Anyone who hasn’t made a will can have one drawn up and help charity at the same time, thanks to a new initiative.

Throughout September help is at hand thanks to a scheme launched by charity Manx Cancer Help and law firm Gelling Johnson Farrant.

Customers can arrange to visit the firm’s offices at 24 Athol Street, Douglas, during the month and have a straightforward Will written in exchange for a minimum donation to Manx Cancer Help of £75.

As well as having peace of mind that your affairs are in order, you will be helping the charity continue its essential work in the island.

Established in 1983, Manx Cancer Help provides emotional support and counselling for cancer patients, their families, carers and friends. It offers a series of free, confidential sessions, face-to-face and over the phone, to anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis.

Marc Furness from Gelling Johnson Farrant said: ‘We approached Manx Cancer Help and suggested setting up the scheme as we believe that it provides an excellent opportunity for us to support a Manx charity whilst at the same time helping convey the importance of making a Will. We certainly hope that the scheme will be a success and help raise significant funds for Manx Cancer Help and that this will be the start of a successful partnership between ourselves and Manx Cancer Help.’

MCH fundraising co-ordinator Ally Martin added: ‘It may not be something we like talking about, but having a properly prepared Will is really important to make sure those you care about are provided for.”

‘We are absolutely delighted Gelling Johnson Farrant is offering people the chance to have their Will professionally written during September in exchange for a donation to Manx Cancer Help. We rely on donations and bequests to continue our work, and this initiative allows people to look after those they care for and at the same time help us to care for people in the Isle of Man.’

You can contact Gelling Johnson Farrant by calling 675367 or emailing gjf@manxlaw.com

It’s tough being a Board Director these days. Gone are the days of a fee and a good lunch once a quarter.

It is even harder to be an effective director in a fast moving global market place. Even if each individual on the board is effective in their own way is the Board as a whole achieving its full potential and leading the organisation to a successful long term future?

What makes a Board successful? If you are a member of a Board, how well do you play your part in its success or do you lack the self-confidence to achieve your full potential on the Board?

The Institute of Directors is running a one-day course on October 8 called ‘Effective Directorship, fulfilling your role on the Board’ which is aimed at recently appointed directors, directors in waiting, or those who feel they lack self-confidence in the board room. It will be fully participative and will enable attendees to

l Consider processes that contribute to Board effectiveness;

l Reflect on their own strengths and how to best use them;

l Explore with peers some of the derailers of effective Boards;

l Explore the value of diversity on the Board

Ann Clayton, course tutor, said ‘Many directors, particularly those newly appointed, can lack selfconfidence in the board room.

‘This course provides guidance on how they can identify and use their strengths to become more effective directors.

‘It also looks at the overall value of diversity of thinking and feeling and how individual directors can use their skills to get their voice heard in the board room.’

Contact Ann Clayton on 470162 or annclayton@manx.net

. Places

on the course are limited and there is an ‘early bird’ discount of £100 for bookings made and paid

th

for by 13

February so early booking is recommended.

Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation (CHF) is holding its second free heart screening weekend of 2013 and is keen to get places filled.

The sessions will take place August 24 and 25 at the Sefton Hotel and are available for anyone aged 14 to 35.

To book your place visit www.craigsheartstrongfoundation.co.uk

Three RNLI lifeboats from the Isle of Man and three from Northern Ireland took part in a major maritime exercise 15 miles off the coast of Northern Ireland on Saturday to test the effectiveness and familiarisation of search and rescue techniques with multiple lifeboats over a large scale area.

Belfast Coastguard coordinated the exercise from their Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Bangor.

The scenario involved the rapid sinking of a small passenger vessel with 30 people onboard.

The lifeboats tasked to respond came from Donaghadee, Portaferry and Newcastle in Northern Ireland and Peel, Port St Mary and Port Erin.

The role of the casualties were played by lifeboat crew, search and rescue mannequins and numbered oranges. The oranges added an extra challenge for the lifeboat crews as they can be quite difficult to locate in large open seas and really test the search techniques of the volunteer lifeboat crews.

The exercise started just before 9am and continued until 12.45pm.

Both all-weather and inshore RNLI lifeboats took part in the scenario with a total of 34 lifeboat crew participating. Conditions on the day were challenging with a strong south west wind and moderate to rough seas.

