Allett’s 2017 in a nutshell!
A round-up of all the latest news and happenings at Allett Mowers
It’s been an incredible year for Allett Mowers, and as 2017 draws to a close we’re reflecting on the past twelve months at Allett HQ! Here’s the lowdown on Allett’s 2017...
At Allett, we’re well aware of the challenges that young people face when taking their first steps onto the career ladder, which is why we are pro-apprenticeships! Over the course of 2017, we’ve hired three apprentices to support our factory and mould the next generation of mower manufacturers! Say hello to Liam Turner (right) and Michael Bulzacchelli (left), who joined us way back in January. Both young men have excelled during their apprenticeships, and Michael has already progressed to Development Apprentice, and mentors Harry who joined the team most recently in December 2017!
School leaver, Harry Templeton opted for an engineering apprenticeship as he knew he would adapt well to a hands-on learning environment. Learning and earning as he goes, Harry is developing his skills as an apprentice and is expanding his knowledge of our mowers. Find out more about Harry here
In 2017 Allett’s HR department also welcomed three new members, Claire Poole, Nicola Haynes and Laura Everill. Also joining the Allett family is new Purchasing Administrator Stephanie Francis who replaces Sara Spacey.
At Allett we know how important it is to invest time and training into your team, and know just how far a little appreciation can go. This year marks some mega Allett anniversaries, as we celebrate 19 years of working with our incredible Parts Manager, John Kennedy, and Sales Director Leigh Bowers! Val Croft in our Accounts Department is also nearing her 17th anniversary at TurfMech.
Anniversaries aren’t the only thing our team have to celebrate however, as Steve Copnall our Senior Development and Test Engineer goes from strength to strength, gaining his professional IENG qualifications back in August 2017!
In October 2017 we also held a “bring a pound to work day” in aid of Dougie Mac Hospice, and our incredibly generous CEO, Austin doubled all of the funds we raised. Most recently, Austin and his wife Dawn embarked on the Desert Ultra challenge; a gruelling 240km footrace through the Namibian desert in aid of their chosen charity, Dementia UK. Austin and Dawn have smashed their target and have so far raised an incredible £2,240.00! We’re super proud of, Austin who came 6th out of 35 racers, and Dawn followed shortly after (at 1am!!!) having ran for 90km on her final day. Athletes were given the option of cutting the race short in the final hours but Dawn continued and came in an amazing 25th place for her first Ultra race.
Better yet, the fundraising page is still open and taking donations - every single penny counts so please donate and give what you can! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/desert-dawn
In December we hosted the annual Allett Christmas Bake Off; each participant baked a cake and donated £5. The cakes were then judged on looks and taste and all proceeds were donated to the Douglas Macmillan Hospice! This year’s competition was won by Steve Copnall (Engineer).
We also held an Xmas themed non-uniform day (Dec 20th) where cakes were made and bought by Allett staff with all proceeds going to the homeless charity 'House of Bread'.
Not only do we give to charities however, we also sponsor and support amateur and semi-professional sports teams with run-down pitches and limited funds. This year we’ve sponsored Talking Rugby Union, Heytesbury and Sutton Veny Cricket Club and Brocton FC amongst others.
We understand the financial struggles that amateur teams can face, and more often than not their pitch is at the bottom of their priorities. That’s why earlier this year we teamed up with the Institute of Groundsmanship to run our Pitch to Play competition to offer one lucky winner the chance to win a pitch makeover, and two runners up the chance to win some Allett goodies! We’ve had a staggering amount of entries and we’re currently in the process of shortlisting. The three lucky winners will be announced in February. If you entered keep an eye out for the winning announcement!
The 2017 ALLETT CREATIVE LAWN STRIPES competition was won by David Yates from Bristol. David is now the proud owner of an Allett Kensington, all 6 cartridges and 2 cartridge stands. You can find a video with him above. This year’s judge was Jonathan Thompson (2016 Winner) who picked out his top 2 from a selection of 5 entries shortlisted by Allett staff.
Second place was won by Andrew Wain who is Head Gardener at a private estate in Wiltshire. Andrew received an Allett Liberty 35 with a scarifier cartridge as his prize.
For the first time this year we held a raffle draw where all participants that entered the stripes competition would be placed into a hat. This years winner was Craig Gilchrist from Northampton. We delivered a Liberty 30 to Craig as his prize which was the perfect machine for the size of garden he had. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for news on next year’s competition!
A growing team for Allett Mowers
We’re delighted that the ever-growing team at Allett gained nine new members throughout the course of 2017, across a variety of departments. In September 2017, Quality and Manufacturing Engineer, James Moss, and After Sales and Parts Coordinator, Tom Holmes, joined our HQ in Staffordshire.
At Allett, we’re well aware of the challenges that young people face when taking their first steps onto the career ladder, which is why we are pro-apprenticeships! Over the course of 2017, we’ve hired three apprentices to support our factory and mould the next generation of mower manufacturers! Say hello to Liam Turner (right) and Michael Bulzacchelli (left), who joined us way back in January. Both young men have excelled during their apprenticeships, and Michael has already progressed to Development Apprentice, and mentors Harry who joined the team most recently in December 2017!
