Solving Compaction and Drainage Challenges. How the SISIS Dart Supports Keswick Town Council

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; both with very different requirements.

“Keswick Town Council is quite unique,” explains Parks Manager Christine Fawcett. “We manage two charitable trusts for our parks: Fitz Park and Hope Park. Fitz Park is very much the people’s park, hosting a wide variety of sports user groups, including cricket, football, tennis, bowling and athletics clubs. We maintain five grass tennis courts and a bowling green here. Hope Park, in contrast, is more of a tourist-focused park, 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 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 the team to tailor aeration throughout the year.

“We’ve gone with solid, pencil and chisel tines,” she explains. “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. The results have been excellent.”

The Dart’s vertical-action penetration has enabled the team to relieve compaction while keeping playing surfaces stable, a critical factor for bowling greens and tennis courts.

“The Dart moves quietly and efficiently across the grass,” Christine notes. “We can focus on the job without worrying about damaging the surface. It can be a bit slow when moving between widely spaced areas, but we transport it on a small trailer, which works perfectly for larger sites like our pitch and putt.”

Depth adjustment between 25mm and 100mm allows the team to respond precisely to seasonal demands, supporting drainage, oxygen exchange and stronger root development.

“The Dart allows us to vary aeration depths depending on the season and the area,” says Christine. “It’s an affordable machine with good longevity and the customer support from SISIS has been outstanding.”

For a local authority managing multiple high-use natural turf areas, reliability and serviceability are essential. The independently powered Dart, incorporating the dependable Honda GX160 engine, provides consistent performance, while its straightforward design supports routine maintenance with minimal downtime.

“I would definitely recommend the SISIS Dart 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. For anyone managing sports fields, parks or amenity grass, this is a fantastic tool.”

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.

For more information, visit:
https://sisis.com/dart