I think it would fair to say that in years gone by the Island has probably managed to enroll volunteers to marshall from within the manx community without perhaps having to rely on the likes of myself who have to travel to the Island.
As many people have already said in conversation over the last few years, when you were a youngster on the Island the TT and the Manx Grand Prix were something you looked forward to all year round and to be part of it was many youngsters ambition/dream. Now i see the sons/daughters of the colleagues i marshall and socialise with are not as interested as their parents were as there is more to attract their interests.
So i feel now that maybe the running of the two events is becoming more reliant from marshalls and enthusiasts from off the Island. I would dearly like to marshall both TT and MGP as i have done for many years now, but my son is now 13 and is as keen as i ever was and cannot wait until he is 16 so he can sign on. This has created a situation where having to fund 2 visits per year and keep his mum happy! has forced me to choose between the two this year because we can no longer afford to travel to both events any longer.
I am not saying for one minute i expect or want financial assistance, just stating an obvious fact that there in lies a problem.