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.

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.

One of the more unusual challenges to present itself in 2007 was the construction of a new “watering point” for St Peter’s Church, Iver in Buckinghamshire. The project required that the new unit, which was funded by a family in memory of their parents, be built as closely as possible as a replica of the original, a challenge made no easier by the absence of a number of the original details.

The new unit, which we are delighted to report has been well received by the client is constructed in oak and comprises a pair of 100mm square posts with decorative brackets, a central panel and “tap box” to accommodate the plumbing and a hipped roof structure with oak slats and ridge mouldings.