Due to the COVID-19 situation, this event has unfortunately been cancelled, however may be re-arranged to a future date.

Entry, £6.50 per Adult/£3.50 Children and Concessions

Sunday 19th July 2020

Gates open 10am, last entry 4pm

From Fire Appliances to Ambulances and Police - all things Emergency services will be on show at NELSAM

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Following the departure of the Mystere and the T33 the main Hangar is looking a bit empty, however plans are in hand for the movement of the exhibits back to display;

• The Anson will be moving back in before the end of February. To position it at the far end of the hangar will see the F84, Hunter, Meteor, Sycamore and Jetstream being moved out of the way. Once the Anson is in place the Shorts SD3-30 and Comet will move to the far end of the building to establish the Civil Aviation display
• At the end of March the Post War Jets will be positioned and subject to weather the Lightning will move inside the main hangar
• End of April will see the positioning of the Morane and Spitfire in the space currently occupied by the Shorts

Keep checking for updates and the opportunity to see some exhibits making a rare appearance outside.

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The museum is currently operating as card only for payments - so please ensure you have your credit/debit cards with you when visiting.

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The museum's latest exhibit arrived in January, a replica de Havilland DH60 Moth. Obtained as a mutual swap with the Kent Battle of Britain Museum based at Hawkinge who took NELSAM's Austin K2 fire engine in exchange , the Moth represents the first aircraft taken on charge by the fledgling 607 (County Of Durham) Squadron on the 25 October 1932. Our Moth is a replica of 'Jason', G-AAAH, the aircraft flown by Amy Johnson on her historic flight to Australia in 1930 with the original machine on display in the Flight Gallery of the Science Museum in London. Our replica is also registered as BAPC 168 and was built by Shaw craft Models Limited for display in The Gatwick Hilton Hotel were it was installed there on the 15 November 1981, hanging from the lobby ceiling before moving to the Croydon Aerodrome Hotel were it appeared in their Gallery of Memories on the 1 May 2003 and when the memories eventually faded it moved to Hawkinge in 2005 and was put into store were it remained until NELSAM took delivery.

Photos courtesy of David Thomson Close

Sunday 13th November 2022 saw NELSAM host a small remembrance ceremony, with wreath laying, with representatives from 607 squadron present.

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The museum's latest exhibit, Sea Harrier ZD582/002 loaned by a Northamptonshire businessman, arrived to take centre stage in the museum's Falklands War 40th Anniversary display, alongside our Pucara.
Delivered to 800 Squadron in October 1985 as an FRS Mk1, she was upgraded to F/A2 standard between 1991 and 1993 before retirment and being auctioned off in 2005. The Pegasus engine is still in place, making her possibly the most complete SHAR in private ownership.
Excellent work from GJD at St Athan for planning and executing the move, and to from all the volunteers involved in offloading, then moving into the Hangar to sit next to the Pucara.
NELSAM chair David Charles said: “I am particularly pleased that we have been able to secure this aircraft for display as part of the Falklands anniversary. The aircraft type played a major role in returning order to the Falklands. The campaign involved many people from the region and used equipment manufactured in the region. I hope it will encourage people from the region to come along and visit and reflect on the sacrifices made. It is sad that once again 40 years on we are seeing suffering in another country brought on by hostile actions of a near neighbour."

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This Sunday 1st of May the City of Sunderland and the museum paid tribute to our Armed Forces veterans who served in the Falklands conflict, which took place 40 years ago. Joining the museum for the day were members of Forces 80 who will be dressed in period uniform and displaying equipment from the period, as well as a fantastic display of period memorabelia from local exhibitor Chris Sanderson. Museum chair David Charles held a short ceremony, with His Worship Cllr Trueman laying the first of several wreaths, followed by wreaths from all the branches of our armed forces as well as local veterans organisations. A number of veterans also attended the ceremony, as well as sea cadets from TS Tenacity based in Ashington. A huge thank you to the museum volunteers for ensuring the day ran smoothly, and to all who attended to show their support.
Local media were also in attendance, and the Sunderland Echo produced the video below to capture the day;

Credit: Sunderland Echo Full Article can be found here.

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Sunday 7th August saw NELSAM welcome a wide variety of classic and vintage vehicles on site, some from as early as the 1930s, with the good weather ensuring an estimated turnout of over a thousand four the day. With everything from a classic Rolls Royce to a Clan Crusader, built at the factor next to the museum in the 1960s, there was something for everyone, and NELSAM hope to make this a regular event. You can read more in the Sunderland Echo Write-up.

Photos courtesy of Daniel Lines

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Last Tuesday Ian McLaren signed the Armed Forces Covent on the Museum's behalf.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a formal agreement by organisations that those who serve or have served in Britain's armed forces and their families will be treated with fairness and respect. They should not be disadvantaged or prevented from access to services or products because of their service.

Examples of discrimination might include access to education and healthcare, financial help and job opportunities.

It was a real pleasure to sign the Covenant on behalf of NELSAM at a small ceremony last Tuesday. Other organisations were in attendance including the North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll, and representatives of the Army and Royal Navy. A real honour for me which I was pleased to undertake on the Museums behalf. - Ian Mclaren, NELSAM volunteer

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