Customer Testimonials

For some real examples of the benefits of TOPSOIL, use the links to check out the experiences of some of our customers ...

Uppingham School, Rutland

White Horse Contractors Ltd, working for the main contractor Bowmer & Kirkland, have successfully used 2,000t of Landscape20 to create a new playing field as part of a new sports complex at Uppingham School in Rutland.
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Henry Wipple School, Nottingham

Ulyett Landscapes usedLandscape20 to create a new sports field for the Henry Wipple School in Bestwood, Nottingham...
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RUFC, Bury St Edmunds

British Sugar’s TOPSOIL business has been working closely with Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club to improve its three senior pitches...
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New Victory Hall, Norfolk

TOPSOIL is supplying 280 tonnes of Landscape20 for the landscaping of the New Victory Hall in Neatishead, Norfolk.
The new hall is a contemporary design but will be one of the most eco-friendly village halls in the UK...
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BRE Insite'09, Herts

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) used 100 tonnes of TOPSOIL Landscape20 for an important project at its Insite ’09 event held in June 2009...
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Sports Pitches, Basingstoke, Hants

Hickman Brothers Landscapes Ltd have successfully used 4,500t of Landscape20 to create two new football pitches and a training pitch as part of a new housing development in Basingstoke...
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Tiffin Girls School, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey

Working with NPS Property Consultants Ltd and sports ground contractor Gerald Davies Ltd, TOPSOIL delivered 2000 tonnes of Landscape20 to Tiffin Girls School, Kingston upon Thames ...
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Strategic Training Solutions, Clipstone, Notts

Strategic Training Solutions provides training to students between the ages of 14 and 24 ...
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G B Building Solutions, Nottingham

G B Building Solutions is a national contractor committed to providing high-quality housing, which is both affordable and delivered on time ...
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Westleigh New Homes, part of the group Westleigh Developments Ltd, build modern, contemporary new homes across the Midlands.
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Gardens of Peace Cemetery, Hainault, Essex

The Gardens of Peace Muslim Cemetery Trust, at Hainault in Essex, selected TOPSOIL Landscape20 for the landscaping of its cemetery site and the forming of graves...
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Offsite2007’ selects Landscape20 for Innovation Park

The British Research Establishment’s Innovation Park, at this year’s Offsite2007 event, chose Landscape20 from TOPSOIL to construct the landscape features and for use in the planted areas ...
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St John’s College Cambridge switches to TOPSOIL

Head Groundsman, Keith Ellis, of St John’s College Cambridge, has used SPORTS10 from British Sugar TOPSOIL, for a second year, to repair the goalmouths of the college’s football pitches and to take undulations out of the tennis courts ...
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King William Bowls Club, Norfolk
King William Bowls Club, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk has become the first club to switch from traditional top dressing to TOPSOIL's Sports10 ...
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Cambourne, Cambs
TOPSOIL has supplied the topdressing material for the maintenance of new sports pitches in Cambourne in Cambridgeshire ...
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Alliance House, Newington Green, London
Essex-based landscaper, Stewart Landscape Solutions Ltd, has used Landscape20 to create a stunning scheme in the grounds of Alliance House, a new housing development in Newington Green, London ...
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Woodside School, East London
Woodside School in East London gained new soccer pitches through a DETR-funded Remediation Project on an ex-Victorian landfill site using TOPSOIL's Landscape20 ...
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Lion Farm Playing Fields, Sandwell, W. Midlands
A number of sports grounds in the West Midlands, including 27 football pitches, have been significantly improved by Sandwell Borough Council using Landscape20 from TOPSOIL ...
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City of Manchester stadium
Landscape20 has been successfully used on a prestige residential landscaping project at Sports City, Manchester.  This major regeneration project includes the City of Manchester Stadium used for the Commonwealth Games and now the home of Manchester City FC and the cycling veladrome ...
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Uppingham School, Rutland

