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NMA Friends

One of the most rewarding ways to support the Arboretum is to become an NMA Friend. Our membership scheme provides lots of benefits to you, whilst you support our charity, ensuring we can continue our work.

Your support helps us do so much:

From beautiful spring mornings to wintry afternoons, you can help us to ensure we remain a free-to-enter site throughout the year for those who need us, when they need us.

You can help us to share important stories by enabling us to inspire thousands of young people who visit us each year. Through our learning programme future generations can discover more about historical events, important stories and Remembrance. 

Our exhibitions and events bring the story and history of Remembrance to life. Your support will allow us to offer a wide variety of free-to-enter activities for visitors of all ages.

Our grounds and memorials require year-round care and maintenance. By supporting us you will be helping our dedicated grounds team to grow and develop our beautiful Arboretum, ensuring we can be here for many years to come.

    Two children walk through the centre of the Submariners Memorial

    Membership Options

    Our Friends memberships start from £40 per year. Whether you want to support our work from afar, or visit us regularly, our memberships have been designed to ensure that you'll be kept informed about our latest developments, whilst benefiting from exclusive discounts, including free annual parking across all membership levels. 

    Select a membership type from the list below to learn more.

    NMA Friend - £40

    As an NMA Friend you'll receive all the benefits you need to discover more about the Arboretum, whilst supporting our work. 

    • Annual car parking pass
    • Copies of our NMA Friends publication, The Memo, issued three times a year.
    • Invitation to annual NMA Friends Day.
    • Monthly NMA Friends emails
    NMA Friend Plus - £55 annually

    Small donations make a big difference to our work. As a Friend Plus Member you'll receive the same benefits as an NMA Friend, but your annual subscription will include an additional contribution of £15, all of which will be used to care for, and grow and develop the Arboretum. 

    • Annual car parking pass
    • Copies of our NMA Friends publication, The Memo, issued three times a year. 
    • Invitation to annual NMA Friends Day
    • Monthly NMA Friends emails
    NMA Silver Friend - £84 annually or £7 per month

    As a free-to-enter site we are reliant on the support of our NMA Friends. As a Silver  Friend you will receive: 

    • Annual car parking pass
    • Copies of our NMA Friends publication, The Memo, issued three times a year.
    • Invitation to annual NMA Friends Day
    • Monthly NMA Friends emails
    • 10% Restaurant and Coffee Shop discount
    • 10% Shop discount

     

    £84 annually or £7 per month by monthly direct debit

     


    NMA Gold Friend - £120 annually or £10 per month

    As a Friend you'll be helping us to pass on the baton of Remembrance to future generations. As well as supporting our work you will receive: 

    • Annual car parking pass
    • Copies of our NMA Friends publication, The Memo, issued three times a year.
    • Invitation to annual NMA Friends Day
    • Monthly NMA Friends emails
    • 20% Restaurant and Coffee Shop discount
    • 10% Shop discount
    • 50% off daily Special Forces Buggy Tours / Guided Tours (up to four visitors including Friend)
    • Invitations to special Arboretum events

     

    £120 annually or £10 monthly by direct debit

     

    Join as a member

    You can join as an NMA Friend by calling us on 01283 245 100 or at our Welcome Desk. 

    DSC_8684

    FAQs for NMA Friends Membership 

    What is the difference between NMA Friend and Friend Plus Membership?
    Whilst the benefits at both levels are the same, our Friends Plus Membership also includes an additional gift of £15, which will be used to develop the Arboretum.
    Do NMA Friends receive discounts for Arboretum ticketed events?
    As a free to enter site most of our events and activities are free to enter and are not ticketed. Where events are ticketed, and it is possible, we will offer NMA Friends discount on ticketed events. We will advise of any discounts in The Memo, via email and on specific event pages on our website. We have not included this as a guaranteed benefit due to the changing nature of our programme. 
    How do I claim my free parking benefit? Do I need to book?

