Notice Board

2-bay oak notice board with rotating Open and Shut slats for Redbournbury Mill & Bakery, Hertfordshire.

When it came to solving the problem of publicising the differing opening times of their watermill and its associated bakery, the volunteers at Redbournbury Mill near St Albans in Hertfordshire can most definitely be said to have used their loaf.

Greenbarnes Ltd was approached by designers Roy Bellamy working on behalf of the Mill, to manufacture a notice board incorporating independently rotating slats which in addition to conveying general information about the Mill and Bakery within a glazed display area also indicate whether the respective parts are open or closed.

“We chose a Greenbarnes notice board because you were able to adapt one of your standard boards to our needs. You supplied extra oak engraved panels which we have fitted to the base of the board, allowing us to rotate them to show the different combinations of opening times for the mill and bakery.”, commented Justin James. “We also liked the fact that the boards are produced from oak which is used extensively in the mill and they look very appropriate in an idyllic rural setting.”

We chose a Greenbarnes notice board because you were able to adapt one of your standard boards to our needs. You supplied extra oak engraved panels which we have fitted to the base of the board, allowing us to rotate them to show the different combinations of opening times for the mill and bakery.

Whilst it is good to know that the end result met expectations, equally gratifying are Justin’s comments on the process of getting there.

“Your staff were always friendly, well informed and efficient when contacted and were particularly helpful last week when we needed to collect the signs at short notice. I am delighted with the quality of the boards and with my whole experience of working with your company.”

If thoughts of fresh baked bread have you salivating already, further details of Redbournbury Mill and Bakery can be found at www.RedbournburyMill.co.uk/. Meanwhile if your appetite is for a similar project, please call us on 01280 701093, email our Sales Department or see more of our hardwood notice boards here.

A2 notice board designed by Greenbarnes Ltd specifically for use in church porch environments.

The Church Porch – A difficult space to manage.

The church porch is an odd environment. Neither wholly inside nor outside, this transition between the secular and spiritual worlds, frequently becomes a neglected hinterland, of windblown debris, mildew and damp paper. Even churches which otherwise pay great attention to first impressions, are often guilty of falling at this last hurdle on their threshold.

In truth it is a tough environment to manage, in many cases still more suited to its original purpose of storing visitor’s weapons than to its more mundane modern roles of providing shelter from the rain, offering a place for meeting and greeting, and displaying copious amounts of information.

As a result this latter function, walls are often covered in damp and rotting pinboards, most of which are ill-designed to cope with the environment in which they are located. And it is for this very reason that Greenbarnes have developed a purpose-made range of unglazed notice boards for church porch applications.

Framed either in oak or, for completely maintenance-free performance, in Man-made Timber, (a recycled plastic with the appearance of timber), these boards have a weatherproof rubber pinboard, are available in a range of standard sizes, or can be made to measure.

If the problems outlined above have set alarm bells ringing, then contact us on 01280 701093, or email our Sales Department

Maintenance-free Man-made Timber notice boards from Greenbarnes Ltd welcome visitors to the National Trust's Cragside Estate in Northumberland.

Visitors to the National Trust’s Cragside Estate in Northumberland are now presented with the information necessary to make the most of their visit courtesy of a series of recently installed information boards manufactured from recycled plastics.

No less than 15 boards from the Greenbarnes Man-made Timber (MmT) range have been installed throughout the extensive property which has 9 separate car parks and 30 miles of footpaths.

The Trust’s decision to opt for maintenance-free MmT boards rather than their traditional timber equivalent is in keeping with the pioneering spirit of the property which, as the family home of Victorian inventor and industrialist Lord Armstrong, was not only the first house to be lit by hydro-electricity but also boasts a wealth of other ingenious gadgetry including fire alarm buttons, telephones, a passenger lift and a Turkish bath suite.

“I am very happy with the boards. They are perfect for what we wanted and have made a great impact in the few weeks they have been up. They fit into the landscape/setting very comfortably, particularly as we are a Grade One listed landscape. I am particularly keen on the use of recycled materials”, commented Duncan Norman of The National Trust, on the decision to opt for MmT in such a sensitive location.

I am very happy with the boards. They are perfect for what we wanted and have made a great impact in the few weeks they have been up. They fit into the landscape/setting very comfortably, particularly as we are a Grade One listed landscape. I am particularly keen on the use of recycled materials.

As the accompanying photographs illustrate, we think he has a point! To learn more about the benefits of our maintenance-free recycled plastic notice boards ring us on 01280 701093, email our Sales Department or go to www.greenbarnes.co.uk/product-type/noticeboards/man-made-timber-notice-boards

An A3 portrait format menu case from Greenbarnes' new Man-made Timber Smallboard range.

Restaurant owners know that now, more than ever before, success depends upon creating a good first impression. If passers-by don’t even break their stride to glance at your menu, then its content is irrelevant, they won’t be dining. So presenting the information in a tidy and professional fashion becomes a prerequisite of success, but how is this best achieved?

In many cases, particularly in urban surroundings, the answer lies in the use an aluminium menu case (and we offer plenty of alternatives to fill this requirement), but is there something more appropriate for use elsewhere, in more rural surroundings?

The traditional and obvious answer to this question is to use a timber display case of some description, but these do require unflinching dedication to their regular maintenance in order to keep them in tip-top condition.

But fear not! Now there is a maintenance-free solution that looks like timber but has none of the inherent problems of wooden menu boards – the Greenbarnes Man-made Timber Smallboard.

