges & Universities to offer work to us.

Terry Doyle, Regional Director said on award "Silvanus has been working with DCC Highways Department for over 3 years now and this is another client which has increased our responsibilities once they understand how we work and the benefits available through Silvanus. We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with DCC and building on an already strong partnership, using local people to deliver local services".

The areas we will be working in are

Exeter, East Devon, North Devon, Torridge, West Devon, The South Hams and Teighbridge. All works will be managed by our existing network of Arb Managers from our depots at Barnstable, Launceston, Plymouth, Ashburton & Exeter.

New Countryside Contracts Manager - Newbury

Silvanus are delighted to announce that Bill Griffiths will be our new Manager based out of our Newbury office from Tuesday 4th Jan 2011 and will be heading up our business covering Wiltshire, Dorset, West Berkshire and parts of South Oxfordshire and Hampshire.

Bill joins us with over 30 year experience in Woodland & Forestry Management, holding a degree in Forest Land Management and having owned a very successful Forestry Consultant and Contracting Business for 25 years based in Wiltshire.

Bill has a strong track record in the management of major estates and projects throughout the South West and Home Counties. He has overseen some of the largest regeneration and restoration projects in the Region, with values of up to £1m per project.

Regional Director, Terry Doyle stated that "Bill has the experience, local knowledge and network in the South Central area that we were looking for and I'm sure will take the Newbury office to the next level for Silvanus and our customers. His commercial experience and presence within the industry will be invaluable to Silvanus as we grow the business in the area and we are delighted to have him on board". 

The Newbury office offers the full package of Woodland & Countryside Management as well as fencing, invasive weed control and tree planting/grant applications.

Bill can be contacted on 07774-175-509 or 01635-202-975

Contract Renewal - Countryside Management - The Woodland Trust

Our Countryside Contracting Teams have renewed and expanded our contract for maintaining Woodland Trust sites throughout the Southwest, covering Devon, Dorset and Somerset and from 2011 the Bristol/Avon area. We are now responsible for the maintenance of over 100 sites throughout the Southwest.

We have been working for the WT for 5 years now, the original contract in 2005 was extended for 2 years in 2008 and now re-awarded to Silvanus for a new term and increasing our responsibility by 30%.

Works include:
* Footpath, Bridlepath, Meadow & Orchard cutting
* Tree Guard removal
* Hedge cutting & laying
* Ragwort pulling
* Thistle control
* Invasive species control (Japanese Knotweed / Himalayan Balsam)
* Spraying of grass/bracken/rhododendron regrowth
* Litter & Flytipping clearance

We also undertake tasks such as tree safety surveys, tree surgery, tree planting, fencing and furniture installation.

Most Woodland Trust sites are open to the public, and the work we carry out assists the public in being able to enjoy these open spaces.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Contract Award - Countryside Management - Higher Level Stewardship Scheme - Natural England/Private Client

Our Cornwall Countryside Contracting office has secured a major contract with a private client to deliver Estates Improvements works under a Higher Level Stewardship Scheme in Gunnislake, Cornwall.

The Contract is being overseen by NPA and involves hedgerow restoration, about 2km of fencing and the removal of some very sizeable non-native trees and shrubs including 100 foot eucalyptus and cypresses. All timber from the project will be converted into firewood for the client for use on the Estate.

Other works include planting an orchard consisting entirely of Cornish and Tamar varieties of apples, cherries, pears, and plums. All protected in timber framed guards as well as Cornish hedge bank building, timber bridge construction (where we will use timber harvested onsite) and the installation of over a dozen gates, granite and oak posts and finally the installation of two cattle grids.

All works are to be completed by the end of March 2011, so after a relaxing Christmas break, Richard and the boys will be back in the New Year and on the job!!!

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Going ...a deeper Green with the Eden Project

Two Silvanus Managers have recent completed the first Eden Project Green Foundation course, helping us to react positively to new climate change laws and gain a competitive edge in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Run through the Eden Project and financed by the European Social Fund, The Green Foundation course was spread over three months, and introduced in response to the government’s commitment to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions which is set to have a considerable impact on businesses.

Cornwall Countryside & Woodlands Manager, Richard Archibald and Assistant Arboriculture Manager Julian Montague completed the course in December which is aimed at giving them the skills and motivation to improve our sustainability, save costs and spot opportunities in the changing marketplace.

On completing the course Richard commented that “it was a unique opportunity to have exclusive access to the Eden team who shared their experience, enthusiasm and expertise on issues directly relevant to the work Silvanus complete every day”.

