Prograss Ltd has through an evolution of our technology, morphed into a Biotechnology company. Prograssbio LtdFrom our core business as a company that manufactures Plant Health products for both the Sports and Agriculture Industry, we have now, due to our Bioflavonoid technology developed products for the Healthcare market, the Dairy Industry, Animal Welfare, The Home and Garden market, The Poultry and Swine Industry as well as the Professional Horticulture Industry. Whilst like many companies Covid has presented a challenge, it has also given us the breathing space to finalize the development of a number of products which are now registered and approved for use in many markets and countries.From our manufacturing sites in both Wales and Ireland, across a range of products, we now supply our innovative products to 23 countries.

What is in Promote™? A great deal of R&D, including talking to both Professional and Amateur Grounds Staff and Greenkeepers, has gone into designing our product for your turf. As a result we have produced a unique composition of natural plant extracts, denaturised extracts and specifically selected organic compounds that has resulted in Promote™, a turf product designed to work synergistically and with potentiation. This means that within Promote™, each of the ingredients makes all of the other ingredients work more effectively together than they would if applied on their own. It’s the Biological equivalent of 3 x 3 instead of 3 + 3.The seaweed contains a number of plant nutrients, trace elements, vitamins, enzymes, and plant hormones such as cytokinins, auxins, giliberellins, chelates and Glutamic acid. Cytokinins promote cell division and growth in both roots and shoots. Auxins and giliberellins promote cell growth and are essential for plant body development and growth. The Betaines have been proven to accumulate in plant species in response to environmental stresses such as drought, flood, salinity, extreme temperatures, both abiotic and biotic stress, and UV radiation. Sporting surfaces are the most stressed natural surfaces in the world and our methodology at Prograss has been to create a product that enables the plant to cope far better with the demands, rigours and stresses of a modern-day professional sporting surface, often with its own micro-climate.In addition Promote™ has been designed to trigger the plant’s own defence mechanism by using hormones and denaturised extracts to ‘trick’ the plant into thinking it is under both biotic and abiotic attack and to use the ingredients within Promote™ to massively boost its own immune system. As a result the plant is far better equipped to withstand any attack and can expend more energy on growing, developing a much denser sward, a significantly greater root mass and visibly higher chlorophyll levels.

I am really proud to be a member of the Board of Trustees at Coleg Elidyr. The Coleg is a residential Camphill Community College providing further education and training for young people aged 18-25 with learning difficulties and disabilities. Founded in 1973, Coleg Elidyr has many years’ experience of working with young people with a wide range of learning difficulties and disabilities, encompassing young adults with, both behavioural and emotional difficulties as well as autistic spectrum conditions.My youngest daughter has special needs and what , in particular, wanted me to work on a voluntary basis with The Coleg is that it provides a very safe learning environment set within 180 acres of farmland in the secluded Towy Valley in Wales. As well as learning crafts in workshops and retail in our on-site shop, there are land-based opportunities on our working farm, garden and forestry.Our primary aim is to enable the learner to move from doing to understanding and from experience to knowing.Ultimately our aim is to provide young adults with learning difficulties with the skills to to live an independent and fulfilling life and role in society.

I moved away from Chemicals and into developing compostions based on naturally occurring products, which would have far less of an impact on the environment than traditional chemical treatments. Maxstim is the company that we have set up as the vehicle for taking these innovative products to the market. Maxstim designs, develops and markets plant biostimulants, globally, for sport surfaces and agriculture. We stand apart from others in the industry because of our focus: our biostimulants are precisely formulated to achieve targeted results on a wide variety of plants. More than just high levels of carbohydrates, Maxstim biostimulants contain the plant hormones, essential proteins and trace elements key to maximising the plant's ability to survive and thrive, particularly in times of stress. Further, all of our ingredients are natural, so they do not harm humans, wildlife or the environment. We invest heavily into ambitious research and development projects to continually engage with current and innovative thinking and ensure we bring to market the best possible product. This has led to several significant discoveries that can help transform turf, crops and other plants. Indeed, we are so convinced by the qualities of Maxstim biostimulants, that we offer a 95-day money back guarantee if the buyer is not satisfied. Please visit the website at www.maxstim.com to see our case studies and for further information as to our range of products.

Developed and marketed a chemical composition known as Bigiene. Secured start up funds from a Venture Capital firm, patented the product and set up the supporting infrastructure in Daresbury, ie laboratories and staff.

Commodity Importer of fine paper from mills in China. Exporter of recyclable, end products to China, from the UK and mainland Europe

Revolutionary food packaging that essentially started the process of replacing styrafoam and plastic sandwich packaging