Giving someone a membership subscription as a Christmas present that reflects their passion – be it for films, art, theme parks or gardening – can show a lot more thought than handing over a bundle of store gift tokens or a wad of cash.
Art lovers
Art Fund, a national charity supporting UK museums and galleries, sells National Art Passes for £60 a year or £30 for those under 26. The pass gives free entry to more than 225 charging museums, galleries, castles and historic houses, and 50% off tickets to major exhibitions at venues including the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate venues and the V&A.
Membership for individual venues is also worth considering. Standard gift membership of the Royal Academy, for example, gives free entry to all exhibitions for the holder and a guest, previews of major exhibitions and access to the members-only Keeper’s House restaurant, cafe, cocktail bar and garden, and costs from £97 a year. Membership of the Tate, meanwhile, includes unlimited entry to all four Tate galleries and any exhibitions, free access to exclusive members rooms at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, plus member talks, events and viewing hours. It costs from £70.
Book worms
Several online retailers offer book club subscriptions, which send the recipient a book each month tailored to their tastes. A 12-month adult subscription, for example, costs £104.99 at The Willoughby Book Club; from £148 at Daunt Books; and from £200 at Heywood Hill.
Cycling fans
A gift membership package for the British Cycling Federation costs £20 and gives the recipient priority access to tickets for major cycling events; a monthly fan email with offers, news, interviews and competitions; 10% off cycling holidays with Sports Tours International; and a British Cycling fan card, pin badge and exclusive downloads.
Film buffs
Many cinemas, both national chains and local independents, offer subscription perks. Membership at Nottingham’s Broadway, for example, gives discounts on screenings and cafe purchases, as well as complimentary previews and special events for £27 a year; similar benefits are available at Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema, costing £33.
In London, the British Film Institute membership gift pack costs £45 and includes priority booking and no booking fees for BFI Southbank and BFI Festivals, £1.50 off tickets at BFI Southbank and BFI Imax, plus free tickets to exclusive events.
Cineworld cinemas, meanwhile, offer a year of unlimited cinema for £202.80 at any of its UK outlets (excluding London West End).
For green fingers
Gift membership of the Royal Horticultural Society, costing £55 a year per person, gives the recipient entry to 150 gardens around the UK with one guest, priority booking and discounted tickets for RHS flower shows including Chelsea, 12 issues of the RHS magazine The Garden, and other perks including personalised gardening advice.
Music lovers
Gift membership is available for London’s Southbank Centre at £65 and gives priority booking for classical concerts, one-off gigs and performances, access to the members’ area at the Royal Festival Hall, and invitations to special events.
History buffs
Membership of the National Trust includes free and unlimited entry to more than 500 places, plus free car parking at most. It costs £60 a year for an individual, £99 for a couple, £65 for a family of one adult and up to five children under 17 at the same address, or £104 for two adults and up to five children.
Annual membership of English Heritage, which offers unlimited entry to more than 400 historic places , starts at £41 for students with a valid NUS card or seniors aged 60 or over; £50 for one adult or a family of one adult and up to six children under 19; or £88 for a family of two adults and up to 12 children.
Theatre goers
Theatres throughout the UK sell various levels of gift memberships, so it is worth checking what is on offer locally. A year’s gift membership of the Crucible, Studio and Lyceum Theatres in Sheffield, for example, costs from £45 and gives ticket discounts, priority booking, invitations to exclusive talks, tours, meet the cast events and 10% discount at the theatre bars and restaurant.
Membership at London’s National Theatre, costing £80 a year as a gift, gives access to decent £15 seats and a 50% saving on talks and discussions, while full membership of the Royal Shakespeare Company costs £40 a year and offers advance information and priority booking up to four weeks before public booking opens.
Theme park fans
The Merlin annual pass is ideal for families, teens and even grown ups who enjoy a good day out but not the high cost of entrance tickets. It gives 12 months entry to 32 theme parks and attractions around the UK including at Thorpe Park Resort, Alton Towers Resort, Legoland, Sea Life centres, Madame Tussauds and the Coca-Cola London Eye.
Beware, however, that the standard pass, costing £169 for an individual or £129 per person if bought for a three-, four- or five-person family, comes with notable entry restrictions to London-based attractions during school holidays and on bank holidays. Pay more for the premium annual pass – £209 or £169 for a per person family price – and you get unrestricted 12-month entry to all attractions plus extras such as bringing up to three friends for £10 each and car parking at theme parks.
Tesco Clubcard collectors can exchange £50 of their vouchers for a standard Merlin annual pass for one person of any age, and can upgrade it to a premium pass by paying a £50 fee on top. For those who collect Nectar points, a standard pass will cost 17,000 points.
Small screen addicts
If you want to give someone access to films and television programmes on internet streaming service Netflix, gift cards are available in £15, £25 and £50 denominations. If the recipient is new to Netflix they sign up using their gift card – they do not need to enter any credit card details or commit to an subscription – and will receive the service for as long as the card balance allows. They also get a free month of service.
If they already have a Netflix account, it will add on the gift balance and deduct the appropriate amount each month based on their plan.
Newshounds
And finally, perhaps the best membership of all – the Guardian’s own. Supporter membership starts at £49 and the recipient gets to know they are supporting their favourite newspaper/website. For £149, partner membership gets you six tickets to Guardian Live events (or four Guardian-published books), priority booking and 20% discount on events.