White Horse Contractors Ltd, working for the main contractorBowmer & Kirkland, have successfully used 2,000t of Landscape20 to create a new playing field as part of a new sports complex at Uppingham School in Rutland.Following delivery to an agreed schedule, Landscape20 was laid to a depth of 225mm using a laser-guided grading blade.  Sand was then applied to a depth of 75mm and ameliorated with the top 75mm of the Landscape20 to create an ideal base for the seeding.Seeding was done in early October with a dwarf perennial ryegrass. A good sward of grass was established by early November.
Colin McBeth, Contracts Manager of White Horse Contractors Ltd said “The original site soil was not suitable for a playing field but having successfully used Landscape20 on other projects we recommended its use for this project due to its consistency, sandy loam nature and low stone content”

Henry Wipple School, Nottingham

Nottinghamshire-based landscape contractors Ulyett Landscapes used over 1,000t of Landscape20 to create a new sports field for the Henry Wipple School in Bestwood, Nottingham.Because the site was badly contaminated, the City Council specified that all imported topsoil for this project must be fully analysed and low in any chemical contamination. Martin Hall, Landscape Manager for Ulyett Landscapes, said “having used British Sugar TOPSOIL in the past we had confidence that the high specification set by the City Council would be met by its Landscape20 product”. Before laying the Landscape20, to a depth of 150mm, the site was covered in a membrane (see picture) to stop contamination of the new topsoil from below. Once placed, the Landscape20 was lightly cultivated and seeded.Founded in 1967, Ulyett Landscapes is one of the leading landscape contractors in the East Midlands; employing over 60 staff undertaking hard and soft landscaping projects as well as ground maintenance.

RUFC, Bury St Edmunds

British Sugar’s TOPSOIL business has been working closely with Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club to improve its three senior pitches where the depth of topsoil on the former landfill site is only 5 -10cm. A repair / maintenance programme was devised encompassing aeration, reseeding and the annual application of a top dressing to build up and improve the existing topsoil. TOPSOIL Sports10 was chosen as the topdressing because its sandy loam texture matched that of the existing soil type. The Sports10 was applied post-reseeding, at a rate of 80 tonnes per pitch, to protect the seed, conserve moisture and aid germination. In addition to the above programme, the club installed a pop-up irrigation system for the 1st XV pitch. Its installation has ensured grass growth throughout the dry hot summer months helping to maintain a full sward of grass.

Phil Torkington, Club Chairman said “We are delighted with the results of our investment in the pitches and especially the work of Andy Spetch of British Sugar’s TOPSOIL business. We now have pitches and facilities to rival any in the Eastern Counties.”

New Victory Hall, Norfolk

TOPSOIL is supplying 280 tonnes of Landscape20 for the landscaping of the New Victory Hall in the village of Neatishead, Norfolk.
The new hall is a contemporary design but, whilst being 21st century in appearance, will be one of the most eco-friendly village halls anywhere, built largely from timber-frame and straw.
A number of other important eco-friendly design features will also be incorporated, such as low energy lighting, solar (Ground Source Heat Pump) heating and green roofs. Use of natural heating and ventilation systems will be maximised to keep the energy requirement for the new building as low as possible.
Ian McFadyen, Project Co-ordinator, said “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to use a TOPSOIL product for our landscaping as it is of such consistent high quality and,most importantly, is a truly sustainable material which precisely matches our own ethos.

BRE Onsite'09

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) used 100 tonnes of TOPSOIL Landscape20 for an important project at its Insite ’09 event held in June 2009 at its facility in Watford, Herts.
The BRE’s Innovation Park is an extraordinary grouping of some of the world’s most sustainable buildings – zero and low carbon homes grouped around a landscaped area designed to provide a cohesive community space.
The international group PRP Architects Ltd was commissioned to undertake the project. The practice was very impressed with the quality and service from TOPSOIL and the fact that the product has such a strong sustainable pedigree. The chairman of BRE was delighted and made a special mention of the project at the opening ceremony.

