Noticeboards

Some suggestions for good practice;

• Visibility. Put it where it can be seen from the road! You might have a fantastic Noticeboard, but any board that you have to walk into the grounds to see is going to be less effective as it sends out the message that church is only for those people who are already in it. Perhaps you should have more than one noticeboard? Dont put too much on it. Reduce the amount of information so you can make the remaining text larger and increase the spacing. If you have a logo, put it on. Then anything from the church connects with the logo they keep seeing.
• Materials. A wooden board looks more traditional but needs more maintenance, otherwise it may rot and look tatty after a while. Metal or toughened plastic boards are available and may last longer, look modern, and offer you more options for the information you want to include.
• Font. A nice clear font is an absolute must. As well as being easy to read it hopefully suggests friendliness and modernity. A more gothic font may look fancy, but it’s harder to read and may put people off.
• Colour. Many shops and businesses use white text on a dark blue background (blue represents trustworthiness). White on purple, or yellow/gold on blue/purple also works well. Have a look at other church Noticeboards or ones on the high street and you will get a good idea of what works and what doesn't!
• Logo. If your parish has a well-designed logo, use it. You may wish to incorporate the national CofE or Diocesan logo (contact our Diocesan Communications team for more info/guidance)
• Contact Details. Put somewhere to find more information. A phone number is good but a website, if you have one, is essential these days. Don’t forget Social Media, if your church has a Facebook page, why not add the Facebook logo to encourage people to look you up.
• Multi purpose text. You might miss your last vicar but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to have their name on your board for the next 10 years! If you put people’s names on your board, it will go out of date. It might be better to use the word vicar or minister, contact or church Office with a phone number. If you want to include the name of someone, perhaps you should consider a board that has the option to change information as needed.
• Service Times and Details. Really important that they're on there and prominent! Try for simple, understandable language, and make it large enough to read easily. eg 
  • 9.30am Informal Service with Groups for Children 
  • 11.00am Holy Communion with Robed Choir. 
    Try to do what it says on the tin. Be clear, if you have different types of Services over the course of a month, then list them using the terms 1^st Sunday, 2^nd Sunday, etc.
• That thing with the bread and wine. Breaking of the Bread. Communion. Eucharist. The Lord's Supper. Mass. Will the average person walking by know what you’re talking about? Think carefully about the language you use.
• Welcome. Tell people that they're welcome to join you; you never know, it might actually work!
• Children and accessability Provision. If you do children’s work tell people. If you have a hearing loop tell people. Knowing they’re provided for might just make the difference!
• Flexibility. Try to give yourself a space where you can stick posters of your latest events. A glass-fronted section you can open is the best option. If not, laminate them and pin them up. This can also advertise special events. If the content looks good, and keeps changing, people will look. If it looks faded or out of date, people will ignore it. Make sure posters are colourful, and well-produced. Take them down once the Event has passed. The text needs to be spaced well so that the content is eye catching and easy to read. You can always include information on where they can find out more.
• Permissions. Always check with the DAC (Diocesan Advisory Committee) about what permission you require to replace or install a new board. As a general rule, if you are replacing like for like and only making minor changes to the text then you need List A Permission A7(6). If you want to change the look or shape of the Board, or introduce a new Board, then you will require List B Permission B6(4). If your Board is going to be bigger than 1.2m squared or illuminated then you will require Faculty Permission and Planning Permission.(Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisement) Regulations 2007. There is more detail in the Noticeboard Suppliers page below: