A party of 11 ex-servicemen who are members of Blesma, The Limbless Veterans charity, are visiting the island for TT, staying at Braddan Bridge House which is owned and run by the Joey Dunlop Foundation.

All of the men have a story to tell.

Charlie Armstrong, who served in the army, lost a leg when he was hit by an articulated lorry on his way home on leave from a tour in Northern Ireland.

Last year he did a 140 mile cycle ride around New York for the American Wounded Warrior Project. He wasn’t previously a motorbike fan but after watching the previous day’s practice session at Ginger Hall he said: ’I could be converted.’

Two members of the party are already keen bikers. Ex-army serviceman Dave Croshaw, who lost a leg in a motorbike accident, still has ’a fleet’ of motorbikes, including a Harley Davidson Road King.

Another member of the party, Olaf Jones, actually raced on the mountain course. Riding for the RAF, Olaf gained a podium place in the 1996 Manx Grand Prix and was offered a bike for the following year. This time, things didn’t turn out so well as he recalled: ’I lost my arm after I hit Keppel Gate at about 160mph.’

Olaf still rides and owns more than a dozen bikes but this is his first visit to the TT as a spectator.

The party, who leave tomorrow, has had a full itinerary during their stay, watching the racing and visiting the grandstand and Murray’s Motorbike Museum. They have also been on trips that don’t involve the racing, including a day’s sailing, and tonight they will be having dinner with the Lieutenant Governor at Government House.

Braddan Bridge House has a suite of holiday apartments specifically designed for the disabled visitor to the Isle of Man with features such as fully adjustable beds, hoists, wet-floor shower rooms, and kitchens with side-opening cookers and motorised rise-and-fall sinks.

Dave Croshaw said: ’This place is one of the most amazing things set up for disabled people.’

Former sub-mariner Mark Hancock agreed: ’It’s designed not to make you feel disabled. It’s just fantastic - it’s just the atmosphere on the island and the friendliness of the locals, their generosity is second to none.’

Kevin Quirk from the Joey Dunlop Foundation said: ’At Braddan Bridge House we’re here for anyone with any disability who wants to come for a brilliant holiday.’