Alongside being our Company Director, Ben Parkinson also holds the position of Chair for the Midlands arm of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI). Established in 1972, BALI promotes, supports and inspires over 900 Accredited members including landscape contractors, architects, garden designers and suppliers to be leaders of an environmentally, ethically and commercially sustainable landscape services industry. It falls within Ben’s remit to oversee the members in the Midlands region, ensuring all events are well attended to help grow the organisation, and current members are feeling valued and heard. 

A word from Ben Parkinson, Regional Chair for the Midlands – British Association of Landscape Industries:

We hit the ground running at the beginning of 2023 with a great event at Leicester Stadium, early January. The visit was informative, educational and a real eye opener to what’s undertaken for the pitch and the clubs maintenance throughout the year.

A little later in the year, in the spring, we had a tour of British Sugar, learning about the business operationally and the process in which various things happen from sugarbeet to soil, how it comes in and where it goes after. We were fortunate enough to have a talk from Andy Spetch.

With summer being typically the busiest time for our industry, the committee decided to opt for a social, an opportunity to take out any built-up frustration on the track at Formula Racing, Milton Keynes! The go-karting event, with a healthy turn-out was a great afternoon and enjoyed by everyone that attended.

Winter was fast approaching, the midlands was committed to going out with a BANG, and didn’t we just! We saw an opportunity and ran with it. The George Davies Turf event attracted members and non-members from all over the country, with the highest attended regional event at over 100 people benefitting from live demonstrations, networking, collaborative manufacturers, transparent business discussions on stage, a hog roast and finished nicely by scones with cream and jam.

As we enter into 2024 there are plenty of discussions to be had for endless possibilities to ensure we, as a region, maintain a good amount of relatable, well attended events.