Gareth Morrison, RNLI divisional operations manager, said: ‘These major search and rescue scenarios are of huge importance to the RNLI.

‘Our lifeboat crews never stop training for every scenario and outcome.

‘This weekend was an opportunity to have six lifeboat crews from different areas, work together in the event off a major incident involving a large number of casualties.

‘These types of callouts are sadly not uncommon and every exercise to prepare the volunteer crews is welcome.’

Choosing a nursery for their child is a difficult decision for parents to make.

Every mum and dad wants to be sure that the nursery they choose provides the right environment for their little ones, and making the right choice is never easy - especially for parents making that decision for the first time.

Rachel Staley is head of early years and playwork at The Children’s Centre.

Her role includes responsibility for Park Road and Woodbourne Road Baby Nursery, Woodbourne Road Nursery, After-School and Holiday club in Douglas, Bonwick Day Nursery, After-School and Holiday club in Ramsey, and Jurby Pre-School Nursery and she appreciates the concerns parents have when making a decision about nursery care.

She says: ‘First and foremost parents want to be confident that the nursery provides a safe and secure environment. I advise parents to visit as many nurseries as they can to find the right setting for their child and have a list of questions ready to ask staff so that they can get a detailed assessment of the pros and cons of each nursery.’

Rachel suggests that parents consider the following factors when exploring which nursery to choose.

Curriculum

‘All nurseries are different. Some will have more emphasis on encouraging social development through play, others will focus more on formal, academic education; and some will try to offer a balance between the two. All these types of care have merits and parents will have different views on what type of nursery care they want for their child, so it’s important to see for themselves what each nursery offers and talk to staff and parents of children already attending a particular nursery. Nurseries that follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum provide a good introduction to formal education and this is a factor parents may wish to consider if it is something they want their child to experience. The EYFS curriculum was updated last September, so parents may want to ask nursery managers if they are up to speed with this development.’

Quality of care and staff training

‘Parents should check to make sure that nurseries they are considering are registered with the Department of Social Care. The department’s registration and inspection unit monitors nurseries to make sure they meet set standards of quality and care. It’s also important to note that Government credits given to parents for pre-school care can only be used at nurseries approved by the Department of Social Care. Forms can be down loaded from http://cf.gov.im/categories/education,-training-and-careers/pre-school/

Remember, you are free to choose where your child goes to pre-school as there are no catchment worries – your child can go to any pre-school and it doesn’t have to be where they will go to primary school. Parents can ask nursery managers for inspection reports to get an independent view. Some nurseries may have accreditation for the quality of the care they provide, so it’s always worth asking if nursery staff have any additional qualifications or if the nursery has Manx Step Into Quality or similar accreditation. Parents need to know that there is someone who can tell them how their child is getting on and answer questions about their development. Some nurseries do this via a ‘Key Person’ who observes how children are developing and acts as the main contact for parents who have concerns about their child’s progress.’

Location

‘Choosing a nursery close to the parents’ place of work means being able to get there quicker if there’s an emergency and they need to pick up their child during the day. However, choosing a nursery closer to home can mean that their child is playing with children who live near them so they can play together and build friendships that extend beyond the nursery environment.’

Point of contact

‘Parents need to know that there is someone who can tell them how their child is getting on and answer questions about their development. Some nurseries do this via a ‘Key Worker’ who observes how children are developing and acts as the main contact for parents who have concerns about their child’s progress.’

Outdoor play

‘Outdoor play is not only fun for children but it also has an important role in their development, both physically and mentally, as it allows them to learn a range of skills including how to manage risk and build friendships. It’s worthwhile for parents to ask about what opportunities their child would have to play outdoors. Some nurseries offer trips to places of interest and this also has benefits for a child’s development.’

These are the main points for parents to consider when choosing a nursery. It’s not easy to make the right choice, but asking the right questions is the best way to start the decision making process. For more information about nursery care go to www.thechildrenscentre.org.im/what-we-do/children-young-people/nursery/

Two Ella Olesen scholars, Joanne Durber and Siobhan Walshe, leave for the United States on Saturday to spend nine months at the University of Idaho.

Joanne, aged 21, of Queen’s Drive, Peel, and Siobhan, aged 21, of Fairway Close, Onchan, follow in a long line of local students to study at the campus.

