Keswick Town Council operates in one of the UK’s most demanding natural turf environments.

Located in the Lake District, prolonged wet periods and high usage place continual pressure on surface quality across its parks.

The council manages two charitable trusts: Fitz Park and Hope Park, each with very different requirements.

“Keswick Town Council is quite unique,” explains Parks Manager Christine Fawcett. “Fitz Park is very much the people’s park, hosting cricket, football, tennis, bowling and athletics clubs. We maintain five grass tennis courts and a bowling green here. Hope Park, in contrast, is more tourist-focused and we maintain a nine-hole pitch and putt as part of its offering.”

With sustained rainfall comes compaction and restricted drainage, particularly during winter months.

“Maintaining healthy turf in our conditions can be challenging,” says Christine. “Issues like soil compaction and poor drainage become apparent, especially over winter.”

To strengthen its aeration programme, the council invested in the SISIS Dart pedestrian aerator.

“We looked at several options for aeration machines, but the SISIS Dart aerator seemed to tick all the boxes,” Christine says. “It’s easy to manoeuvre, even in tighter spaces like our tennis courts and it handles larger areas such as bowling greens well. The range of interchangeable tines gives us flexibility depending on the season and surface type.”

“That flexibility has allowed us to tailor aeration throughout the year,” she explains. “We’ve gone with solid, pencil and chisel tines. The chisel tines are perfect for winter, helping relieve compaction, while the pencil tines are ideal for summer use. For our autumn renovations, we used the solid tines in early September, which allowed us to overseed and top dress the areas.”

“I would definitely recommend the SISIS Dart aerator to other users,” Christine concludes. “It’s reliable, easy to handle and has already made a noticeable difference to our parks. Our grounds team enjoys using it and the results speak for themselves.”

In an environment where aeration is not optional but fundamental, the SISIS Dart has become an integral part of Keswick Town Council’s programme; supporting durable, healthy and playable surfaces throughout the year.