We love meeting customers at trade shows to hear their real-world stories and honest product reviews. It’s a great way to be able to check in with the people on the ground that are using Westermann products in their day-to-day operations to see how they use them, why they love them and what gave them the push to invest in our machinery.
One such case happened at GroundsFest last year, when we got the chance to sit down for a few minutes with Stephen from Wainwright Landcare after they approached us to tell us all about their Westermann journey.
Wainwright Landcare was set up by Stephen in 1996 after he finished studying Tree Management and Arboriculture. He gradually built a loyal customer base and taking on a variety of work, from maintaining equestrian yards and fields to highly precise topiary projects. A few years later, his school friend Carl joined the business, and together they now focus on the grounds maintenance of large private properties where a high-end finish is essential.
Their Westermann story began after the company had been brought in by an existing grounds maintenance customer of theirs to breathe new life into her tennis court. The court had fallen into disrepair and was covered in moss after years of not being used. The property was going up for sale, so naturally the customer wanted to bring the tennis court back up to a presentable standard.
With such a big task at hand, Stephen knew that they were going to need something with some serious moss removal power to get the job done. So, after seeing another contractor post about how effective the Westermann is against moss on Instagram, Stephen was sold. It just goes to show that - even in the digital age - word of mouth goes a long way. They were an early adopter of the Westermann Moss Brush, buying the machine in 2019. Bear in mind, it only came to the UK market back in 2018!
Although not necessary, Stephen opted to pre-treat the area first to help slow the growth of any future moss (unfortunately - and as you well know if you work in grounds maintenance - it all grows back eventually!). The court hadn’t been touched in years, so it could do with all the help it could get to target the thick, mossy carpet that had been left to develop and to keep regrowth at bay a little longer.
With their trusty new Westermann in hand they got to work, attacking the moss from all angles and brushing from both directions. This methodical approach took them around 4-5 hours, and the payoff was more than worth the extra care and effort. The customer was very happy at the results and the now usable tennis court. You can see from the before and after pictures what a difference the Westermann made!
Now, the Moss Brush WR870 earns its keep mostly on big block paving jobs. As well as the tennis court, Wainwright Landcare also later took care of some block paving for the same customer which had similarly become overtaken with moss. It was too big of a job to pressure wash, and the customer also didn’t want it to be pressure washed either as the paving was quite old. Pressure washing would only wash out the sand, make a mess and make the job bigger. Again, as you can see from the before and after pictures, after Wainwright Landcare worked their magic the paving looked good as new!
Since investing in a Westermann, the company has been able to diversify their portfolio to include moss clearance jobs like these, as before they invested in the machine they weren’t offering these services at all. Some current work during the autumn/winter season has seen them transforming a school’s red astroturf running track as the edging is now overrun with grass. We can’t wait to see the final result, watch this space!
And Stephen’s final words on the Westermann?: “It doesn’t come out very often, but when it does it’s very useful. It’s worth the investment”.
Wainwright Landcare is based in Warwickshire and specialises in both domestic and commercial grounds maintenance. If you’re looking for reliable grounds maintenance in the Warwickshire area, then get in touch by emailing Stephen at st.wainwright@btinternet.com. You can also follow him on Instagram.
SPA Machinery has been a UK and Ireland distributor for Westermann since 2018. To order your own Westermann products or to find out more information, check out the product pages on our website at or give us a call on 0114 269 9119.