In this month’s Client Focus, we chat to Lucy Johnson the Chief Executive of The Army Flying Museum…
The story of the Army Flying Museum begins in 1974, when a small collection of items which focussed on the history of Army aviation were moved to Middle Wallop and made available to the public. As the collection grew, so too did the museum. In fact, in 1984 a hangar located on the edge of the Army Air Corps airfield was purpose built for its ever-growing collection.
Since then, the museum has gone from strength to strength, and has seen a further two extensions. Now in 2022 it comprises of two large aircraft halls and accommodates artefacts and aircraft spanning over 100 years. The museum also has a purpose-built archive (which houses half a million items), a learning centre, a 1940s house display, a play park and conference facilities.
“The wonderful thing about our museum, is that it isn’t a complete story ,” says Chief Executive, Lucy Johnson. “The current Army Air Corps is active and ongoing, so we are constantly accommodating new items, and telling new stories, therefore we have the privilege of an ever-expanding archive.”
The museum currently boasts 40 different aircraft ranging from a First World War biplane to a HueyCobra attack helicopter. The next big acquisition is expected to be an Apache helicopter, which the museum is currently reserving space for.
“We have a great relationship with the Army Air Corps, but we also receive items from the general public, who may come across something, such as an object of their relative’s, they find in the loft.” adds Lucy. “The museum has also collected over 80 oral histories as part of an on-going project, that range from veterans in their 90s to people currently serving in the Air Corps, all of which we use to convey real life stories.”
Adapting the museum’s offering
During the pandemic, closure of the museum naturally presented new challenges, however lockdown gave the team the opportunity to reconsider different approaches in terms of how to reach audiences remotely.
“Our target audience has always been families, enthusiasts and people either currently in the military or retired from it, and these audiences are generally based within an hour’s drive from Middle Wallop.” says Lucy. “The lockdown allowed us to reach beyond the limits of our location.”
“Less than one month after the first lockdown, we launched a new online lecture programme, which has been huge for us. In 18 months, we generated around 15k viewers, from locations all over the world, which has been amazing. We also work on a donation basis, so this was very useful for us in terms of generating income during lockdown. We also adapted our Outreach Programme using Zoom, which was also an enormous success and allowed us to gain a global reach, a service which we continue to provide.”
Since lockdown ended the museum has reintroduced other offerings such as conference room hire for local businesses and hiring of Haywood Hall (adorned with hanging gliders and classic aircraft). This hall is used for weddings, parties, conferences meetings, lunches dinners, and presentations.
“Our venue has always made a very atmospheric setting for various events.” said Lucy. “The Corporate membership scheme is also something we have introduced. It offers great reductions on hire fees, allowing businesses to become affiliated with the museum, and support us in many other ways, like adopting an aircraft!”
Events
Whilst new online lectures and gaining a wider audience outreach have been hugely beneficial for the museum, the team are pleased to be reintroducing its physical outdoor events. “We are delighted to be hosting our flagship event- Wallop Wheels and Wings, again on 2nd July 2022.” said Lucy. “This one is predicted to be fantastic as we have a huge line up of the finest aircraft, classic and super cars and motorcycles, as well as flypasts. There is also live music, activities, food, shopping, vehicle parades and so much more. This year we have allocated 3,500 tickets, so it will be wonderful to have the event running at full capacity once again!”
Meeting Compass
Having been a Compass client for several years, the Army Flying Museum has established a strong working relationship alongside Compass, as Lucy explains:
“Compass work extremely well with Army Flying Museum. They are very open, they know our accounts and our industry inside out, and most importantly, they make everything incredibly easy for us.”
“One of the key ways in which the Compass team has helped us, is through their knowledge of the ‘Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief’ which was introduced by the government in 2017. So many museums are unaware of this, or have failed to take advantage of it, as claiming it is a fairly complicated process, but it essentially allows you to claim back tax on your exhibition spend.”
“Because we have been through a large refurbishment project, Compass have been able to secure us money back every year. A lot of our peers haven’t made use of this, but Compass have made sure we did. For that reason, and many others, I’d gladly recommend Compass to other charities or museums similar to ourselves.”
The Army Flying Museum is a charity, that depends on supporters and there are also many ways to help them care for and display their collections, which inspire visitors of all ages to build an understanding of flight, war and conflict and how these events shape our world.
You can support the museum by donating, volunteering, becoming a Corporate Member…. Or simply by visiting the museum! (One single visit earns you an annual pass!).
Find out more about the many ways you can support Army Flying Museum here: www.armyflying.com/support-us
