Club membership (Wolverhampton)

[TerryD1471]

At this time of declining interest in people "getting out", I think it's most important that there are opportunities for people to join clubs to further their skills and their enjoyment of their hobby.

 

As a member of Wolverhampton Model Railway Club, albeit a "distant" one, I am most concerned that its existence seems to have suffered from a lower profile than many clubs. This is a shame because it is a long-standing club (1973) with a long history of building quality layouts which have been exhibited far and wide. The names Fordley Park, Moretonhampstead, Leighford, Stoke Summit, Merthyr Riverside and Charwelton might come to the minds of readers.

 

There has been a problem recently because the website was designed by a member who has sadly died and noone knows how to amend or update it.  This has a "knock-on" effect because prospective members are deterred by a lack of up-to-date information on its activities.

 

For the record, the club is alive and well and resident in premises in Commercial Road, Wolverhampton and meets on Tuesday & Thursday evenings from 7.30 on. The two primary contacts are chairman Norman Turner (01902 337264) and membership secretary Rob Kinsey (0121 526 3889). Either of them would be happy to give further information or help about the club activities.

 

Terry Davis

[Typeapproval]

Hi,

 

As I've said elsewhere I am not and will not join a club for the reasons I have given. 

 

I do appreciate the work that some members of clubs do and wish them many hours of enjoyment in their chosen activity.

 

Regards

David.

 

[Tony Wright]

On 05/02/2024 at 16:50, TerryD1471 said:

At this time of declining interest in people "getting out", I think it's most important that there are opportunities for people to join clubs to further their skills and their enjoyment of their hobby.

 

As a member of Wolverhampton Model Railway Club, albeit a "distant" one, I am most concerned that its existence seems to have suffered from a lower profile than many clubs. This is a shame because it is a long-standing club (1973) with a long history of building quality layouts which have been exhibited far and wide. The names Fordley Park, Moretonhampstead, Leighford, Stoke Summit, Merthyr Riverside and Charwelton might come to the minds of readers.

 

There has been a problem recently because the website was designed by a member who has sadly died and noone knows how to amend or update it.  This has a "knock-on" effect because prospective members are deterred by a lack of up-to-date information on its activities.

 

For the record, the club is alive and well and resident in premises in Commercial Road, Wolverhampton and meets on Tuesday & Thursday evenings from 7.30 on. The two primary contacts are chairman Norman Turner (01902 337264) and membership secretary Rob Kinsey (0121 526 3889). Either of them would be happy to give further information or help about the club activities.

 

Terry Davis

Good afternoon Terry,

 

As a long-standing member (equally distant, and sort of honorary), it's sad to see our wonderful club suffering a 'lower profile'. 

 

I think it reflects an (inevitable?) decline in clubs which have existed for quite some time. By that, I mean the (average) membership has remained at the same (increasing) age with each passing year. When I joined in August 1973 (WMRC started at the Easter of that year), at almost 27, I was just below the average age of the membership. Now, at 78 this year, I'm just above the average age!

 

My observations of several clubs seem to show the same demographics.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Dungrange]

29 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

My observations of several clubs seem to show the same demographics.

 

I think what people observe is part of the problem.  Around 30 years ago, I first visited a model railway club as a prospective new member aged 22.  A few of the members of that club were friendly enough, but I never joined because the younger members were all at least 30 years older than I was and at least half the membership were long past retiral age.  I didn't feel as though I fitted in: I was at a different stage in life.  I believe that club folded a couple of years after my visits I think I went twice.   The next club I visited, I joined.  I became their youngest member by about a decade, but crucially there were a few members in their 30s and 40s, so I didn't feel so out of place.

