Learning the ropes

Over two days several hundred rescue and recovery personnel went through a series of workshop modules, covering both academic content as well as some really engaging live action practical exercises. Rupert Hine and John Bolton had travelled down from Scotland to join a phalanx of specialist rescue vehicles to conduct these demonstrations. Our sport relies on a small number of really dedicated teams that run units and are responsible for finding the funding to keep vehicles and equipment up to date. The British Motorsport Trust is a crucial partner to this community providing all important funding. Talking to everyone you can see their passion but also hear of the challenges of keeping this crucial ecosystem functioning. The lasting memory of the day is of laughter on the edge of a rather steep slope while a tight knit group of orange clad women and men carefully winched a car out of the forest below – good to see people having fun while keeping our sport safe.

Continuous professional development keeps skills sharp and the volunteer base growing

A week later and I was back in the west country at Castle Coombe for one of the CCRC’ s marshals’ training days. It is always a pleasure to visit this circuit as it is so charming and welcoming, as personified by Dave Weston who, not only acts as a clerk, but has a seemingly endless series of roles in the club. I sat down for a cuppa with Cat Dall’ Occo, Castle Coombe Race Circuit Manager, and exchanged views on how we can bring Vision 2030 to life and getting‘ more people enjoying motorsport more often’. Managing a circuit such as this with relatively limited race days is quite a challenge to generate the necessary revenues to pay for the year-round overheads, but with enthusiasm and inventiveness that is what CCRC manage to do.

Leading much of the training sessions was the CCRC Chief Marshal, Helen Magee, who delivered complex subjects in the classroom with flair and engagement, creating a great atmosphere of collaboration. As Helen put it‘ respect is earned and given’. On the day there were around 75 marshals in courses, with 43 new trainees among them. These are needed to continuously top up the 200 + marshals that are linked to the club. It is not just about recruitment but also retention of our experienced and valued members.

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