Record charity collection from Isle of Man TT ferry passengers

Isle of Man TT fans donated a massive £16,212 to the Rob Vine Fund during crossings to the TT this year on Steam Packet vessels.

The sum collected is the largest ever donated by TT race fans since the fund carried out collections in the mid-1990s.

The Fund was established in memory of Rob Vine, a racer who died after a crash at the Black Dub during the 1985 Senior TT. This year’s cheque was presented to Dr David Stevens MBE, Secretary and Director of the Rob Vine Fund. 

The purposes of the fund have remained unchanged for over 25 years. They are to provide medical/rescue equipment and training for all doctors, paramedics and marshals involved in motorsport events on the Isle of Man.

Dr Stevens said: ‘The generosity of the TT fans continues to amaze us. Last year’s collection sent the total through the £200,000 barrier since the collections began, and this year we now have a record total. Our sincere thanks to all those fans who gave so generously, and to the Steam Packet Company crew who helped coordinate the collection on our behalf. A truly amazing effort by all concerned.’

The running total collected over the years now stands at £220,000, with this year’s sum beating the previous record of £15,000, collected in 2004 and again during the centenary TT of 2007.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: ‘It’s a fantastic achievement to break the record and it comes at a time when the TT continues to grow in popularity, with the number of motorcycles we carried this year being the highest ever, outside the 2007 centenary celebrations. I’d like to thank our staff who assisted with the collection, and a special thank you to Linda Keen and the team at the Manx Legion for their assistance in helping count all the monies collected.’

To find out more about the charity, visit http://www.mms.org.im/robvinefund/