Police have removed a thread from the Constabulary’s Facebook page after ‘wildly inaccurate and incendiary’ comments were posted – including threats towards named individuals.

The move follows an alleged incident on Sunday August 4 when a police received a report from the mother of a six year old, who stated her child had been spoken to in Pulrose by the occupants of a blue car, who asked if the child wanted a lift.

The child declined and went back home.

Subsequently. names of individuals were posted on the Constabulary’s Facebook page.

Police said today it had been necessary to remove the thread. In a statement on the media page, they said: ‘This isn’t a decision which the Constabulary has taken lightly. Our page outlines clearly that people are free to comment on our posts, but this comes with the condition that comments must be moderate.

‘Some of the posts on the thread which has been removed were wildly inaccurate, incendiary, and made threats towards named individuals. The type of language used by some cannot be tolerated on a public forum. The police wish to make clear there is no evidence whatsoever that any of the people named on Facebook have committed any offences.’

Moving to clarify the situation, police said the occupants of the blue car did not get out of the vehicle and made no further attempts to speak to the child.

Officers spoke to a number of people, including other children who play in the area and their parents, but it appeared most of the information from the children had originated from speculative Facebook postings.

Police said they took matters of public protection very seriously and will investigate all reports thoroughly.

Anyone who witnessed the occupants of a blue car speaking to a child in the Pulrose area on Sunday, August 4, is being urged to contact police headquarters on 631212.

Health bosses have unveiled improvements that they say aim to create a renal service fit to serve the island well into the future.

These include increased capacity for outpatient dialysis treatment both at Noble’s Hospital and the newly-opened renal dialysis unit at Ramsey Cottage Hospital.

For a longer report on this, see Thursday’s Manx Independent

Winner of Customer Service Award 2012 – Isle of Man Aircraft Registry.

The registry delivers a service to some of the most demanding customers in the world – and they do it so well that they were voted best in the world in a prestigious poll of lawyers worldwide.

No surprise, then, that the team at Isle of Man Aircraft Registry also picked up the Award for Customer Service at last year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.

‘In aviation terms, everyone strives for very high standards of safety and we all have common international standards to achieve, but the differentiator for the Isle of Man is the pragmatic, practical, customer-focussed attitude of the registry,’ says director of civil aviation, Hartley Elder.

While, in some competitor jurisdictions it can sometimes takes weeks for a potential client to locate and talk to the correct person, or get a reply to an email, the registry on the island is very proud of the way customers can easily access someone who can talk to them and find them answers. They have made customer service and going the extra mile the Isle of Man’s unique selling point.

To explain a little of how it works, here is a typical scenario for the team at the registry…

An aircraft is being delivered, brand-new, from a factory in Savannah, Georgia. It’s going to be registered on the island, under the auspices of the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry and there is a procedure to be followed in order to ensure that this is done correctly and conforms to the rigorous safely standards the industry demands.

Before the aircraft left the factory, one of the registry’s airworthiness surveyors travelled to Sanannah to carry out all the technical checks required.

The airworthiness surveyor arrived at Heathrow and whilst transferred to Gatwick to fly home to the Isle of Man home to the Isle of Man, was in contact with Savannah to close a small number of outstanding actions. Staff at the registry stayed on till 7pm for last administrative tasks to be completed and the aircraft to be registered and its documentation issued.

When the aircraft arrived at Ronaldsway the following morning – a Saturday – someone staff from a local corporate service provider and law firm processed the aircraft for importation into Europe and payment of VAT. Although not strictly required, Hartley Elder was also on hand himself to complete the exchange of certificates:

‘We’re very keen that the documentation should be as professionally presented as the aircraft itself,’ he says.

About 40 minutes after it arrived, the aircraft took off again and flew to Dublin where the proud new owner was waiting to see it.

The aircraft in this case was a Gulfstream G650, one of the new breed of sleek, large cabin jets which can fly distances of up to 6,000 miles in one hop. It was going into service as a corporate jet, bought to fly executives and key company staff around the world. Not only will it allow them to avoid time in airports and flying to an airlines schedule, it will also afford them the comfort and facilities to continue working while on board.

It may be a very high-value asset but it will earn its keep.

There are lots of spin-offs for the island from aircraft that are registered here. Many of them will be owned by companies formed on the island for this purpose, which means business for corporate service providers and law firms. Then there is the VAT share when tax on the new purchase is paid here. Not to mention the landing fees and refuelling charges, even hotels and restaurants when crews have to stay here overnight.

‘The aeroplane is essentially the vehicle to enable the private sector people to diversify and prosper and it is hoped that they can also gain other work from these high net worth individuals or blue chip companies –assisting with their other portfolios or wealth management issues,’ says Hartley Elder.

