Well what an amazing event Olympics and Paralympics 2012 was! Our greatest team ever was the strap line being used across all reporting mediums and boy they sure were right.

The Olympic fever was a little slow to take off here in Weymouth and Portland with usual visitors being put off by expected influx of visitors but by the second week the town was buzzing with Olympic fever. The town looked amazing decorated in flags and signage and a lick of paint. The opportunities for people to get involved themselves was endless, with free sporting events held on the beach including sailing, kayaking, football & rugby to name a few. There was of course the free live arena with large screens to watch the action on. On Super Sunday the atmosphere around the town was electric, especially at the Nothe viewing points and after Ben Ainslie won Gold the town erupted and the party started.

To celebrate our greatest sailing team ever Weymouth held a victory parade before the annual carnival parade for the Olympians and who did the event organisers call upon to produce the banners, yup, that's right us! Having designed & printed the banners 4 years previous there was only one Sign Company they could trust with this task. The morning of the event was hankered by torrential rain and wind and there was concern over whether the banners could be fitted due to safety reasons, but as the saying goes 'the sun always shines on the righteous' out popped the sun and all had a great day.

Photo Credit Nathalie Roberts View on Flickr, follow on twitter

Economically I'm still unsure on what effect the Olympics will have on the local area. The media coverage of the Olympics was very good and the weather was with us making the view of Weymouth and Portland look stunning on the T.V. that can only be good for bookings next year, surely? I believe Weymouth and Portland have suffered in the last few years with roadwork disruption effecting trading within the town but also the economic climate hasn't helped ether. Whilst some businesses got onboard and thought out of the box starting pop-up restaurants or adapting to make the most of the Olympics and the people that came to the area others through no fault of their own have suffered. I just hope that 2013 brings great weather and a new influx of visitors and sailors all keen to discover the delights of Dorset.

Paula Fry

The sign reading, "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada," has welcomed people to Las Vegas since 1959. The sign is a work of art in neon that has become an icon of the city. Local sign maker Betty Whitehead Willis designed the sign that speaks to the optimism of 1950s Las Vegas casino owners and civic leaders. Clark County has provided visitors with a turn out and parking area on Las Vegas Boulevard South to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of visitors who have their photographs taken in front of the sign.

The Facts

The sign is a 25-foot-tall (7.6 m) classic roadside pole design, mounted offset on two flat poles which are joined by a cross piece at the top. Willis intended to design a sign that was unique in its shape, style and content. Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) currently owns the sign, which leases it to Clark County, while the design itself is in the public domain. The design of the sign was never copyrighted since Willis considered this her gift to the city and wanted it to be in the public domain. This has resulted in the image being ubiquitous on Las Vegas souvenirs.

On October 4, 1999, the sign went dark for about a month when the company that had been paying the power bill was bought by another company who did not pay the bill. When the problem was discovered, payment of the past due amount, under $60, was made, and power was turned back on.

On March 13, 2009 Clark County nominated the sign for listing on the National Register of Historic Places with the listing receiving approval on May 1, 2009.

This famous sign was originally built in 1923 for $21,000 as a real estate advertisement. At that time, it said "HOLLYWOODLAND." The lettering "LAND." was removed in 1949.

Each letter is 30ft wide and 50ft high but renovations in 1978 resized the letters to 45 feet (14 m) tall and anywhere from 31 to 39 feet (9.4 to 12 m) wide.

Alice Cooper led the 1978 donation drive to remodel the famous sign. The shock rocker contributed $27,000 of his own money to the project, and bought an “O” in memory of Groucho Marx.

Hugh Hefner donated to the restoration of the “Y” with a $27,777 contribution.

In the 1940s, the sign’s official caretaker, Albert Kothe, destroyed the “H” after crashing into it while driving drunk.

In January 1976, following the passage of a state law decriminalizing marijuana, vandals altered the sign to read ” HOLLYWeeD.”

“I hired Paula and Impact Signs & Print to provide a pop-up banner for The Hysterectomy Association. All I had to start with were a logo, a strapline and the contact details with no idea about how to put them together into something visually creative and eye-catching. I sent them all over to Paula and her team who sent back suggestions within a very short space of time.

To say I was blown away with the design would be mild, it was simple but very effective and not something I would ever have thought of. In fact, the first time it was used, people at an exhibition commented on how it made a potentially 'difficult' subject seem friendly and approachable, which was exactly the effect we want for the Association.

