Blyth & Tyne Model Railway Society is the oldest and largest model railway club in the North East of England.

Below is a video of some of the layouts at our club rooms, our location and opening times.

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In line with government rules no more than 6 people can be in the club at any one time.

BTMRS, Coronavirus and Club Subscriptions

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Dear colleagues. 

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the club is closed at the moment and we have no date for a possible reopening.

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I have had to give some thought to our club finances.

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Our outgoings will see a small reduction during the coming months. but we will still have bills to pay.

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Rates - we don't pay any this year so rate relief offered by the UK Government will not apply to us.

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Rent - small businesses are still required to pay rent to the council, the advice from the council is to apply for one of the "small business" grants made available by the UK Goverment under emergency powers. Unfortunately, they do not seem to apply to us as a "not for profit" organisation. We will continue to pay our £416 per month.

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Electricity - the electricity bill will be much reduced because we are not using any! The last monthly bill was £252, the next bill will be in the region of £70, just the standing charge plus the electricity used by someone leaving the lights on!

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Telephone and Internet - the telephone and internet contract remains in place at £44 per month - it is internet based and there are no "exceptional circumstances" to justify non payment. 

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Water Rates - are based on waste water collection and water used. The bill is £40 per month, this will be reduced when we use no water!

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Most other expenditure is related to the building maintenance and layout expenses, we will incur no expenditure for these areas while we are closed.

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Subscriptions - we have two options

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• We carry on as normal and members continue to pay their £150 to cover their year's membership. No reduction for the period of closure.

• We make some adjustment to subscriptions for the club being closed and members not being able to attend as normal.

If we make some kind of adjustment, there are a number of considerations.

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• No subs can be paid in the next months by those members who pay cash - some members pay weekly, some in one lump sum and some pay "whatever they can, when they can."

• A significant number of members pay on line at £12.50 a month, some make a one off payment of £150, some early in the year and some later in the year.

•  Our subscriptions are based on an annual basis, January 1st to December 31st, some members have already paid "up front" and in full for the year. 

• Will some members want a refund for the period of closure?

• Will some members in financial difficulty be able to pay their subscription while the club is closed?

I would like to offer members a payment holiday - the £150 paid annually will cover the period to December 31st plus X number of weeks into 2021 for the X number of weeks we are closed. 

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Those members who loose their jobs/no pay/reduced pay during the next few weeks can stop their on line payments and resume when the situation returns to normal.
Cash payments can resume when we reopen.

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If you need further clarification or need to discuss your own circumstances, my E Mail is 

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trevor3489@hotmail.com

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and my mobile number is 

07730 598046

Trevor