2020 Chairman’s Report for Joey Dunlop Foundation

Wed, 29 Jan 2020

It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since my last Chairman’s report but here we are at the end of January 2020. Many of you will know that the charity’s annual dinner, which was held on the 18th January, was another successful event and we thank everyone who attended and also to everyone who donated items for our raffle and auction. Nearly £6,000.00 was raised, a great achievement.

The highlight of the night is always the Tombola Draw and congratulations to Joel Campbell who is now the proud owner of the Suzuki GSX-S1000F. Thank you to everyone who entered the Tombola. It is a fantastic way for us to raise funds for the Foundation and it always gives us great pleasure in handing over first prize to the lucky winner. Joel should have his motorcycle in the next week or two when Barry is able to deliver it to him – pictures to follow.

2020 is a significant year for the Foundation as it will mark 20 years since we lost Joey and it will also mark 10 years since the grand opening at Braddan Bridge House. This years Tombola prize is a fantastic tribute to Joey; a brand-new Honda CBR500RA in the racing colours of Joey’s Honda RC45 but you will also notice that we have “Joey’s Bar” logos on the machine. The Foundation wish to thank Linda and Gary for allowing JDF to use the colour scheme and logos. Charlie and Barry will have the machine on show at Joey’s Bar during the NW200 and I am sure it will be a big hit with the fans.

Linda and family have again given the Foundation huge support in 2019 with another amazing Black Tie dinner which was held at the Lodge Hotel last November. This event raises thousands of pounds for the JDF, we will definitely be looking forward to the next one in 2020.

I would like to again thank my small team who put so much time and effort towards JDF; Barry, Gilly, Charlie and John along with many friends and supporters who all give their time to raise funds at various events over the year. It is because of their generosity that we have a truly magnificent facility at Braddan Bridge House. We continue to make improvements each year and following on from the successful installation of an overhead hoist in one of the apartments we have now placed an order for a second one to be installed. We are replacing items such as beds, mattresses, TV’s and specialist shower chairs etc. as much of the equipment is now 10 years old. The charity prides itself on having the best accessible holiday accommodation available on the Isle of Man.

 JDF/BBH open up the Isle of Man to many disabled people who wish to visit, with their friends and family. The apartments are also used by local disabled people who may need to stay with us a short while whilst their own homes are renovated or adapted or for those who may just need a bit of recovery time before they are able to move back into their own home. Staying at Braddan Bridge House is much more comfortable for them and can also allow them to leave hospital sooner which is beneficial for everyone.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has again offered JDF financial support this year with discounted sailings for our travel on and off the island. Don’t forget that Steam Packet Holidays offer discounted sailings for those who wish to book our facilities, these discounts can be claimed via their website or email info@steampacketholidays.com to find out more.

Thank you for your continued support and we hope to see you during our fundraising events throughout 2020.

Bruce Baker

Chairman: Joey Dunlop Foundation