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8 June 2011 at 09:50 #7921
Richy
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@richy
Council cutbacks influencing decline in Model Boat Club Membership
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8 June 2011 at 09:50 #30951
Richy
Participant
@richy
As a member of a Model Boat Club on the south side of Glasgow, we have recently experienced a decline in active membership at the local pond we use.

We once were permitted the use of an area within an adjacent Boathouse for the storage of equipment and to use as a Saturday afternoon meeting point and shelter during inclement weather. Over the years the remaining part of the Boathouse has been taken over by Restaurant, which the owner leases from the council. As the business has expanded we have subsequently been squeezed out of our accommodation until we have now reached the point when we no longer have a storage or meeting area. The council have stated that they are prepared to offer us a patch of ground next to the Boathouse, which they will rent us for a 5 year period, for a sum of money, we as a club would find difficult to afford, and we would have to bear the cost of erecting some sort of vandal proof building at our own expense subject to council building regulations and planning approvals.

This in itself has not been a deterent to members turning up to sail boats, but the council have now reduced the number of Park staff and the Pond has become infested with weed and thread algae which makes the sailing of boats virually impossible. Meetings with the council Parks Department has resulted in all sorts of verbal promises being made, but no apparent action. As the water quality at the Pond deteriates, so the attending membership is declining.

My reason for posting this is to see if any other societies/clubs have had similar experience and have they had any successful outcomes. In a nutshelf, as a club we are looking for advice or ideas.
12 July 2011 at 20:55 #31293
Brian Morris
Participant
@brianmorris30448
Sorry to hear of your demise ,its always difficult without the support of the council leasure department , who cant see the benefits to the local community especially when the children come along to see the boats . we have a problem at present with the algea , however the parks are trying to find a solution . when the algea finally takes over your pool has it has done in a local park near us and the smell and flies linger perhaps they will rethink .

We find the local sailing clubs (big boats not models ) seem to appreciate our hobby ,perhaps you have a local one who would be willing to share there pool and facilities . Good Luck Brian
13 July 2011 at 19:03 #31299
Paul Freshney
Participant
@paulfreshney24971
Yes, a number of model yacht and boat clubs seeming to be finding a new home with an inland sailing club. The model boaters get decent facilities and the sailing club benefit from their catering and bar facilities being used more and of course there are some sailing dinghy yachtsmen who find model yachts (and boats) to be a new additional challenge. Fisher Green S.C. near Waltham Abbey has recently opened its facilities to model boaters and there will be a piece in the ‘Around the Clubs’ section of MB shortly about them.

The downside of course, is that these facilities are not always as inexpensive as council operated parks and ponds, but that perhaps is the way it is going now.

Paul Freshney

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14 July 2011 at 15:44 #31301
Richy
Participant
@richy
Brian and Paul,

Many thanks for your input, As a Pond we have sailed on for over 30 years as a club, it is difficult to give it up. The reason that the majority of the membership use this pond is because of its location in relation to where member live, there are alternatives nearby, and a neighbouring club has offered us sailing facilities. We are hoping that at some stage the council will honour thier promises and resolve the weed situation, but we are over halfway through the year and so far no movement. The current reason for inactivity on the weed clearance is an enviromental issue, the parks department maintain they cannot clear the weed until all tadpoles have left the pond. I suspect that as we are now well into July, these tadpoles have long sinced “Hopped” it.
14 July 2011 at 18:44 #31303
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
Reading all this makes me realise how lucky we are locally. Bushy Park is a Royal park and is managed very well. It is a fantastic park and the pond is surrounded by “countryside”.. parakeets, Mandarin ducks , terrapins, deer and all that.

The boating pond is marked on the map as such, and indeed in years gone by it used to have paddle and rowing boats on it..I can remember going on them as a small boy. The “jetty” we use is, or was, the concrete hard standing for the paddle boats kiosk, and is a decent size, and a mere two or three inches above the water level. The (currently) free car park is 40 yards away, toilets are about 5 mins walk away and there is a large coffee/burger van permanently on site. I can pop down for as much or as little boating as I want anytime for `nowt.

But.. there is never more than a handful of us on a Sunday morning, and I know the Whitton club sails on a Saturday morning, but not in large numbers. Surely there are more boaters around than that in Surrey?

If, for whatever reason, we were to lose the use of this then I am not sure what I would do, I can sympathise with chaps for whom a Sundays boating amounts to a days outing with fees.

Ashley
16 July 2011 at 12:06 #31318
Brian Morris
Participant
@brianmorris30448
Ashley Had a look on Net , and Yes looks a great Place to Sail . How many Submarines use the Hampton Swimming Pool ?

Brian
16 July 2011 at 17:06 #31326
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
Brian. No idea, not in any club to see local notices Have not noticed any submariners club/convention meetings at Hampton.

The pond is a bit shallow for subs..I have a feeling that when mine is running along underwater it may actually be ACTUALLY running on the bottom!

Ashley
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