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

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

Top: Parker Hoop bicycle stand. Bottom: Harlequin bicycle rack

There can be little doubt that cycling is on the increase. We have come a long way since Sustrans first mooted the idea of a National Cycle Network in 1995 and, with their current “Bike It” campaign to get children cycling to school and the efforts of other bodies such as Cycling England to persuade us to take to two wheels, the chances are that the trend is set to continue.

This is all good news, both in terms of the environment and also for personal health, but it does bring with it one problem – where to park all the extra bikes? We are told that currently just 2% of children cycle to school. Judging by the tangled heap of bikes outside my local primary school each morning, if a significant proportion of the remainder are also persuaded, school playgrounds will rapidly begin to resemble scrap yards.

So what can you do to avoid this latest manifestation of the parking problem? Well, a good start can be made by visiting the Bicycle Parking page of our website where we have assembled range of cost-effective solutions including a bike rests and bike stands including single and double sided versions, floor and wall-mounted models, galvanised and stainless steel finishes, a bright multi-coloured one called Harlequin especially for school playgrounds and even one for hanging bicycles from the ceiling if you are really inundated.

A good second step would be to contact our sales team on 01280 701093 or email our Sales Department .

We look forward to hearing from you.