Frequently Asked Questions

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Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre. 

AIMREC is an educational charity based in Bethersden. It is an ambitious project to develop an exciting, innovative and immersive visitor attraction for families and hobby enthusiasts, based on display and interpretation model railways and artefacts.

The AIMREC Studio & Workshop is currently based in Bethersden, Ashford. For the full address, please see our Contact Us page. 

AIMREC offers an exciting, innovative and immersive visitor attraction for families and hobby enthusiasts. We are operating from our Studio & Workshop, where we have a collection of notable model railways and plenty of artefacts and interesting items to see! We are working to create interactive layouts to enhance our guest's experience! 

Yes; Charity Number: 1168774  

AIMREC will have some permanent model railway layouts, including Oak Lane, AirLink SouthEast and GMRC; Boadicea Park, Harry Spotter and the Anorak Prince and Highspeed Green. We also have several smaller layouts which will be rotated throughout the year. To find out more about our layouts and which ones are currently on display, please visit our Layouts page (COMING SOON!) 

We do occasionally have volunteering opportunities available; please visit our Volunteer page to find out more.

As we are a charity, we rely heavily on donations. If you would like to make a donation, please visit our Donate page for more information. Thank you in advance for considering a donation to AIMREC! 

Yes. We are currently only able to offer pre-booked visits during set times. This is due to capacity restrictions and ensuring that each visit session is tailored to ensure a personal and immersive experience. 

If you arrive at AIMREC and have not booked, you will not be able to access the site. 

Guests can book session slots through our website on our Bookings page.

As we have limited spaces available for each session slot, if you are unable to attend your booked session, please either access your account to ammend your booking or email us as soon as possible to advise, so we can open the booking to others. Thank you! 

Light refreshments will be available to be purchased on site. 

We are able to access card payments and cash payments at the Studio for donations, refreshments and if you purchase any merchandise. You can also make donations via Paypal; please see our Donations page. 

Yes. We have a single, accessible, unisex toilet, available to volunteers and guests. 

Unfortunately, we do not currently have baby changing facilities at the Studio. We are continuing to develop the site though and will update our website once this service is available. Please bear this in mind if you are planning to visit with young children. 

Yes. The Studio & Workshop is accessible via a ramp. The Floor is all single level and there is an accessible unisex toilet. 

Yes. There is a decent size, gravel carpark on site, which is free for our guests. You do not need to display a ticket or submit your details. 

As much as we dearly love dogs, our Studio & Workshop is not suitable for guests to bring their dogs. 

Guide Dogs are allowed. 

Although we are working to ensure AIMREC is suitable for a wide range of ages, due to the current location and layouts, we feel the site may not yet be suitable for very young children. All ages are welcome, but the site is education-focused and we do not have play equipment for early years.

All children must be supervised whilst on site. 

Masks are optional for our visitors and volunteers. Hand gel is available during sessions. Key areas are cleaned between sessions. There are disposable paper hand towels in the bathroom. 

We are keen to work with the community and would be happy to discuss work experience opportunities. We may not be able to offer the experience, as it will depend on the volunteering availability we have. Feel free to get in touch with us via our Contact page and we will see what we can do! 

Due to our remote location, we would advise travelling to AIMREC via car/taxi. 

The nearest rail station is Ashford International, which is approximately 7.8 miles from AIMREC, around a 14 minute drive. 

If you are arriving by bus, take the number 2 bus to Bethersden, The George, then it is a 10 minute walk to AIMREC. 

We advise using a journey planner to assist with planning directions from your location to AIMREC. Click here to visit TFL's website. You can enter in your postcode and AIMREC's postcode to find public transport options. AIMREC's postcode is TN26 3DB.

There are various places of interest nearby! See our What's Nearby page for some suggestions on nearby attractions and some further afield activities!

You can contact us via phone, post, social media, email or completing the online form. For contact information, please visit our Contact Us page. 

We will post further information and updates on our website and Facebook page. You can also Subscribe to our Mailing List!