The carefully designed course has helped us to understand:
* how government climate change legislation will affect the work Silvanus does
* how to cut through carbon and energy jargon
* what ‘sustainability’ means to Silvanus
* what environmental and social good practices look like
* how dependent on the natural world our business operations are
* how to put into practice the best practice that is available

Richard & Julian will now audit all our offices in the Southwest to ensure we are maximising our energy efficiency and implement the changes required to ensure our operations are as green as possible.

Contract Award - Treeworks - The Highway Agency

Glendale Countryside/Silvanus a delighted to have been awarded a national contract with The Highways Agency to deliver their entire winter 2010/11 programme of tree works across the Agency's Residential, Agricultural & Commercial Portfolio.

The works include felling, crown lifting & reduction, dead wooding and coppicing of trees across the UK and will involve nearly 1500 man-hours of work between now and the end of February 2011.

All works will be carried out to Arboriculture Association and BS3998 standards. All works were tendered through Smiths Gore, who will oversee the contract over the next few months.

Managing Phytophthora (Sudden Oak Death) in West Cornwall... again

Our Woodland & Countryside Teams in Cornwall are busy completing a large contract to clear another seven hectares of scrubland of Rhododendron and other ground cover to stop the spread of Phytophthora ramorum or “Sudden Oak Death” on a large private estate in West Cornwall.

Phytophthora ramorum is an exotic fungus-like pathogen of plants. Since the mid 1990's it has caused widespread death of millions of trees in forest environments in the USA and was first found in the UK in Sussex in 2002. It has the potential to attack a wide variety of native woody plants.

On Rhododendron, the first indication of the disease is wilting of shoots. These develop a brown/black colour that spreads along the twig and can move onto the leaves, where the leaf bases and tips blacken.
Many believe that Rhododendron is one of the biggest conservation issues facing English woodlands today.

Our teams are clearing all vegetation in accordance to a tightly controlled specification to ensure that all material is handled correctly to reduce the opportunity of spread. All works are funded, through grants and overseen by DEFRA & Natural England.
This is the third year of vegetation clearance on the Estate, with Silvanus clearing around 14 hectres over the last two winters.

For more information on Phytophthora ramorum and safe management and control measure, please give our Woodlands & Countryside Manager for Cornwall, Richard Archibald a call on 07919-031-161

Contract Award - Grounds Management - Teign Housing

Glendale are delighted to have been awarded a 3 year contract to resume maintenance on Housing Estates owned by Teign Housing in the Teignbridge DC area.

Glendale, through Landscapes Southwest maintained this contract for three years up until 2007, when the contract was awarded to another company. We were therefore over the moon when the contract was offered to the market earlier than expected and awarded to Glendale on both cost and quality.

Glendale will managed the contract from our existing bases in South Devon and is delighted to welcome the team back into the company. The contract involves grass cutting, shrub maintenance, pruning and weeding as well as other associated works.

Terry Doyle, Regional Director for the Southwest said "The SW Grounds Management team took the loss of this contract hard, as the quality and relationship on the ground was excellent. It is even more rewarding for the team to be re-awarded these contracts and is a credit to the whole team in the Southwest that clients choose to come back to Glendale".

Leechwell Gardens - Grand Opening

Leechwell Gardens in Totnes, South Devon was officially opened this week.

The project, which was managed and funded by a giant effort from the local community was landscaped by our Landscaping Teams out of our Exeter Office and overseen by Mike Dennys our Southwest Landscaping Manager.

Working for the main contractor SWH, works included, seeding, turfing, tree & shrub planting as well as the installation of ponds and water features, with installation being carried out over a three month period.

In 2003 a local community organisation Save Our Space, was formed to oppose development plans for the area. The result was a community-generated plan for the area which involved building on four sites and creating a new public open space - the Leechwell Garden.

The design and implementation of the garden was a joint collaboration between South Hams District Council and the Leechwell Garden Association and is a great example of how the community can get involved in public open space management which will improve the local area and become the heart of the community.

More information on the great work being carried out at Leechwell Gardens can be found at www.leechwellgarden.org.uk

Silvanus Landscape One of UK`s Greenest Schools

Our Landscaping teams has recently completed the landscape construction of Dartington Primary School, one of Britain’s greenest schools. The school, near Totnes in Devon is preparing to start its first complete school year in it’s new home.