Sports Pitches, Basingstoke, Hants

Hickman Brothers Landscapes Ltd have successfully used 4,500t of Landscape20 to create two new football pitches and a training pitch as part of a new housing development in Basingstoke.
Following the installation of a drainage system, the Landscape20 was delivered and laid to a depth of 100mm using a grading blade. Originally scheduled for July, this work was delayed until the October due to exceptional rainfall. The pitches will be seeded in the spring.
Tom Hickman, Director, Hickman Bothers Landscapes Ltd, said “the site soil we were presented with was full of stones and unsuitable for football pitches. We recommended Landscape20 as the topsoil to import due to its low stone content and its consistent quality. This was forwarded to the client and accepted”.

Tiffin Girls School, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey

Working with NPS Property Consultants Ltd and sports ground contractor Gerald Davies Ltd, TOPSOIL delivered 2000 tonnes of Landscape20 to Tiffin Girls School, Kingston upon Thames.

The Landscape20 was used to create a grass playing area at the front of the school. NPS were appointed to project manage the improvement works to the school playing field. British Sugar TOPSOIL was specified following recommendations from a number of sources.
NPS were assured that by specifying this topsoil the client would be guaranteed material of a consistently high quality. Sports Ground Contractor, Gerald Davies Ltd was given a two-week window to excavate and remove the existing soil and replace it with the Landscape20, which was placed to an average depth of 150mm by a dozer and then graded and harrowed for seeding.

Strategic Training Solutions, Clipstone, Notts

Strategic Training Solutions provides training to students between the ages of 14 and 24. They work with six local schools, totalling approximately 135 students each year, giving them hands-on experience to help them achieve their Horticultural qualifications.
They also complete commercial work so they can continue to offer training. In only eight months the students have developed an old landfill site into a recreational area for the community. In that time, 120 tonnes of TOPSOIL’s Landscape20 has been delivered to the site. It has been used for levelling large areas, planting and turfing. Paul Hadden, the training manager of the site at Clipstone allotments, comments on why they use Landscape20, “It was exactly what we were looking for - a good quality topsoil that is always consistent.”

G B Building Solutions Nottingham

G B Building Solutions is a national contractor committed to providing high-quality housing, which is both affordable and delivered on time. The site in Nottingham has been developed to offer 112 dwellings as a combination of flats, house and bungalows.
Over a period of 18months, TOPSOIL delivered over 1300 tonnes of Landscape20 to the site, providing all the topsoil that was needed for the whole project. This included the landscaping, turfing and planting of all the new gardens.
Paul Jarman, supervisor and assessor at St Ann’s, explains why they chose Landscape20, “We came to British Sugar TOPSOIL as we needed to ensure we had a good-quality topsoil that would meet the criteria set by Nottingham City Council. We were confident that in using Landscape20 we would not have to worry about any potential problems when the environmental officer visited the site.”

Westleigh New Homes, Leicestershire

Gardens of Peace Cemetery, Hainault, Essex

'Offsite2007’ selects Landscape20 for Innovation Park

The Innovation Park’s Landscape Architect, Peter Wilder of Macfarlane Wilder, Urban & Environmental Land Planning, said “We chose Landscape20 because it is a high-quality sustainable topsoil which complements the philosophy of the park”

The buildings and innovation park will be in place for two years and will be used for education purposes.

Opened by Yvette Cooper, Minister for Housing & Planning, the Innovation Park consists of buildings which conform to the “zero carbon” challenge, making them amongst the most sustainable buildings in the world. The houses on the BRE Innovation Park have been built to the Government's new Code for Sustainable Homes, introduced in April this year, making them the first houses to be assessed under this new voluntary regulation.

St John’s College Cambridge switches to TOPSOIL

Head Groundsman, Keith Ellis, of St John’s College Cambridge, has used SPORTS10 from British Sugar TOPSOIL, for a second year, to repair the goalmouths of the college’s football pitches and to take undulations out of the tennis courts.
Keith switched to SPORTS10 in 2006 following a number of bad experiences with a local supply of topsoil which contained glass and brick rubble.

