This week, Cat Turner looks at the challenges of eating healthily and keeping your family well while on a limited budget

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This year’s been a great one, in many ways, for our family – but it’s also had its challenges, not least financial.

So I thought myself very fortunate when, in a particularly tough time, we had cause to rely on the kindness of The Salvation Army for food basics.

We’re lucky indeed to live in a part of the world where this sort of help’s on hand!

The number of people who’ve needed the help of the Salvation Army in the Isle of Man has escalated hugely this year, as it also did in 2012 – so much so that there’s a welcome Food Bank Project under way to see how the scope of its work can be bolstered.

Food poverty, like fuel poverty, is a real and present problem for many on this supposedly wealthy little island.

But as a lately-born ‘locavore’, that is someone who prefers to eat food that’s sourced close to home with minimal processing or airmiles, it made me appreciate one particular problem that food banks have: by their nature, they can’t usually provide perishables, fresh fruit and vegetables in particular.

This isn’t a complaint – we were hungry, and grateful beyond words for the canned, boxed and dried foods we received, and for the non-judgemental and kindly way they were given.

And luckily we have greenfingered friends and neighbours, who have shared fruits and vegetables with us with amazing generosity. But it did make me think about the longer-term health consequences of eating on a low budget.

Wander through Strand Street and you won’t be able to spit without hitting a fast food outlet or £2.30-a-pop coffee shop – great if that’s what you want, but not a source of much nutrition.

And when you’re on your uppers, struggling against debt and its faithful attendant depression, good nutrition’s essential in keeping you in good mental and physical shape.

So I’ve been hearing with interest about a number of different ways in which places the world over have been working to ensure their poor and needy get the fresh unprocessed produce they need to restore them to hope and health.

They include community gardens and greenhouses, in some cases run by food bank operators, in others by less formal local groups. They focus on growing food and herbs which people can gather enough of for their immediate needs – and where, if they’re fit and able enough, they can spend time getting their hands in the soil and helping with the growing effort.

This is sound practice on a number of levels – nutritional, psychological, environmental and even economic.

People who are eating well and building up their health, learning skills and building up their social contacts and self-confidence through practical work, ultimately need less support from the health and benefits systems. And creating a community with the knowledge and connections to grow and distribute produce keeps money in the local economy, rather than sending it offshore to pay global ‘food’ manufacturers for their calorie-rich, nutrition-poor wares.

But there are a number of other great initiatives and ideas going on, from garden-shares to community hydroponics schemes, from ‘mobile gardens’ to produce-for-meals barter setups. The Alpine cafe in Douglas is a great example of the latter: offer the lovely Mel your surplus salads and veg, and if it’s in good shape and she can use it, she’ll trade you for some of her amazing salads, cakes or soups. Fantastic!

Over the next few weeks we’ll be airing a few ideas on helping our bodies, minds, pockets and planet by fixing our local food system – and I hope readers will contribute some thoughts of their own.

We’ll also be showing a great movie, Food Stamped, at one of our regular free screenings – a great and humorous insight into how you can eat well when your income’s buttons. Watch the Rebel Cinema Facebook page for details, or email IoMFoE@manx.net to be added to the mailing list.

By learning to look after ourselves and our land, we can do much to free ourselves from ill-health, environmental pollution, food poverty and debt.

And the collateral benefits? Often, we can start to see off loneliness, depression, disempowerment and dependence on broken systems.

This isn’t touchy-feely idealism – it’s the real deal, being demonstrated already in other communitites.

With a will and some imagination, we can do it here too – together.

Remember the day Nelson Mandela visited the Isle of Man?

No you don’t, I suspect.

Nobody does that I know, and I certainly don’t.

But I have had a call from David Kneale, a 55-year-old plumber living at Rowany Villas, Port Erin, which suggests that he might have been here getting on for about 20 years ago, and it’s been kept a secret ever since.

Now that could well have been when Mr Mandela was President of South Africa. You can’t see him coming to the Isle of Man for a summer holiday. The weather was better in South Africa for one thing.

Also he would have been rather busy at the office.

In the circumstances what has David Kneale got to tell us? What makes him think Mr Mandela might have come over and, if he did, where did he stay?

It was Santon, apparently.

David told me he was a patient at Clatterbridge in early 2009 and there he was attended by a contract nurse who, when she learned he was from the Isle of Man, told him that Mr Mandela had been there to recuperate after hospital treatment and she was contracted to look after him.