White Design, an award winning, inter-disciplinary design practice and consultancy based in Bristol, designed the school. Through their team of architects and landscape architects, the designers not only wanted to create a zero carbon building, but also a fully integrated sustainable external environment.

The school has been developed on a sloping green-field site beside a busy main road, with a southern boundary of mature trees looking out over farmland.

Commissioned by Interserve, the landscaping element formed £190,000 of the total £6.5 Million project. Silvanus took six months to complete the initial landscaping and have a one year maintenance contract to ensure the establishment of the scheme.

Difficulties such as, restricted site access and adverse weather were overcome through the depth of knowledge of the Silvanus Landscaping team and effective, experienced contract management. Silvanus used a LEAN Management technique in the construction process, which involved integrated project management, scheduling deliveries and instillation around other contractors during the main building process.

Each building cluster and year group have their own courtyard with a variety of play facilities, which the children have ownership over. There are several interactive features including a wetland zone, wildlife area, kitchen garden, and large sand pits. The nature area is located on the furthest perimeter away from the road near the existing wooded boundary. A number of mature oak trees form a key focus, which Silvanus' arboricultural team has brought up to the required safety standards. The area also includes a swale, pond and viewing platform, with wetland plants and supervised access to the water’s edge. Native woodland edge species have been planted to create a nature woodland walk and forms a key feature for the Forest School Group. Silvanus responded to White Design’s innovative landscape proposal, delivering features such as the construction of a tyre wall, planted with wild flowers and herbaceous plants. The tyre wall provides an attractive solution to minimising sound from the road.

Silvanus constructed three playing fields and a maze of bark play spaces and pathways, which wind their way around the modular style timber classrooms, and blend into the rural topography of the site.

The scheme has been well received by the school, pupils and local community who visit the grounds regularly, including outside school hours. We intend to enter the site for a BALI Award in 2011 when the scheme will be established. The Building has already been awarded a BREEAM rating of Excellent, and South West LABC Building Excellence Award for, “Best Educational Development”.

Contract Re-award - Maintenance of Public Rights of Way - Somerset CC

Our Countryside Management teams based south of Bristol and in Exeter have commenced works on our recently re-awarded contract with Somerset County Council.

Silvanus have worked on PRoW for a number of years covering two areas of the County. This year we have been awarded five areas of the County, more than any other contractor and the most work ever issued to one contractor by the County!!!

Work includes the maintenance of around 50,000 metres of footpaths and bridal ways throughout Mendip and Sedgemore, cutting back three times per annum.

The first cut started in May, and with a two week window to complete, was delivered on time and to budget.

This contract demonstrates that Silvanus are able to deliver locally based services, with the support of one of the largest contracting company's in the SW. We are able to deploy additional staff and machinery where timescales require, ensuring that our clients get the quality and visual impact their need. 

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Glendale looking for 100% satisfaction with Exeter City Council

Our Grounds Maintenance Contract with Exeter City Council, to complete all gardening tasks within the Garden Assistance Scheme has recently carried out a customer satisfaction survey.

Of nearly 300 customers who completed the survey, 99.4% were satisfied or above with the service offered by Exeter City and delivered by Glendale. 62% stating they received an Excellent service, 25% felt they received a Good service and 12% were satisfied with the services they received.

Glendale maintains over 500 gardens for the scheme including grass cutting, hedge cutting and general maintenance. Good customer service is key to the success of Glendale and staff are trained in delivering good customer service annually.

Silvanus - Creating Woodlands for Happy Hens

Glendale/Silvanus has been working flat out across the UK to plant over 75,000 trees through their partnership with egg marketing company Noble Foods. Silvanus has an established partnership with Noble Foods, starting with them planting woodlands on chicken farms in the Southwest. Silvanus were then asked to manage a planting programme in several areas of the UK this year. Glendale have added a further 35 farm sites to those they already manage including farms in North Yorkshire, across to Wales and down to Cornwall.

Glendale’s Assistant Director in the Southwest, Terry Doyle, says ‘this is an exciting opportunity for Glendale to extend our relationship with Noble Foods to a national basis. The project helps to promote free range eggs and an improved habitat for the hens.’

Free range egg farmers have been encouraged to plant trees on the range because natural shade and shelter helps the birds express their natural behaviour. This behaviour stems from the hen’s natural “jungle fowl” instinct to forage under trees and protect themselves from predators. With trees on the range the hens are more content to forage and roam, spending more time outside and ranging further making them happier, healthier hens which lay top quality eggs.

