This Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of Braddan Bridge House and 20 years since Joey Dunlop won his third hat-trick at the TT - just weeks before he died while racing in Estonia. Here Bruce Baker, trustee for the Joey Dunlop Foundation which owns and runs the holiday and respite accommodation for anyone who has a disability, looks back at Joey’s legacy and how it is facing up to the challenges presented by Covid-19.

In truth, Joey Dunlop needs little introduction but William Joseph Dunlop of Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland started his racing career in 1969, soon adopting the distinctive yellow helmet and racing number 3 for his events.

More than three decades later, Joey was still racing and winning! In 1986, Joey won his fifth consecutive Formula One TT Championship world title.

In 2005 he was voted the fifth greatest motorcycling icon in history by Motor Cycle News.

It was in Tallinn, Estonia July 2, 2000 that Joey rode his final race. He won the first Superbike race at the start of that same fateful day. Sadly, it was during the later 125cc event that he crashed in wet conditions and sustained fatal injuries when colliding with a tree.

In 1986, Joey ’the People’s Champion’ was awarded an MBE for his services to motorcycling and in 1996 he returned to Buckingham Palace to receive an OBE for services to the sport and for his humanitarian deeds.

Joey had a very caring attitude to children in need, particularly orphans in Eastern Europe. He was first made aware of the struggles these children faced when he visited Europe in 1995 while taking part in the first ’Pure Roads’ Series which covered events at Mettet in Belgium, the North West 200, Ulster GP, Riga in Latvia and Tallinn in Estonia. After his experiences in these countries, Joey undertook a number of mercy missions to Romania, Bosnia and Albania, taking food and essential goods during the off-racing season.

He travelled mostly alone in his van, experiencing very cold conditions in the winter months.

Joey was awarded the Manx Sword of State in 2000 becoming only the third person to receive the honour.

He was also awarded the Segrave Trophy, which is presented by the RAC to the British national who demonstrates ’outstanding skill, courage and initiative on land, water and in the air’ in 2000. His untimely death meant he was unable to accept the award in person.

Braddan Bridge House

Joey Dunlop Foundation received the keys to Braddan Bridge House shortly before the 2009 TT and submitted a planning application which was approved towards the end of that year.

The residential house was converted into three self-catering apartments consisting of one single bedroom unit, a double bedroom unit and a larger three-bedroom unit on the first floor. The adjacent garage housed the laundry facilities as well as a reception and storeroom.

The apartments were officially opened on June 6, 2010 by Linda Dunlop, Joey’s widow and the Foundation’s patron, accompanied by multiple TT winner John McGuinness.

In 2016, the Foundation had raised sufficient funds to increase the number of apartments to five and build new office and laundry facilities at the rear of the house.

The charity was only able to achieve this with the continued, generous assistance from its many supporters including the Dunlop family and the small but extremely dedicated JDF committee.

The Foundation continues to raise funds to ensure the successful running and upkeep of the facilities and is always seeking to make improvements.

Over recent years the Foundation has added overhead hoists to two apartments, installed new windows, fitted new external doors and refurbished some of the wet rooms.

Other recent equipment purchased includes air mattresses, height adjustable profiling beds, a specialist shower chair, new furniture and new smart TVs.

The grounds have also been extensively re-landscaped with new garden furniture added.

Usually, the apartments are open year-round to anyone that may have a disability. As well as providing self-catering holiday lets, the facilities have been used by island residents who needed to stay while they recovered from illness, injury or if their own homes were undergoing accessibility improvements.

Some of the specialist equipment can also be loaned out to those that may require temporary use of it.

JDF receive grants and funding from many organisations, charitable groups as well as donations from many individuals on and off the island. To all of them and its supporters, on behalf of those who make use of the facilities, the JDF committee wish to say a huge thank you.

the Coronavirus Pandemic

With the world being thrown into turmoil because of the pandemic, in line with all tourism activities and daily life, the Foundation has seen almost all of its season’s bookings being cancelled.

With no date as to when the borders may reopen to visitors, for now it seems the apartments will not be used for most of this year.

Before the lockdown the JDF managed to attend one or two small fundraising events but it then had no alternative but to cancel its attendance at all other major scheduled events in 2020 including the NW200, the TT, Southern 100, Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix.

JDF has only been able to sell a handful of tickets for its annual tombola draw. Licensing restrictions prevent selling tickets online and reluctantly this has resulted in the draw date being carried over for an additional 12 months.

New tickets will be produced with a revised draw date of January 15, 2022 and those that did manage to purchase tickets before lockdown are being contacted to provide them with options to receive a full refund or receive fresh tickets.

Hopefully the new normality will allow everyone including the Foundation to resume activities before then.

The JDF operates a mail order option for merchandise via its website at www.joeydunlopfoundation.com

Further information and virtual tours of the apartments can be found on the charity’s website. Email booking and general enquiries to [email protected] or call 677741.