Yes, the  is deplorable. Why not rip off the UK box? Something like this:   
 :I'm pretty good with template code, and am happy to help out there, but I'm crap at the graphic design aspect. If you want help deciding what should go in it and how it should be laid out, I recommend cj as someone worth talking to. Longhair is also good, although personally I sometimes find his navigation boxes rather dense (in the "information per square centimetre" sense)- I guess my tastes are more... austere.