Not only does the aircraft registry bring business, it doesn’t cost taxpayers on the island a penny, as he explains: ‘After our first year of existence we became cost-neutral to the island’s tax payers so we don’t cost anything to the exchequer here but we generate these opportunities for the private sector.

‘In actual fact we are too successful, we’re growing too fast and we are actually making profits but equally we’re now going to have to invest in better computer systems so the little bit of profit will be re-invested to make us more efficient and to be able to continue the growth of the registry.’

This, he adds, is his biggest worry: continuing that growth whilst also maintaining the high standards of service. With more than 600 aircraft registered and more than 400 currently on the register, they are adding over a hundred additional aircraft per year. Each aircraft has to be surveyed and checked for air worthiness not only before it goes on the register but also annually on an ongoing basis:

‘That’s more than one renewal per calendar day on average and two additional aircraft per week, so in terms of growth it certainly keeps everyone busy and that really is my biggest challenge: everyone wants to join our register and we have to maintain the growth and still deliver the service.’

Could you demonstrate to the judges how you give your customers exceptional service?

Everyone who enters the Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence will tell you it’s a marvellous experience – especially if you win.

Hartley Elder says of winning the award for Customer Service last year:

‘To receive an award on the island was fabulous: it’s local recognition of how well we’re doing but it was also wonderful to win a customer service award when you’re part of the government – to be competing against the private sector which traditionally, you would think, would always outstrip a government department.’

This year’s Award for Customer Service is being sponsored by The Claremont Hotel. The award is one of sixteen on offer, including Company of the Year, Young Achiever and Volunteer of the Year.

This year’s Awards night takes place on November 21. The event will be compered by Hugh Dennis, star of the hit TV comedy ‘Outnumbered’, and screened live via the web to a worldwide audience.

For further details on how to enter the awards, please contact Trudi Williamson at Isle of Man Newspapers on 695695.

Mourners flocked to pay their last respects as two of the Steam Packet’s longest serving captains were laid to rest within moments of one another.

As the funeral of Captain Allan Bridson took place in Douglas, his former colleague Captain Gwyn Peters’ funeral also took place in Wales on Friday.

The deaths of the two men came just a matter of weeks after another of the company’s long serving captains, John Kelly, also died in July in the Isle of Man.

Captain Bridson, who died aged 75 after a long illness, was instrumental in organising the creation and dedication of the new Isle of Man Merchant Navy Parade Ensign somthing he was pleased to see accomplished, attending its dedication service.

His funeral saw St George’s Church in Douglas packed with friends and family including many of his former Steam Packet colleagues.

Former Steam Packet captain Jack Ronan was among the congregation and said both former and current ship’s personnel were among the mourners.

As a ship’s master himself from 1970 to 1989 he saw the three younger men progressing up through the ranks.

‘I was ship mates with him (Captain Bridson) for many years right up to him being chief officer and later he achieved his command,’ he said.

‘Three of our colleagues have all gone within a month so we are all rather shaken.’

Captain Bridson joined the Steam Packet in 1956, spending more than 40 years with the company before his retirement in 2000. He became a second mate in 1967 and achieved command in 1985, then spending 15 years as a ship’s captain.

After completing his training he spent time sailing out of Liverpool to a wide variety of foreign climes.

He received a Royal Humane Society testimonial for saving the lives of two swimmers in 1957. This took place while he was serving in New Zealand on board the ship British Monarch.

After joining the Steam Packet Company he first served on the Lady of Mann I.

Captain Bridson was born in the Isle of Man and died on July 29. During his retirement he was an active member of the Royal British Legion and was a patron of the Douglas branch.

Captain John Kelly who died on July 8 came originally from Liverpool joining the Steam Packet in 1979 and becoming a captain in 1999.

In total he was with the company for 31 years before his retirement in 2009. He was aged 62.

When he retired from life on board ship, Captain Kelly took up golf as a pastime. He was also an active Freemason. His funeral took place at St Mary’s Church in Douglas less than a month ago on Wednesday July 17.

Captain Kelly was born in 1951 and grew up in Huyton in Liverpool. He went to the Gravesend Sea Training School and later worked with a variety of old Liverpool firms such as Cunard, the Alfred Holt Blue Funnel company and Ellerman Papyani. He joined the Steam Packet as second mate in 1979 and achieved first officer status in 1988. He was promoted to master on the sea cat in 1999 and later also served as master on the Ben my Chree.

‘He got on well and blended in well with the working life on board ship,’ Captain Ronan said.

‘He and I sailed together quite a lot and he was a good sea man acquitting himself well.

‘All three of them were a pleasure to work with and a pleasure to be ship mates with.