School leaver, Harry Templeton opted for an engineering apprenticeship as he knew he would adapt well to a hands-on learning environment. Learning and earning as he goes, Harry is developing his skills as an apprentice and is expanding his knowledge of our mowers. Find out more about Harry here
In 2017 Allett’s HR department also welcomed three new members, Claire Poole, Nicola Haynes and Laura Everill. Also joining the Allett family is new Purchasing Administrator Stephanie Francis who replaces Sara Spacey.
At Allett we know how important it is to invest time and training into your team, and know just how far a little appreciation can go. This year marks some mega Allett anniversaries, as we celebrate 19 years of working with our incredible Parts Manager, John Kennedy, and Sales Director Leigh Bowers! Val Croft in our Accounts Department is also nearing her 17th anniversary at TurfMech.
Anniversaries aren’t the only thing our team have to celebrate however, as Steve Copnall our Senior Development and Test Engineer goes from strength to strength, gaining his professional IENG qualifications back in August 2017!
Liberty Range Launch
In June 2017, we proudly unveiled the Liberty Range; three state-of-art domestic mowers, perfect for homeowners! The battery-powered homeowner range consists of 3 models on sale, including the Liberty 30, Liberty 35 and Liberty 43. Each mower comes equipped with 6 cutting speeds for optimum lawn length, and an environmentally friendly lithium-ion battery to reduce your carbon footprint. Fully charged in just under two hours, you can mow to your heart’s content (up to 600m2) without tripping over any frustrating cables! Click here to find out more about each mower in the Liberty Range!New American Dealer
Due to recent expansion, a high demand for our British mowers and the hard work from our Allett USA CEO, Roland Hall, we recently acquired a new dealer in Empire Turf Equipment. Jeff Parker (CEO) recently paid Allett a visit at our HQ in Stafford to discuss some exciting projects and contracts, including supplying some of America’s biggest baseball clubs! Austin is in America this week to demonstrate Allett products to new potential Allett dealers and customers.Sponsorships and charitable work
Over the years, Allett have supported many charities by raising thousands of pounds in aid of those in need, and 2017 was no exception!
In October 2017 we also held a “bring a pound to work day” in aid of Dougie Mac Hospice, and our incredibly generous CEO, Austin doubled all of the funds we raised. Most recently, Austin and his wife Dawn embarked on the Desert Ultra challenge; a gruelling 240km footrace through the Namibian desert in aid of their chosen charity, Dementia UK. Austin and Dawn have smashed their target and have so far raised an incredible £2,240.00! We’re super proud of, Austin who came 6th out of 35 racers, and Dawn followed shortly after (at 1am!!!) having ran for 90km on her final day. Athletes were given the option of cutting the race short in the final hours but Dawn continued and came in an amazing 25th place for her first Ultra race.
Better yet, the fundraising page is still open and taking donations - every single penny counts so please donate and give what you can! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/desert-dawn
In December we hosted the annual Allett Christmas Bake Off; each participant baked a cake and donated £5. The cakes were then judged on looks and taste and all proceeds were donated to the Douglas Macmillan Hospice! This year’s competition was won by Steve Copnall (Engineer).
We also held an Xmas themed non-uniform day (Dec 20th) where cakes were made and bought by Allett staff with all proceeds going to the homeless charity 'House of Bread'.
Not only do we give to charities however, we also sponsor and support amateur and semi-professional sports teams with run-down pitches and limited funds. This year we’ve sponsored Talking Rugby Union, Heytesbury and Sutton Veny Cricket Club and Brocton FC amongst others.
We understand the financial struggles that amateur teams can face, and more often than not their pitch is at the bottom of their priorities. That’s why earlier this year we teamed up with the Institute of Groundsmanship to run our Pitch to Play competition to offer one lucky winner the chance to win a pitch makeover, and two runners up the chance to win some Allett goodies! We’ve had a staggering amount of entries and we’re currently in the process of shortlisting. The three lucky winners will be announced in February. If you entered keep an eye out for the winning announcement!
NEW PROFESSIONAL BROCHURE
We released our latest Allett PROFESSIONAL/SPORTS RANGE brochure in November 2017. You can find it online HERE . New additions to the brochure include the RM34 Rotary Mower and the Rover XR Stand on Tractor.2017 Allett Creative Lawn Stripes Competition
The 2017 ALLETT CREATIVE LAWN STRIPES competition was won by David Yates from Bristol. David is now the proud owner of an Allett Kensington, all 6 cartridges and 2 cartridge stands. You can find a video with him above. This year’s judge was Jonathan Thompson (2016 Winner) who picked out his top 2 from a selection of 5 entries shortlisted by Allett staff.
Second place was won by Andrew Wain who is Head Gardener at a private estate in Wiltshire. Andrew received an Allett Liberty 35 with a scarifier cartridge as his prize.
For the first time this year we held a raffle draw where all participants that entered the stripes competition would be placed into a hat. This years winner was Craig Gilchrist from Northampton. We delivered a Liberty 30 to Craig as his prize which was the perfect machine for the size of garden he had. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for news on next year’s competition!