Paula made sure that she understood what I needed and gave me the best results I could have hoped for. I would have no hesitation in recommending Paula and Impact Signs to anyone else looking for pop-up banners. I will definitely be using their services again.” June 28, 2011

Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Creative

Linda Parkinson-Hardman FRSA,
hired Paula as a General Contractor in 2011

To keep up-to-date with the many exciting events which make up ‘The Spirit of The Sea Maritime Festival’, organisers are delighted to report that everyone will now be able to tune in to the Festival’s very own radio station - Spirit Live! broadcasting on 87.7 metres FM.

Organisers have brought in this innovation so that all residents and visitors alike can quickly know precisely where and when events are happening.  Spirit Live will be broadcasting every day during the Festival which runs from 2^nd to 10^th July.  The live and interactive broadcast will be on the air from 9am to 10pm each day.

Between a great mix of popular music, listeners will also be entertained by interviews with special guests, visitors, residents and organisers in addition to hourly updates for the news and weather.  With over 30 events arranged to celebrate the area’s rich maritime heritage, reports will feature participants trying their hand at a range of sports and being entertained with various cultural programmes covering history and the arts.

Spirit Live! will be run almost entirely by a group of students gathered from Weymouth College, Bournemouth University, The Chesil Education Partnership and other secondary schools.  Its’ studio will be located in the media department of Weymouth College.

Wherever you are in the borough, listeners will be invited to tune in to Spirit Live! on 87.7FM to enjoy the excitement of ‘The Spirit of The Sea Maritime Festival’.  Miss it, miss out!

Ends

For further information please contact Roy Griffiths Event Manager (01305) 832512

On Saturday 2 July 2011 The Anonymous Travelling Market (www.theatm.co.uk) will make its way down to Portland Marina, Osprey Quay where it promises a colourful and quirky day (in cahoots with The Boat That Rocks) as part of The Spirit of the Sea Festival.  Sick of the High Street shopping experience and depressed by the credit crunch Emma House and Rae Stormonth-Darling set up The Anonymous Travelling Market in 2009 to give local businesses a leg up, to celebrate the best of the South West and to put the magic back into shopping.  

Whether it’s a street market or a market at a cracking location, atmosphere is always key to The ATM. Live music gets the toes tapping, stallholders greet one another like old friends (they are now) and shoppers enjoy the buzz.  Stalls vary from stained glass to watercolours, vintage clothing and furniture, jewellery, woodwork, pottery and more. If it’s food you’re after then splash out on a local sausage, cheese, sushi (yes, locally made), paella all washed down with a pint of Piddle. Now, don’t you like the sound of that?  If you’ve lost the will to shop then The ATM dare you to make your way to Portland Marina, Osprey Quay on Saturday 2 July from 11am where shopping will become a form of entertainment (with a sea view) accompanied by live music from Neon Moon. A cracking day out for all the family.

For more information about The ATM visit their great website www.theatm.co.uk (where you can win a night at The Beckford Arms, Tisbury and £50 towards dinner by entering the competition on the Home Page).

Also next to the market Gravity's Angel Dance Company's Artistic Director, Suzanne Cantwell Birkin, along with the students of Wey Valley School and Sports College will be presenting "Ebb and Flow," a dance performance at Portland Marina on Saturday, July 2nd at 1:00 and 3:00.  For more information, contact Suzanne at 07742939756.

Win £1000 cash at the Spirit of the Sea Maritime Festival

Saturday 2^nd July-Sunday 10^th July 2011

This year the Spirit of the Sea Maritime Festival and Weldmar Hospicecare Trust are working in partnership running a prize draw with three amazing top prizes. First prize is £1000 cash, second prize is a Merlin Annual Pass for a family of 5 kindly donated by Weymouth SEA LIFE Park worth £534 and third prize is a day sail for one person aboard TS Pelican kindly donated by Adventure Under Sail.

Spirit of the Sea is a nine day festival of over 30 independently organised and funded maritime related events that sit under the title name 'Spirit Of The Sea – Weymouth & Portland Maritime Festival'. Beach Live, Dorset Seafood Festival, Henri Lloyd Weymouth Regatta, Moving Tides Carnival, the Tudor Picnic and Weymouth International Maritime Modelling Festival are all part of Spirit of the Sea 2011.