‘She even told me,’ said David, ‘that he stayed with a friend of his at Santon. The friend, she said, was a man called Lord Brookes.

‘The nurse was middle-aged and she seemed to me and my wife to be perfectly genuine and sincere. She was English but I don’t remember her name.

‘Does this mean there was a news blackout on Mr Mandela’s visit? Or do you think I was under the influence of drugs and dreamt it all?

‘Sadly Lord Brookes is no longer with us and able to tell us. I did know him having done some work at his house.’

Right. What should we make of David’s story?

If there was a news blackout it must have been a wholly impenetrable one, especially when it involved somebody like Mr Mandela.

All I can say is that Lord Brookes, a British international industrialist, lived in the Isle of Man, at Santon, and he died in 2002. Lady Brookes died there in 2004.

He was the head of Guest Keen Nettlefold plc, a major automotive and aerospace components company based at Redditch in Worcestershire. Did he and Mr Mandela do a little business together at some time?

Nelson Mandela was a good man. If David’s story had been put to him I am sure he would have confirmed or denied it.

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One of the Mandate programme presenters on Manx Radio, John Moss, remarked in jest, on air, that he was writing a book called ‘All Our Yessir Days’.

People have taken him at his word and are asking when it will be in the shops.

Mr Moss, speaking from a secret location last night, muttered: ‘It’s a work in progress.’

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Two Manx crossword clues in from Redvers Skillicorn in Bristol. First, from his local paper, the Western Mail: Peculiar form of expression I’d take to the Isle of Man (5) – Idiom. Next. the Sun: Man, say, after a walkway (5) – Aisle.

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This week’s letter to a local authority: ‘I am a single woman living in a downstairs flat and would you please do something about the noise made by the man on top of me every night’.

More than 120 guests, some of them visiting from the UK, turned out at the Claremont hotel for the launch of Who’s Driving the Bus? Leadership and Management in a Few Easy Steps.

The new book by local author Sue Gee has generated a lot of excitement, evident from the long queue for signatures at the event.

Sue, managing director of Manx professional coaching company TLC Business Solutions, was rightly flattered by speeches from a series of guest speakers.

Bill Lawrence, Sue’s business partner at TLC, welcomed guests and introduced the other speakers: David Killip from the Department of Health and Peter Reid from Lloyds Bank. All three spoke of the great talent and passion Sue has for leadership training and how well it is expressed in the paperback, before Sue herself stood to say a few words.

The author thanked the many individuals involved in helping her over the course of the three-year project, and singled out two individuals for particular praise: Terry van Rhyn and Leigh Windell, both of Ashgrove Marketing, for their ‘inspiration and support’ and ‘superb graphic design’ respectively.

One company placed a bulk order, with the intention of giving copies to all of their management staff.

A portion of the proceeds from all of the book sales on the night went to Hospice Isle of Man.

Further information and copies of the book can be obtained from.whosdrivingthebus.net

LLOYDS Bank has appointed a long-serving employee to the role of senior manager, premier banking.

Jonathan Bugbird has more than 30 years’ experience in banking, all with Lloyds Banking Group, most recently as senior manager for corporate banking.

In his new role Mr Bugbird, 49, will be responsible for nine premier managers across the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. An Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, he will also ensure that excellent levels of customer service are met whilst overseeing the development and growth of the premier banking team.

Michael Chaytor, head of retail Banking, Lloyds Bank, welcomed Jonathan to his new role: ‘Jonathan has over 20 years of managerial experience across a wide range of roles within the Group. Combined with his proven customer service ethos and considerable relationship management skills, Jonathan is an asset to Lloyds and we are delighted to welcome him to his new role.’

Mr Bugbird is looking forward to meeting new customers and consolidating relationships with existing customers.

He said: ‘To meet and exceed customers’ expectations, I am going to be responsible for building a strong premier banking team that offers a seamless service across the Isle of Man and Channel Islands.

‘I am delighted to take on this diverse role and be given the opportunity to revitalise the bank’s premier banking service.’

Mr Bugbird, who is married with three children, is chairman of the charity Brighter Futures.

Independent structured finance firm Captima has celebrated its fifth anniversary.

