Businessman Lends Helping Hand to Local Charity
A BUSINESSMAN from Milton Keynes has come to the aid of a charity which helps people with learning and physical difficulties get back into work.
After more than a decade of fund-raising MK SNAP has collected the cash needed to buy the charity a vitally needed mini-bus. And Alan Grimes, who runs FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centre in Milton Keynes, has given the charity a further boost by providing the new van with logos and signs free of charge.
MK SNAP was set up in 1991 and helps adults with physical and learning difficulties find work or education opportunities. Typically the charity helps people who have suffered from a stroke or head injury and have difficulty getting into mainstream training or education.
Alan has been running FASTSIGNS Milton Keynes, which specialises in making banners, stickers and signs for the last six years and has a staff of five based at the company’s premises in Denbigh West Industrial Estate, Bletchley. He said: “We have done work in the past for the charity and have got to know them quite well. They asked us to give them a quote to put graphics on their new vehicle and I decided that we would do the work free of charge.
“We are a small business and we like to think we are a part of the community. Charities such as MK SNAP do a great job with very little assistance so it is great to have the opportunity to help them out.”
Debra King, a spokeswoman for the charity, said: “We have been trying to raise the money for a mini-bus for years and we were thrilled when we finally reached our target. The new bus means that we can do a lot more work with our clients and help them get even more involved with the community.
“The whole point of what we do is to make the community accessible to people who normally would not get the chance to be involved – that is why the new mini-bus is so important to us and our work.”
She added: “We have known Alan and FASTSIGNS for several years and they have done work for us before. We got in touch with them and then they said they would do the job free of charge. We were delighted to take them up on the offer.
“We are small community charity without any national backing so every little bit of help we get is a big deal for us.”
The company is one the country’s leading graphic design and branding specialists and has a reputation for leading the way in its field. FASTSIGNS offers a one stop shop for firms looking to increase their profile and get their name known on the high street with eye catching designs, signs and logos.
The firm prides itself on the fact that customers can expect an unrivalled offering which includes the ability to manage any project from the original concept stage right through to its completion. The promise of excellent customer service, consultation and project management at every step of the process combines to make an unbeatable package.
The team can provide eye-catching designs and branding of any size and specification for everything from the side of vehicles to office stationary, posters and signs.
For more information about FASTSIGNS Milton Keynes call Alan Grimes on 01908 273540.
Ends January 2012
Media contact Lindsay Jones at LJPR Ltd telephone 01934 838559 or email Lindsay@ljpr.co.uk
A Sign of Kindness
Sign Directions
FASTSIGNS Milton Keynes has recently provide a free pull up banner for the Muliple Sclerosis Sociey (Milton Keynes and District Branch) as part of its 'Sign of Kindness' incentive, which will see it donating a sign to a different charity each month throughout 2009.
Alan Grimes, owner of FASTSIGNS Milton Keynes said: "The Multiple Sclerosis Society is a very worthy cause and we are pleased to be able to make this contribution to its work. This branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society was founded in 1982 and currently supports 134 members by supplying grants for respite care and equipment."
Jane Draper, Chairperson at the Multiple Sclerosis Society (Milton Keynes and District Branch) commented: "FASTSIGNS have been great; they provided an excellent service and we were thrilled with our sign, which we will use at all of our fundraising events, as it tells people who we are and helps to clear up the many misconceptions about MS.
It's a Good Sign
MK News
FASTSIGNS sign and graphics centre in Bletchley has completed its first 'Sign of Kindness' for the leading national charity, the Spinal Injuries Association, donating a pull up banner for the charity to take to exhibitions.
FASTSIGNS Milton Keynes is committed to donating a sign to a different charity each month throughout 2009 as part of teir 'Sign of Kindness' initiative.
The SIA is a unique, user led charity, with all its Trustees being spinal chord injured themselves, offering support and assistance to its members and provide services to increase the individual's quality of life.
Alan Grimes, owner of FASTSIGNS Milton Keynes said: "The SIA is a very worthy cause and we are pleased to be able to make this contribution to their work. We look forward to helping more charities in the future."
Elizabeth Wright, Donor Development Officer at SIA commented: "FASTSIGNS have been great and we are thrilled with our sign. We will use the sign at all of our events such as the London Marathon and our dinner events to celebrate our 35th anniversary year."
FASTSIGNS Supports the Home Team
Milton Keynes Citizen
Milton Keynes based FASTSIGNS has become the sponsor for one of the country's leading basketball teams, the Milton Keynes (MK) Lions.
MK Lions Basketball Club, which coaches over 15 teams of boys and girls, encourages school leavers and adults to take up the sport and to embrace an active, healthy lifestyle. There are five Lions clubs who regularly compete against each other and who also take part in the Active Sport Bucks League.
As part of its sponsorship FASTSIGNS has produced all of the promotional material for the team's home court including advertising hoardings, banners around the stadium and its logo on the team kit.
"We are thrilled to be sonsors of such an up and coming sports team and look forward to cheering them on at the matches", says Alan Grimes, owner of FASTSIGNS Milton Keynes. "It's so good to be able to make this contribution to our community."
Lions Chief Executive and Head Coach Vince Macauley added, "Working with progressive companies in our community is one of our aims. Having FASTSIGNS as a sponsor just shows how deep we go into the business community."
FASTSIGNS Unfreezes Problem
Business Franchise
FASTSIGNS Milton keynes franchisee Alan Grimes has developed a bespoke signage solution for the sub-zero temperatures of his local indoor ski-ing centre, SNO!zone.
It took Alan 3 months to find the perfect adhesive that was resilient enough to withstand the extreme conditions. Every evening, 'real snow' falls from the SNO!zone's ceiling to refresh the slopes, which means the atmosphere is always damp and temperatures are around -5C.
Previously, printed graphics in the building wouldn't stick or began to lift off the surface after a short time. Alan conducted numerous tests before dicovering a special adhesive from Belgium that fully secured large format gaphics up to 14 metres across. Now SNO!zone can sell advertising space on its pillars and drag-lift shafts.
"We had to go to extreme lengths to find an industrial adhesive that would withstand the combination of cold and condensation," Alan said. "It was essential that SNO!zone could offer advertisers good-looking posters that wouldn't become dog-eared and shabby after exposure to snow. This was a particularly challenging job, but we always go the extra mile to help our customers and our efforts have paid off."