We’ve been selling stationery for so long that there’s very little that we haven’t seen or done before here at Chrisbeon!

However, we have to admit, it’s fairly unusual to get asked for items to be incorporated into a West End show.

We regularly supply products to special effects company The TwinsFX for their office, so when they needed a whopping 2,500 paper fasteners to look like rivets as part of a massive London bus they were recreating, it was us they asked.

And of course we said yes! Our fasteners were then included in the creation which flew over the audience’s heads during performances of Dick Whittington at the London Palladium, a show which won an Olivier Award for best entertainment and family production.

The creation holds one of the performers and has no wires or any visible support so it really wowed the crowds at every show.

We’re always happy to help out where clients have requests for more unusual stationery items and it really was a pleasure to work with The TwinsFX – and not just because their founders are brothers like us!

The company produces amazing special effects for films, television, theatre and more with their past creations including a life-size T-Rex, an 8m tall gorilla and floating magic carpets so it was amazing to work alongside them.

Whether it’s everyday items like pens and pencils or awe-inspiring creations like a London bus, we always go the extra mile for our customers!

If you’d like to check out what The TwinsFX do then you can log on to thetwinsfx.com or find them on Facebook.

And if you have any stationery or office furniture requests, whether they’re run of the mill or something a little out of the ordinary then do get in touch with us or visit the teams at our showrooms on Stafford Park 4 in Telford or Crown House on Lancaster Road, Shrewsbury.

We launched our family business in 1974 so it won’t be too long until our 50 years anniversary – and we are very excited to help Telford celebrate the same milestone this year!

There are lots of free events planned throughout 2018, we’ve highlight a few below coming up THIS MONTH. You can find the full list on the Telford50 website.

There’s nothing better than inspiring the next generation to do something they’ll love. And this year we’ve marked World Stationery Day by doing exactly that.

The children at Longnor School near Shrewsbury have been busy putting pen to paper and creating amazing stories based on the theme of journeys as part of a Chrisbeon competition.

Lucy Adams, headteacher at the school, said the children love the creative curriculum they teach and that they aim to offer them a variety of exciting experiences that spark their imagination and creativity.

Lorna McCann, former journalist and author of Wendy and the Biscuit Tree and Felix – The Small Boy with the Big Imagination, has been busy reading all of the entries and presented Chrisbeon stationery and book prizes to four pupils:

• Matilda and her journey of a clever mermaid,
• Millie and Molly with their fishing journey down the River Nile, and
• Martha for her mysterious journey of the remote control.

The winners also received books from Team Author UK during a school assembly:

• Wendy and the Biscuit Tree by Lorna McCann for Matilda
• Hal and the End Street, written by Jude Lennon (and illustrated by 16-year-old Will Hawkes, who has autism), for Millie and Mollie, and
• The Misfits’ by Marie Cope for Martha.

As well as getting the children to get creative, our aim with the competition was to highlight World Stationery Day on April 25th – which doesn’t exactly get the same worldwide press coverage as some of the other calendar days throughout the year!

While it may never compete with the likes of some of the more popular themed days, being the lovers of great stationery that we are, we want as many people as possible to know about it.

After all, we all spent our formative years learning how to use different stationery and we can guarantee most of you will have used at least one piece of stationery today.

Of course, it’s not just about the pens and pencils themselves, but what can be done with them. The world’s greatest novels, films and plays would never have impacted generations in the way they have if they’d remained locked inside their writers’ respective heads!

We hope we’ve inspired the children at Longnor to get creative more often and transfer the ideas, characters and worlds little ones so often form in their head onto paper so they can be shared with others.

And perhaps a few of their parents, or even those reading this post, will be inspired to pen a letter rather than sending an email to a friend far away, or write a note to a loved one rather than a text?

Huge thanks to Lorna for judging the competition and to Team Author UK for working with us and supplying the book prizes.

And of course thanks to all of the pupils for taking part and writing such excellent entries!

Many congratulations to the worthy winners and we hope you enjoy your stationery prize.

Longnor School are extending the creative opportunities for local children by opening a Nursery from September 2018. Visit www.longnorschool.org.uk to see the exciting things that happen or email admin@longnorschool.co.uk for more information about the nursery.

It’s National Stationery Week 23rd to 29th April so it got us thinking about all the intriguing stationery facts we’ve acquired over the years.

Here’s our top 5, what would you add?

If you’re in need of stationery for office or home use, pop in and see us soon!

Paperwork is an unavoidable part of running a business, but a well-organised system, and well-planned storage can save you a lot of time and hassle.

UK businesses have to store most of their financial records for at least six years, which can mount up to a lot of paperwork.

And HMRC requires you to store non-VAT tax documents in their original format, for example, interest certificates or dividend vouchers. That means that if you received a paper dividend voucher, you’ll need to keep a paper copy as well as any digital backup you may have.

We get a lot of enquiries about storage boxes around April due to the end of the tax year, but we also work with clients who need storage boxes all year round.

We supply a variety of storage options and our boxes range from 100% recycled, fast-fold, ergo handles, plastic and more – dependent on what you need within your office.

We can chat with customers about what they are planning to file and store, how often the records are accessed – as this can make a big difference to the storage box you choose – and whether they move the boxes regularly or have space issues.

One of our clients has a number of journalists using pads to record interviews and case studies and these pads are kept for reference or to deal with claims issued, or belatedly pursued, many years in the future.

In many roles, employees make notes that need to be kept for reference or other reasons and storage boxes are needed to ensure they do not end up filling draws or being piled on desks.

To find out more about storage boxes and our range of filing options, why not visit us our Telford showroom on Stafford Park 4 today or call us on 01952 292606.

We’re here to help you wade through a paperwork headache!

We headed to Shrewsbury earlier this month to support Kelda Wood as she unveiled the boat she plans to row single-handedly across the Atlantic!

We are really proud to be one of the sponsors of Kelda’s ‘Row to Raise’ challenge, which aims to inspire young adults facing mental or physical trauma and raise £50,000 for her charity Climbing Out.

Climbing Out organises outward bound schemes for youngsters dealing with life-changing illness or injuries and was set up by Kelda after she herself was injured in a horse-riding accident.

On March 12 her boat, Stormy Petrel, was officially unveiled – carrying our logo – at GO Outdoors in Shrewsbury.

The boat will be heading to Chrisbeon in Telford next month as we host an event for the patrons of Shropshire Chamber and we are looking forward to showing it off, Kelda will also be speaking for us and telling everyone all about her challenge.

Kelda will take part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and is set to launch from the Canary Islands in December this year.

The challenge, known as the World’s toughest row, is said to be the premier event in ocean rowing and one that takes the participants more than 3,000 miles from San Sebastian in La Gomera to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua.

It takes place each year with up to 30 teams participating from around the world.

In addition to raising £50,000 for the charity, she is still appealing for sponsors to help cover the remaining £37,000 needed to compete in the challenge – more details are on the website www.rowtoraise.com

Design and technology have paved the way for huge differences in what furniture and technology we use in our office spaces.

Here’s our list of some of the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ …. what would you add?

This year marks 44 years since our family-run firm was launched. No, we can’t believe it either! (more…)

When it comes to producing a marketing strategy have you given any thought to your promotional products? This month’s infographic explains how they fit into your plans. (more…)

We have all come across a promotional product at some point – products branded with a logo or slogan that is usually used for marketing purposes. (more…)

We have unveiled a new ‘modern’ office for 2018 – a trend predicted to spread across the business world in the coming 12 months. (more…)

As we head into 2018 our staff are enjoying their new ‘modern workplace’ and preparing to make similar changes to workplaces across the UK. (more…)