The company, which provides comprehensive capital solutions to private, corporate and institutional clients, marked the occasion with a reception for some 50 guests drawn from the island’s finance and CSP sector at Admiral House, Douglas.

The Chief Minister, Hon Allan Bell MHK, was guest speaker.

In his welcome address director Adam Reed said that five years ago he and his fellow director and co-founder Mark Watson ‘had a vision’ to offer a service that would provide effective capital structures to assist entrepreneurs, businesses and property developers in funding their projects.

Mr Reed went on to say that despite Captima having been founded in 2008, a time of global economic downturn, their aspirations for the business were being realised and the company was continuing to grow, moving in September this year to new, larger offices in Prospect Hill.

He added: ‘Five years on and we’re still here, in new offices, closing deals – and with 2014 promising to be a year of great opportunities.’

The reception proved to be something of a double celebration, with Mr Reed announcing that Captima had just signed a heads of terms agreement ‘for a joint venture with a European Fund to deploy £200 million into our pipeline’.

Thanking the Captima team for their support, he closed saying: ‘We chose to base the company in the Isle of Man as we believe it offers a strong and resilient base from which to operate, an environment that positively encourages business and government to work together to achieve success and long-term growth.’

Replying, the Chief Minister praised Mr Reed and Mr Watson for their courage and forward thinking in launching a new financial services business in 2008, against a background of a global credit crisis and the collapse of the world’s banking systems.

He said that international regulatory pressures were continuing to place increasing demands on the Isle of Man, despite which the island enjoyed good relationships with the OECD and UK government.

The financial services industry would, however, face growing challenges from FATCA proposals, although he believed the legislation would lead to the island emerging all the stronger in the international compliance arena.

And referring to the matter of new, potentially more onerous beneficial ownership legislation, Mr Bell said: ‘We want to see the US and UK deliver on it before we do.

‘We won’t be at the front of the pack.’

In conclusion, the Chief Minister said: ‘The Isle of Man economy is growing; the financial services industry – “the jewel in the Isle of Man crown” – is growing.

‘I am sure Captima will have a bright future and I congratulate Adam and Mark on their optimism; the area they are trading in has a great future.’

The evening also provided the opportunity for Mr Watson to present Lesley Turnbull of Manx charity Wish Upon A Dream with a cheque for £500, the money the Captima team, with support from clients, had raised through a number of initiatives.

Citywing has chosen Manx Cancer Help as its nominated charity for 2014.

The charity recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and Citywing has provided it with 24 return tickets to use for fundraising during the year on its routes from the island to Blackpool, Belfast, Gloucester and Newcastle.

Managing director David Buck said: ‘This is a very dedicated and worthwhile local charity, and one that we are honoured to work alongside to raise money for, and awareness of, the life-changing services they provide. In addition to 24 return tickets we’ll also be calling on our partners for help with some fundraising favourites, including the famous sponsored plane pull event.’

Ally Martin, fundraising events co-ordinator at Manx Cancer Help, said: ‘We are so pleased to be working with Citywing as their nominated charity for 2014. Funds raised help to provide support and specialist psychological services for anybody whose life has been affected by cancer, as well as a safe haven for patients and their loved ones at our drop-in centre in Cronkbourne.

‘Manx Cancer Help’s services are increasingly relied upon and we are always aiming to provide as much as care as we can, and in as many ways as possible.

‘Fundraising is vital for any charity, and Citywing’s generous support will be a fantastic help in ensuring that we can continue to provide our services to those in need.’

A pre-school unit being built in a remote Kenyan village is to be named in tribute to the tragic young grand-daughter of a former Isle of Man College lecturer.

Mary Stewart, now 70, moved to Kenya in 2007 after retiring from the college. She was in the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi the day before it was attacked by Islamist militants.

Returning to the island for Christmas, Mary was reunited for the first time with three former island students who were involved at the outset with a charity set up in 1991 to improve conditions in the village of Koru, having travelled there with much needed funds and materials.

Since 1991, thanks to fund-raising events and support from the Isle of Man and private donors, life for many in Koru and the neighbouring village of Koguta has been transformed.

A 50-bed hospital was built and opened in 2002, thanks to the Koru Hospital Fund which raised more than £120,000. The charity also paid for the refurbishment of a unit devastated by a fire in 2010, and has funded the upgrading of facilities.

But the work of the fund is now complete as since 2011, the Kenyan government has taken over responsibility for funding.

