A Message from the Chairman of the Motorsport Ireland Volunteers & Officials Commission
A very Happy New Year to all our volunteers and officials for 2021.
2020 was such a strange year and for so many of our volunteers, a missed year. Missing the action, missing our friends missing talking sh…Motorsport!!
When we canvassed our Volunteers last May to find out how they felt about returning to sport, I never expected that 8 months later we would be back in a situation with no events. The single biggest answer to the question ‘When will you feel comfortable volunteering again?’ was ‘When there is a vaccine available’, and I really didn’t expect that to be the reality that it is now rapidly emerging.
So many of you will have been affected by the pandemic in more ways than one. Not only are there positive mental health benefits of getting out and doing something we enjoy, but a countless number of you have been affected negatively in a financial sense, and I do hope that 2021 brings improvement to all of our lives, in all areas.
As part of the motorsport family, the army of volunteers that makes running events possible is critical to that process, and I am very aware that some of you will have gotten used to not standing in the cold and rain, not getting up early on a Saturday/Sunday morning and may even have found something allegedly better to do!
However, once you find yourselves in a position to volunteer again, we look forward to welcoming you back and seeing you back out on the roads/banks/grass/gravel/tarmac.
A lot of work has been done to make our events as safe as possible in the ever-changing landscape of Covid-19 times, and undoubtedly there will be further changes before we get back up and running in 2021. We did manage a number of events in 2020 and to all those that made those events possible by giving up your valuable time, I wholeheartedly thank you. I hope you will agree with me that the events were run in a very safe manner and risk of exposure to the virus was negligible.
Obviously, virus rates will have to drop significantly from where they are now before we can get events running again. But when they do, if you have any questions or concerns about your safety, please feel free to talk to us. We are all giving up our own personal time for the betterment of our sport. We want to make sure that our participation is not only absolutely safe, but that we help ensure our competitors have a good and enjoyable day’s competition on a fair and level playing field. Importantly, we must also have a thoroughly enjoyable day with friends and colleagues too.
Kind Regards & Best Wishes,
Trevor Gray,
Chairman, Motorsport Ireland Volunteers & Officials Commission
Email: [email protected]m