Horningsham School in Wiltshire had been unable to use the grassed areas in their playground after a family of moles decided to take up residence. The molehills were not only unsightly but had caused considerable damage to the grass itself and children were no longer able to play on the areas.

The school decided to address the mole infestation issue using artificial grass – a humane and long term solution to the problem that would ensure the molehills didn’t return. Trulawn, one of the leading suppliers of artificial grass to schools and nurseries, was selected to carry out the work.

Trulawn prepared the ground by excavating the grass areas and then a wire mesh was laid to prevent the moles from reappearing. A limestone base was then laid onto this followed by sharp sand. Once the base had been compacted a weed membrane was put down, followed by Trulawn Luxury artificial grass.

The school’s installation of artificial grass solved the mole problem and improved the school’s outdoor facilities making a significant part of the playground usable all year round. The grass is an attractive, eye catching feature for the school and is now used for PE lessons, sports events and of course playtimes.

Stacey Holden, School Admin & Finance Officer said: “We selected Trulawn as our specialist contractors. Their sales team quickly understood our needs, allayed our fears and worked closely with us to schedule the work. The installation team worked incredibly quickly and were meticulous about tidying up at the end of every day. They were also polite and unobtrusive. It was a pleasure to have Trulawn on site.

“The grass product we selected, Trulawn Luxury, was a premium product with 8 years manufacturers guarantee, providing full assurance that the grass will remain fully UV stabilised, retain the original colour and will not degrade or rot. We know it is a durable, soft, child friendly surface, which is also porous and flame retardant to BS 4790 standard.

“It has certainly solved a problem for us and enhanced our facilities. We are absolutely delighted with the product itself and the end result. We do still have natural grass on-site so we feel we have the best of both. Most importantly the children love it! It was an instant success. They have a much larger area to play on and they are often seen lying down and rolling on it.”