The scholarship is awarded annually to a female degree student who has been supported through her studies by the Department of Education. It’s named after the late Miss Ella Olesen, a former registrar of the university.

Siobhan said she was feeling both excitement and anticipation of what lay ahead: ‘I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been a few nervous wobbles but they are eased over by the great support network already in place.’

She said she couldn’t pinpoint what she was most looking forward to, saying: ‘It seems to change everyday. I think there is everything to look forward to - the chance to meet so many different people, the opportunity to explore a brand new place and to be able study anything you are interested in.

‘Those are the expected things - I guess there will be so many unexpected experiences that will undoubtedly add to the experience to.’

Joanne was announced as the second scholar after the university agreed it could fund a second scholarship this year.

She said: ‘The last few weeks have been so busy and now I really want to be there to meet my host families – the Trails and Pals, Katie Taylor (a former Ella Olesen scholar who has gone back to study a PhD there), and to start my life changing experience.’

After studying English literature for so long, she’s looking forward to pursuing new interests – broadcasting, nutrition and aerospace. She’s taking classes in fitness and first aid too, and hopefully self defence. As well as travelling while she’s there she is keen to make her mark as an ambassador for the island.

‘Ultimately, I hope to gain memories of an experience that I’ll look back on as being one of the best in my life, not only because of Idaho’s impact on me, but mine on the people I meet too,’ she said.

Thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the Royal Manx Agricultural Show.

The event, at Knockaloe, in Patrick, takes place today (Friday) and Saturday.

Today the weather is expected to be mostly dry with sunny intervals and a low risk of the odd shower. Temperatures could rise to 20C.

Saturday will start dry but there is a risk of some scattered showers later in the day.

For many, the highlight will be at 4pm on Saturday, with the Grand Parade in the entertainment ring, which sees the selection of the highly coveted title of Supreme Champion.

As well as the animal and livestock competition classes, there is something for all the family to enjoy.

In the entertainment ring, the timetable includes Dog and Duck Antics, Ridgeside Falconry Show, a jousting show with Stampede Stunt Company, a display from the police dog unit, and lurcher racing.

There will also be parades of vintage machinery and classic cars.

The Manx Food Theatre will host a number of cookery demonstrations, on everything from baking to cocktails.

While the four chefs who have reached the semi-final of the I Love Manx Chef of the Year competition will battle it out for a place in the final on Friday at 3pm.

Acts to take to the bandstand include Eric Kelly, Manx Jazz Kats, Steve Cowin’s 60s music, and Crosby Silver Band.

The show is open on both days from 9am to 5pm.

The main route for traffic is via the Patrick Road from St John’s. Diversion signs will be in place for people attending from each part of the island.

Bus Vannin is operating extra buses from St John’s and Peel. There are also additional services from Douglas.

For more details go to www.iombusandrail.info

Visitors are advised that they are not allowed to take their dogs on Saturday.

It’s the third year the Royal Manx has taken place at Knockaloe. It was previously held in Sulby and before that other venues, including Douglas.

For more information go to www.royalmanx.com

Ferry bookings for this year’s Festival of Motorcycling – the new name for the events which include the 90th anniversary Manx Grand Prix races and the inaugural Classic TT races – are 17 per cent up on last year.

During the course of the two weeks, 3,250 motorcycles are booked onto ferry crossings, according to the most recent figures released by the Steam Packet Company. This follows a 9.4 per cent increase in motorcycle bookings for the 2012 races, before the latest changes came into effect.

The event’s new title reflects the multiple different attractions in the two-week period, which kicks off with nightly practices (except Sunday) on August 17.

For fans of the modern race, these are on Wednesday August 28 and on Friday 30. A parade lap celebrating 90 years of the Manx Grand Prix will take place on the Wednesday in which all past winners are eligible to take part including some of the great names from the history of motorcycle racing.

This too will be complemented by a variety of attractions, including a catering village, beer tent, sales area, live music and a photograph exhibition from the Mortons Media archive. There will also be an authentic 1960s cocoa tent, a regular feature of the TT paddock in days gone by.