John Holt, Contract Supplies Manager for Noble Foods, said he was very pleased with the relationship with Glendale. “The harshest winter for more than 20 years has reduced the available planting time considerably but the Glendale team have worked hard to ensure the trees were planted on time. Having to plant so many different sites across a variety of locations was made so much easier thanks to the help and advice that Glendale provided.”

All the Farms were;
• Planted with trees which cover at least 20% of the range
• The trees are a mixture of fast growing and slower native trees which are indigenous to the local area.
• The trees are planted close to the house to encourage the hens outside to range
• All farms are audited and approved by the RSPCA and conform to the RSPCA Freedom Food standard

It’s not only the hens who need looking after, all the newly planted trees on the farms need nurturing, pruning, weed control and guarding during their first few years of life. Glendale have a two year maintenance contract in place, to make sure the trees thrive and get everything they need.

Contract Award - Grounds Management - Teignbridge District Council

GGM are delighted to have been re-awarded the contract to maintain all closed Churchyards throughout Teignbridge District Council in South Devon.
Through LSW, we have been maintaining these sites for over 5 years now and have been re-awarded the contract on ever occasion.

Jim Strang, General Manager for GGM in the Southwest says “This re-award demonstrates that yet again clients are choosing Glendale to manage their open spaces and after market testing their contracts Glendale still comes out on top, both in quality & price.

The contract involves monthly grass cutting and hedge cutting across over 20 sites. Glendale currently maintains over 120 churchyards & cemeteries throughout Devon & Cornwall for a number of different clients and we fully understand the sensitive nature associated with these sites and how to work respectfully and to high standards.

Framework Award - Countryside Management – The Environment Agency

We are delighted to have been awarded a place on the Framework of approved contractors to the Environment Agency across the Southwest. Silvanus have been working for the EA in Somerset and Dorset for the last 4 years and so we are really pleased that we have extended this relationship with the award additional works in Devon, Cornwall and South Wales.

The Framework is for the provision of tree, bush and shrub management services covering both on banks and in-channel works in various watercourses. There were a total of seven contractors who bid for the works.
Initial values for the works are around £200,000 per annum with the award criteria being 60% on price and 40% on quality.

Jon Eglin starts as New Arb Manager in Bristol.

We are delighted that Jon Eglin has started work for Silvanus as the New Arboriculture Manager in the Bristol Office.
Jon joins us from Bartletts where he was their Arb Manager in Bristol for over 10 years.

Terry Doyle, Assistant Regional Director for the Southwest & South Wales said “We are delighted to have brought Jon into Silvanus. Jon has a large amount of experience in the industry and has a wealth of local knowledge of the Bristol area”. “Jon re-joins Silvanus having worked for us years ago when we were part of the Silvanus Trust and it’s great to have him back”.

Jon joins Terry O, Mike, Debs and the teams at our Bristol office and will oversee the Treeworks and Bristol Estates Management business offering tree surgery, inspections & reports, woodland management, invasive weed control, PRoW maintenance and fencing across the wider Avon areas.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Jon can be contacted on 07970-668-829 or 01275-464-466 so give him a call and help him to bag his first order with Silvanus!!!

Silvanus - In the "fence" line of fire!!!

Our Woodland & Countryside Teams out of Bristol & Newbury have started preparations for the installation of over 2500 lms of stock fencing across the firing ranges of the MOD training establishment on Salibury Plain.

The MOD practice live firing on the Plain 340 days a year and so we only have a three week window, over Christmas to get in and remove over 6000m2 of scrub and install the fencing.

The team have put alot of effort into the prep work to ensure that the whole project will run a smoothly as possible

Silvanus have been working for a number of MOD establishments across the southwest, from Salisbury down to Weymouth, across to Penhale, Cornwall and up to South East Wales and carry our services on their rural estates, including, vegetation and woodland management, invasive weed control, fencing, beach cleaning, grass cutting and tree surgery.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

For more information on Countryside & Woodland services, please call our Exeter office on 01392-444-432 and ask for your nearest office.

Focus on Safety – Working on Slopes

Silvanus recognises that within our industry working on slopes and banks poses a major hazard to the safety of those operating machines be they pedestrian or ride-on. We are also aware that there have been some highly publicised accidents and even fatalities carrying out this work and so we have worked hard to ensure that our staff are as safe as possible whilst working on behalf of our clients.