However, Mary’s charity work continues under an umbrella organisation Kocep (Koguta Community Empowerment Project) formed in 2009.

A single donation from the Isle of Man enabled a college of continuing eduction to be reopened in 2008. It now has more than 100 students. A bore hole has been sunk in Koguta providing potable water for the community, and a village savings and loans initiative has also been established.

Thanks to funding from the Manx Overseas Aid Fund, a pre-school is being built in Koguta. It will be named after Mary’s grand-daughter Freja Stewart Van Hansen, who died of cancer at the age of just eight in June of this year. Freja, who lived in Denmark with her Manx mother Kirstie and dad Torsten, had battled against a brain tumour for four years.

Mary also has plans for a clinic and church, while on the college site in Koru she is co-ordinating funding for an administration block.

These various initiatives have changed the lives of so many – people can now reach a good hospital and be treated, others can afford food to feed themselves and their families, clean water is available and water borne diseases are being reduced. Young people can receive further education and be trained ready to join the work force and women are being empowered to manage their daily needs more easily.

Mary, who also taught at Ballakermeen Junior High School, said: ‘I’ve been doing charity work for so long - something drives me on. It’s always something I wanted to do.’

She said it was quite by chance she got involved with Koru. She had initially planned to go to Ethiopia but then war broke out there with Eritrean separatists and the frontier was closed. The late Reverend Canon Eugene Hopkins, parish priest of St Anthony’s Church, Onchan, had put her in contact with the Mill Hill Fathers who were running a mission in Koru.

Over the years, a series of visits have been made to Koru by volunteers and students from the Isle of Man College.

Before Christmas, Mary was reunited with three former students Jane Craig (now Foster), Reiner Kraft and Andrew Porter who were involved with the Koru Hospital Fund back in 1991. The occasion was an event at the Empress Hotel in Douglas.

The most popular sailing times for the 2014 Southern 100 races are already full up with the Steam Packet’s on-line booking system showing some crossings as sold out.

S100 Club clerk of the Course Phil Taubman said it was a reflection of the event’s continued popularity, which in 2013 saw around a 13 per cent increase in motorcycles carried over on the ferry.

‘I had heard some people were having difficulty getting boats for the 2014 event and it’s true it is getting more and more popular,’ he said.

‘It tends to be the weekend boats that fill up because eveyone wants to book on to the same ones then leave on certain sailings the following weekend. Part of it is the calibre of the riders we get with all the same big names as for the TT such as Guy Martin, Michael Dunlop and Ian Lougher, and the closeness of the racing has attracted the spectators.

‘The only people we don’t get are John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson.’

Because practices and some of the races take place in the evening, he said the event was popular for people wanting to combine it with a family holiday and use the day for sightseeing.

‘It also takes place in a week in the year when there is not a lot else on,’ he added.

‘Certainly all the indications are it will be as good again this year if not better. Many people who heard Guy Martin interviewed at the NEC recently will have heard him refer to the TT as merely a warm up for the S100.’

An increased number of competitors, many bringing teams with them meant even in 2013 an extra field had to be allocated for parking vehicles to ease pressure on space in the paddock. Currently for 2014 the club is looking at providing another field for non competitors’ parking and camping.

A number of safety improvements are planned for the course in 2014 with the installation of extra Recticel barriers to replace straw bales, notably at Church Bends. But the work is part of a continuing programme and was not prompted by the deaths of three competitors during the 2013 event. Misadventure verdicts were recorded and no recommendation was made for any practical safety improvements which might have changed the outcome, none of the accidents were down to the condition of the road surface or safety equipment, Mr Taubman said.

In December, S100 sponsors the Steam Packet, reported a 3.2 per cent rise in bookings for the TT and double the bookings for MGP/Classic TT compared with this time last year.

Two of the island’s hotels have been recognised with awards recently.

The Welbeck Hotel on Mona Drive, Central Promenade in Douglas was granted a gold quality award by travel company Treyn.

Silver award winner was the Ascot Hotel on Empire Terrace, Douglas. The category was for hotels in the UK and Ireland, which for the purposes of the awards included the Isle of Man.

The Treyn business, which is based in York, specialises in UK and European rail holidays covering a variety of destinations from the Scottish Highlands to Italy. Winners receive their awards in the new year.

A pressure group which wants to protect the island’s green lanes has recommended closure of 15 of them to motor vehicles.

