The Club was originally founded in 1910 at Paddy Freemans lake at the top of Jesmond Dene in Newcastle Upon Tyne. (See the history page for full details)

The Club has the use of the Boathouse next to the lake which it rents from "Urban Green Newcastle", a charitable trust that has taken over maintenance of the parks and green spaces since April 2019 . This provides the Club with the basic amenities to meet, work and store equipment.

The main Sailing season runs from Easter to late September though the Club meets throughout the year in the Boathouse three times a week, from approx 10am until dusk on Wednesdays, 10am until dusk on Saturdays and 10am until dusk on Sundays.

During the winter months the club enjoys demonstrations, talks and discussions in the boathouse on relevant matters being given by members and occasional guest speakers.
Should anyone have a topic or matter they would like explained or demonstrated then they simply request it at the next monthly meeting. This can also apply to practical help on boat construction or propulsion systems for example. With the wide range of experience to be found within the Club an answer to almost all questions can be obtained.

There are monthly business meetings on the 1st Wednesday of each month with the AGM being held on the 1st Wednesday in October. The number of members has varied considerably over the years and is currently in the 60's.

The annual membership fee's are currently £15 for senior members, (Over the current UK goverment retirement age), £20 for Adults (over 16 yrs and under the current UK goverment retirement age) and £10 for juniors (under 16yrs).

(1) “Straight running”, this being the traditional boat designed to travel dead straight on a 60 metre course, propulsion being steam, petrol, diesel or electric.

(2) “Radio Control”, these are mostly scale models powered by electric motors.

(3) “Club 500” is a highly competitive form of racing for a specific type of fast electric powered boats which are raced around a simple course in a series of heats.

(4) “Tethered Hydroplane Racing” is no longer permitted at this lake due to safety reasons, but away competitions are attended and there are a small but keen group of supporters of this class.

(5) “Yachts” are a new addition to Club activities and a small number are currently being sailed.

The Heaton Club forms part of the North East Coast Association which includes a number of local Model Boat Clubs, this leads to a series of annual competitions held at different venues in the area.

The Club regularly supports local events by putting on displays of boats. In addition to local competitions members can be affiliated to the national body (the “Model Power Boat Association” ), and enter competitions all around the country.

The club as a body is a member of both the "Friends of Jesmond Dene", and is a keen supporter of the "Friends of Paddy Freemans and Castle Farm playing fields" group. The club works closely with Newcastle city council and Urban Green Newcastle (the parks and green spaces trust) on various matters associated with the care and maintenance of the lake and surrounding areas, and supports the bid for a Heritage Lottery grant, and the application for Green flag status for the park.

As regards joining the Heaton and District Model Power Boat Club, the usual route is to come to the Boathouse on a Wednesday or Saturday between 10am and dusk and introduce yourself.
You can then join in Club activities, meet members, sail your boat if you have one, and generally see if you are really interested in joining.

This avoids the possibility of joining, paying a subscription and then finding that you have made a mistake. So if all is well then after a few visits, write a letter to the Secretary applying for membership and this will be placed on the agenda of the next monthly meeting for formal approval.