The event opens over the bank holiday weekend with the Classic TT races on Saturday. On the same day there will be a re-enactment of the classic 1967 race involving Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood – won by the latter on a Honda when the chain on Agostini’s MV snapped. The Italian himself will take part with multiple TT winner John McGuinness representing Hailwood.

The area behind the TT Grandstand will take a step back in time to the 1960s with displays from the vintage motorcycle and classic car clubs, collections of racing motorcycles as well as chat shows and autograph signings with the most famous riders. Historical race footage will be played on the big screen and live music from the 60s will also be featured along with vintage fairground rides and a Punch and Judy show. Fans will be encouraged to attend in 60s-style fancy dress.

The popular VMCC’s Festival of Jurby is on the middle Sunday at Jurby race track where there will be displays of classic and vintage bikes, classic cars and parade laps involving a host of famous names from the world of motorcycle racing, riding some exotic and rare machinery. There is also to be a Dakota fly past.

The Manx Classic Trial and the Manx two day trial also form part of the festival.

This year’s event will be the first under the new format which sees both the classic and modern races continuing but with the classic bikes over the bank holiday weekend and the modern races on Wednesday and Friday, rather than the two alternating as before.

Angry fans are still waiting for their ticket refunds for the cancelled Isle of Man Festival, it has emerged.

Several irate comments have been left on the festival’s Facebook page after the organiser had previously said that he hoped to arrange for everyone’s refund to be sent by the end of July.

However, organisers say that the problem has been PayPal freezing the account.

Chris Heyes of festival organisers, Rockingmann, said: ‘The Facebook page will be closed because there are some conflicting messages being posted. I will email those affected by PayPal directly when I have further updates.’

It was originally hoped that refunds would be completed by the end of last month, but fans received an email update from Rockingmann saying: ‘I can only apologise again for not being able to refund all monies by July 31. It was our hope to have this completed by now however, despite our best efforts, it’s now out of our hands completely. Despite many emails and telephone calls with PayPal, they are frustratingly refusing to release our, your, funds.

Festival fans have been left dismayed, as well as out of pocket, by the saga.

Fan Rachel Goldsmith, from Ramsey, said: ‘I’m owed £175.50 for two adult camping tickets. I’ve requested a refund on PayPal twice by sending an invoice for the amount to Rockingmann but this was ignored.

‘I’ve opened a dispute case on PayPal recently to see if I can get anything that way. Hopefully it will be resolved soon.’

PayPal told the Manx Independent that it will issue a statement on the case shortly.

Several fans have left comments on the Isle of Man Festival Facebook page, some of which include:

‘Bought tickets on day of release and still no refund, getting fed up with this now , will never buy tickets for one of your concerts again,’ said Gary.

‘I have probably posted about 20 times on their FB wall,’ said Andrew Brearley.

‘I spoke to paypal today and they said there was no problem at Paypal end. I have today raised a dispute with my credit card (as fortunately £259 of the £300 amount was paid by my credit card),’ said Andrew Brearley.

‘£110 is a LOT of money for me, and I get the feeling that I’m never going to see this money again,’ said Christine.

‘I have emailed Rockingmann three times and not even had the courtesy of a response,’ said Sue.

‘I am beginning to wonder if I will ever see my £100 again,’ said Louise.

‘I have contacted PayPal myself, currently awaiting a response. Credit card company have stated they will send out a claim form and look to retrieve monies via their claims process.’ said Andy Wightman.

‘We have been told by the festival organisers that Paypal have frozen their accounts because of all the refunds to other parties that have already happened,’ said Sharon.

The number of people out of work in the island has fallen by one in the last month.

According to statistics released by the Treasury today, July’s official total recorded 1,055 people unemployed in the island.

In July 2012 that figure was 1,017.

Meanwhile. the island’s economy is heading for a real growth rate of between 3 and 4 per cent in the current financial year, according to the government’s latest quarterly economic report.

The report, produced for the Council of Ministers by the Treasury’s economic affairs division, covers the three months up to the end of June this year. It provides updates and outlooks for various sectors including manufacturing, e-business, shipping, aircraft registration, clean tech and tourism.

More details in Monday’s Isle of Man Examiner.

After 31 years with Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd, Commercial Director Helen Byrne has decided it is time to step back from full-time work and create more time to spend with her family on and off the island.