The group Green Lanes Our Heritage (GLOH) has produced its own report on the conditions of the island’s unsurfaced highways.

The 126-page report has been presented to politicians and is also available in the island’s public libraries for members of the public to read.

The group also condemns the Green Lane Users’ Group, set up to protect the lanes and encourage sustainable use, as too motorcycle focused and the report recommends it be disbanded and replaced by a new body with representatives from Manx National Heritage, Manx Heritage Foundation, the Municipal Association, Manx Footpath Conservation Group, British Horse Society, Manx Harriers and an MHK. If the recommendation were followed, the Manx Four Wheel Drive Club would be represented too, along with ‘representatives from other groups with interests in off road driving’. No specific mention is made of any representative from off-road motorcycling groups who currently use the lanes.

Richard Crowhurst from GLOH said: ‘Our concern is that the upland tracks in particular are sensitive and many are soft and can’t stand the abuse they are getting mainly from motorcycles. They are becoming a network of scramble tracks.

‘The GLUG has become dominated by the interests of motorcycle groups and the more reasonable interests have not been taken account of.’

The report contains photographs illustrating damaged turf which is then exacerbated by drainage water eroding deep scars into the land.

Fellow GLOH member Brian Beattie said they were recommending closing three cul-de-sac tracks, which are actually in good condition, because users were damaging heathland by continuing illegally beyond the end point to reach other tracks. The tracks in question are Laxey mines, Glen Dhoo, Glen Auldyn to Black Pool and Park Lewellyn. In addition, those recommended for immediate closure because of serious damage include Narradale, Mountain Box to Sky Hill and Monk’s Path to Glen Mooar.

Mr Crowhurst said his only concern was sustainable use of the green ways and he was not trying to ban motor vehicles from all of them. Continued vehicle use is recommended on a number of the existing greenway roads and creation of some new off road tracks for bike and four-by-four use is suggested. Improved signs and volunteer wardens to police the tracks are also proposed.

Richard Crane of the Manx Four Wheel Drive Club, which organises working groups to maintain the green lanes, said the report was inaccurate and unnecessary. None of the issues were new and all could be addressed without widespread closures.

‘His concerns are shared by all users but we address it in a different way. These are roads so vehicles use them legally.’

Some of Hollywood’s biggest names are threatening to pull out of Pinewood, the film studio in which the Manx government has invested millions.

But Treasury Minister Eddie Teare says he is not unduly concerned about the possible impact on the Manx government’s investment in the studios.

He told the Examiner: ‘I don’t see this as having any major impact on our investment at the moment. But it’s difficult to say.

‘There’s always an element of risk in investments. Nothing is guaranteed in life, except taxes and death.

‘It’s similar to other investments we’ve got. Commercial decisions may go in your favour but they may not. This is nothing we should be unduly concerned about.’

Pinewood is embroiled in a planning dispute over its £200 million proposals to double the size of its studios on Green Belt land in Buckinghamshire.

A planning inquiry began in November, after Pinewood appealed against the decision by South Bucks District Council to reject its proposals.

Hollywood giant Marvel has warned it would turn its back on film-making in Britain unless more studio space is provided.

According to reports, it has already pulled out of filming its next superhero production Ant-Man while Disney, Lionsgate and Legendary are also looking elsewhere to produce films because of a lack of studio capacity.

The three-week planning inquiry heard that Sam Mendes, Oscar-winning director of American Beauty and James Bond blockbuster Skyfall, has opted to film his TV series Penny Dreadful in Ireland ‘principally because of the lack of studio capacity in the UK’.

Following a Tynwald vote in June last year, Treasury signed an agreement to transfer management of the £25 million film and television investment fund to Pinewood Film Advisors Ltd for an initial five years – and to buy 9.89 per cent shareholding in Pinewood Shepperton plc at a cost of £12,230,000, funded out of reserves.

The deal continues to prove controversial. Liberal Vannin claims there are many questions about the deal still unanswered but the Treasury Minister insists it’s the most successful investment in the Manx government’s portfolio.

Pinewood Shepperton’s lawyer Martin Kingston QC told the inquiry the economic benefits of the studio expansion could not be ignored, with the film industry contributing £4.6billion to UK GDP in 2011.

