This news is technically late 2010 but with the club centenary taking up the whole 2010 news page, it was only right to give this item a page of its own.

During the summer of 2010 the club was approached to see if we would assist with providing information for inclusion in a book that would chronicle the history of sports and hobbies played throughout the Tyne and Wear area over the last few centuries.

The book was to be called PLAYED IN TYNE AND WEAR and formed one of a series of similar books, the PLAYED IN BRITAIN series, which have covered many of the urban areas of the country. The books were sponsored by English Heritage and this particular book was to be written by architectural historian and author, Lynn Pearson.

Lynn talked to a number of the local model boat clubs and we were keen to assist the project and provided a number of historic black and white photos from the early days of the club (see our website history page). The combination of assistance provided by the local clubs, the age and history of the clubs, and that they were still functioning after so long, meant that model boating earned a chapter in the book, Chapter 17.

English Heritage photographed members of Heaton, Tynemouth and the South Shields Model Boat Clubs and these photos can now be seen reproduced in the book. The result was a delightfull and informative chapter that showcases the hobby. In addition the other chapters reveal fascinating insights into the sports and facities in the area throughout the ages. Whether your interest is football, bowls, swimming, athletics or pigeon racing, they can be found in the book and we highly recomend it.

The book was published in September 2010 and is available online at the English Heritage website. Click this link to go to their website for further information on the book and a chance to purchase it, currently available for only 10 pounds post free (as at February 2012)

• PLAYED IN BRITAIN WEBSITE