Administrative/Biographical History

Midland Link Motor Sports Club (MSC) was founded in 1974 and was one of the longest established MSC clubs in the United Kingdom. It catered for men over the age of 18 who had an interest in leather, uniforms, rubber, denim and fetish wear, and offered social support facilities to its members. The majority of its members lived in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, geographically in the centre of England.

The club was linked to similar interest clubs in the United Kingdom and across Europe, being an active member of the Fellowship of UK Clubs (FUKC) and the European Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (ECMC) for many years. The Club also regularly visited an associated club, either in the UK or on the Continent.

Midland Link held regular club meetings on the first and third Sunday of each month in a Birmingham City Centre bar, and was for many years based at The Fountain Inn. It also organised numerous special events during the year. An Annual General Meeting of its members was held each year in January or February when the clubs officers were elected and policy determined. Between annual meetings the club was managed by its Committee. The club published a quarterly magazine called Linkline as a means of circulating information and the views of members, and Linkline was also circulated to all clubs which belonged to the ECMC.

Another of the club's aims was to raise money for donations to charities and such donations were determined at the clubs Annual General Meeting. It aimed to support leather-type events held locally by other gay groups and fostered closer relationships with other groups in the gay community. For example, the club played a founding role in organising Birmingham Gay Pride, which began in 1997, and a Club President, Mike Chamberlain, was Chairman of the Pride Committee in 1998. Unfortunately, due to declining membership, the Club was wound up in 2006.

Scope and content

Papers of the Midland Link Motor Sports Club (MLMSC) (c1970-2006), including:

• Papers of Midland Link Motor Sports Club (MLMSC), 1974-2006.
• Papers of the European Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (ECMC) 1974-2006.
• Papers of the Fellowship of UK Clubs (FUKC), 1987-2005.
• Papers from other motor sports clubs (MSCs) and leather/fetish clubs, 1978-2006.
• Posters from Motor Sport Clubs, events and other associated organisations, c1970-2006.
• Objects relating to motor sports clubs, sexual health, and leather/rubber fetishes, c1976-c1996.
• T-Shirts and accessories from various motor sports clubs, events and associated organisations. c1990-2004.
• Catalogues, leaflets, price lists and promotional material produced by various companies advertising leather and rubber clothing, motorcycle clothing, fetish wear, DVDs and sex toys, 1972-2006.
• Papers from various other groups (including clubs, campaigns, and associated organisations),1982-2005.
• Ephemera including gay city maps/guides to European countries and various other ephemera, c1988-2006.
• Miscellaneous papers and correspondence regarding motor sports clubs, S&M, and leather/rubber fetishes, n.d.

Quantity

32 boxes, 209 posters and other loose items.

Note: Speak to an archivisit to access the collection, email library@bishopsgate.org.uk