He said: ‘Pinewood is a huge British success story from a commercial and policy perspective. Failure to grant planning permission would represent a failure to grasp a significant opportunity which has been carefully husbanded and promoted.’

But Stop Project Pinewood campaigners have dubbed the project ‘a pig with lipstick’, which would cause substantial harm to Green Belt and should be thrown out just as Pinewood’s previous appeal in 2009.

Mr Teare said: ‘Pinewood are ramping up the publicity before the decision is made, and the big name support they’ve been marshalling is quite impressive.

‘In some way this illustrates the strong demand for the company’s services. Their occupancy is over 90 per cent. The problem they’ve got is a good problem.

‘If they lose the appeal it would probably mean Pinewood would not be able to accommodate some of the bigger pictures. But they are already doing some of the very, very big pictures and they have diversified.’

Planning inspector Terry Phillimore is expected to publish his conclusions early in the new year. But the final decision will rest with Secretary of State Eric Pickles.

For the cost of a night’s accommodation with the Isle of Man Constabulary, a guest could stay at a top London hotel and still have change for a few drinks, according to latest prices quoted.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson recently put a figure of £383 on the average cost of an overnight stay in the police cells, in response to a question in Tynwald from Middle MHK Howard Quayle.

Mr Quayle said he had no idea how the figure was arrived at and had no breakdown of costs, but added: ‘If you are in a cell you have to be inspected every 15 minutes so I assume it’s the cost of an officer’s time and the cell being there so it ties up people who would otherwise be working the streets. A small number of people are costing the taxpayer a fortune and it’s not fair.’

However, a spokesman for Home Affairs pointed out costs varied depending on the detainee’s needs and the average sum quoted did include fixed costs related to buildings and staffing, adding: ‘The £383 includes the costs associated with providing the building, maintenance, running costs, food, staff salaries, medical costs, equipment.

‘The DHA constantly looks at ways of reducing costs in all areas. The use of cells is primarily for holding those who are arrested suspected of committing an offence, for the public’s protection and for an individual’s safety – particularly if they are intoxicated. The police have been very successful in reducing the number of cell nights as a result of intoxication – from 943 to 643 in five years.’

Anyone with a sceptical point of view might be forgiven for believing the figure given in Tynwald was inflated. After all, fixed costs such as salaries and maintenance would be the same whether the cell was occupied or empty.

A quick survey of hotel prices in London finds costs of a night’s accommodation there vary from around £30 a night for something basic, only topping the police cell league with the Dorchester, in the exclusive Mayfair district, offering rooms at a special rate of £415 or the Ritz in Piccadilly (‘Rooms individually decorated with Louis XVI furnishings’) which comes in around the £350 mark.

For the more discerning guest wanting a suite at the Dorchester, costs range from the open plan 60 square metre offering at £895 per night to the top of the range suites which boast a partition between bedroom and lounge and have around 108 square metres of space, some with views over Hyde Park.

Closer to home, the famous four-star Sefton Hotel on Douglas seafront next to the Gaiety Theatre offers visitors a basic room for the bargain price of £70 or a suite at £250.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/should-drunks-pay-for-night-in-the-cells-1-6332216|Click here for a reminder of our first story about this.}

We will do our best to plot a way through the difficulties arising out of educational reform.

That was the pledge from St Ninian’s High School head teacher Andy Fox to students and parents.

He was speaking at the Douglas school’s annual awards evening, where the guest of honour was former deputy head teacher Richard Miller.

Mr Fox said one of the factors that had made 2012-13 an exciting year was as the school ‘continues to ride the rollercoaster of educational reform that the UK Government seem determined to pursue no matter what’.

He said education secretary Michael Gove and the UK’s Coalition Government ‘seem to come up with a new policy on a regular basis’.

Students found out their speaking and listening assessments will no longer contribute towards their final grade in GCSE English language, despite having already completed the tests.

Most recently, changes to vocational education in the future with Tech Levels and applied General Qualifications were announced.

Mr Fox said: ‘Last year I spoke at length about the UK Government and this situation.

‘I believe this year suffice to say we will do our best, with the Department of Education and Children, to plot a way through the difficulties for the good of our students. Also, you the parents and students as well as staff will be consulted on the big decisions that lie ahead.’

He said that in difficult times financially for the Isle of Man and educationally with major change and uncertainty in England, it was important to build and maintain strong relationships at all levels.

