“We do not Mind Waiting”
Harrow and Wembley Group will not be coming to the Coalport meeting. Their reasons are expressed in an email to Crewenna Dymond from their Chairman, John Palmer, from which this is an excerpt:
We will not be attending as it is too far to come to Coalport for an event that has little value as the YHA does not listen nor need to listen to its local groups. As it does not appreciate the great potential for business advantage to be had from local groups assisting in membership recruitment and retention, it will have to develop in a different direction until or unless it eventually realises the advantages of adopting a Ramblers-like local groups model. We do not mind waiting for the YHA to come back to us in several years time when it realises the competitive advantages we can offer and the value of a test bed for new marketing ideas.
Can we afford to wait for the YHA? Can they afford to keep us waiting? Discuss.
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We can not afford to wait for the YHA to recognise the value of YHA groups, or realise that their chosen organisation – the Ramblers -are really not interested in using YHA’s.
The vaule of YHA groups are they offer a structure and organisation for people in areas across the country to make use of YHA accomodation in the ways that are intended.
If the YHA re-established a good working relationship with local groups they would be in an excellent position to work together on stratergies and marketing in a way that would benefit both, while encouraging membership of both. YHA groups could promote themselves through hostels and via the YHA website and other publications. The YHA could promote itself through building stronger links with local groups and therefore the local communities (note most local groups are based in towns and cities, where many people do not have the opportunity to access the countryside on a regular basis).
The Ramblers do not as a rule use YHA accomodation. On the very rare occassions when they go away for a weekend, they tend to book B&B’s.
YHA groups use YHA’s 9 times out of 10 and usually have about one weekend away per month!
In the case of Coventry group we take an average of 12 members to a YHA 12 times a year! That is a lot of customers for the YHA.
In future though, with the declinging number of YHA hostels and the neglect of local groups, we may be forced to look at other types of accomodation.
The danger for the YHA is, we may soon find our members so used to using B&B (like the Ramblers) and/or attract the kind of members who prefer it.
Personally I want to support the YHA but it does seem the YHA does not want to support its members or local groups. It takes two to tango. Business interests are important but listening to members can also help business and at the end of the day YHA is a member led organisation.
I have some sympathy for this point of view and can see where John Palmer iscoming from in terms of wanting to support the YHA. However, there is an element of self-delusion here. John says Coventry Group visit hostels a dozen times a year with 12 members, i.e. a grand total of 144 bed nights. In other words the approximate level of usage that one school party can offer in a week! I know what markets I would be targeting if I ran the YHA. By all means encourage the local groups but they are never going to make much impact on bed night figures, being such a tiny proportion of the potential ‘market’!
Having been a member of a couple of local groups and a member of YHA for many years I have mixed feelings about the future.
I think it is sad that YHA has had to move in a direction of business rather than that of a membership organisation. I also dislike the way in which YHA management views the local group structure.
HOWEVER, we have to be realistic. Times have changed. The YHA has to change to remain in existance. It has to generate sufficient funds to invest and maintain the network, to pay it’s staff sensible wagesd and comply with ever increasing legislation. This is not the 1950’s.
The contribution of 144 bed nights is all well and good (around £2K??) but as Keith points out, larger groups especially schools can easily contribute this in one visit.
On one of my last local group hostelling trips I observed the pettiness of other members moaning about the cost of a meal (£3.95 for an all you can eat breakfast) and insisting on their 10% discount. If a school stays fullboard it makes a more important financial contribution to YHA than the 12 visits a year by Coventry group.
Sorry but it’s a simple fact.
The local group structure often over emphasises it’s importance. I think we can safely say (and I include myself in this) that local groups very rarely have anything to do with “youth”.
Let us not forget that YHA was set up for youth. Just because we are no longer youth does not give us a right to dictate to YHA what we (oldies) want.
YHA should be about today’s youth not that from 40,50 or 60 years ago.
As a former member of the YHA it is good to see that the members are still alive and kicking against bureaucracy.