General Archives - UK Memorials

How To Help Nature Prepare For Winter

Posted on 4th September 20244th September 2024 by Kate

As we notice the sun setting a little earlier and the wind blow just a bit chillier we begin to get excited to see the trees change from vibrant green to deep orange and cosy nights by the fire. However, for the natural world, these changes signal the need to prepare for the challenging, cold months ahead. At UK Memorials, we believe in lending a hand to nature, helping wildlife find ways to survive the winter more easily.

Hedgehog Homes and Toad Abodes

You may not realise this but hedgehogs actually hibernate over the winter months and it is very important to their survival to find a spot that will keep them warm and safe. In the 1950s is was estimated that there was over 30 million hedgehogs in the UK whereas now they estimate it only be around 1 Million so we really want to make sure to give them a hand this winter. You can purchase a hedgehog box online or you can craft one from scratch. RSPB have an amazing video to guide you how to craft a box which you can watch by clicking here.

Once you have your box you want to fill it with a layer of dead and dry leaves. Hedgehogs prefer small leaves such as birch, oak, hawthorn or hazel. You then want to find a shady, quiet spot where it won’t be disturbed. The entrance should be out of the wind, you want to cover the entire box with woody garden cuttings and leaves but make sure to leave the ventilation pipe clear.

Toads do not hibernate through winter but they do spend a large amount of their time nestled away trying to keep warm. Creating old long stores or even and old pot on its side with lots of leaves in can create a toasty home for toads to stay warm in.

Clear out Bird Boxes

Now that the birds have raised their young they won’t need their bird boxes so now is a great time to clear and clean them out. It is recommended that you take out all the nesting material and disinfect the box. The safest time to do this is during October and November as there won’t be any birds using the boxes during this time. Clearing out the old matter and disinfecting the boxes helps to remove any ticks and fleas, along with their eggs and helps to reduce the risk of diseases such as Avian Influenza.

Feed Nature

Another wonderful thing you can do to help wildlife during the winter months is to provide food and water sources. .

Birds often struggle to find food during the colder months, so adding extra feeders can make a big difference.

Some people also leave food out for foxes, squirrels, and badgers. For squirrels, nuts, chopped apples, and carrots are ideal, while cooked meats are a favorite for foxes and badgers.

Water might be something you would not have to think to provide wildlife in nature, as we are in North Devon we see rather a lot of it through the winter months. But as the months delve into December and January when hard frost might be found, water sources freeze up. We recommend putting fresh water out or breaking holes in the ice for wildlife to drink from.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this blog. If you want to read more of our blogs click here.

If you want to learn more about what we do for the environment visit our parent companies website by clicking here.

Tel – 01769 618585

Email – sales@uk-memorials.net

Remembrance Day

Posted on 2nd November 20213rd November 2021 by Kate

We Will Remember Them

We make war memorials in a whole range of different materials for long-lasting and poignant tributes.

As we come up to this season of remembrance, here at UK Memorials we wanted to take the opportunity to write and reflect at this time of year. Remembrance is a national opportunity to mark the anniversary of Armistice Day and to recognise the sacrifices made by many to protect the freedom that we have today.

We understand and appreciate how challenging it can be to make decisions around the memorial of those that we have lost, so we want to make this process as easy as possible for you, while still creating something special and significant. Whether looking for a traditional plaque, wooden cross or a modern heart-shaped memorial, we create a wide range of memorials and believe it is important that they are carefully crafted for you. To help with this process, we have created this simple guide of some of the most popular memorials that we can put together alongside you, as you remember your loved ones.

Cast Memorial Plaques

Cast memorial signs have a long-lasting finish and are made using a combination of the latest technology and traditional craftsmanship methods The cast making process gives you more freedom in the designing process because you can choose from a wider variety of fonts, motifs, layouts and stylistic lettering. Once cast, your plaque will then be tended to by hand and given the final finesse that you’re looking for.

Cast bronze is a timeless classic for memorial plaques. The background of the bronze can be left natural or painted in. Patented bronze is also an option available at UK Memorials which would give your memorial plaque a finish to be proud of. The Cast Bronze Memorial Plaques can be made in a variety of shapes too (another benefit of choosing a cast sign). A popular choice for memorial plaques is the cast bronze memorial heart. A cheaper alternative is the cast aluminium memorial signs, still a traditional choice but possibly more cost-effective. Either way, both would create a wonderful piece to help mark your remembrance for a loved one. You can learn more about our cast memorials here.

Corian

Corian is a stone-like material with a clean composition, made up from clear acrylic resin, natural minerals and pigments – meaning that it is available in a variety of colours. Corian has a high-quality finish that would make a beautiful tribute to your loved one in a memorial. You can find more about our corian memorials here.

