The groundbreaking project to lay the pitch at the Olympic Stadium in Athens proved a success thanks to the efforts of a Wickford landscape architect and companies from Billericay and Rayleigh.

They all helped add some magic to the games by lending a hand in the creation of the two-acre field.

Landscape architect David Fountain, from Belmont Avenue, worked with other turf experts to create a portable grass field that took only four days to lay in the 72,000-seater stadium.

He got involved in the innovative scheme thanks to his role as a consultant to Rayleigh-based horticultural company GreenTech ITM.

The challenge met by the company was to get a pitch laid as quickly as possible following the grand opening ceremony on August 13.

The stadium's lake, which featured in the spectacular opening celebrations, had to be drained ready for the pitch to be laid for the start of field events on August 19.

The work involved putting together 7,000 trays of soil in which grass is grown, called modules, to make the field.

The modules were then transported from the UK to Greece in 17 articulated lorries by Billericay transport company TJ Hammond, which is based at Barleylands Farm.

Mr Fountain, 58, said he has been involved in working out how each module would fit into the pitch. He added: "It has been a fantastic experience for everyone involved. It was fascinating to watch the pitch come together.

"GreenTech is an American company and it has built a lot of football stadiums using this system.

"The Olympics organisers saw how it was being done in the US and decided they wanted to use the technique in Athens."

Other Essex companies involved in the making of the Olympics pitch include Southend-based Linpac, which manufactured the modules.

Published Thursday August 26, 2004

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