And now for some good news...

The National Motorcycle Museum is getting ready to open its doors after 14 months in lockdown. James Hewing, Museum Director, says the complex will be ready to open its doors on Friday, May 21, a few days after the provisional date for the reopening of indoor venues, provided the Government is able to stick to the dates.

“If everything goes to plan, we will reopen for three days a week at first, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, potentially from May 21. Then shortly after restrictions are completely lifted, we will reopen fully as soon after June 21 as possible. We can see light at the end of the tunnel,” said James.

“It will take a little while to settle things back to normal in a limited way. We’ll be following Government guidance. There won’t be any restrictions as we have plenty of space for visitors to view the exhibits.”

One of the biggest blows to the museum during the pandemic was the refusal of a grant from the £165 million Culture Recovery Fund, which was supposed to support museums and heritage locations as well as theatres, cultural organisations and public events.

“That decision was catastrophic for us,” said James. “They won’t give a reason why they refused our application. I can only think they didn’t believe we were ‘culturally significant’ enough. I don’t usually subscribe to the idea that the world is against motorcycles and motorcyclists because they are dirty and grubby – that’s just not generally the case any more, but I do think there’s an element of that here. I suppose they just aren’t used to dealing with venues like the NMM. We might be closed but we still have bills to pay.”

For the past year, the museum has been mothballed, and staff were furloughed, but a few still lost their jobs including the museum archivist, members of the retail team and most of the restaurant staff. “We have lost some very good people. It was incredibly sad,” said James.

To try and fill the hole in the museum’s finances, an appeal raffle and an appeal for donations was launched.

“People have been very generous, which is amazing, especially right now when almost everybody is suffering. We did get a boost in donations when people heard about the refusal of the grant. There was a huge reaction. Opinions varied from incredulity to disgust.

“As well as the many individual donations we received one of the biggest boosts came from Triumph, who donated a new 660 Trident for our Triumph

Over Adversity raffle. It’s helped us out massively and was very generous of them. I got the feeling Triumph were pretty appalled by the refusal of the grant too.”

The museum also sold off some of the “duplicate” exhibits held in reserve. “These were bikes that were extremely similar to things we had already on display. This included identical bikes, and others such as one of two Triumph Bonnevilles from adjacent years.” The auction sales have gone a long way in keeping the museum ticking over.

Events will restart with the hugely popular free admission Museum Live open day scheduled for Saturday, October 30, featuring a host of attractions including Henry Cole and Friends live on stage.

Museum Friends events, including Tours Days, Try a Classic Bike Days and Workshop Training Days will also return, with dates to be fixed once it becomes clear that they will be permitted. Museum Friends will hear about these dates through their exclusive newsletter.

You can support the museum by buying raffle tickets, making donations through the website and by becoming a Friend of the NMM. Becoming a Friend costs £29.95, and comes with several benefits, including 12 months unlimited free admission to the museum. Visit www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk.

James said: “Most of all we would like to thank all of those who have helped support the museum during the closure. We still need your help, so please keep donating, but most of all, when the doors open again, please come and see us.”

“If everything goes to plan, we will reopen for three days a week at first, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, potentially from May 21. Then shortly after restrictions are completely lifted, we will reopen fully as soon after June 21 as possible.”