 

Fast forward to today and I'm a member of yet another model railway club and this one has a really good spread of ages between early 20s to mid 80s.  Whilst I was one of the younger members when I joined just over 20 years ago, I'm now around the median age.   I'm now the second oldest member of our committee (the oldest retired from work a couple of years ago) and two thirds of our committee are now under the age of 35.  Going to an exhibition, we'll have a range of operator ages behind the layout and because people see a range of ages, we get membership enquires across the age range.  Any 22 year old walking into our club room today stands a good chance of feeling that they will fit in and I think it's that perception that really matters.

 

There are still some young people out there who want to be part of a club, but it's rather off putting when they perceive that the existing membership all look like their father and grandfathers.

[TerryD1471]

Thanks to you both

 

It's important to feel as if you can empathise with the club you are thinking of joining. You must ask yourself questions. 

 

Does the club :-

 

1 Feel friendly & welcoming?

 

2 Head you in the direction of modelling you can be sympathetic with?

 

3 Do you think you can learn something from other members?

 

4 Are you willing to start chipping in with projects which are not immediately to your tastes? Are you willing to try and make a positive contribution to projects that someone else has initiated?

 

5 Does it matter if other members do not enjoy the same age bracket as you?

 

There may well be other criteria which you hold important, but my own experience of joining the Wolverhampton club back in 1977 was governed by at least these issues and I would hope that other prospective members of societies would be similarly catholic in their approaches.

 

[Mark Forrest]

I have happy memories of operating Moretonhampstead and Leighford back when my  Dad was a member of WMRC.  As a youngster, the club's exhibition over the May bank holiday weekend was one of the highlights of my year!

 

I'm glad to hear that the club remains active.  Are there any current club layout projects a perspective member could get involved in or any plans to run an exhibition?

[Dungrange]

37 minutes ago, TerryD1471 said:

You must ask yourself questions. 

 

I think all prospective members do - it's understanding what questions they ask themselves that is unknown.  The issue for clubs is what can they do to attract new members.

 

38 minutes ago, TerryD1471 said:

Does the club :-

 

1 Feel friendly & welcoming?

 

Of your list, this is one of the few things that club members can do to attract new members.  I don't really like socialising with people that I don't know.  I'm not a fan of conferences with their 'networking opportunities' because I don't really like trying to strike up a conversation with a stranger or someone that I hardly know.  I tend to back away from these situations, because I'm not overly confident.

 

However, as our current club secretary, I see it as my job to speak to everyone who comes into the clubroom.  A prospective member is not going to come back if they feel like they've been ignored.  They might come back if they feel that someone showed an interest in their interests.  Of course one friendly person isn't enough if the rest of the membership just keep their head down and ignore the new arrival.  It takes a number of people who are willing to be welcoming, but I think we have quite a few friendly members in the club at the moment.

 

49 minutes ago, TerryD1471 said:

4 Are you willing to start chipping in with projects which are not immediately to your tastes?

 

This is kind of outside of the club's control, but it does explain why some prospective members come back and some don't.  We've had one gentleman who has paid us a visit twice, but he doesn't want to join because apparently he only does O Gauge.  That's fair enough, but as a club, we wouldn't survive if everyone took that attitude.  My primary interest is the post-privatisation period in 00.  In the 20 years I've been a member, we've never built a layout that aligns with my interests, but I've been happy to attend exhibitions to runs trains on the club's O gauge layout, the club's O-16.5 layout, the club's former 009 layout and the club's former N gauge layout, despite the fact that I don't model in any of these scales.  I'll be doing the same when the 009 layout that is currently under construction is complete.  We have three 00 layouts at the moment, but all represent the late BR steam era, because it's been a dominant interest in the club.  That doesn't stop me running my out of period stock on the layout in the clubroom, but I'm happy to think BR in the 1960s when at an exhibition.  We have however decided that the next club layout will be a contemporary era layout.  All good things come to those who wait.  The point is that to fit into a club, you have to be flexible and willing to get involved in any project.

 

[Dungrange]

On 07/02/2024 at 22:08, Mark Forrest said:

any plans to run an exhibition?

 

I hear the NEC has a weekend free in November 🤣