Inside the 20-year-old Leeds model boat club in Rawdon where members get 'hooked' on remote-controlled boats

Rawdon Model Boat Club (MBC), Larkfield Tarn, has been slowly growing in numbers since it opened in 2003. On June 10 from 10am to 4pm, the club members will display and operate their model ships to show prospective members what the activity is like and what is available for them at Rawdon MBC.

Sailing a range of class boats – including trawlers, tugs, warships, cargo ships, fast electric racing boats and racing yachts – the club promises it has something for everyone. Chairman Michael Dalby said the most fascinating thing about the activity, which can be enjoyed by young children and adults, is it’s relaxing atmosphere.

He said: “The nice thing is, when I get the boat on the lake I can just lose myself – it’s so relaxing, it doesn’t have to be bright, it can be quite a breezy day and cool, but you are in the zone all the time.”

However, it’s not only how boating makes one feel that keeps people coming back to the club. Michael said it is in fact the friendships people make while boating and the social side of the activity that keeps many model boaters at Larkfield Tarn.

Michael only started getting involved himself seven years ago when he stumbled across the activity. He added: “I didn’t know anybody. [The club members] made me feel very, very welcome, so I joined. That is a big thing – being made to feel welcome from the first moment you come.

“I didn’t have a boat and very quickly ordered one, had help putting it together, they got it on the lake with me – and [my collection] has just grown and grown and grown. It’s amazing the friendships that have blossomed.”

Rawdon MBC tries its best to cater to the needs of its members and has invested in facilities to ensure the activity is as comfortable and accessible as possible. It is said to be one of the only model boat clubs with a free-to-use kitchen and cafe, indoor heated seating area and toilets on its premise.

“Money is put into the club via the people who die, in their wills,” said Michael. “We are very lucky with the club funds we have, a good base to the club, so any eventuality that throws itself at us, we can normally cope with it.”

He added: “I had no idea of wanting to use remote control boats and I got hooked. But you then think ‘Well, where is this near me?’ And I must admit, I didn’t fancy the Tarn, there are wakeboarders on, sailboarders on, enterprise boats on and you just get cut up and it’s not every big, and they don’t have the facilities.”

The club prides itself on owning the lake as well as the car park. It is for this reason, said Michael, that people from all over the country, including Skipton, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford and Doncaster, come to Rawdon MBC. The open day hopes to invite more people of all backgrounds to come and see the facilities. Find out more information about opening hours and membership via the Rawdon MBC Facebook page.