In this series, we shine a light on charities in the island. This time, reporter Siobhan Fletcher speaks to the Manx Aviation Preservation Society.

The Manx Aviation Preservation Society (charity no. 827) has been working in the island for nearly 30 years.

I spoke to Ivor Ramsden MBE, director of the charity about what they do, and why it is important.

Who are you / What do you do?

We are the Manx Aviation Preservation Society and we run the Manx Aviation and Military Museum at Ronaldsway Airport.

It’s important to emphasize that despite the name we are not a war museum because that’s not what we are about; we are very much a museum about people – we tell the stories of Manx people who, whether they wanted to or not, were involved in war.

We also tell the stories of local airlines and airfields in peacetime, and that is a subject which deserves a museum all to itself.

There’s too much to describe here but the museum’s biggest gallery covers the role of the island and its people in the First World War and it has received glowing praise from our visitors, several of whom have said it is the best WW1 exhibition that they have seen.

There is also a whole section on the Manx Regiment which was an anti-aircraft unit of the British Army in the Second World War, serving in England, North Africa, Crete, Italy and Northern Europe.

It became the highest-scoring anti-aircraft unit of all the Allied armies by 1945.

On the civil side we have a lot of Manx Airlines memorabilia including our biggest exhibit, a British Aerospace ATP passenger plane which we are still working on as a joint operation with a group of former Manx Airlines people.

One thing that really surprises people is that it’s all free, although we do welcome donations.

Why / When did you form?

It all started in 1994 when somebody wrote to the local newspaper asking if anyone who was interested in the island’s aviation history wanted to meet up.

A number of people got together at the old Royal Air Forces Association Club on Bucks Road and it was decided that their collections of civil and military aviation memorabilia would make the basis of a museum.

They also decided to erect memorials at places of aviation interest on the island.

The society’s name – The Manx Aviation Preservation Society - was decided upon at this stage but in time the original group was joined by people whose interests were in fields other than aviation, such as the island’s Home Guard, the Army and the Royal Navy.

This was seen as a good thing as it broadened the organisation’s scope, something which would make the museum appeal to a wider audience.

What has been your biggest achievement or proudest moment since forming?

Without a doubt our proudest moment was when the society opened The Manx Aviation and Military Museum on Remembrance Day 2000 after many months of hard work transforming a derelict building at the airport.

At this time we had no idea how successful the museum was to become but we should have realised because, from the very first day, people brought us things for display.

They brought in everything from a single brass tunic button to tea chests full of somebody’s military uniforms.

Right from the start we realised that we were becoming the custodians of a real treasure house of the island’s history and that we had a great responsibility to look after everything so as to record it and preserve it for future generations.

We aim to achieve high professional standards in our displays and in conservation despite our limited budget.

We are very pleased that many comments in our visitors book and reviews on websites refer to the friendliness and helpfulness of our staff and we think that this is one of the reasons for our great success.

Our visitor numbers grew every year until Covid struck but they have already grown back to pre-pandemic levels and we are expecting a record-breaking year.

For the past five years we have been the highest-ranked visitor attraction on the island on the travel review website Tripadvisor.

We are particularly pleased about this because we have achieved it as a wholly independent voluntary body without any cost to the taxpayer.

What is your biggest ambition / goal for the future?

We need to extend the museum!

Every inch is full of interesting displays and our store room is full to the ceiling.

We have already had to extend three times to accommodate new objects; in fact we have doubled the floor area but we still have a vast collection of treasures in storage, most of which are just as interesting as those which are on display.

The museum doesn’t look very appealing from the roadside because all that can be seen is a black Nissen hut but there’s an awful lot more hidden behind it and we are sure that a more attractive building will entice people in.

We need extra display space so that people can see more objects from the island’s past and just as importantly we need a lecture room where we can give talks and show films to the many groups, including schools, who visit the museum.

How can people get involved?

Anybody over 18 can join the society and they will be particularly welcome if they can spare a few hours to help in staffing the museum – greeting our visitors and answering their questions or more physical involvement like gardening and maintenance of our exhibits.

You don’t have to be an expert at all.

Our volunteers are mostly, shall we say, past their prime even if some of them refuse to acknowledge it and we really do need some younger people to be involved so that the museum’s future is made certain.

It’s fun, you can learn a lot and you get to meet some very interesting people.

Where can people find you and where can they donate?

The museum is on the main road between the airport and Castletown.

We are open every weekend through the year and also daily from TT Practice Week until the end of September.

Donations are always welcome and can be made at the museum by cash, cheque or electronically.

We can be contacted by phone on 829294 or 454596.

We are on Facebook as The Manx Aviation and Military Museum ( @mamm.iom ) and our web address is www.maps.org.im