Prior to starting any work, we complete a site specific risk assessment, which includes a slope assessment, and all staff are made aware of and expected to adhere to these assessments. During these assessments readings are taken to ascertain the average angle of the bank along with its characteristics and any potential hazards associated with working on it, from this a decision can be made as to the best equipment for the job.As most ride on mowers can only work safely on slopes of 15 degrees or less we have a number of innovative pieces of kit available throughout the southwest that clients can benefit from that ensure safety is a top priority when planning work.
Deltrak Remote Controlled Mower

Based in Devon, with easy access into Cornwall & Somerset, these machines are now available and working across the southwest on Silvanus sites. They are the safest way to cut slopes and banks as it ensure that the operator is nowhere near the machine or even on the bank, they can safely cut up to 50 degrees!! The Deltrak is at the “cutting edge” of technology in the land management sector and takes the safety of our staff to another level all together and are a far safer alternative to the double wheeled Ferris which will work upto 40 degrees, but has to have an operator walking behind it, holding on!!!

AEBI Mountain Tractor

Based in Devon & Bristol, these machines are multi-purpose power units with all-terrain capability and are excellent for steep slope works. They have the facility to "bolt-on" a variety of attachments to the front, including mower, grass seed spreader, sprayer and cultivator. Reliable, versatile, stable and safe they ensure that our staff can operate a number of large-scale operations for clients -anywhere.

These machines are available at excellent rates and ensures maximum safety for staff, clients and member of the public whilst on your land!!! Naturally we have the usual kit, such as strimmers, pedestrian movers, ride on mowers and tractor mounted equipment. We also have experience of working with ground anchors and rope access work where the terrain is too extreme for machinery.

Please give us a call to discuss safe working practices and where you could benefit from a Silvanus solution.
 

Silvanus creates an instant impact in Plymouth’s West End

Our Landscape Southwest teams have been working flat out to install 70 semi-mature trees in the centre of Plymouth as the first phase of the West End Regeneration project is completed.

The first stage of this high profile project focused on upgrading the streetscape on New George Street, Cornwall Street and Market Avenue.

Our teams worked to strict health & safety systems in one of the busiest shopping areas in the Southwest, moving very large and heavy trees through the streets, using heavy lifting equipment.

We had a two week window to plant all the trees as the City Council had a tight deadline to install Christmas lights on the trees in time for the official switch on.

The project was completed 3 days ahead of schedule which was particularly challenging as Plymouth was hit with 100mph storms half way through the project!!! Thankfully the underground anchoring systems, installed by Silvanus held throughout the storms and all trees remained upright and in perfect alignment.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Silvanus working with the community on the Efford Valley Park Improvements Project

Our Tree Surgery teams have commenced a major project working with BTCV to complete initial clearance, tree surgery and woodland improvement works for the Efford Valley Park Improvement Project.

The aim of this project is to physically improve Efford Valley Park in Plymouth and encourage residents to use the park for healthy activities that will help strengthen the community and reinvigorate the area.

We’re not waiting for the project to be completed before getting the local community active, they’re helping us with the work!!!

Working closely with BTCV, we have assisted in encouraging public involvement and volunteers, by arranging recognised training for their volunteers and adapting our working methods and risk assessments to allow volunteers to work with Silvanus on the clearance work and make a real impact on their local environment.

Works include thinning woods by 30% & copse by 10% and felling dead, dying and dangerous trees, Crown lift trees and remove Laurel hedges along main pathways and the clearance of undergrowth.

By empowering the community to make a real difference to their local open space, we hope to encourage ownership of the site and safeguard the improvements for years to come.

Services available from all Silvanus offices are Tree Surgery, Woodland & Estates Management, Landscaping, Invasive Weed Control, Grounds Maintenance and Fencing. Covering Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon, Exeter, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol and the M4 corridor, we have local people, delivering local services to customers across the southwest.

Helping Bats around Plymouth Airport

Our Countryside & Woodlands teams are helping to maintain nature conservation around Plymouth Airport with the creation of a Bat Corridor to ensure that roosting Bats are not affected by the planned redevelopment around the Airport.

Working with the owners of the Airport and experts from Acorn Ecology (www.acornecology.co.uk) in Plymouth we have been awarded the contract to install a corridor of semi mature trees and shrubs over several hundred metres of land alongside the Airport

Bats use landmarks such as hedges to find their way around and we're helping them navigate their way along routes which they have used for generations.

This is the third Bat corridor we have installed over the last 18 months, with two being installed on the recently opened Dobwalls Bypass.

Work will begin in November, and with a one week window of installation, we’re working closely with a large number of stakeholders to ensure that everything runs like clockwork so as not to delay our partners further up the planning chain.

