| John Deere Press Room 2007 |
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Gator’s new holiday home
John Deere's Gator utility vehicle range, including the company’s first 6x4 model, was launched at the IOG Exhibition (as it was then called) in 1993, when the event was held at Peterborough
A year later, the Center Parcs leisure organisation opened a new holiday village at Longleat Forest in Wiltshire, which took delivery this summer of the 3000th John Deere 6x4 Gator to be sold in the UK & Ireland.
The landmark was celebrated at IOG SALTEX 2007 when Center Parcs Longleat Forest grounds manager Richard Watson was presented with a framed watercolour painting, specially commissioned from Worcestershire artist Philip Bannister, depicting his Gator in its new home.
Richard has been at Longleat Forest since it opened, becoming grounds manager in 2006. The grounds staff of 18 look after all aspects of the 400 acre site, including forestry and scrub management, hard landscaping, paving and fencing, and tropical plants in the dome and sports centre.
Center Parcs recently became the first leisure organisation to be awarded The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark for all four of its forest village sites, at Longleat, Elveden in Suffolk, Sherwood in Nottinghamshire and Whinfell in Cumbria, in recognition of its conservation work and continual efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment.
"We have around 7000 visitors a week, and we have to work around them," says Richard, who runs four Gators at Longleat, the new 6x4 Diesel model and three 4x2 petrol machines, all bought from local dealer John Miller (Corsham) Ltd of Chippenham.
"We’re always looking out for kit that makes our job easier, and the Gators are ideal from that point of view. The grounds assistants use them every day for general materials handling, from first thing in the morning to last thing at night. Their main advantage is they can go where our other 4x4 vehicles can’t, as the Gators are smaller and more manoeuvrable – they are very good for accessing the lakes and woodland, and there are very few places around the site where we can’t take them."
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