    By booking car parking in advance, you guarantee entry into our grounds. On busy event days, including Armed Forces Weekend, Remembrance Sunday, and Armistice Day we do recommend that even our Friends book parking in advance.

    You can book parking online by calling 01283 245 100 or by using your NMA Friends complimentary parking code, issued when you join / renew. Upon arrival to site, you should show your membership card to our attendants on duty.

    On other days you will be able to present your membership card to our parking attendants upon arrival who will permit you to park for free if there is space available. 

    The registered Friend must be a member of the party travelling on the day.

    Can I use my free parking during evening events at the Arboretum?
    NMA Friends can use their free parking during evening events and should present their membership card to our parking attendant on duty. Free parking will apply to the vehicle in which the Friend will be travelling in only. 
    How do I claim my discount in the Restaurant, Coffee Shop or Gift Shop (Gold and Sliver Friends Only)?

    NMA Gold and Silver Friends should present their valid membership card at the payment desk where your discount will be deducted off your entire transaction in the Restaurant, Coffee Shop and Gift Shop. The NMA Friend must be present at the point of payment.

    It is not possible to use your discount in our online Gift Shop, but discount will apply to products purchased over the phone. Please note postage fees will apply to telephone Gift Shop purchases, your discount will not be applied to any postage / delivery changes. 

    Discounts will not apply in Aspects, at any onsite concession, or food or drink incorporated into event / group packages.

    How can I claim 50% off a buggy our guided tour (Gold Friends Only)?
    This is a benefit that is available to Gold Friends only. Please present your membership card at the Welcome Desk and a 50% discount will be applied to buggy tour tickets for up to four visitors. The NMA Friend must be a member of this party. This discount can be used multiple times throughout your membership period. 
    I have lost my membership card, is it possible to order a new one?
    Each NMA Friend will be issued with one new membership card at their point of renewal. Lost cards will incur a £5 replacement fee. To order a new membership card call 01283 245 100 or email friends@thenma.org.uk.
    Is it possible to pay for my membership via Direct Debit?
    We are currently able to set up new direct debit mandates for Gold and Silver memberships only. 
    Can I Gift Aid my membership?
    We are unable to claim Gift Aid on our memberships due to the range of benefits that are made available to you as Friends, and the regulations that govern the Gift Aid scheme. We constantly review these regulations to ensure that we are always maximising the contributions / donations we receive and will notify all NMA Friends if this position changes. 
    Can I pay for my membership online?
    It is not currently possible for us to take NMA Friends payments online, however it is possible to renew over the phone by calling 01283 245 100. 
    Can I change my membership level e.g. go from an NMA Friend to a Gold Friend before my renewal?
    We welcome Friends to increase their membership level, however, it is not possible for us to pro-rata any remaining membership fees. In this instance a full new application for membership will apply. 
    I am currently a Friend, can I use the NMA Friends vouchers issued at my 2023 renewal?
    Current NMA Friends will be able to use any remaining Friends vouchers issued at their 2023/24 renewal alongside their NMA Friends membership card. Hot drink vouchers, issued to our Gold and Silver Friends, cannot be used in conjunction with the 10% (Silver) and 20% (Gold) discounts offered as part of the new scheme. You can select which benefit you would prefer to use at the point of purchase.
    My renewal letter is showing the 2023 NMA Friends Prices, what should I pay?
    From 4 March all membership renewals will be charged at our new 2024 prices. We will honour the membership rates indicated on letter issued in January and February until 31 March 2024. 
    My NMA Friends renewal isn't until later this year will I be required to pay any additional membership fees to reflect the changes in the scheme?
    All Friends will be offered the new benefits at their current level of membership at no additional cost until your next renewal date, e.g. if your NMA Friend membership is due to expire 1 November, you will be able to use your new, and any existing benefits, issued at your last renewal until this date when our new prices will be applied to your membership renewal.