For more information about tree planting and conservation works, please give our Woodlands & Countryside Manager for Cornwall, Richard Archibald a call on 07919-031-161 or contact the Launceston office.

Bristol Office retains ISO 9001 Quality registration.

Our Arboriculture Association approved teams based in Bristol have successfully retained their registration for ISO9001 for Quality Assurance, showing that we offer a high quality service for our customers in the Bristol, Somerset, Avon and Southeast Wales areas.

An external Auditor from National Quality Assurance visited the offices on the 1st October to inspect our operating systems with regards to quality of the works offered to our customers. Areas covered included, our quality policies and procedures, customer care, infrastructure and environment, planning, staff training and customer complaints. This re-registration means that all our SW offices comply to ISO9001 as the Exeter & Launceston offices were audited last year.

The Auditor stated that “Customer focus and service is key to the success of this operation and was demonstrated throughout the audit”.

Services available from the Bristol office include tree surgery & consultancy, countryside management, vegetation control & clearance, fencing and grounds maintenance.

NVQ 3 in Business Administration for our Launceston based Administration team.

Our three Administration Assistants in Launceston have all recently completed an 18 month course with Cornwall College Business and qualified with an NVQ 3 in Business Administration.

Kym, Susie & Kim have worked really hard over the last 18 months, ensuring that coursework was completed on time, whilst also completing their normal duties assisting in the running of all our contracts based at Launceston.

These courses were assessed in the workplace through Cornwall College Business, and funded by the Learning and Skills Council and covered a variety of units including, accounting, IT and general administrative work.

Well done to Kym, Susie & Kim for all their hard work in achieving this qualification.

Boscastle Projects wins Waterways Renaissance Awards, 2009

A project to re-build the North Cornwall village of Boscastle has received national recognition for the improvements made over the 2 year project.

The awards recognise best practice in sustainable waterway regeneration and development throughout the UK and the Main Contractor, Halcrow was recognised for their "inspired engineering solutions and sheer determination to ensure prevention against similar situations" secured a special award for the Boscastle Valency Flood Defence.  

The nominations were judged by an independent assessment panel of waterway, conservation and regeneration experts and chaired by Sir Peter Soulsby MP.

Silvanus completed all the landscaping and fencing for this project over a 2 year period, using local staff, suppliers and contractors.

This 2 year, £130,000 project has involved planting over 3,000 trees, 3,500 shrubs and herbacious perennials, 10,500m2 of conservation/meadow seed and 700lm of fence installation, all within the confines of a conservation area, very high standards and subject to elevated levels of public and press scrutiny.

The large number of stakeholders involved, meant that the management of this project was of particular importance to ensure that we were meeting the requirements of the contract, the land owners and the local residents.

Landscapes Southwest secure Exeter City Council Contract

Our colleagues in Landscapes Southwest (LSW), the southwest based grounds maintenance division of Glendale Grounds Management has commenced operations on a new £200k per annum contract to maintain gardens on behalf of Exeter City Council's Housing Department. This 3 year contract involves the maintenance of over 500 gardens for residents who meet the criteria for the Garden Assistance Scheme.
Jim Strang (LSW's General Manager) and his team started the contract up with less than 4 weeks’ notice. Up to 6 full-time staff will be employed on the contract, some of which have transferred over from the incumbent service provider.
The contract was award on a best value criteria which demonstrates that once again a southwest local authority has seen that when fully assessed Glendale, through Landscapes Southwest offer best value for money for the delivery of community based, high quality, frontline services.
Some unique areas of the contract include introductory leaflets to all customers explaining who we are and what they can expect from us, as well as a 0800 free phone telephone number for customers of the service to contact us. All green waste is transferred to Ecosci’s state of the art Composting facility in Exeter and recycled into compost (www.ecosci.co.uk). The contract is based from our established depot in Exeter.
LSW now complete ground maintenance, grass cutting & garden maintenance for the following RSLs in the SW region: Tarka Homes, North Devon Homes, Tor Homes, Westcountry Housing, Exeter City Council, Devon & Cornwall HA, The Home Farm Trust and West Devon Homes.
Silvanus Services carry out tree management, including all areas of tree surgery and inspections (condition and health & safety) for Penwith HA, Cornwall Rural HA, Somer Housing, Redland Housing, Teign Housing, The Home Farm Trust, Cornwall Council (Caradon, North Cornwall & Restormel) and Plymouth City Council.
For more information of Grounds Maintenance services across the southwest, please give Jim a ring on 01566-772-802

A419 Blunsdon Bypass opens to the public

The long awaited Blunsdon bypass has now opened just north of Swindon, and it's another major road section softened by Silvanus' Bristol based Countryside Teams.