Isle of Man Newspapers’ Managing Director, Warren Butcher, said: ‘Helen joined us straight from Douglas High School and in that time she has contributed enormously to Isle of Man Newspapers and the Manx community. She has worked in a number of senior positions over her many years within the company. Helen is well known for her knowledge, commitment and dedication to the roles she has held at Isle of Man Newspapers and she will be missed by everyone at our Peel Road offices.’

He added: ‘I respect Helen’s decision to step back from full time work and spend more time with her family and the tough job of finding her replacement will begin immediately. Our challenge is to appoint a strong commercial leader who has the same passion and commitment for the business and for the Isle of Man as Helen has demonstrated, and we will take time to carefully identify the right person. Helen will be staying with us until we find her replacement and so for now it is very much business as usual at Isle of Man Newspapers.

‘Helen will assist with the handover to her successor and help to ensure that the business continues to operate smoothly and successfully, in the interim period.’

Helen said: ‘I am looking forward to spending more time with my family on and off the Isle of Man and exploring new ventures.

‘Working for Isle of Man Newspapers has been a fulfilling and enjoyable experience and it was with mixed emotions that I decided that the time had come to make a change.’

Editor Richard Butt said: ‘When she leaves, Helen will be sorely missed by all her colleagues at Isle of Man Newspapers.

‘She developed strong relationships with many of our commercial partners and helped our company to thrive.

‘Helen has also been a mentor to me and many of the staff at Isle of Man Newspapers. We will all be very sorry to see her go and we wish her every success for the future.’

Helen joined the Isle of Man Courier in 1981 selling classified advertising in the telesales department and worked her way through the ranks to become commercial director.

She grew up in Douglas and was educated at Tynwald Street Girls’ School and then Ballakermeen Junior High School and Douglas High School.

She currently lives in Douglas and has two teenage children.

The Mountain Road will be closed this Sunday (August 11) to carry out resurfacing works to a short section of road next to the Les Graham Memorial Shelter.

During a recent joint inspection, the organisers of the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling (the Manx Grand Prix and associated events) highlighted serious concerns about the condition of the road which seems to have deteriorated more rapidly than expected due to the recent hot weather.

A section of the road has rippled along the racing line which could adversely affect riders and their machines.

The Department of Infrastructure had intended to resurface this section in September, when other works are being planned on the Mountain Road, but in view of the deterioration it has been decided to bring this element of the work forward under an emergency closure.

The road will be closed between Lheaney Road in Ramsey through to the Creg-ny-Baa between 8am on Sunday to 6am on Monday.

The longer closure is to allow the surfacing material to harden prior to allowing traffic back onto it.

Other preparatory works for the event will also be carried out during the closure.

Next week there will also be activity on the Mountain Road.

On Tuesday the road will be closed from Ramsey through to the Bungalow between 9.30am and 2.30pm to allow filming to take place.

Filming is also taking place on the Wednesday, but this will be managed without having to close the road.

There will be occasional delays for people using the road as the filming crews may stop traffic for up to 15 minutes while the filming is taking place.

The filming crew will be on the road from Signpost Corner to Creg-ny-Baa between 5am and 8am, and from the Brandywell junction to Ramsey from 11am to 4pm.

The department says the filming areas will be well signed, and traffic management will be in place, but motorists are asked to take extra care at these times.

A group of friends will set off on an epic bike ride with a difference next month.

In their sights is the TT course, which they plan to race around, but with pedal power on their bicycles.

The 21 cyclists, mainly Yorkshire men, will ride the 185-mile round trip from Brighouse, West Yorkshire, to the Isle of Man, before getting into competitive mode and tackling the TT circuit.

It’s all in memory of their friend, Christopher Roy ‘Taz’ Tarran of Elland who died of cancer at the age of 53 last November.

Taz was a biker and loved his motorsports.

His friends and work colleagues, mostly all novice cyclists, decided to organise a charity ride called ‘TT for Taz’ from September 7 to 9 in his memory with all money raised going to his nominated funeral charities, Macmillan Cancer Support and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Dozens of individuals and local companies have already donated products, money or their time to help with the challenge and over £2,000 has already been raised. The riders, who started training in January, would like to top the £10,000 mark and have set up a website, Facebook and Twitter account to spread the word.

