29/07/2020
This is an urgent appeal from the National Motorcycle Museum concerning our plans for how and when we might be able to reopen, and the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on our business.
Many visitors will not realise that the National Motorcycle Museum receives no external funding whatsoever. This means that, not only do we rely on visitors to the museum, but mainly on the income from our conference business and two sister hotels.
Everyone knows that hospitality and leisure has been one of the worst hit sectors, and we don’t know when our National Conference Centre, Manor Hotel Meriden, and Windmill Village Hotel Coventry will be able to reopen fully, let alone trade profitably.
Museum Director James Hewing explains further: “Without the income from our three sister businesses, there is little likelihood of the museum opening, and then remaining open, until they return to normal trading. The museum itself requires a surplus of around £500,000 per year just to break even. Without making this appeal, we may have to sell some of our reserve collection of bikes, the last thing we would ever have wanted to do. Unfortunately, all of our business activities are in one of the hardest hit sectors, and we simply don’t know how long they will take to recover”.
Therefore, the museum is launching an appeal which gives people the chance to help us raise the £500,000 required in two different ways.
COVID-19 MUSEUM APPEAL RAFFLE.
We have launched a special Covid-19 Museum appeal raffle with the chance to win the following fantastic classic motorcycles, one new/old stock and two which have been restored in the museum’s workshops! This special appeal raffle will be extra to our normal summer & winter raffles which will operate as usual.
1st Prize- 1977 Norton Commando 850cc Motorcycle. BRAND NEW/OLD STOCK!
2nd Prize- 1948 Ariel NG 350cc Motorcycle. RESTORED BY THE MUSEUM!
3rd Prize- 1959 BSA B31 350cc Motorcycle. RESTORED BY THE MUSEUM!
The draw will take place on Thursday 21/12/20 at the National Motorcycle Museum.
Tickets cost £6.00 each & will be distributed during August & Sept 2020 via subscription copies of the specialist press. Tickets may also be obtained on-line from www.thenmm.co.uk following the launch date of 17/07/20.
HOW ELSE CAN YOU HELP?
By visiting our website www.thenmm.co.uk and donating to our reopening appeal fund.
From 17/07/20, you will find a link to the appeal fund donation page and can be assured that any amount donated will be used to help us remain open until normal trading resumes.
Not only this, but you will be helping to preserve as much of our reserve collection as possible.