Tickets can be purchased throughout the nine days of Spirit of the Sea at the many of the events and supporter outlets. Check out the festival website www.spiritofthesea.org.uk, listen in to Spirit Live 87.7fm or ring the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust Fundraising Office on 01305 261800 for full details of where you can purchase your draw tickets.

All profits from the draw will be split evenly between the 2 not for profit organizations.

Weldmar Hospicecare Trust  cares for patients with cancer and other progressive conditions, such as motor neurone disease,  who require specialist help.  Patients in north, south and west Dorset have a seamless service, whether they require care and advice in the comfort of their own homes, in the day hospices or the inpatient unit at Joseph Weld Hospice.

All services are provided free of charge.

• We seek to improve the quality of life for those people by bringing relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
• We provide in-patient care at Joseph Weld Hospice in Dorchester
• We help enable patients to live as actively as possible and enable the family to cope throughout the patient’s illness
• We provide Day Care facilities at Trimar Hospice in Weymouth, Joseph Weld Hospice in Dorchester and the Westminster Hospital in Shaftesbury
• Our services also include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, chaplaincy

Complementary and creative arts, together with family support and bereavement support

• Our community Palliative Care Nurse Specialists visit patients at home, in care homes and in community hospitals and we also have similar Nurses based at Dorset County Hospital
• The cost of running Weldmar Hospicecare Trust’s services is currently £6.4 million a year – 30% is funded by the NHS the remainder is generated mainly through fundraising and our chain of fourteen charity shops. 

Registered Charity No. 1000414

 Spirit of the Sea Ltd is a not for profit company limited by guarantee with no share capital.

Company number 6464560’

Contact Details for Press to call for further information

Matt Smith, Community Fundraiser Weldmar Hospicecare Trust, 01305 261800 or email matt.smith@weld-hospice.org.uk

Or Roy Griffiths, Spirit of the Sea event manager, 01305 832512 / 07976 425719

DYNAMIC Dorset vehicle wrappers Impact Signs pushed the envelope by winning the account to rebrand the vehicle fleet for Bournemouth-based stationery giant Ace Office Environments.

Leaving the redesign to Impact’s versatile designers, the job was completed on an extremely tight timescale, working around deliveries to minimise disruption, in order to meet the re-launch date.

The fresh vibrant design encapsulates the diversity of Ace Office Environments, showcasing their broad range of products and services, using a modern rendition with the new Ace colour palette.

The fleet of 5 vehicles including Movano and Traffic vans reflects Ace Office Supplies’ capabilities in supplying quality products for all working environments from chefs to building industries.

The vehicle graphics were produced on Impact’s Roland XC-540 printer using Avery 1900 vehicle wrapping material and Dol gloss laminate; and the vinyl decals were 3M 80 control Tack.

Ace Office Environments sourced Impact Signs through the Buy Dorset website, which actively supports and promotes Dorset businesses, encouraging customers to use local trades and services. Being one of Buy Dorset’s founder businesses, they felt it was important to use the site’s facilities and take on one of its prime members.

Debbie Whipps from Ace Office Environments said: “The Buy Dorset website was the obvious choice for us to source the sign company to rebrand our business and we’re thrilled with the result; Impact Signs were a great team to work with and delivered excellent, quality results on schedule.”

Jason Fry, Director of Impact Signs said “Ace Office Environments were fantastic to work with, and were delighted with the fleet. We’re now in talks to continue the rebrand via signage, which will complete this Ace overhaul!”

For more information go to:

 www.buydorset.co.uk

 
A big thank you to you and your team for the fantastic Chickadee s signs. Also the girls wanted to say how professional the chap was who came to fit the signs. Everyone is so pleased with them and we have had some very positive comments.

Chickadees Governor

Well what a grey miserable day today and i'm sure it even tried to snow! What's all that about? We can't have snow down along the South Coast within 2 months. Anyhow my morning was brightened by joining fellow Business Exchange members at the delightfull venue that is Kingston Maurward College and their fabulous full english, how I love the sausages they make.

I was sat with some great business owners with fab "wicked issues" mine being what attributes do you expect/like from service/tradesmen whilst working on your premises?? Also picked up a few brilliant Ah-ha moments. I really do hope Business Link remains after next year, even if it's in a similar form.

Next on the agenda was the Dorchester BNI group which is so close to being launched, just need another handfull of members and we're there. My one minute presentation consited of telling the group about the exciting new products that we can't wait to get our hands on for instance vinyl that can wrap and hug the contours of brick, how amazing is that!!! Twenty five referrals were passed today too and we haven't launched yet.

