TOP DRESSING
Wiedenmann Terra Rake makes half term debut for Pitch Prep NW
ather and son Mark
F and Ellis Bolton from Chorley, Lancashire, launched Pitch Prep NW two years ago when Ellis turned 17 and passed his driving test.
Formalising their partnership made sense. Mark, a respected volunteer groundsman and head coach, for over a decade with Brinscall Valley Juniors FC was constantly offered work elsewhere. Ellis, who had been attending Myerscough College, was ready for his career to launch.
“ Our principal hurdle was distance between jobs, the necessary logistics and the associate insurance,” said Mark.“ They certainly don’ t make it easy at 17 in your first year. We were over £ 12,500 for an all-driver policy to include tractors, van and trailer. But you move forward, and you learn constantly.
“ Deep aeration, line marking, cutting and collecting are our main tasks. We’ ve had our Wiedenmann Terra Spike for seven years and that was the breakthrough that really set us on our way.
“ Over the years we have good support from Football Foundation pitch improvement grants. We’ ve always tried to buy the right machinery at the best price. It’ s a balancing act; machines must pay their way.”
Mark and Ellis recently purchased a second hand Wiedenmann 2.3 m Terra Rake, and a set of Maredo MT200 Flex-Verticutters.
“ Half term with no one around was ideal to be out with the Terra Rake first time. Many of our schools are bothered by thatch, weeds and debris in the top layer. Ellis trailed the rake at speed, the faster he went the more dead grasses and rubbish came out. it was incredibly satisfying; the volume he extracted was remarkable. I followed behind with a cut and collect mower, then next day we put down 140 tonnes of sand across the five pitches. These will be much cleaner and healthier as a result.”
“ The Maredos will be with us shortly. We’ d eyed them for a while. The three Flex- Verticutter heads mount on an A-frame and can be used for verticutting or scarifying. The reverse rotating blades and heavy-duty chain drive, create tiny even slits to assist with breaking up thatch. These two new machines can work in tandem.
“ We’ re active for the best part of the year but some additional winter work to plug a few gaps around the wettest months is on our list.”
www. wiedenmann. co. uk Mark Bolton 07717 488239 pitchprepnw @ gmail. com
GroundskeepingJournal. co. uk | July / August 2025 9