‘They were good at their job and having any them on board was always reassuring because they performed their duties so well – to the benefit of the Steam Packet and passengers and the Isle of Man in general. They were a credit to the company.’

Gwyn Peters’ funeral took place at Criccieth in Wales.

Captain Peters was aged 72 and served with the Steam Packet for 30 years. When he retired he remained in his home town of Criccieth in North Wales, where his funeral also took place on Friday August 9.

Captain Peters was also born in Liverpool, in 1944, though he was from a Welsh family.

He served time as a cadet with the Alfred Holt Blue Funnel company before later becoming a member of the Steam Packet in 1972 as a second mate.

In 1977 he was promoted to the position of chief officer. He later rose to the rank of ship’s master in 1991.

His first command was on the Peveril but he also commanded the King Orry and was one of the first masters of the new (current) Ben my Chree.

Unusually he kept his home in North Wales through out his command with the Steam Packet, returning there to his family when off duty.

All three men worked on the Ben my Chree latterly and on the sea cats but also served on many of the Steam Packet’s earler vessels during their careers.

‘I think Allan Bridson would have served on the early Lady of Mann which was retired from service in 1971,’ Captain Bridson said.

‘They would have seen a few changes in the boats during their careers because the more modern vessels now - including the Ben my Chree – have far more technology on board than the older boats used to have.’

In the earlier days of their command, the three men would have undertaken a variety of trips beyond the staple sailings now between Heysham and Liverpool.

‘Certainly up to the 1980s there were sailings to places like Fleetwood and Llandudno as well as Belfast and Dublin. Sometimes you would be living with colleagues like family - particularly if the ship was laid up by bad weather.

‘You tended to think a lot of your colleagues as a result so it’s important to pay tribute to them.

‘The three deaths from within the same group of associated people and in the same calendar month has to be unprecedented.’

Consumer legislation which has lain on the statute books untouched since it was passed in 2001 could soon be brought in to force after a review by the Office of Fair Trading.

OFT chief officer Mike Ball said it was part of a rolling programme to re-examine legislation not yet in force.

In this case the Fair Trading (Amendment) Act, 2001 was principally to address the need for a financial services ombudsman. This came into force around 12 years ago but the remaining parts, dealing with unequal terms in contracts between businesses and consumers were never implemented.

Because of the time lapse, further consultation is being held – ending on September 30. The legislation mirrors similar provisions in the UK where considerable time has been spent on interpretation, providing precedents which will assist the Isle of Man implementing it.

‘There was a lot of common sense in letting the legislation settle down before we activated it over here,’ Mr Ball said.

In fact many of the consumer contracts used in the IOM are imported from the UK and so will already be compliant with the legislation.

The latest consultation is to identify unforseen problems. ‘This is the minor bit of the bill that went under the radar really.’

‘The finance sector is one of the few areas of the economy where we are trading internationally rather than into the EU where people are likely to be compliant with these regulations anyway.’

The new regulations will give a remedy to consumers if they enter into a contract which is skewed so far in favour of the business as to be unfair.

‘A good example which came up in the UK was the issue of contracts for gym membership,’ Mr Ball said.

‘Contracts would be renewable and last for a year but to cancel you had to give say six months’ notice. So people would reach seven months, and decide to cancel only to find they were tied in for another year.

‘That’s something that was stamped on in the UK,’ he said.

To be formally brought into force, the legislation requires an order from the Minister for Community Culture and Leisure, Graham Cregeen MHK, whose department is responsibe for the OFT. If the consultation goes smoothly, it could be in force by Christmas.

For more information see www.gov.im/lib/docs/oft/consultations/unfairtermsinconsumercontracts.pdf. or call 686507.

A former Manx Grand Prix competitor who is now confined to a wheelchair is hoping to complete a lap of the course to raise money for charity during this year’s event.

Former fireman George Ridgeon from Gloucester was injured in a firefighting accident in 1981 bringing to an end a 10 year stint of competing in the Manx.

Despite this, his enthusiasm for the Isle of Man and the racing remain undiminished and though he can no longer ride, his plan is to travel pillion around the course raising money for Manx charities - racing and otherwise.

‘I spoke to Mick Grant at the Festival of 1,000 bikes at Mallory Park and he agreed to take me round but I need to find someone kind enough to loan us a suitable bike,’ he said.

Ideally the bike needs to be a large comfortable touring bike with some sort of back support behind the pillion such as a removable top box which will allow him to be lifted on before being placed behind him.

In fact it won’t be George’s first charity lap of the course - his first was in 1983 just two years after his accident - when Mick Grant also did the honours - raising £800 for charity.