In total, 89 students sat their A-levels last year. They achieved a pass rate at E grade or higher of 97.4 per cent, while 19.4 per cent of grades were at A* or A.

Out of the 25 subjects on offer, 21 out of 25 had 100 per cent pass rates.

Meanwhile, at GCSE level, 218 students sat their exams, with 63.8 per cent gaining five A* to C grades.

The overall pass rate at grade G or higher was 99.6 per cent.

Platinum award winners for five years’ excellent work were Agata Bojanowska, Hannah Morrison, Elinor Kinrade, Freddie Black, William Bradley, Krysia Boruch, Matthew Ogden, Daniel Parkin and Grace Coleman.

He described the facilities at the lower school site at Bemahague as ‘amazing’ and said it had always been the intention for the community to have as much use of them as possible.

‘I feel it is fair to say that no other site or institution on the Isle of Man, apart from the NSC, has more community bookings than St Ninian’s High School,’ he said.

Last year there were 4,181 hours of community lettings.

Some 69 per cent of these were on the lower school site, representing 44 groups.

He said the school enjoyed a very successful year in sport.

The Year 10 and 8 boys won football shields, the senior girls won the hockey final, year 10 won the basketball title and the junior girls won their badminton competition.

In cross country, St Ninian’s took the senior boys and intermediate girls’ team titles and the Year 8 girls won the athletics team championships.

He thanked the Friends of St Ninian’s High School, which was set up three years ago, for their efforts.

It has enabled a minibus to be bought.

A plan has been submitted for an estimated £80,000 extension to the Pre-School Assessment Centre.

The Department of Education and Children-run facility in Pulrose has applied (13/91423/B) to planners for a single storey extension to provide a new sensory play room.

The project is being funded by Manx Miracles, a charity for families and children with additional needs and disabilities, with additional support from the Wooden Spoon charity.

Head teacher Jo Radcliffe said the aim was ‘to create a sensory enriched environment designed to support children with multi sensory processing difficulties’.

And she explained she hoped it would enable children to ‘develop their ability to integrate and assimilate auditory, visual, oral and vestibular information in their own unique personal ways to regulate and become confident learners on the road to being competent adults’.

She pointed to research carried out in 2002, which shows positive changes in children when using sensory integration strategies.

The sensory room will feature a range of equipment including interactive lighting with an LED musical touch wall and a touch wall, a mobile sensory station, an interactive bubble wall, a vibration floor, a rocking seat, and a sunken trampoline.

Construction costs are estimated at £60,000 as well as £10,000 to fit out the sensory room and £10,000 contract administration.

The Pre-School Assessment Centre, based in the Youth and Community Centre, ensures children with special needs are assessed and their requirements identified when starting school.

It works with children with different needs, from those with development delays and social communication disorders to those with physical disabilities and complex needs.

Police are warning motorists to take care as some roads around the island are icy this morning.

All main routes have been gritted, but police would ask people to take care when driving.

NOW WITH VIDEO: The New Year’s Day dips at Laxey and Ramsey were cancelled as the ones at other places around the island went ahead as planned.

Castletown, Douglas and Peel people braved the sea despite atrocious conditions.

Laxey’s dip was officially cancelled but around 40 people went into the water anyway braving the conditions.

The Steam Packet has decided to cancel tonight’s service from Douglas to Heysham because of the forecast bad weather.

Earlier today, it warned passengers that the 7.45pm Ben-my-Chree service was subject to disruption or cancellation.

The decision to cancel obviously has a knock-on effect on the 2.15am return tomorrow, which is also cancelled.

The company is also warning that tomorrow’s sailings are subject to cancellation or disruption.

It will decide whether the morning service from Douglas will sail by 7am.

The Steam Packet suffered several service cancellations and alterations last month because of the windy weather.

The Ben-my-Chree even sailed in the early hours of Christmas Day to get passengers and cargo stuck in England over to the island.

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There’s a big mistake on page one of today’s Manx Independent.

It says the paper costs £1. It doesn’t.

It should cost 75p, as usual.

We used the wrong front page template information. Please accept our apologies.

The barcode is correct. The price there is 75p and that will ring through correctly at tills at shops that use that technology.

Our staff have been contacting newsagents this morning to inform them about the error.

The Isle of Man Photographic Society is now at the half-way point through the season, and it’s been an absolutely cracking one so far.