The riders are; Tim Ingram from Holywell Green, Simon Jones from Brighouse, Rick Helliwell from Hebden Bridge, Paul Sharpe and Matt Sykes from Elland, Steve Gully from Northowram, Halifax, Owen Peace from Bradshaw, Halifax, James Coop from Luddenden Foot, Halifax, Thomas Dobbie, Luke and Kev Barnes from Bradford, Sean Jesson, Christian Laughton, Danny Empsall and Mark Aveyard from Wakefield, Ian Crossley and John Butler from Huddersfield, Will Page from Leeds, Eddie Whittle and John McDonough from Blackburn and Graham Waller from Surrey. Alistair Bray from Elland based international freight business ‘Europe Now’ is supplying and driving their support vehicle.

‘It really is going to be a case of blazing saddles, said one of the friends, Tim Ingham. ‘It’s a mammoth task but we’re all determined to do this for Taz who was a well respected lad and sorely missed. It takes patience, time and teamwork to stage such an event and all the cyclists have really pulled together for these two great charities, and we’ve had fantastic support from friends, families and colleagues. We can’t thank all our sponsors enough.’

Pat Whitaker, Taz’s mum said: ‘Chris’s family would like to thank the cyclists for taking part in this cycle ride, especially Tim, Simon and Paul for bringing everyone together and making this event possible. We wish them every success and thank everyone for their incredible efforts and kind donations.’

Yorkshire Air Ambulance needs to raise £9,900 a day (£2.65 million a year) to keep two air ambulances in the air saving lives across Yorkshire.

One in three people will have cancer at some point in our lives and may rely on Macmillan Cancer Support whose nurses care for individuals in their home.

For more details or to donate online visit www.tt4taz.org.uk

Staff at Barclays have been raising money for farmers in the Isle of Man with two ‘Great Barclays Bake-Off’ events.

More than 50 tasty treats were baked and sold during two events held raising £427.

Barclays Wealth and Investment Management matched the proceeds pound-for-pound, bringing the grand total to £854.

The money will be given to the Isle of Man Agricultural Benevolent Fund to help assist farmers affected by the heavy snow earlier this year.

In late March much of the island was covered by deep snow, closing roads and limiting access to farmland.

Despite efforts to recover livestock, thousands of cattle and sheep died.

The conditions also damaged farm buildings, fences and land, as well as hitting crops.

Chair of the Barclays Isle of Man charity committee Stuart Nelson said: ‘While for many of us it is simply a memory, there are farmers who are still feeling the effect, due to the loss of livestock and damage to their land. The Isle of Man Agricultural Benevolent Fund is providing assistance to these farmers, and I’m really proud of everyone who got involved in the Bake-Off events, baking cakes and buying them, to help the fund continue its important work.’

There was a special surprise for employees at the Barclays building, Eagle Court in Douglas, during one of the Bake-Off days when Larry the Lamb, one of the orphaned lambs rescued during the snow, called in for a visit.

Picture: Kelly Wright (left) and Madeleine McCrory, Analysts at Barclays, with Larry Lamb

From trotting trams of visitors along Douglas seafront to competing in shows across Europe, Tynwald president Clare Christian’s home-bred Clydesdale and Shire horses are being put to good use.

Mrs Christian has continued in the footsteps of her father, the late Sir Charles Kerruish, by breeding the heavy horses at Ballaglass, in Maughold.

Her success was seen most recently at the Southern Agricultural Show, where her horses won an impressive eight classes, as well as the show’s highest award of Supreme Champion.

‘I was thrilled to bits,’ she said.

‘Horses don’t often win. Many people think they have nothing to do with agriculture any more.

‘On the other hand there’s lots of farmers who have diversified and are offering livery for horses.’

She described Garff Helga, her six-year-old Clydesdale mare who was named Supreme Champion – as ‘a bit of fairytale story’.

‘She was an orphan,’ she said.

‘Her mother died just a few hours after she was born.

‘We bucket fed her for a few days, and then another mare had a foal and we managed to get her to take both foals.’

Mrs Christian will be taking six of her horses to compete in the Royal Manx Agricultural Show on Saturday.

When asked about her chances of winning the double, she said: ‘I doubt it very much, it’s such a rare occurrence.’

