Our associate members are what makes us special. Along with our trustees , they form the volunteers who continue the work we as a charity do. We attend many events with vehicles or displays. Our educational team, visit schools, military establishments, or local groups giving talks, lectures or equipment demonstrations. People are increasingly looking for experiences that bring history to life in an engaging way, along with reading interesting and historical articles in our publications.
Our members restore and protect our future heritage, for the benefit of this and future generations is a cornerstone of everything we do.
We share knowledge and expertise between us, and even assist with finding them somewhere to store them.
We can engage directly with the public, through the fact people can see and hear the vehicles and close hand, as well as touching and handling objects they may have only seen in museums , behind glass. We also work with those who have done military service in the past, as well as those who are still serving. One of those who got the surprise of her life, was Peg. She had driven Army lorries during WW2, and was astonished when she turned up at one of our events to see the very model she had driven. We helped with the surprise organised by her family, and she said she enjoyed very minute.
In recent years, we have faced some challenges along the way - the effects of Covid19 meant that we had to continue our work without direct engagement with the public. This led us to face this challenge head on, and broaden what we're doing even more, with live streamed events via video on YouTube, but still continuing to deliver other services such as our great Olive Drab publication. We run many events, such as the Winter Gathering, Armed Forces Day, a ‘Drive it Day’ (which is part of a national event to encourage vehicle owners to take their vehicles out onto the road in an organised route), and our main Echoes of History Show, as well as attending many events for the local communities.
We also provide services to our members such as UKARA registration and provide vehicle verification services and help with military vehicle insurance and breakdown cover.
We have our own ‘members jeep’ which can be taken to events, and have specialists who can do talks to local groups, and also provide storage for military vehicles at our barn facility.
2024, marks 10 years of the forming of the association, and our long term goals remain the same which are to continue to deliver services of public benefit and also to establish a permanent museum facility in the Essex area.
We have a number of other projects we are exploring and are in the process of working through, including increased engagement with local groups. So far, we have established a close working relationship with Chelmsford Civic Society for example, which led us taking part in a number of Heritage events.
We welcome donations to help us acheive our aims, if you'd like to make a donation, please use the PayPal button below: