Rolawn Limited is a

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

grower and supplier based in the North of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

History

Rolawn was founded in 1975 in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

before moving headquarters to England in Elvington,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. In 2017 Rolawn's Head Office moved to

Seaton Ross Seaton Ross is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of the market town of Market Weighton and north-west of the village of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor. I ...

Products

Turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

* Turfmaster system for volume turf laying Rolawn Limited also produce other garden and landscaping products. These include a variety of topsoil, barks and mulches, lawn seed, lawn fertilisers and top dressing.

Certifications

Rolawn is certified to BS EN ISO 9001:2015 for its Quality Management System and BS EN ISO 14001:2015 for its Environmental Management System.

Science & Technology

Between 2008 and 2009, Rolawn was involved in court action with a rival company called Turfmech which was accused of infringing Rolawn's intellectual property over the design of one of their super mowers. The matter was eventually settled out of court to avoid escalating costs, and Turfmech agreed not to actively pursue the 'wide mower' market. Rolawn has developed unique technology to extend the shelf life of turf. Independent tests by the

Sports Turf Research Institute STRI, formerly the Sports Turf Research Institute, is a consultancy for the development of sports surfaces, based in St Ives, Bingley, West Yorkshire, England, providing advice on the research, design, construction and management of both natura ...

concluded that the patented and trademarked Profresh® System significantly extends the shelf life of Rolawn turf, meaning it stays greener and fresher for longer. In 2017 Rolawn commissioned independent research by the Sports Turf Research Industry into the rooting capabilities of thinner cut younger turf, which found that the younger thinner cut turf showed deeper, denser more vigorous rooting and superior visual appearance when compared to older thicker cut turf.

Trade Associations

Rolawn is a member of the following trade organisations: * British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) * Turfgrass Producers International (TPI)

Notable Figures

Nigel Forbes, 22nd Lord Forbes Nigel Forbes

Nigel Forbes (b. 1918) was a Conservative politician, Scottish soldier and businessman in which capacity he was Chairman of Rolawn Limited from 1975 to 1998.

Kenneth E Dawson

Kenneth E Dawson, the current chairman of Rolawn Limited became a Distinguished Honorary Member of Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) in recognition of his services to the turf growers industry.

References

{{Reflist Companies based in York Horticultural companies of the United Kingdom Gardening in the United Kingdom Lawn care