He wants visitors to guess his lap time in exchange for a donation and he’s hoping some Manx businesses might offer prizes for the most accurate suggestions. Anyone able to loan a bike or offer other support should contact Mr Ridgeon via Isle of Man Newspapers. Ring 695637.

Gemma Burnell is a woman of energy – Green energy – and she now has the credentials to verify her knowledge as demand grows from businesses for more expert information and advice on renewable sources.

She said: ‘At a time when prices are going up for oil and gas a detailed and independent commercial energy audit of a business makes economic sense.’

Gemma is a consultant with Douglas-based ISO QA Isle of Man Ltd.

She has been awarded a BPEC Certificate of Achievement in Renewable Energy Awareness that was organised by Optimum Energy Solutions Ltd.

Gemma added: ‘The course gave a detailed understanding of other sources of energy, along with the choices available and the appropriate way to go about setting up the likes of solar panels, heat source pumps and wind turbines.

‘It is always advisable for a company to seek independent advice before making a final decision on the options available.

‘There is definitely a need for companies, sooner rather than later, to think about alternative sources of energy and the savings that can be made. An environmentally friendly company sends out the right signals to customers and potential customers.’

By his own admission advocate John Rimmer admits he could ‘never be accused of being stuck for words.’

As a partner at Appleby in Athol Street, Douglas, Mr Rimmer specialises in trusts, foudations, estate planning, wills, estates, probates, charity and taxation with private clients.

Business News met up with him shortly after he’d once again been featured in a prestigious publication called the Citywealth Leaders List.

He’s been appearing regularly over several years in this and those honoured to be picked for it are understood to be the creme de la creme of the wealth industry.

Originally from south London Mr Rimmer has been at Appleby for around 15 years.

He’s married to a Manx woman Sarah and they have two teenage children. Coincidentally, Sarah, whose from the Corkill family, once worked as office manager for the UK Conservative party when it was based in Smith Square, London and when Margaret Thatcher and then John Major were in power.

Mr Rimmer says these are changing times.

He said the area of law he works in ‘is undoubtedly under pressure. Not because of private individuals, I do a lot of work for private clients who live in the island and hopefully that will continue.

TRUST COMPANIES

‘But a lot of our work is for trust companies and if that business is threatened then it could easily have a negative effect on the business for advocates generally.

‘My area is narrower in the trust area, the corporate area is a bigger one.

‘But nonetheless the trust business is not an expanding area of law.

‘If anything it has contracted in the 15 years I have been here.’

Mr Rimmer, who often finds himself giving ‘after dinner’ style talks told Business News: ‘There’s two areas really. There’s the ‘‘good,’’ if you like, tax planning and there’s the ‘‘wicked’’ tax planning.

WICKED

‘Historically, the wicked was something none of us would ever want anything to do with.

‘But it is more to do with these moves for disclosure which we are getting at the moment. A lot of that is to show that people are not paying their taxes and so on.

‘There’s a different area which is tax planning. There’s a bit of a spectrum there from people who simply take advantage of opportunities that are given them to people who create artificial arrangements to save themselves tax. That has also become regarded as rather wicked.

‘It’s not criminal but it’s an area where in the last few years , especially when some individuals and some organisations have suffered financially, people have started to focus attention on that artificial tax avoidance and saying that it’s really not fair that these people are not pulling their weight and paying their fair share to society.’

Mr Rimmer said none of that really presents much of a problem for him and his colleagues at Appleby but what it does mean is that the kind of people who want to use the Isle of Man as an offshore base especially for dealing with structures such as trusts and foundations, are going to be from a narrower group of people who can take advantage of those possibilities.

Mr Rimmer said that since the 1930s there have been anti tax avoidance measures.

He added: ‘There is a lot of ignorance in the reporting in the UK and people generally because it can be misleading.’

And he said there was a new phrase, tax mitigation, where people are doing things within the spirit of the law.

But Mr Rimmer said in his opinion what really was causing trust work to ‘contract’ in recent times was that legislation in the UK ‘has moved so that a number of structures that people would set up offshore no longer work.

‘Areas such as employees benefits and to an extent pension schemes and certainly people that have set up trusts historically to save themselves on paying UK taxes have been squeezed over the years.

‘There are relatively few people nowadays who can legitimately take advantage of it.’

PRIVATE CLIENTS

Mr Rimmer stressed he provides a great service for his private clients in the island.

Appleby itself has been around for well over 100 years and has an excellent reputation around the world.

Mr Rimmer added: ‘I think a lot of people are hypocritical because given the opportunity themselves that they could save money on tax they would do it.’

Asked: Will there always be a place for the work you do? he replied: ‘Yes, in many ways it is helpful to people like me and to my department that the legislation is rigorous, because actually we don’t want tax evaders and we don’t want criminal money.

‘We want to deal with people who legitimately want help in the organisation of their affairs. Tax efficiently if there are opportunities.

And he said it helps if legisalation ‘weeds out people who do not come under the spirit of that.’ He added: ‘We are lucky in that we live in a world where goverment is open and supervision by the police and authotrities is open. That is not the case in some areas.’

Mr Rimmer stressed ‘We are not a place where you can come and hide from the tax system.

‘The use of trusts has undoubted been affected by moves in places such as the UK but also in France where there has been aggressive legisaltion.

‘We have to accept that in the world we live in . . . we are not interested in helping people to conceal wealth which is open to scrutiny.’ Mr Rimmer also stressed that the island is a well regulated, compliant jurisdiction ‘and we are not in the business of trying to draw up a drawbridge.’

Appleby staff have consistently appeared in the Citywealth lists over the last few years. Mr Rimmer said it positions the Isle of Man wealth management sector among the most highly regarded jurisdictions in the world.

AIDE-DE-CAMP

Outside of work Mr Rimmer is an honorary aide de camp to the island’s governor.

He said he is part of a small group of people ‘lucky enouugh’ to be asked to do this.

He prefers to remain low key about this role but admits: ‘It is an honour. I’ve been lucky to work with with three governors including the current governor Adam Wood.’

He has met some wonderful people and it has been fascinating. He said Chris Cope, an Appleby colleague, is also an aide-de-camp.

They can often be seen at receptions at Government House , for instance and ensure that visitors are well looked after.

Mr Rimmer is also a keen baritone singer and is a member of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

He admits to an uncanny knack for remembering gags and funny stories which he recounts at events .

The beach cleaning volunteer group Beach Buddies has discovered an area of coastline which it describes as being polluted by ‘the worst amount of rubbish found on the Isle of Man by far’.

Beach Buddies co-ordinator Bill Dale said: ‘I have to admit that we have felt recently that we had made a significant difference to the cleanliness of the Isle of Man’s beaches, and I still think that this is the case, but the amount of rubbish we discovered at Sartfield beach was simply overwhelming,

‘Our volunteers discovered an absolutely huge amount of rubbish which has collected over what appears to be many, many years. We had a good number of volunteers, and they collected a lot of rubbish, but there is still a mountain of plastic bottles, fishing gear, canisters, ropes and all sorts of rubbish still to be cleared.

‘This will take many, many weeks to clear. It’s frightening to think of the damage that this sort of pollution has caused the wildlife along the coast over the last 10 or 20 years. This part of the coast is now been chosen as the number one priority, and we will be diverting all our attention to this area in the next few weeks.’

Beach Buddies has now issued an appeal for its northern volunteers to do their best to attend this coming Sunday morning’s second visit to Sartfield beach at Jurby, to tackle the massive amount of rubbish on the coastline.

Mr Dale added: ‘The key to this is that once we have gathered the rubbish we need to get it all off the beach, because both the Beach Buddies 4x4 and trailer have now been scrapped and we have no vehicle to go onto the beach. If anyone in the Ballaugh, Jurby or Lhen area can help then we would be most grateful.

‘It also raises the question as to whether we create a new ‘collection point’ for bags of rubbish half way between the access points at Jurby and The Lhen, so that members of the public can gather rubbish and deposit bags to be collected afterwards.’

Tim Cross and Jaynee Major, who are keen supporters of the regular Beach Buddies’s sessions, and who organised the first cleaning sessions at Sartfield last Sunday, said: ‘We would like to thank everyone who was able to attend the beach clean that took place on Sunday at Sartfield beach at Jurby.

‘Although the army was smaller than some of our previous cleans, the amount of rubbish was as grand as usual. We hope that everyone who was able to attend enjoyed the day and left feeling as pleased and as proud as we felt. Thanks once again.’

The Beach Buddies team will meet at Sartfield at 10.30am on Sunday. Litterpickers, gloves and bin bags (sponsored by WDS Ltd) will be supplied and Beach Buddies will dispose of all the rubbish collected afterwards. The Northern Amenity Site has been informed to expect ‘exceptional’ quantities of rubbish!

Email: beachbuddies@manx.net. Phone 496560

Police are investigating after about £1,000-worth of damage was caused to a car and the culprit did not own up.

Between 8pm on Thursday, July 18, and 2.30pm on Friday, July 19, damage was caused to the rear bumper and licence plate area of a blue Ford Fiesta which was parked on The Crofts in Castletown.

Police only released information about the incident today (Wednesday).

Police say the car was parked quite legally facing toward the Bowling Green area.

There was a lot of building work going on in the area at the time and wagons were removing scaffolding from a house nearby. Police want to trace witnesses.

