Medway Queen - West
(Formerly Reading Support Group)
The group was started as Reading Support Group in 1997 as a result of a committee initiative to persuade a number of members to raise £1000 each towards the restoration of PS Medway Queen. A small group of family and friends was mobilized to undertake this task. The £1000 target was passed within a year and we saw no reason to stop so the group carried on attending events and raising money. By 2007 the annual donation to the society had reached £5000 and by the end of 2019 a grand total over £103,000 had been raised for the funds! About £12000 of that through the railway wagons. The group is entirely voluntary; it buys it's own sales stock direct from a number of wholesale suppliers and pays all profits over to the society. In addition Medway Queen promotional items are sold on behalf of the society's "official" sales team and the group commissions its own promotional sales lines as well. Some are available through the online shop and some direct from Richard Halton by mail order.
After the group coordinator's house move the "Reading" name seemed inappropriate and "Medway Queen - West" was adopted instead.
After the group coordinator's house move the "Reading" name seemed inappropriate and "Medway Queen - West" was adopted instead.
ContactPromotional models
|
For more details of the group - especially if you would like to help us or if you organise an event that might interest us - contact Richard Halton: richardhalton1502@gmail.com
|
Over the years our priorities changed in favour of publicity and a wide variety of events are now attended by the group; usually around 20 event-days per year. We still try to raise funds though! The events range from relatively small "village hall" sized events to others with a "national" significance. Many have a boat or model boat/railway theme but the group is aware of the need to reach as wide an audience as possible so other types of event are included. The balance between photo displays and a sales/information table is adjusted to suit the event and the stand is often supplemented by a display of models of one sort or another as part of a "package" for exhibition organisers. Details of our forthcoming bookings will be found on the events pages.
In terms of "society profile" the most effective events are the larger ones and to this end the group took part in the International Festival of the Sea at Portsmouth some years ago and has attended the Bristol Harbour Festival on several occasions. We are regular exhibitors at the International N Gauge Show (TINGS) at the Warwickshire Event Centre and have previously attended The London Festival of Railway Modelling, Brighton Model World and the Henley Traditional Boat Festival. We try to include visits to the Isle of Wight from time to time, where the ship was a well known nightclub. In 2016 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Medway Queen club at Island Harbour Marina. The coordinator's house move to Wiltshire in 2018 has caused a shift westward in our operations and we are always on the lookout for new events to add to the diary.
In terms of "society profile" the most effective events are the larger ones and to this end the group took part in the International Festival of the Sea at Portsmouth some years ago and has attended the Bristol Harbour Festival on several occasions. We are regular exhibitors at the International N Gauge Show (TINGS) at the Warwickshire Event Centre and have previously attended The London Festival of Railway Modelling, Brighton Model World and the Henley Traditional Boat Festival. We try to include visits to the Isle of Wight from time to time, where the ship was a well known nightclub. In 2016 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Medway Queen club at Island Harbour Marina. The coordinator's house move to Wiltshire in 2018 has caused a shift westward in our operations and we are always on the lookout for new events to add to the diary.