The 12-month project, managed by our Bristol/Cotswold Woodland & Countryside Manager, Julian Burchby involved the planting of over 100,000 trees along the new road, seeding and maintenance.

This is our second road planting scheme in the last 12 months, with the Dobwalls bypass opending a few months ago.

Working with the main contractor, Carillion the project was delivered on time and to budget using our dedicated teams based at Bristol and Newbury.

For more information about tree planting services in the North Somerset, Bristol and M4 corridor areas, please give Julian or Mike a ring at Bristol on 01275-464-466

Silvanus - Investing in the future of Arboriculture in the Southwest

We are pleased to announce that the first of our planned Apprentices have commenced employment on our Western Power Tree trimming contract. Alex Hall will be working from our Launceston Office.

Working in association with Bicton College in Devon, Alex will complete a full package of courses over the next 2 years, including NVQ 2 in Arboriculture, First Aid, PA1/PA6 Certificate in Pesticide Application as well as Climbing & Arial Rescue certificates.

Silvanus hope to recruit a further 3 Apprentices over the next 18 months throughout our operation.

Dobwall's By-pass Opens

The long awaited By-pass of Dobwalls has now opened, with its impact softened by Silvanus' Cornwall based Countryside Teams.

The 18-month project, managed by our Cornwall Woodland & Countryside Manager, Richard Archibald involved the planting of over 150,000 trees along the new road, seeding and maintenance.

This £200,000 project, for main contractor Interserve Civils is the latest in a long line of tree planting projects that Silvanus have carried out for a number of clients over the last few years.

Silvanus currently plant in excess of 500,000 trees a year across the southwest

Iain Johnston joins us as Utility Contracts Manager for WPD contracts

We are delighted to announce that Iain Johnston has joined us to manage our large arboriculture contract with Western Power Distribution.

Iain joins us with an impressive track record in the management of Utility contracts, have spent the past 20 years working in both the Rail, Highways & Electrical tree management sector across the UK.

Silvanus has held Utility arboriculture contracts with WPD for some 15 years, with the current package worth in excess of £1.3m per annum and spread across Devon & Cornwall based at Redruth, Barnstaple, Launceston & Plymouth areas.

Iain will be managing over 40, fully qualified, directly employed Arborists and a network of Sub-Contractors who will assist in the continued success of our well-established partnership with WPD.

Contract Award - Grounds Management - North Devon District Council

We are delighted ot have been awarded the 5+5 year Grounds Miantanance contract for North Devon District Council.  This contract, worth approximatly £600,000 per year, was won at competative tender. 

Duties include full grounds management of Parks, Open Spaces, Verges and Housing Sites, including floral displays, shrub bed maintenance, grass cutting and sport pitch maintenance.

The Glendale/Landscapes Southwest bid focussed on our existing presence in the region and the added value that the Silvanus tree surgery & landscaping, and EcoSci composting operations could bring for the client. 

With this contract win, Glendale through Landscapes Southwest now have term grounds maintenance contracts with 4 of the 7 district & borough councils in Devon.

The contract starts in early April, and new kit and machinary has already been ordered.

Contract Award - Treeworks - Somer Housing

Silvanus are delighted to announce another successful tendering opportunity with the award of a long term partnership contract with the Somer Housing Group to manage the Tree Maintenance of their entire tree stock throughout North East Somerset & Bath areas.

The Somer Housing contract involves surveying & consultancy work as well as practical tree surgery and will be run from our successful Arboricultural Association Approved office in Bristol.

This is great news for the Bristol office, which has developed over the last 2 years into a multi disciplined office which is able to offer a one-stop-shop to clients for all land management requirements, including Grounds Maintenance, Countryside & Estates Management, Tree Consultancy & Surgery and Landscaping.

Contract Award - Treeworks - North Somerset District Council

Silvanus is delighted to announce the award of a long term partnership contract for Tree works for North Somerset District Council. This contract is the continuation of a contract held by Silvanus for the last 4 years, for practical arboriculture work on North Somerset's tree stock. 

Works include all tree works, including routine maintenance, pollarding, reductions, thinning and general Arboriculture as well as providing Emergency Teams to carry out Urgent Safety works.