Mrs Christian, who has the only Clydesdale stallion in the island, said the family’s biggest win was in 2003 when one of their Clydesdales won the Royal Highland Show, in Edinburgh.

Horses that she has bred and then sold on have won competitions outside of the UK, and they are owned by heavy horse lovers in countries including Sweden and Denmark.

Clydesdales – a native Scottish breed – are often described as gentle giants.

Mrs Christian, who described keeping the horses as both a business and a hobby, said that their training started early.

At three days old, a head collar will be put on the foals so they start to get used to being around people, and at the end of the first week, they will start to be led.

The amount of work involved in looking after the horses varies depending on the time of year.

When a mare is due to foal, Mrs Christian sets up a camera in the foaling box and links it to her bedroom so she can keep an eye on the mare.

While as it approaches summer show time, Mrs Christian and her helpers have more work to do grooming and washing the horses.

She said that, despite their preparations, they could be ‘upset’ on the show ground because they are often experiencing new sights and sounds for the first time.

‘It’s a very different environment,’ she said.

The rise of the tractor in farming led to a decline in the number of Clydesdales as they were replaced by mechanical power.

In 1975, the Clydesdale was categorised by the Rare Breed Survival Trust as ‘vulnerable’.

Over the years and with the increase in breed numbers, the breed is now categorised as ‘at risk’.

This year, three foals – two Clydesdales and a Shire – were born at Mrs Christian’s yard.

In other years, there have been as many as seven new arrivals.

‘We’ve done our bit to preserve the Clydesdale,’ she said.

She believes it’s important that the hardy breed is not allowed to die out.

‘The world’s genetic pool needs to be preserved,’ she said.

Following on from her father, her Shires all have the prefix ‘Ballafayle’ after the name of his farm while her Clydesdales have ‘Garff’, after the political constituency he represented.

She also continued the naming tradition further by using characters from the Icelandic Sagas which the former Tynwald president liked to read.

‘I inherited the horses, she said.

‘I thought that rather than change what was familiar to people, it was best to keep the prefixes the same.’

The Tynwald Advisory Council for Disabilities is asking motorists to consider pedestrians – and for the law.

A spokesman said: ‘Forcing people to walk into the road to avoid your car, van or lorry parked on the pavement is not only dangerous for pedestrians, especially people who are less mobile or are in wheelchairs – it is illegal and you can be fined £60 for the offence.

‘Parking offences can be reported to the parking team at the Department of Infrastructure, on 686864 or to the police.’

The spokesman added: ‘This is also the time of year that pavements can become overgrown with hedges, trees and other vegetation.

‘But did you know that under the Highways Act 1986, owners are responsible for maintenance of their hedges and the highways division of the Department of Infrastructure can require them to be remove or cut back if they are causing obstruction to a public pavement?

‘A local authority may also take enforcement action, if a hedge is seriously injuring the amenities of the neighbourhood.’

If you are concerned about trees or hedges from someone’s garden causing obstruction to a pavement, you can report the matter to the highways division on 686665.

Douglas RNLI lifeboat volunteer crew members were called out twice yesterday (Saturday).

The crew was first paged at 3.37am to a report of a person in the sea off Douglas.

The RNLI all-weather lifeboat Sir William Hillary was launched under the command of volunteer coxswain Neal Corran to carry out a search between the Peveril Steps and Tower of Refuge where the person was last reported to have been seen.

The person was located and recovered to the lifeboat using its inflatable dinghy daughter boat crewed by volunteers Peter Cowin and Donald Bottomley.

Having determined that the man was not in need of any further assistance from the RNLI he was landed at the Victoria Pier and given into the care of the coastguards and police.

The crew was called back to the station just after 2pm yesterday afternoon (Saturday) to help a local vessel that had broken down.

The Sir William Hillary was launched under the command of volunteer coxswain Neal Corran to go to the aid of a local vessel with two crew and crew other people on board which had broken down just off Port Soderick.

The casualty vessel was found and taken under tow back to Douglas and berthed at the visitors’ pontoon on the Battery Pier. After reporting to coastguards that everybody was well the lifeboat returned the casualty vessel to its regular mooring in the harbour.

Firefighters were called out this afternoon (Sunday) to an unattended garden fire.

At about 12.15pm, a fire appliance from Douglas was sent to investigate reports of smoke issuing from trees at a property on Abbeylands, Onchan.

