Where are all the sponsors who were just waiting to see the aircraft in the air?
According to Pleming during the Radio 4 interview (I agree with Tim, it was atrocious) they were simply falling over themselves to throw money at the Vulcan until the, erm, 'global credit crunch' happened, and now no-one can afford it.
Trying to pin a lack of sponsorship on the US sub-prime situation is a little tenuous, to say the least. I can't imagine many of the would-be sponsors were financial institutions; I don't think it was ever going to be the Northern Rock Vulcan (although that seems to be where it's now headed - without the subsequent bailout and nationalisation).
It's all so depressing, maybe 558 should be crated up and sent to the States where they know how to look after aviation icons (to rejoin the SHAR in a Falklands heritage flight).