Numbers attending have been high throughout the programme of events, our occasional speakers (both of them) provided excellent audio-visual presentations, while entries from newer members in our regular competitions have been universally praised by our judges, and in some ways have challenged our more established members. It all promises to be an exceptional year for the society.

Our two speakers were Dr Jeremy Paul (with a superb presentation of wildlife photos taken on safari in the Masaai Mara on the borders of Kenya and Tanzania) and Peter Clague (with travel photos from a trek in Chile, including the two widely varying landscapes of the Atacama desert and the mountains of Patagonia) – and both providing authoritative, interesting commentaries and excellent entertainment for our members.

Another highlight early in the programme was the three way digital battle with the Western and Southern Clubs (the other photo clubs on the island) held at Glen Helen – not only did the IOMPS win the overall trophy, but two entries from our members vied for the title of best image in competition – a most pleasing result, but accompanied with the perhaps dubious requirement to organise the same event next year.....

As regards competitions, we have as usual had regular assignment and open competitions for our members, these always being judged by external judges to ensure impartiality in their results – and we would readily acknowledge and thank them for their generous contributions to the success of our programme, the commentaries given to each entry providing invaluable guidance on critical features such as composition, contrast, use of colour, and lead-in lines for successful image-making. Here newer members have shone a light for the society, bringing new ideas and a fresh approach to their images which is necessitating older members to try harder – a situation remarked upon by several of our judges.

Mark Falconer and Nessie Gillen look to be setting the pace in the Standard Group, but with strong competition from Norma Cowell, Mark Thorsby, Joy Brodie, Sue Collier and others in our various classes.

In the Intermediate Group, Jenny Shanley, Elaine Dewhirst and Annette Slater are the ones to watch, though again with others such as Shirley Lotfy, Jiri Podobsky and Phyllis Christian providing competition. The Advanced Group is, as usual, being dominated by Sue Jones, Ron Shimmin, Ruth Nicholls and Bob Servante, with Brian Speedie emerging as something of a surprise this season.

The second half of the programme starts on Wednesday, January 8, with a presentation by our president, Tony Curtis, of some of his work – title as yet unknown since he is working on it over the Christmas break – but sure to be entertaining! Thereafter our regular competitions and presentations will resume, culminating in late March with our Annual Competition, this year being judged by husband and wife team of John and Margaret Sixsmith, both highly qualified and experienced, so certain to be a highlight event for anyone interested in photography.

The programme closes in May with the Bebington Salon, a digitally-projected presentation of some 400 images, competitively chosen from some 2800 entries and representing the best of current british photography – again sure to be a very popular evening.

All meetings of the IOMPS are held at the Art Society in Withington Road, Douglas, and are open to the public, non-members with an entry fee of £1. Full details of the programme are available on our website www.iomps.com.

Chris Blyth

Pictured: Society members enjoyed “Travels in Chile” presented by Peter Clague.

A taxpayer-subsidised marketing course designed for anyone involved in food, drinks and crafts on the Isle of Man is to take place in February and March.

The course is designed for anyone running a business including farmers who may be thinking of diversifying their activities or who wish to gain a better understanding of marketing and of the help available to new and established businesses in the island.

There are five workshops at a cost of £20 per person per workshop.

The course will be tutored by Heather Smallwood, a chartered marketer and accredited marketing consultant.

Ms Smallwood’s expertise includes marketing planning, identifying customers, meeting business needs and marketing communications, including news releases.

Two new workshops have been added to cover market research and digital marketing.

Delegates on previous courses have rated it highly and commented on its value to developing their enterprises.

Clare Lewis, of Ballanorman Farm, Ballaugh, said: ‘Attending the marketing workshops removed the mystique from this crucial part of our business planning.

‘The workshops really helped me to focus on what we are trying to achieve in our new business and which areas to concentrate on the most.

‘The workshops were a mine of valuable information about all aspects of marketing whatever the size of your business. This course gave me the tools to take our business forward, to think outside of the box, and to ensure that we maximise all our marketing opportunities, especially those that are free or low cost. I would recommend the marketing Workshops run by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture to any business person.’

The course will run on February 27 and March 6, 13, 20 and 27 starting at 7pm at the DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s.

To book a place and obtain details of the course, register with Audrey Fowler, audrey.fowler@gov.im or call 685856 by January 10. Places are limited.