Good question. Let’s be honest here, most gliding clubs, and possibly other types of clubs, offer social membership as a way of getting a bit more cash in without specifically detailing the benefits. Aimed mainly at non-flying spouses it’s something some take up and others don’t.
Here at Lincolnshire Gliding Club we’re a very sociable bunch and encourage the take up of social membership for one very important reason: inclusivity. If people feel included they are generally more comfortable and relaxed. Like many gliding clubs the majority of our membership is on the wrong side of sixty but still out there doing stuff. We have several members who are bereaved or have suffered serious health scares and it would be easy in such circumstances to stay indoors and watch the world go by. What a shame that would be. A little bit of encouragement from friends or even strangers’ posts to rejoin the race after difficult times can be just what’s required to kickstart the “life after” scenario.
Most of our social members are spouses of full flying members but we also have several individuals who have no such affiliation. As well as feeling a true part of the group there’s the added advantage at Strubby that they can have up to 6 flights a year at members’ rates in our two-seater gliders with a qualified instructor. To be able to get out of the house, enjoy a full day of fun and banter, help out with jobs you feel comfortable doing and sometimes even fly serenely over the Lincolnshire coast has got to be good for what’s fashionably known as wellbeing. You should be able to get this on the NHS!
So if you’re reading this and thinking that it would be nice to be part of a club but don’t want to commit to full membership and learning to fly, why not come along to Strubby airfield on a Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday and have a chat with us about social membership and how we can help each other. A day on the airfield can be really enjoyable with short walks pushing gliders into position to launch, learning new skills, enjoying a healthy packed lunch; enjoying an unhealthy packed lunch and chatting to new friends who, if time is kind, will turn into old friends.
Pop over to Strubby, we’d love to meet you.
The photo below shows social member Ann flying in one of the club’s K13 gliders with her husband Malc on a winter’s day. (LGC social membership costs £40 per annum and is applied pro rata.)
