Solar Powered signs for children

This is me teaching Year 2 pupils @ Yatton Infant School. My daughter goes there and my wife was talking to one of the teachers, who asked if we could come in and talk about solar power as the children were learning about the planet and the harm fossil fuels were doing.

It was a great experience – very different from teaching teenagers. My daughter had helped me make a battery from an old shoe box, with a little 6V battery and light. The children rubbed their hands and put them into the “molecules” to light the bulb – all very excited when it lit up.

One of the children asked why don’t we use solar more?, especially if it saves the planet from being dug up! How incisive children can be..

Signscape leads the way for Zero Power

Staff and students at Gordano School recently joined together in a united gesture to see if they could cope without the use of electricity for one day. Their Zero Power Day was structured around using as little electricity as possible, other than that which they generated themselves. The aims of the day were to highlight the impact that modern technologies have on the day to day running of a modern school and to see how much energy and money they could save by being more thoughtful about the power they use.

Various guests from local businesses and industry were invited in to demonstrate how their approaches and products were helping to create a more sustainable environment. Hamish Paterson and Jeremy Reeves were asked by the head of Design and Technology at Gordano if they would spend the day there, demonstrating how their Ecovision system of illuminated signs works. Hamish and Jeremy explained to students from Yr8 right up to A level how the PV cells generate the power for the signs and how the Infra Red detectors provide a more automated approach. Students learnt how the electricity is stored and then released only when it is needed.

The visit provided an interesting, alternative approach for students who got to see how what they study in the classroom is used in a real commercial context. Plans are being developed for another similar exercise in 2010 when Gordano hope to strengthen the links they have made with Signscape and other local companies.

Paul Wison

This was an article written by Paul Wilson of Gordano College (North Somerset) after Jeremy and I spent a day with students looking at alternative energy supplies. We had a great day – with some great ideas and questions coming from the students.

We have just produced a new Papyrus price list (contact sales for information) and we have just sold some of our solar powered units to Australia and New Zealand! In addition to all that we have some really exciting developments for next year that are now well under way – will keep you posted.

Speak to you soon..

3-way Fingerpost

During our recent Open Days, it gave us a good excuse to take some photographs of our signs in and around the premises. We’ve updated our signs outside, by creating a “sign village” showing different types of signs, including Infocurve, Lynester Noticeboards, Post & Panel, BigBox, EcoVision Post & Panel and our Fingerposts (as above photograph).  You can see some of the others on our Flickr Gallery

We also hosted a very successful meeting for one of our customers who were able to utilise the premises for their meeting and receive product training at the same time.

If you would like to use our facilities to host a meeting, or see some of the examples of work we can manufacture and supply, please feel free to pop down.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video clip shows our Post & Panel system with an overhead trough light, using LED’s powered by our Solar Panel. This one is on a timer, but if you look at the other videos we have others that are PIR activated, both to suit your needs – let me know what you think.

We have some daylight shots of this on our Flickr gallery, or contact our sales office for more information

Signscape Open Day signs

 A big thankyou to all those that made it for our two Open Days this year; hope you all enjoyed it and found it worthwhile. It was great to see so many faces over the two days. I was also really pleased with all the staff and friends that helped make the days such a great success. We’ve put an area of our car park to show some of our range of signs and how they can be used differently.

If you didn’t make either of the two days, not to worry, you would be more than welcome any time.

The above photo shows our Solar Powered Post & Panel (right) with our single legged sign (left). We will also be posting some of these images at night shortly, together with putting some updates on our Flickr gallery

  I think we’re just about ready for the open day now    

really looking forward to it and seeing so many people

that we haven’t seen for a while. We’re just about

ready (I think), couple more jobs and then a quick

tidy up on Monday morning, ready to see everyone

Tuesday. Hope you can make it, but if you can’t make

it on either 15th or 16th September, you are always

welcome any time. We are showing some new and

old products, together with some revamped ones;

so there should be something for everyone. Ann and

Sue are organising all the food – which I’m looking

forwared to already.

 Just to let you know we are holding a couple of Open Days on 15th & 16th September when everyone is more than welcome. We will be showcasing our Solar Powered range, together with the rest of the Signscape range, but using it in different ways.

In addition to Signscape, Boldscan, Tekcel, Groundplug and Sign Link magazine will be joining us, so there will be plenty to see for everyone. Come and meet the staff that you talk to on the phone and see our manufacturing facililty, including our updated Powder Coat plant.

If you can make it, let me know; there will be refreshments during both days, so I’d better ask Sue to get baking!

 Jeremy installed this last week, whilst I was on holiday, it was pouring down with rain whilst he was doing it with Tom, but apparently they were carrying out the work very happily! We’re really pleased that North Somerset Council has asked us to do this and shows their commitment to a greener environment.

Due to its location it would have been extremely costly to run power to the proposed site, but the sign illuminated the very same night – despite the overcast drizzly weather.

My holiday was the “rele – run” seeing all the relatives all over the country, from London, Cambridge and Doncaster – came back to work though full of cold – not swine flu I hasten to add.

EcoVision - Solar Powered Noticeboard

 Second shade of Green has a more ‘natural’ feel about it. My eldest son, George, an ‘A level’ student at Gordano School, North Somerset came home after lectures yesterday and said “EcoVision”  - that’s one of yours isn’t it?

With some surprise (never knowing what teenagers take in), I replied, “Yes, how…why what etc!!” It transpires that the School are having a ‘ZERO Power Day’ on July 17^th & their Head of Faculty for ‘Design & Technology’, Mr Paul Wilson, had incorporated our innovative product within his lecture about alternative power solutions etc and had a slide showing one of our models!

I went onto our website – is it one of these – “No” said George – “it was a close up shot , unless cropped” – quickly moving to our ‘Flickr Image Gallery’, he pointed out this one as the most likely, to which I commented – “ this has been modified already – the movement sensor is really small now & is within the unit!” – “That’s good” he said!!!!

 It is pleasing to learn that our expertise in product design incorporating environmental issues is being discussed with the future ‘Earthkeepers’ of our Country!

So thank you, Mr Wilson – you know where to turn for further information!