Greenbarnes have been manufactured larger scale notice boards in this versatile recycled plastic material since 1994 and, as a result of demand, we are now pleased to offer these menu-sized cases in 3 standard sizes, A2, A3 & A4 in portrait and landscape formats. Man-made timber will not warp, rot, split or fade and as it is totally impervious to salt, it is ideal for use in sea front environments.

For more details of the benefits of man-made timber, please click here. Alternatively, to discuss the possibilities, including branding and bespoke sizes, please call our sales team on 01280 701093.

A recent church sign project for Great Baddow United Reform Church, Essex. From January 2011 all non-VAT registered customers will inevitably be paying more to get their message across.

If the two great certainties of life are death and taxes, 2011 will start with a third, yet more tax! In order to begin plugging the huge hole in its finances, the UK government recently announced that from 04/01/2011 the standard rate of VAT will rise by 2.5% to 20%.

This may not sound like a lot but if you are currently considering spending money on signage, notice boards or street furniture and, if like many of our customers, you are on a tight budget and unable to reclaim VAT, (churches and village halls in particular come to mind here), in effect this represents 2.5% more that you will have to spend to achieve the same result. The only alternative will be to pare down your wish list to match the funds available.

Given that, by their very nature, these projects tend to take a while in the planning, our advice to anyone in this position would be to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. Time spent now on working out what you need and gathering the necessary information will ensure that, not only do you have the time to make informed choices but also that you will be in a position to place an order in good time ahead of the crowd.

From January 2011 all non-VAT registered customers will inevitably be paying more to get their message across.

So, having convinced you that now is the time to act, the next question is where to start. Perhaps you won’t be surprised to learn that, in our opinion, you could do worse than ringing our sales team on 01280 701093 or email our Sales Department for sound advice and no-obligation quotations.

Comrie in Colour volunteers pictured with their new recycled plastic notice board

The beautiful village of Comrie in Perthshire, Scotland, lies on the banks of the River Earn at the edge of the Scottish Highlands and is in the heart of the scenic West Strathearn area of Perthshire, with mountains rising to the north.

When it comes to their recycling activities, the local population must be ranked amongst the most resourceful of citizens. Amongst the many active village organisations is “Comrie in Colour” which, last year, successfully gained awards in the Large Village category of ‘Take a Pride in Perthshire and ‘Scotland in Bloom. Building on this success the group has now decided to compete in ‘Britain in Bloom’ and to this end it has been working hard in and around the village.

“We have planted over 4.000 plug plants for the baskets to hang in the village, this involved making our own liners for the baskets out of re-used plastic resourced locally”
- says the group’s page on the village website.

Most recently however, the group has furthered its green credentials by choosing one of Greenbarnes’ range of maintenance-free Man-made Timber notice boards, also constructed from recycled plastics, to publicise its own work as well as that of other village groups.

For further details of all our recycled plastic notice boards call us on 01280 701093 or email our Sales Department or go to www.greenbarnes.co.uk/product-type/noticeboards/man-made-timber-notice-boards

Solar-powered notice board recently installed at Welcombe Hills School, Stratford upon Avon.

Welcombe Hills School, a specialist college for the visual and performing arts in Stratford upon Avon, is one of the latest Greenbarnes clients to be enjoying the benefits of installing a solar-illuminated notice board.

When the need for a new board arose recently, the school chose an A0 landscape format board with white powder-coated finish and polycarbonate glazing from our growing range of solar-powered notice boards.

Solar illumination allowed the board to be installed in the chosen location on the far side of the car park from the school building without the need to run mains cables and the associated costs. A passive motion sensor detects movement after dusk and thus the board is only lit when passers-by are in the vicinity. This drastically reducies the power consumption of the unit.

For this installation a board with a contemporary appearance was appropriate, however for locations suited to something of more traditional nature, the “Ornate” range offers the same technology built into boards with decorative posts and finials.

Site supervisor Jason Yapp commented that since installation of the board he had been impressed by both the level of illumination of the board and the effectiveness of the motion sensors.

For further details and to receive a no-obligation quotation, please contact our Sales Department

Solar-powered notice board wall-mounted version

Greenbarnes have turned to solar-power for the latest additions to our range of external aluminium notice boards and display cases. With the emphasis currently being placed on implementing environmentally responsible solutions this is bound to appeal to a wide body of users, not least local authorities.

The benefits however are not confined to the product’s green credentials; the lack of need for a mains power supply not only makes installation significantly cheaper but also allows illumination in areas where this would previously have been impractical. Hence, a wide range of users including churches, schools and parish councils are now able to double the effectiveness of their message by getting it across day and night.

Motion sensors and a timing mechanism ensure that lighting is active on only when people are in close proximity, hence maximising battery life. For more information download an information sheet or contact our Sales Department via email or use our contact form on this site.

SN board in Accoya with black stain finish

Greenbarnes are pleased to announce that our extensive range of traditional-looking timber notice boards are now available in Accoya®, a ground-breaking new material. Accoya® is the result of more than 75 years of research and development on wood acetylation. It is a modified wood produced using a patented process that adapts sustainably grown softwoods by increasing the amount of acetyl molecules present in the wood.

Accoya® contains 20 per cent acetyl molecules, compared to the 4 per cent found in oak and 2 per cent in pine. It is an extensively researched and proven “new wood species” with performance properties that match or exceed those of the very best tropical hardwoods and can be used with absolute confidence in external applications.

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Budget poster case

Budget Poster Cases have been introduced to fill a niche not previously catered for within our already extensive range of aluminium notice boards and display cases. Available in 3 standard sizes, A2 – A4, Budget cases are suitable for display of such items as menus and timetables and offer a basic level of specification without compromise on build quality.