Signage

Solid surfacing plaques supplied by Greenbarnes are helping combat the rising tide of metal thefts across the UK.

Nothing, it seems, is sacrosanct. Signal cabling, manhole covers, road signs and, shamefully, even war memorials are amongst the growing list of items which are targeted with increasing frequency for their scrap metal value.

The consequences of these misdeeds manifest themselves in a variety of unpleasant ways, whether in the inconvenience and irritation of delayed and cancelled trains, the potential danger resulting from missing signs and manholes, or the shear grief of discovering that a memorial to a loved one has been melted down for its scrap value.

Two of the key reasons often cited for the current upsurge of such offences are an increase in commodity prices and the simultaneous downturn in the economy. Given that neither of these conditions look likely to change significantly in the foreseeable future, is there anything that can be done to counter the problem?

At Greenbarnes we believe that there is. Indeed, there are things that can be done, and in fact, things that we have already been doing for a considerable time to ensure that a wide variety of products intended for use in the public domain, perform their intended function without attracting the wrong form of attention. It all starts at the design stage, with the intelligent choice of materials.

“It all starts at the design stage, with the intelligent choice of materials”.

A prime example of this is memorial plaques, whether in large schemes as installed at a crematorium or, as in a recent example that came to our attention, a single war memorial built into the church gate post.

As long ago as 1997, in response to the removal by thieves of approximately 300 individual metal plaques in one night, Greenbarnes embarked on designing a better way forward. Subsequently adopted by a number of crematoria throughout the UK, this scheme uses solid surfacing materials (of the type frequently used to create high quality kitchen worktops and retail counters), in place of traditional bronze or brass plaques. The virtue of this material lies in its unlikely combination of a top quality appearance with a zero scrap value.

In addition to addressing the problem of theft, careful design consideration at the outset also ensured that the perennial problems of fixing and removing from walls and the consequent difficulties of acurate alignment were addressed. Moreover, for applications such as churches needing a way to commemorate cremated remains, a scheme can be economically tailored to fit individual requirements.

So, whether you are considering a memorial scheme or a single commemorative plaque, your starting point should be to ring our sales team on 01280 701093 or email our Sales Department for sound advice and no-obligation quotations.

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.

Maintenance-free Man-made Timber interpretation panels from Greenbarnes Ltd welcome visitors to the RNLI's garden at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Interpretation panels manufactured in our maintenance-free Man-made Timber have been chosen to provide the finishing touch for the RNLI memorial garden at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

The garden, created by well-known TV presenter Chris Beardshaw, is a development of the site which was originally created and funded by local RNLI volunteers.

With the help of the Greenbarnes information panels, visitors are guided around a landscape designed to reflect the work of RNLI crews and the relationship between crew members, a rescued person and all the families whose lives become interwoven during a rescue. It is intended not only as a celebration and recognition of the work of the RNLI but also to honour those crew members and people who have lost their lives whilst saving others.

The panels which use grp encapsulated digital prints framed in Man-made Timber for the ultimate in long life and low maintenance, are set on a lectern-style base and are the latest of an increasing portfolio of recent projects undertaken for the charitable sector.

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

(Top image reproduced by courtesty of the National Memorial Arboretum)

Contemporary honours board corner detail.

Are you looking for a contemporary style honours board?

Would you like to get the board free and pay only for the graphics and carriage?

If you have answered yes to both of these questions it could be your lucky day. Greenbarnes will shortly launch a new range of contemporary honours boards, and to mark the event we are offering a free 900mm high x 600mm wide board to the first organisation to contact us with suitable content.

The board is manufactured in 10mm silica acrylic, a clear material with the appearance of glass, including the green tinge to the edges. It will be supplied complete with chrome stand-offs for wall-mounting.

In order to qualify, the information that you wish to display on the board should include a logo (preferably with a contemporary feel), a heading or title line and a number of name/date lines. We’ll supply the board (worth £173), free of charge, you pay only for the graphics and carriage.

What’s in it for us? In return, all we ask is that we can photograph the finished board for advertising purposes.

If this sounds like an offer not to be missed, then ring us on 01280 701093, or email our Sales Department

Vitrum monolith poster cases.

Vitrum has been developed as a direct result of what designers and specifiers have been requesting for some time… an outdoor, back illuminated poster case with LED lighting housed in a contemporary aluminium frame, with edge to edge toughened glass cover with ceramic printed borders, all lockable, secure and watertight but with easy access for updating.

Vitrum is available as freestanding monoliths, single and double-sided post-mounted versions, and a range of wall-mounted cases in standard sizes and finishes, but can also be customised to provide special sizes and colours. The substantial locking system affords complete security whilst the top-hinged doors rising on gas stays make changing the media a quick and easy procedure.

LED illumination ensures low power consumption and hence low operating costs, by using one third of the energy of traditional lighting and offers a projected life of 50,000 hours without maintenance, whilst delivering exceptionally even lighting across the entire width of the case.

To discuss how Vitrum might help you meet your display requirements ring us on 01280 701093, or email our Sales Department

Recycled Plastic A Board

Sometimes the most unlikely sounding headlines offer a gateway to the soundest of ideas. So it is with our MmT “A” board, the latest addition to our extensive range of notice boards and signs manufactured in Man-made Timber.

With the appearance of timber, but requiring none of the associated maintenance, MmT will not rot, split warp or fade and is therefore an ideal framing medium for signs including pavement signs where a traditional look is needed.

Originally developed in response to demand from one of our traditional markets, churches, this is an idea that can be adapted for a host of applications including restaurants, retail outlets and indeed any situation requiring the portable display or information permanent or temporary.

The illustration opposite shows the chalk board version, but a variety of substrates are available allowing permanent information to be displayed either in computer-cut vinyl lettering or as a digitally-printed graphic panel. Standard sizes include A1, A2 and 1100mm high x 575mm wide.

For further information, please call us on 01280 701093.

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

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.

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

At last - a good-looking recycled plastic bench

Recent years have seen the introduction of a plethora of seating manufactured from recycled plastic but to date, the end result has nearly always looked just that, an assembly of stock profiles. Even those benches with purpose-moulded end frames have tended to look heavy and over-engineered. At last however, Greenbarnes are about to offer a recycled plastic bench which addresses these shortcomings.

Manufactured in a UV-stable mix of LDPE & HDPE the benches have a projected life span of 25 + years and will be graffiti resistant, (paints tend not to “take” to recycled plastic). The material used is extremely tough and therefore capable of taking a fair amount of abuse, however In the event of serious damage such as vehicle impact, affected components are designed to be replaced individually, thus minimising “whole life” costs.

The first benches are expected to be available in the summer. To receive further information as it becomes available click here to register your interest now.