The Contract will be delivered from are Arboricultural Association Approved office in Bristol and will have purpose built Arb vehicles, a MEWP and trailer mounted traffic management equipment, ensuring that we are able to deal with every possible situation that the client needs.

Silvanus & Landscapes Southwest to become part of Glendale

Glendale Managed Services Ltd, the national green services provider, announces that it has acquired Silvanus Services Ltd and its sister company Landscapes Southwest Ltd.

Silvanus will continue to undertake the same work it always has, with the additional benefit of Glendale’s national backup. It will become a part of Glendale Countryside, and will retain its own “Silvanus” branding. Landscapes Southwest Ltd (LSW), the sister company of Silvanus, is also included in the sale and will now become a part of Glendale Grounds Management.

As a company active in the same market, the acquisition reinforces Glendale’s position as the UK’s number one green service provider. The move is set to strengthen Glendale’s position in the South West and within the Arboriculture & Countryside sectors.

Glendale also owns Exeter-based EcoSci, the green waste recycling company, and is in the process of developing a brand new Green Waste Recycling facility at Hill Barton near Exeter.

Silvanus owner-directors, David Adam and Peter Solly will both remain within the business. David has been appointed to the position of Glendale’s Regional Director for the South West and Peter Solly will take on a wider Business Development role within Glendale.

David Adam said “This is a really exciting development for the staff and customers of Silvanus and LSW and with the proposed new structure we can bring the best of our local presence and Glendale’s scale, for the benefit of all parties”.

Peter Solly said “There are significant opportunities in countryside & arboriculture work, and becoming part of Glendale will enable us to take advantage of those opportunities both in the south west and beyond. Glendale is a well-regarded employer, and we believe that the deal offers excellent opportunities for our staff, as well as allowing more investment in kit and business development.”

Glendale’s Managing Director Nick Temple-Heald commented, “Silvanus and Landscapes Southwest together make a perfect strategic match for Glendale. These businesses operate in the same market as Glendale but have a strong presence in the South West of England where traditionally Glendale has not grown as quickly as in other regions.

“Glendale has been successful by providing local services to local people. In order to thrive in the South West, Glendale believes that it is necessary to have local people managing the business and delivering our green services.”

Following on from Glendale entering the Scottish market earlier in the year by acquiring Landscape Construction (Scotland) Limited, this further purchase means that Glendale is now a truly national organisation.

Claire Jordan joins as Exeter countryside manager

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Claire Jordan as new Exeter-based manager for our woodland & countryside teams. Claire, who joins from the National Trust where she was a Warden, has 10 years countryside experience in a variety of roles. Claire will work to develop Silvanus’ countryside contracting teams which work throughout Devon and undertake tree planting, fencing, habitat management works.

Contract Award - Grounds Management - Her Majesty's Court Service

We have been awarded a 3 year contract by HMCS to undertake Grounds Maintenance at all of their sites in Devon & Cornwall. Won at competitive tender, this contract involves grass cutting, hedge cutting & shrub bed maintenance.

Contract Award - Grounds Management - West Devon Borough Council

We are delighted to be able to report that the Landscapes Southwest business has won a grounds maintenance contract with West Devon Borough Council. The contract is upto 6 years, and was won at competitive tender.

Landscapes Southwest held the contract previously so we are delighted to have retained the work, which involves grass cutting, shrub bed maintenance and some tree work throughout West Devon.

The existing teams will continue to work on the contract, with additional staff being taken on.The contract involves all areas of grounds maintenance and our vehicles will be taylored to meet the client livery, helping to promote a team spirit between our staff and the Council in-house teams as well as promoting a joint up approach to the public.

You know Christmas is coming when....

For some, it's the adverts on the TV, and for others it's Christmas music on the radio. For the Launceston office it's when we get the call from Launceston Chamber of Commerce to help out with the traditional Christmas tree in the Square and putting up the Christmas lights that make the Town look fantastic at this time of year.

Glendale (and Silvanus before) have helped with dressing the Town for a number of years. Our Arborists pop down to Roadford Lake and select the best looking tree, with the kind permission of The Southwest Lakes Trust, and help with felling and preparing it for transport back into town.

Other Glendale teams help out by operating two of our purpose built MEWPS, safely installing the Christmas lights throughout the town.

We understand how important Christmas is for our local High Street and are only to happy to support them.

This was extended in 2011 by helping Newlyn in West Cornwall with similar assistance for their Christmas lights out of our newly established depot in Helston.