Following a year of consistent expansion in 2024, Winchester-based groundcare business Wildwood Machinery has maintained its run of success at the start of 2025.

“Firstly, we have extended our product range with the addition of an important dealership contract with Wessex International,” says managing director James Bastian. “Secondly, we have secured a significant contract with a local authority client that we will be announcing shortly.”

“The recent appointment of Sales Manager Rob Hogarth, who brings 40 years of experience in the groundcare sector, is an indication of our intention to continue growing Wildwood Machinery this year," says James Bastian. "He has brought a wealth of contacts and expertise to the business, and we are already seeing the benefits of that.”

Wildwood – which launched in 2022 – has scaled up rapidly, winning clients across professional and community sports clubs, Local Authorities, schools, National Trust properties. “A vital component in our success has been our ability to source, supply and maintain the very best equipment available to the UK market. We are already the sole dealer across much of southern England for INFINICUT. Now, as the main local dealer for Wessex International – who manufacture a durable, versatile and reliable range of mowers – we are in a position to meet an even wider range of clients and projects,” comments James Bastian.

Sheldon Diplock of Wessex International, says: “Our mowers deliver superior presentation and professional striping, in dry or wet conditions. This is made possible by our ‘tip speed’ that is approximately 20 per cent faster than other rotary mowers on the market. Investing in Wessex Roller mowers brings a host of other benefits such as savings on mowing time and maintenance costs, whilst getting more value out of the tractors already on your fleet. The Wessex CRX320, a key player in the Golf and Sports Turf market, comes in at around the third of the price of traditional rough mower units.”

James Bastian adds, “At Wildwood Machinery our focus is on providing the absolute highest quality services to the groundcare profession, from our base in Winchester. It’s proving to be a potent combination, and appeals to clients from schools through to clients including Premiership football clubs, Local Authorities, the National Trust and many of southern England’s leading golf clubs.”

Wildwood – which has its main headquarters at East Horton Golf Club in Fair Oak – made regular hires throughout 2024 across engineering, maintenance, customer service and sales, and has bucked the trend across the economy as a whole with rapid growth.