A spokesman said: ‘Members of the public are reminded to take care when negotiating tight spaces and if you do connect with another vehicle please out of courtesy and as your legal obligation leave your contact details in order to make arrangement with the owners of the vehicles via your insurance company or personal agreement.’

A three-wheeled single-axel boat trailer was taken from Castletown inner harbour last month.

Police have today (Wednesday) made an appeal for help in tracking it down.

It went missing some time between Monday, July 8, and Wednesday, July 24. It was red oxide in colour taken from the area near to Qualtrough’s Yard.

It needs to be repaired and identifiable by the owner.

A police spokesman said: ‘Boat owners understand that sometimes other boat owners will “borrow” a trailer as a temporary measure and this is commonly acceptable among the boating community.

‘However, on this occasion it is felt that the person taking it has not returned it or kept it for their own and the owner would like it returned to the boat park or the harbour master informed of its whereabouts.’

Between 10.20pm and 10.30pm on Sunday, an incident took place in the area of Hope Street, Castletown, involving a male in the street.

During the ‘incident’, a female received minor injuries and a plant pot taken from a nearby garden was damaged.

The police say many residents may have been disturbed or awoken by shouting.

Constable Louise Kennaugh would like to speak to anyone who heard or saw anything.

Ring Castletown police station on 822222.

Putting his body on the line to save the life of a prisoner has led to prison officer Tony Jones becoming the first recipient of a new Isle of Man Government award.

The Department of Home Affairs has introduced a Ministerial Commendation to honour members of staff who demonstrate bravery, self-sacrifice or extreme commitment to the protection of the public.

The incident occurred in March when a prisoner climbed the railings on the top landing of a wing at the prison, intending to harm himself by throwing himself to the floor below.

A prison officer since 1997, Tony spotted the danger unfolding and reacted quickly to break the prisoner’s fall and prevent him from sustaining serious, possibly life-threatening injuries.

Officer and prisoner both emerged relatively unscathed and Tony was able to resume his regular duties just a few minutes later after being checked over by the prison healthcare team.

Tony Jones said: ‘It’s an honour to be the first person to receive this new award. The incident itself happened very quickly and I just reacted to the circumstances to protect the welfare of the prisoner involved.’

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK this week presented Tony with the framed certificate in recognition of his part in a dramatic rescue at the Isle of Man Prison. Presenting the Ministerial Commendation, Mr Watterson said: ‘Without any thought to his own personal safety, Tony Jones was able to catch the prisoner as he fell. His brave and selfless action prevented death or serious injury to the prisoner and he is a very worthy recipient of this new honour.’

Prison governor Alison Gomme added: ‘Officer Jones’s actions were above and beyond the call of duty. Thankfully events such as this are extremely rare at the Isle of Man prison, and the response to this particular incident demonstrates the high level of professionalism and commitment of staff at the prison.’

The Ministerial Commendation has been created by Home Affairs to formally recognise exceptional performance in the course of duty by serving officers of the department outside the police force, which has its own long-established awards ceremony.

Andrew James Maddrell, who lives at an address off Ballanard Road in Douglas, pleaded guilty to an offence of indecent assault against a three-year-old child at the Court of General Gaol Delivery on Friday.

Maddrell, aged 24, used to be employed as a nursery worker at Sandcastles Kindergarten on Douglas Promendade.

Other offences in relation to separate charges towards children were withdrawn.

Mr Maddrell had previously appeared at a Court of General Gaol Delivery, on Tuesday, August 6, where he also pleaded guilty to an offence of possessing 232 indecent images of children.

The matter has been adjourned until September 23 for sentencing.

Deemster Montgomerie remanded Maddrell into custody until that date.

Salon 3 is celebrating a move to new premises in the heart of Douglas, on Victoria Street.

Salon Nails and Beauty, its dedicated beauty division, has also taken up residency there.

Laurence Skelly MHK, representing the Department of Economic Development officially opened the company’s new premises at a reception attended by more than 60 guests.

The move marks a serious investment in, and expansion of, the business by its owners, Janet Lancaster and Yvonne Karran. Since it launched 10 years ago, Salon 3 has steadily built up both its client base and reputation to cement its position as a leading hairdresser and stylist training academy.

The new salon sees the business relocate from its former home in the Peter Luis Building on Duke Street, and has undergone a major refurbishment programme.

Designed by Manx company, Interior Rehab, the salon combines wood flooring with clean lines, lots of glass and monochrome, similar to the look and feel of a high-end London salon.

Situated over two floors, the basement has been converted in to a series of specialist beauty rooms, home to Salon Nails and Beauty run by experienced beautician, Sarah Lancaster.

