The Motor House provides Wigton MC with a focal point for its activities and costeffective storage
on effectively casual arrangements for venues and be like other sports; buy a bit of land and put some money into it so you certainly know that you’ re going to have a venue.”
Wigton Motor Club has invested in its own building, The Motor House.“ It’ s a huge advance,” Forrester says.“ It has a lot of advantages in that we’ ve got a committee room, an office, kitchen, a big storage area, but then a big open area in which we can either show films, or model car racing or whatever. Not many clubs have a focal point, it’ s difficult to get a hotel room for a club night, or a back room in a pub. We have a permanent base, and a financial advantage in that all our equipment is stored there, so we’ re not paying for a lockup. We reckon that saves us about £ 2,000 a year and because we sell coffee and so on at our cars and coffee meetings, it brings in a nice little income.”
Finding volunteers is also a conundrum for many clubs, Forrester says that Wigton Motor Club“ does alright” but is aware of the need to encourage the younger generation. He is also keen to make sure that all volunteers are valued for their hard work:“ Even on our two big targa rallies the marshals get exactly the same
Revolution Magazine
meal package of coffee, lunch, and dinner as the competitors. Everybody sits down together, the marshals and the competitors all eat together, so that brings people together.”
Ultimately, Forrester is aware of the demands on time and making motorsport more appealing to the next generation.“ People watch Formula One on the telly or British Touring Cars or national rallying, and there’ s a gap between those on TV and what people do at club level,” he explains.“ Competing in a rally is going to cost you £ 1,000 and it comes back to the fact that youngsters don’ t want to work on the cars, but also, what else could you do with £ 1,000?”
With the aim of retaining and renewing its membership by focusing on what works for them, plus an active programme of recruitment, Wigton Motor Club is living Vision 2030 by helping more people enjoy motorsport throughout the season, not just during National Motorsport Week.
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