The smoke was coming from an unattended garden fire that had been set within the tree line of the property.

The fire was quickly extinguished using a high pressure hose reel. The firefighters were there for about 20 minutes.

Leading Firefighter Sean Murphy who was the officer in charge of the appliance said: ‘The occupier attended the incident after the fire had been put out and suitable advice was given in relation to the safety aspects of leaving an unattended fire.’

He also said that anyone setting garden fires should be aware of how quickly fire can spread through trees and undergrowth, especially during dry months. They should always fully extinguish the fire before leaving.

The Isle of Man TT Marshals’ Association will be staging a recruitment drive on board Manannan in the run-up to the Festival of Motorcycling, which gets under way on August 17 and incorporates five events, including the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix.

IOMTTMA representatives will travel on several sailings, starting with the 7,15pm Liverpool-Douglas service on Wednesday, August 14, to help raise awareness of the work undertaken by the association and to try to attract more volunteers.

Terry Holmes, chairman of the IOMTTMA, said: ‘Finding sufficient numbers to marshal the first few practice sessions can be problematic, so this recruitment drive is aimed at those arriving early for the racing.

‘You don’t have to agree to marshal every session, and any newcomers will be placed with experienced marshals so that their knowledge can be passed on.

‘By taking this initiative we hope to increase the numbers on our books which will help to achieve and exceed the minimum manning numbers we require for each practice and race session.

‘We receive support in a number of ways throughout the year from the Steam Packet and its help in allowing us free travel at such a busy time is very much appreciated.’

Steam Packet chief executive Mark Woodward said: ‘Events such as the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix cannot happen without a whole host of volunteers around the circuit. When the Marshals’ Association approached us with this idea we were only too happy to help. Hopefully it will lead to greater numbers signing up to marshal at this and future events.’

The price of potatoes has rocketed and lamb could follow as farmers feel the pressure of difficult weather conditions.

Belinda Leach, general secretary of the Manx National Farmers’ Union, said farmers were still feeling the impact of summer 2012 – the wettest on record.

While the full effect of the 2013 snowfall, which saw thousands of sheep and lambs perish, may yet to be seen.

She said: ‘Generally, livestock, like farmers, are really appreciating the good weather and while good progress is being made in restoring fields to their true state, it will take several years to fully restore some of the damage from last summer.’

A shortage of potatoes in the island and UK has caused a sharp increase in their price.

Vegetable crops were ‘very seriously affected’ by the extremely wet summer, autumn and winter 2012:

‘Many acres of potatoes and vegetables were lost, unable to be harvested due to waterlogged fields and indeed many quite simply rotted in the fields and had to be ploughed in. There was also a shortage of seed potatoes so the price for new seed rocketed and was in fact very hard to get hold of.’

A very poor spring means many vegetable crops have been ‘very late this season’.

But the recent spell of dry weather has helped ‘enormously’.

Sheep farmers are now feeling the full financial hit of the heavy lamb and ewe losses from the snow.

They don’t have the lambs to be marketed, and many which would have gone to market have been kept for breeding. It means lamb is likely to be in short supply later in the year ‘which may push the price of lamb up to the customer’.

Following the snow, the island experienced persistent strong easterly winds and very dry conditions. Very cold and damp soil conditions resulted in poor germination and poor establishment of crops while very low air temperatures resulted in zero grass growth.

Farmers were unable to turn animals out into fields, resulting in both extra feed and bedding costs and management time.

Delayed grass growth added financial pressures on dairy farmers. Milk yields were affected as dairy cows had to be housed and fed boughtin feed.

Many arable crops struggled to establish in the cold and wet of late winter and early spring, then were cut back by the harsh easterly winds.

She said: ‘Early indications are that yields are likely to be reduced partly due to the difficult spring, partly due to the loss of waterlogged winter cereals and partly due to a slight droughting of crops during this recent very dry period.

Harvest has just started in the north, with the first winter barley having just been combined.

On a positive note, maize planted – mainly as feed for dairy cows – is thriving in the warm temperatures.

• In July the annual cost of living, measured by the Retail Prices Index, rose 0.4 per cent to 3.2 per cent. Over the last 12 months, the price of potatoes has leapt by 27.6 per cent.