Salon 3 will also be offering services for men for the first time, including hair cutting and some beauty treatments. Stylist Adam Gilman, will be offering a special launch promotion on Mondays to celebrate this new line of business.

The company will not be increasing its prices following the move.

The amount of money and time the company’s directors invest in training and developing their staff is highlighted by the significant success Salon 3 has achieved in recent years. It has won a number of prestigious awards.

The company has recently begun running a series of courses designed to train fellow industry colleagues in the island and assist with their development, which is often hindered by the prohibitive cost of having to travel to the UK to study. Having recently run a successful dressing hair and bridal course, further cutting and colouring courses are planned for the near future.

Directors Janet Lancaster and Yvonne Karran, said: ‘Expanding Salon 3 and moving our business right in to the heart of Douglas town centre has been a long-term goal of ours. To finally have achieved this thanks to careful planning and the development of our staff over a long period of time to build our brand is a fantastic feeling.

‘We could not have reached such a milestone without the support of our loyal clients, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for that.’

Salon 3 has lot of exciting new opportunities to capitalise upon, including offering male grooming services and a full range of beauty treatments. We look forward to welcoming our existing clients, as well as meeting new ones.”

Salon 3 will be holding an Open Day for new and prospective clients on Monday 5 August 2013 between 10am and 4pm. No appointment is necessary.

<INSERT PHOTO> Laurence Skelly MHK officially opens the new Salon 3 on Victoria Street, Douglas, alongside Salon 3’s owners, (l-r) Janet Lancaster and Yvonne Karran.

Other images supplied are of the interior of the salon.

- ENDS –

For further information please contact:

Merita Taylor, Director, Looking Glass Communications

07624 261126 – merita@lookingglass.im – www.lookingglass.im

Notes to Editor:

Salon 3 is one of the Isle of Man’s leading hairdressing salons, specialising in precision cutting, creative colouring, colour corrections and wedding hair for women, in addition to a number of other styling techniques. Established in 2003 by Directors Janet Lancaster and Yvonne Karran, it excels in delivering service excellence to its clients.

In prides itself on its investment in staff training and development, regularly bringing trainers to the Island or sending stylists to the UK to further their specialist skills. Winners of the prestigious Schwarzkopf ‘Essential Looks Creative Competition’ Award and a Schwarzkopf ‘Masterclass Colour Course’ specialist, it also offers clients the revolutionary ‘La Brasiliana Blowdry’.

In 2010 and 2011, Salon 3 was shortlisted for the Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for Excellence in ‘Teamwork’ and ‘People Management and Development’ respectively.

Salon 3 is based at 25-27 Victoria Street. Open Monday to Saturday, it offers four late nights per week and a weekend service for clients to fit in alongside their busy lifestyles. Salon Nails and Beauty is the salon’s dedicated beauty business.

Christa Worth has won the Howitt prize by achieving 90 per cent in the Financial Management paper, the highest mark worldwide with 1,164 students sitting the exam.

The International prize is accredited by International Chartered Accounts of England and Wales (“ICAEW”).

In October, Christa also won the Watts Prize for achieving 95 per cent in the Audit and Assurance paper.

Christa joined Moore Stephens Isle of Man in 2011 as an audit graduate trainee after earning a First Class Honours Business Management degree at the Isle of Man Business School. She completed 10 exams leaving just five more before becoming a qualified chartered accountant.

A book of Manx tunes has been written by David Speers, who has been involved in the island’s music scene for almost 40 years.

David says it is the first book on Manx traditional dance and ballad music for some time and the first to give a clear insight into some of its origins.

The book contains 60 tunes, mostly dance tunes in sets, with a few song tunes. It also cover some technical aspects of the music and David says it will be useful for students of music.

The author recently delivered a copy to Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh, archivist at the Irish National Folklore Collection at UCD (Dublin).

Crístóir had given permission for an image of wren boys in Limerick, taken in 1947, to be used in the book. This shows boys playing the bodhrán (the hand-held drum) for ‘hunting the wren’, a tradition familiar to most of us in the island as a St Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day) tradition.

A copy has also been given to archivist Wendy Thurkettle at Manx National Heritage.

The Manx archive also provided a wealth of material, which has been used in the book, as did the National Library of Scotland and the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford.

The Scottish and English archives provided some connections between tune titles found in Manx music manuscripts and ballad sheets published in 19th century Britain.

The book costs £12 and will be available at local bookshops and music shops.

The publisher is Callag Press.

The Farmers and Wildlife Advisory Group’s summer walk will take place on Tuesday, August 20, at Upper Billown Farm, the first winners of the FWAG Conservation Award.

The walk will be lead by Geoff and Eric Taggart.

