Nibbler, I am sure working for Bournemouth flying club hasn't made you biased at all! But why charge membership at all?! How do you justify charging your loyal members?
You are not the only one to give away free tea and coffee - many local schools also give away tea and coffee to their students, not to mention water! So this is no justification for the membership fee!
As for the frequent flyer rate, is this not what Old Sarum flying club did just before they went into liquidation? Same staff and management, same business model and packages - lets hope you don't go the same way for the students and your sake!