Just found out that we have received an order for some radar signs for a national holiday park too, these signs are cut to shape around a charcter that holds the radar to alert drivers of their speed.

Weymouth’s Impact Signs and Print have again been instrumental in sponsoring local community champions in 2010.

With continued support for 8-year old speedway and grasstrack superstar Anders Rowe, Impact provided branded van graphics for the pint-size star who is set for more superstardom for 2011.

Anders, mascot for Weymouth Wildcats, Swindon Robins and Newport Wasps, attends Holy Trinity School in Weymouth, and has raced grass track every weekend since he was six. He won the South West Centre Championship in October 2008 and in October 2009 came 5th in the British Championships.

Continuing on a little league theme, Impact has taken on sponsorship of Weymouth FC Terras Under 8s; the team, with kit supplied by Impact Signs, has been playing incredibly well this season, and is looking forward to further success in the coming year.

Superkart champion Mark Vaughan, owner of Vaughan’s Bistro on Weymouth Quay, has taken the karting world by storm in 2010, by winning the International superkart Championships in Assen, Dijon and Silverstone. With Impact Signs kart graphics, Mark and his team, Viper Racing, is keen to up his gain in 2011 with plans to take part in the British and European Championships. Team Viper Racing is also hoping to take part in the Australian Championships at the end of the year.

Impact has also agreed to be a key sponsor for the much-anticipated Xmas Factor at the Weymouth Christmas Sparkle event scheduled for December 9^th in the town Centre; Impact will supply branded backdrops, banners and signage for the X-factor inspired events with heats at the Pavilion’s Ocean Room on Friday 26^th November, and the final on a specially designed stage outside Debenhams on Thursday 9^th December. Xmas Sparkle replaces the Victorian Shownight, continuing with the late night shopping, stalls and mulled wine, but this time with the added attraction of the singing competition which is open to anyone age 10 and over. Come and join us...together we can make an Impact!

For Christmas Sparkle details and entry forms go to: www.weymouthchristmassparkle.co.uk

We have now been approved as a 3M Authorised Vehicle Wrapper.

This means that as local vehicle wrappers we will deliver 3M quality, durability and longevity consistently from vehicle to vehicle.

It is an indisputable fact that the overall appearance and individual branding of your business will say much about the quality and reliability of the service you provide.

And at a time when securing new business has become increasingly more difficult, it is necessary to ensure that every penny spent on marketing shows an immediate and visible return on investment.

Mindful of these challenges, IMPACT Signs and Print can offer what is acknowledged to be the single most powerful and cost-effective option within the outdoor advertising media. We can transform your vehicles into mobile billboards that will promote your business 24 hours a day with eye-catching and award-winning vehicle branding solutions.

Just consider the basic facts....

Vehicle Wraps Do Not Wait To Be Seen
They proactively market themselves wherever people are present and they offer the lowest cost per capita of any other ambient advertising tool*.

Can't Be Turned Off Or Tuned Out
They also reach potential customers in a way not possible via other marketing channels and they remain the one form of advertising that cannot be switched off, tuned out or lost in the plethora of radio, TV and printed media.

Bodywork Protection Is An Added Benefit
Furthermore, vehicle wraps provide lasting protection for expensive bodywork. This will remove the need to replace vehicles earlier than would normally be desired and ensure that the original paintwork is maintained with its original pristine condition prior to removal of the film when the time for replacement finally arrives, thereby adding further value to your investment.

*Independent survey commissioned by 3M to determine the comparative cost (£) per 1,000 consumers as follows: radio (12.12), TV (4.60), Billboard (1.20), direct mail (19.42), printed media (4.95) and vehicle (0.40).

We've just launched our brand new loyalty card which offers you exclusive customer discounts! To register for your Impact loyalty card call us today on 01305 76 76 33 or email us at sales@impactsignsandprint.co.uk  

                                               

The graphics produced by Impact Signs, in collaboration with Weymouth’s Power Race Graphics, one of the motor industry’s leading vehicle insignia designers, will be showcased around Europe as the dragster competes in the 5 FiA European Drag Racing championship events starting in May at Santa Pod Raceway (England) and at events in Finland, Sweden, Germany and the final round again at Santa Pod Raceway near Northampton.

