IF you thought mowing the lawn was a big ask – try keeping up with a patch of land equalling three million square metres

The largest housing association in north Wales, Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd (CCG), has to keep up with 390,000 m2 of grass land which needs to be cut on a regular basis.

This week CCG announced a new £700,000 contract for the work which has been awarded to Gwynedd Council.

Gethin Armstrong, repairs and maintenance client manager at CCG, said: “We own many open spaces across our Gwynedd estates, and it is very importan that we maintain our estates to ensure they are kept neat and tidy to provide a comfortable environment for our tenants and the wide communities.

“We are pleased that our £700,000 grounds maintenance contract has been awarded to Cyngor Gwynedd over the next two years. This work will include grass cutting 390,000 m2 of grass, seven times a year over the summer season, across the whole of Gwynedd.”

The contract includes £53,000 on cutting the gardens of vulnerable tenants, as well as cutting the grassed areas around 320 sheltered housing units.

The grass will be cut and collected at least seven times a year (dependant on the weather) and in some areas, could be up to eight or nine times.

“We are currently working with the council and other organisations to identify sites where we can develop wild flower meadows which encourages bio diversity to attract natural habitat for birds and insect as well providing ascetically pleasing surroundings for tenants and the wider general public,” he added.

Gwyn Morris Jones, head of Gwynedd council’s highways and municipal department said: “We are very pleased to be working together with Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd.

“The contract was out to open tender, and we are delighted that the council is to continue to provide the ground maintenance service on behalf of Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd.

The contract, which started in April, will continue over the summer months and will follow the same schedule in 2018.