Friends of Duxford is no more.

Reviving an ancient thread having just got back home after a trip down South including Legends.
My FoD card is current until the end of this month and I was in two minds about whether to go for the discounted first year IWM membership but not now.
The existing FoD benefits I was expecting until the card expired have been replaced by the IWM scheme.
The 20% discount in the cafes and shops is now 15% but I could live with that as I very rarely eat at Duxford and might only have a couple of cups of tea or coffee if I’m there for a full day.
I had to pay £10 to get my other half into the flightline enclosure and the previously free coffee, tea and biccies is now a special discounted member’s price of £1.95 for a teabag in a paper cup.

I suppose some clever accountant will be able to prove that the one-time payment of £17.80 is better than the £40-odd a year they’d have had indefinitely for an old fogies FoD membership.
It might pay for one of the innumerable green T-shirts exhorting people to ask about membership…

Does anybody know if this affects the ‘Neighbours of Duxford’ in any way? Is that also up for review in November?

I rang the Friends of the IWM and they will continue until next August /September time then that will finish but they are still negotiating.I have decided to carry it on for the time being as i would still like to see Belfast and the others again before it finishes.

It is for card carrying members (so not additional occupants of a car for example) and not on show days. This is in place until November at least when we are told all concessions will be reviewed – our interpretation was that would not be a negative review.

David, can you confirm free entry to Duxforc is included as I can’t find any mention of it on the web site.

I’ve only had Friends of Duxford membership once; I did the Friday before ‘Legends’ in 2016, ‘Legends’ on the Sunday (and had completely forgotten about the Friends of Duxford enclosure until I walked past it; the seat and the cup of tea were very welcome) and then I went back to Duxford on the Tuesday to pick-up something I’d bought and forgotten to collect on the Sunday!

My most common membership is for the Shuttleworth Collection; I don’t get it every year but I’ve had it most of the last ten years or twelve years.

Honestly, I always wonder if I’m doing the right thing; I’m saving myself some money but then I worry if I wouldn’t rather have Shuttleworth have that money? I suppose these memberships wouldn’t be offered if there wasn’t a benefit for the museum, and I definitely visit more often because of the membership…

…but then that’s because it doesn’t cost me anything (on non-airshow days anyway)!

“For me it will be Sally B Supporters Club next year. http://www.sallyb.org.uk/join-us.htm It still brings the entrance concession and ALL the money goes to something I can appreciate regularly, rather than occasionally. Moggy.

Members of The Catalina Society receive the same benefit currently too and the subs go towards keeping G-PBYA flying – see https://www.catalina.org.uk/the-catalina-society-membership/

I ceased my membership in January when the FOD administration changed to IWM. My visits to DX used to be several per month which frequently included taking my two boys. We regularly ate at the on site facilities and the boys usually bought things from the shops.
With the introduction of charges for FOD children my boys have only returned once to see FL2017.
By my reckoning IWM and the DX facilities have missed out on between £500 and £600 from us since they began charging for minors. We simply do other things and spend our money elsewhere.

For me it will be Sally B Supporters Club next year.

http://www.sallyb.org.uk/join-us.htm

It still brings the entrance concession and ALL the money goes to something I can appreciate regularly, rather than occasionally.

Moggy

I visit Duxford rarely now. If they hadn’t abolished FoD I would probably have continued renewing my membership anyway but not now.

I’ve been to HMS Belfast and the Cabinet War Rooms once each and am unlikely to go back to either, Lambeth three times although admittedly not for many years and I’ve no desire to go to IWM North.

I haven’t got to finally decide until July but I’m pretty sure I won’t be taking out IWM membership.

And 15% discount in the shops and restaurants instead of 20%. Mind you with the new membership I wont have to pay to get onto HMS Belfast or in the Cabinet War Rooms like now.

Brian

I can commiserate with you there. We live in an increasingly ‘cost aware’ world where Mammon rules …………..