He said “I decided to give SPORTS10 a go having viewed the product during a visit to British Sugar’s TOPSOIL business at Wissington, Norfolk, with the local IOG Branch in 2006."

Keith continues “Because all of British Sugar’s TOPSOIL products are derived from prime arable topsoil and not muckaway, I am able to have complete confidence that every load will be what I ordered and not contaminated. Since switching to SPORTS10 I have been able to simply place an order and then concentrate on other things. With my previous supplier I would have had to check every load for contamination before accepting it. As well as being impressed with the quality I am also very pleased with the results”

Established in 1858 the sports pitches at St John’s cover an area of 28 acres providing a full range of sports for the students.

Anglian Land Drainage chose TOPSOIL’s Landscape20 for the brand new Lee Valley Athletics Centre opened in January 2007.
The Essex-based contractor, who specialise in the drainage, construction and renovation of sports fields, used 2,000 tonnes of Landscape20 for the infield works of the outdoor running track. The topsoil was delivered in only five days by a fleet of 20 tonne fixed-axle trucks and was immediately placed by a laser-guided excavator to a depth of 150mm over the base drainage layer. It was then cultivated and seeded.
Project Manager and Company Director, Matt Jaggard said “Landscape20 was selected for this project because it is a sandy loam that is clean, safe, fully analysed and virtually stone-free. These features meant we didn’t have to carry out any costly stone-picking and cultivations were kept to a minimum. At a dry time of year this meant that we were able to preserve as much moisture as possible to ensure good seed germination.

The Lee Valley Athletics Centre (LVAC), which was officially opened by Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell on 16 January 2007 and is the newest training facility in the south of England.

King William Bowls Club, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk has become the first club to switch from traditional top dressing to TOPSOIL's 10mm screened soil, Sports10.

Previously, the club has used a sterilised top dressing for its autumn / winter maintenance programme. However, following a discussion on the TOPSOIL stand at the 2005 Saltex show, Eric Clarke, the clubs’s Groundsman and Secretary decided to be the first to try Sports10, TOPSOIL's 10mm-screened blend of sand (65%), silt (23%) and clay (12%).

Mr Clarke applied the product by hand in late September having first prepared the green and distributed grass seed. A wooden board and drag mat was then subsequently used to level the surface; best results being achieved by leaving a period of 24 hours between application and levelling. The new grass became established very quickly allowing a mowing schedule to be instated. "I am very impressed by this product" said Mr Clarke "during the spreading some balls of soil were formed, but leaving the soil for 24 hours before applying the levelling board and drag mat easily broke these up. The rate of growth from the grass has been amazing - it is a very fertile material. I was drawn to trying it as the cost of traditional dressings is a significant drain on our budget and this TOPSOIL product reduces my costs by over 50% - the club is delighted with the overall result."

Cambourne, Cambs
TOPSOIL has supplied the topdressing material for the maintenance of new sports pitches in Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.

The pitches were established two years ago on a fully-drained site of 40% clay as part of the continuing development of the new township that has received universal acclaim for its unique design.  Their construction and maintenance was been overseen by sports turf consultant Melvyn Poole.

During the summer of 2005, the pitches received a topdressing application of 400 tonnes of Sports10 as part of a maintenance contract awarded to Pro-Scape, based near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk (www.pro-scape.co.uk).

The Sports10 came from TOPSOIL's Wissington site and is a 10mm screened sandy loam (72% sand / 22% silt / 6% clay).  It was applied by spreading contractor Olly Neal from Bury St Edmunds, using a Bredal twin spinning disc spreader at a rate of 36 tonnes/acre.

Both Melvyn Poole and Pro-Scape’s MD, Errol Lovick were delighted with the result.  Melvyn said “I chose this TOPSOIL product because I wanted a dressing containing silt and clay as well as sand.  With no irrigation available, this blend will sustain the grass through the dry summer months as well as allowing the drainage of water during the winter.”  Errol added “I was impressed with the overall service we received and in particular the evenness of the application that ensured good coverage without unnecessary waste.”