Memorial Crosses

At UK Memorials, we make a range of wooden crosses that are particularly popular around remembrance. Wooden crosses were first used to mark the graves of soldiers who had died in battle but they now serve as a remembrance sign nationally. They are handmade traditionally using Oak timber but could also be made for you in Iroko, Opepe or Sapele. The lettering can be engraved directly into the wood. Alternatively, you could choose to have a metal plaque created. Though more expensive than the wooden crosses we make, stone-like Corian also makes beautiful and distinctive memorial crosses. They tend to last longer and can be used as either a grave marker or a permanent memorial. Memorial crosses continue to be a popular choice here at UK Memorials and we’d love to make one for you and you’re loved one too. Have a look at our full range of memorial crosses.

Wooden Plaques

Here at UK Memorials, we believe that a memorial piece should be personal. That is why we create a range of unique memorial signs and plaques to help you mark your loved ones resting place or a memorable and special location.

The engraved wooden plaques are a favourite of ours, particularly the wooden hearts. Using beautiful timbers followed by specialist care and treatment, these plaques have a high quality and long-lasting finish – we take great care to make these memorials perfect for you. We can include motifs and images on these memorial signs enabling you to be expressive and creative in your designs. There is a wide range of fonts to choose from too, and any additional fixtures, fittings or mount you require can be included too. The memorial hearts are also available in a range of different materials too. Learn more about our range of wooden memorials.

Photo Memorials

Our long-lasting and high quality full-colour memorial plaques are becoming increasingly popular too. The plaques have a long-lasting resistance to colour fading as a result of the completely encapsulated aluminium plate. These types of memorial plaques are even suitable in harsher weather conditions, for example, by the coast. The photo memorials can be portrait or landscape and are typically finished with gloss or satin as to your preferences. We think these make beautiful memorials that capture moments in time with their photos and are a long-lasting piece to remember a lost loved one. Have a look at our full range of photo options here.

The acts of so many selfless individuals will never be forgotten, which is why here at UK Memorials, we want to ensure that we create memorials that reflect their courage and bravery and our respect for them. Memorials are an important part of remembering any loved one that we have lost, in the war or otherwise. War memorials act as a tangible reminder of the fragility of life and what was sacrificed, and memorials generally are a reminder of the love between family, friends and even strangers. Life connects us in ways that cannot be put into words and therefore memorials of those we have lost, connect us again in celebrations and recognitions of those we have shared life with. This Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, we will remember them.

To learn more about our range of war memorials, click here.

Buy Now

Please do get in touch if we can help you design a memorial. We are here to help you and will enable you to design exactly what it is that you’re looking for. More information can be found on our website and online shop, and we’d love to hear from you.

Telephone – 01769 561355

Email – Sales@sign-maker.net

Website – https://uk-memorials.net/

First Blog

Posted on 26th March 202027th March 2020 by Kate

Hi there! We are UK Memorials

Hi everyone! Welcome to our first ever blog post here on the UK memorials. We thought it would be fitting to let you know a little bit ourselves.

Our Background

As a company, we originate from The Sign Maker, an online sign-making firm with over 17 years worth of experience. We specialise in high-quality, bespoke signs in a wide variety of materials. Onsite you will find talented craftsmen from carpenters to stonemasons, vinyl and engrave technicians. Thanks to our expertly skilled team and alongside our experienced designers we have created a wide range of expertly crafted signs. As the sign business began to expand we started to turn our hand to making memorials. Many of the tools, equipment and skills required to make signs are transferable to memorials. From there our memorial range grew from strength to strength however our sign making site became too large. To respond to our customers feedback we have decided to create a new website dedicated solely to memorials.

The wonderful staff here at UK Memorials.

What we Make

Here at UK Memorials, we have a wide selection of memorials to choose from. One of our most popular ranges is our stone wedges which are used on an existing grave or as a lawn memorial. You can choose to have the wording etched directly onto the wedge or have a corian plaque applied. Another range of memorials includes our wooden memorials such as crosses, plaques and lawn memorials. Finally, we make a wide range of engraved memorials, such as brass, full colour memorials and more. For more information on the type of memorials, we make take a look at our website.

A wide range of high-quality bespoke memorials made by Craftsmen and UK Memorials.

Our Company Ethos

Finally, we thought it would be good to provide you with information on our ethos as a company. Here at The Sign Maker and UK Memorials we care a great deal about our team and the environment. Starting with our team, we feel our greatest asset is our employees. A happy team equals a happy company. We spend a great deal of timing working with our staff to make a more efficient, creative and fun company. The second ethos of UK Memorials is the environment, we feel that every company no matter how small or large should do their bit. Our workshops are located in rural North Devon on an old farm. This has enabled the director’s Kate and Shaun Price to transfer the land into a safe haven for wildlife, they have planted thousands of trees and dug several wildlife ponds. Additionally, they have erected a wind turbine and installed a biomass boiler for heating and electricity. Therefore, when you purchase from either UK Memorials or The Sign Maker you know that you are purchasing from a company who does their bit!