Meet at the farmyard for a 7.30 start.

To get there, go past the Silverdale entrance towards Castletown, turn right into B41, head towards Grenaby, first concrete lane on left, continue to Ballavell entrance, bear left and, after half a mile, fork right.

Grid reference 260709.

For any queries, phone David Crellin on 301978 or Paul Fletcher on 463032.

The Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust has paid tribute to long-serving secretary Bill Kelly.

Alongside his professional role as a long-time member of the administration team at Noble’s Hospital, Mr Kelly, who died recently, carried out the role of secretary Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust for more than three decades, assisting the charity to continue the mission of its founder in delivering improvements to the island’s healthcare.

His final meeting as secretary was in May 2009.

Mr Kelly began his hospital career in 1975 and rose through the ranks to become deputy hospital manager, a post he held until 1998 when, in a career move, he joined the Southern Group General Practice as practice manager until his retirement in 2004.

Trust chairman Larry Keenan said: ‘Throughout all of this period he fulfilled his responsibilities in the quite separate and independent role of secretary to the trust, a role he was ideally suited to not only due to his healthcare background, but also thanks to his exceptional administrative skills and his attention to detail.

‘Bill’s service to the trust lasted for more than 30 years, during which time he oversaw the retirement and appointment of numerous trustees.

‘He had an encyclopaedic memory on Trust issues, a walking hard drive of knowledge, which was invaluable as the Trust went through modernisation.

‘Bill was actively involved in more recent changes in the role of the Trust, extending its remit beyond the hospital sector to incorporate support for healthcare generally, encompassing in particular community care. His contribution to this was invaluable to the trustees.

‘The trust would wish to place on record its appreciation for the contribution of Bill Kelly over a considerable period of time and to express its condolences to his family for their loss.

The Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust is one of the Isle of Man’s longest-established charities.

The Trust was established in 1888 by the island’s greatest benefactor, Henry Bloom Noble, in memory of his wife, Rebecca, with the first trustees being the Lord Bishop and the Clerk of the Rolls.

The charity signed a deed gifting a parcel of land in Douglas for the purpose of building a new hospital, which Noble facilitated the construction of, and which is now home to the Manx Museum.

In 1909, following Henry Bloom Noble’s death, the trust became a statutory body and the provisions of the trust were widened to allow it to support both public and private healthcare organisations and initiatives in the island. Thanks to donors and benefactors, the trust continues the quest to help provide high quality healthcare services in the Isle of Man.

Wartime comes to Cregneash on Saturday and Sunday as part of the Island at War weekend on the Steam Railway.

In Cregneash village, the Women’s Land Army will be at work and visitors can have a go at milking a ‘model’ cow, used by Land Girls in training.

Visitors can also see Dig for Victory in action, and discover why people on the home front were encouraged to transform their private gardens into mini-allotments and pick up some tips to grow their own vegetables.

There will also be a chance to watch life on the Isle of Man during wartime come to life with mini promenade performances by the History in Action Players.

For those who want to escape the misery and austerity of the war, there is a chance to join a wartime tea dance lesson in Church Farm Barn from 2pm to 4pm on both days, or just enjoy the atmosphere with some tea and cake from the wartime canteen. On Sunday The Victory Roll hairdressers bring their pop up 1940s styling salon to the village.

Visitors can hear stories about life on the island during the war and share wartime memories. Reverend Joe Heaton will be hosting a special Second World War themed service on Sunday at 3.15pm in St Peter’s Church.

For visitors with a particular interest, join the guided walk around the remains of the Second World War radar station on Meayll Hill, at 10am or 12pm, tickets £4.

Book in advance at Cregneash, the Manx Museum or call (01624) 834993.

Helen Ashcroft, Cregneash site manager, said: ‘Visitors can expect to see firsthand the lifestyle changes that occurred in rural communities with the onset of war. Working together, maintaining a healthy diet and making best use of every resource was high on the agenda.

‘Our event hopes to recapture that overwhelming sense of community and solidarity which shone through even the darkest of days.

‘We will do this by reciting the local history of war with our guided tours and storytelling, sharing the skills and crafts which emerged so that nothing was wasted and by reminding ourselves that “it don’t mean a thing if it aint got that swing” with a fun filled afternoon tea dance and lessons in the barn.’

Events begin from 10am at Cregneash. There will be a free vintage bus to Cregneash.

The service leaves on the hour from 11am from Port Erin Station, via Port St. Mary Station, Scoill Phurt le Moirrey and Cregneash.

The last service will return from Cregneash at 4.30pm.

Visitors can also enjoy activities taking place on the Steam Railway and in and around Port Erin station.

Admission to the events at Cregneash is the standard entry fee.