Alliance House, Newington Green, London
Essex-based landscaper, Stewart Landscape Solutions Ltd, has used TOPSOIL's Landscape20 to create a stunning scheme in the grounds of Alliance House, a new housing development in Newington Green, London.

Landscape architect Colvin & Moggridge designed and advised the Shaftsbury Housing Association on the scheme and the eight-month project was completed in the spring of 2005.

The approved scheme used a varied planting list and required over 500 tonnes of quality soil delivered out of TOPSOIL’s site in Bury St Edmunds.  The design featured planted beds to a depth of 300mm and tree pits up to 800mm deep with an integral drainage layer.

Mark Richardson, owner of Stewart Landscaper Solutions, was delighted with how quickly the scheme became established saying “When taking on a project I always ask that I can specify and order the soil so I can be sure the specific planting scheme will be successful.  The quality of the TOPSOIL  product proved very consistent and the overall customer service from enquiry right through to post-delivery follow-up was superb."

Woodside School, East London
Woodside School in East London gained new soccer pitches through a DETR-funded Remediation Project on an ex-Victorian landfill site using TOPSOIL's Landscape20.

Dean & Dyball Construction, the prime contractor, initially obtained the necessary topsoil locally but they were very disappointed with its poor standard as it mainly comprised of demolition waste.  The TOPSOIL Helpdesk was able to arrange for 9000 tonnes of Landscape20 to be delivered urgently in scheduled deliveries from its Wissington and Bury St Edmunds sites.

The soil was applied following site clearance and preparation which included the laying of a membrane beneath the surface.  A laser-guided bulldozer was used for accurate suface-levelling.

Nigel Easter of Dean & Dyball said “This project was very important for the local community and our initial supply of topsoil caused us some considerable concern.  In coming to our rescue so promptly, TOPSOIL enabled us to keep to our schedule.  In particular, we were pleased with the efficiency of the deliveries in meeting our tight deadlines.”

Sandwell, W. Midlands
As part of a long-term improvement programme, the Council has used over 1000 tonnes of Landscape20 applied as a sportsfield dressing.  This has restored the playing surface of a number of pitches previously suffering from deep potholes and poor drainage. Many of these, such as the nine football pitches at Lion Farm Playing Fields  - formerly a landfill site  - can now be used several times a week by local teams without the surface becoming unplayable.

Steve West, of Sandwell Borough Council’s Leisure Services stated:  “We were delighted with the performance of the TOPSOIL product, particularly as its quality has been so consistent and the service from British Sugar’s factories has been first-class.  We’re already planning to use more of the product on other recreational grounds as part of our sports ground improvement programme.”

Stewart Landscape Solutions Ltd, based in Halstead, Essex, won the landscape design scheme for an exciting executive flat development directly opposite the innovative City of Manchester Stadium.  The scheme consisted of shrubs and semi-mature trees and was designed by David Fountain, a Gold Medal winner and Best in Show at RHS Chelsea and Tatton in 2001.

Mark Richardson, Stewart Landscape Solution’s owner, said, “Countryside Properties, the developer of the site, wanted an environment to complement the outstanding design of the stadium.  We needed to get the basics right in order to give the chosen planting every chance to thrive; as such, we had no hesitation in choosing TOPSOIL which we know has such dependable quality.”

Chelmsford Borough Council

The initial order of 60 tonnes, supplied out of British Sugar’s Bury St Edmunds factory has been used to repair goalmouths and create new landscaping. Richard Whiting, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor said “ We’re responsible for 10 parks and over 50 sports pitches. We need a product that is capable of quickly establishing newly sown grass but as the areas are used by the general public we also have a duty of care to ensure that the soil is clean and sharps-free. We chose TOPSOIL as it consistently meets these standards, is competitively priced and delivered on time.”