The vehicle was stripped down and resprayed in a sleek pearlescent white in preparation for the new scheme, with sponsors Silverline and Playstation vinyl branding applied on top. The project was eagerly watched throughout by Dave Wilson who said: “looking for a fresh, sharp new look for the Silverline/ Playstation for the dragster for the coming season, Impact Signs came up with just the vinyl solutions I was after”.  

Taking just two days to complete at Impact’s specially converted vehicle bay, Dave Wilson went on to say “Impact Signs delivered the high quality finish that is generating very positive comments from both my sponsors and race fans alike!”

The new look vehicle was immediately taken back for its flamboyant inaugural event at the season opening event at Santa Pod raceway at Easter, impressing the main sponsor to such an extent that Impact have been commissioned to do  a second drag car, which  will be completed later this month.

Collaborating with Weymouth’s Power Race Graphics, one of the motor industry’s leading vehicle insignia designers, Impact was commissioned to wrap the 13 metre x 4.5 metre trailer, the largest vehicle they have wrapped to date. Impact director Jason Fry said, “It was a big challenge, and I’m really pleased with the results – the trailer looks amazing. We used a hangar to apply the graphics, which was a life saver in the freezing temperatures we’d been having!”

Santa Pod Raceway is the home of European Drag Racing and host to the televised FIA European Drag Racing Championships. Drag Racing is a race between two cars or bikes with speeds up to 300mph and is the fastest and loudest motorsport on earth.

Due to Santa Pod’s incredibly tight schedule, Impact completed the work on location in two days, ensuring the trailer was back on the road in no time at all. A staggering 100 metres of vinyl was used to complete the project, and the finished result is phenomenal.

Santa Pod Marketing Manager Caroline Day said, “Santa Pod is all about high-octane explosive action and we wanted to create an appropriate design for the trailer that was very striking using vibrant colours. The end result was perfect with no hitches on the way! Now we have a complete set up which looks very professional and is sure to create an impact wherever it goes whether at the race track itself or when out on tour at other shows and exhibitions during the season.”

The televised European Drag Racing Championships comprises eight official classes competing across Europe. Crowds of up to 40,000 spectators attend races, consisting of loyal fans and a wider family audience now appreciating the growing sport.

The trailer will be taken to national motorsports events throughout the year, so look out for it!

Business group’s boost for three charities

Three local charities are a total of £2,500 better off thanks to local business organisation Dorset Open Commerce.

The cheques were handed over at a DOC open evening at Dorchester Football Ground by DOC chairman Wendy Barnard.

Julia’s House, the Dorset children’s hospice, received £1,500. The Grace Secondary School project, started by Dorchester couple Richard and Claire Budd to raise funds for a school in the mountains of the Sudan, received a cheque for £500.  A cheque for £500 also went to Woodlands Farm Kennels in Bridport, which cares for stray animals.

Said Wendy Barnard: “Dorset Open Commerce exists to help businesses work together on a day-to-day basis.“Above all we enable professionals and trades people from all business sectors to recommend people to each other – people that they know from professional working relationships.

“We are a not-for-profit organisation, and at the end of each year we donate our surplus funds to charities, which is a very rewarding spin-off from our activities.”

Dorset Open Commerce holds twice-a-month meetings in Dorchester. Traders and business owners interested in joining should contact (Wendy: someone’s name and phone no in here?)

More can be found on line at www.dorsetopencommerce.com or by e-mail at enquiries@dorsetopencommerce.com

The fitting team are away for a couple of days applying graphics to an Arctic truck for Santa Pod Raceway. The Job is going really smoothly and it looks like they'll finish ahead of schedule.

Speedway and grass track racing sensation Anders Rowe has had yet another outstanding year on the track in 2010.

Eight year old Anders is sponsored by Impact Signs and attends Holy Trinity School in Weymouth. He recently won the Devon and Cornwall Championships, and last week found out that he came first in the South West Youth Championships.

Anders, mascot this year for Swindon Robins and Newport Wasps, is in the process of having a Danish 80cc speedway bike built by his dad, Delwyn. This is in preparation for the World 80cc Championships which Anders can race in when he is ten, in the summer of 2012. The Championships will see Anders competing in Denmark, Sweden and Poland.

Anders who has raced grass track every weekend since he was six,  gears his life around his passion for the sports and will be competing in the under 15s 125cc section next year; without a doubt Anders is on the right track for yet more superstardom in 2011!

For information about Anders go to: www.andersroweracing.co.uk or call Delwyn on 07796 815 392