E-GAMING giant PokerStars – one of the island’s biggest employers – says it will not comment on reports that it has acquired Full Tilt Poker.

It has confirmed it is on-going discussions with US Department of Justice.

Eric Hollreiser, head of corporate communications for PokerStars, said: ‘We’ve had a lot of enquiries and there’s lots of speculation on the forums, so I wanted to address the PokerStars chatter.

‘As you know, PokerStars is in settlement discussions with the US Department of Justice. As such settlement discussions are always confidential, we are unable to comment on rumours. As soon as we have information to share publicly we will do so.’

In April last year, the US authorities the founders of PokerStars and Alderney-based Full Tilt Poker were indicted for fraud by authorities in the US. Both were forced to suspend real money poker services to players in the States.

A civil money laundering a forfeiture complaint was also filed against PokerStars, Full Tilt and a third online poker company Absolute Poker.

The www.pokerstars.com domain name initially seized by the US authorities has since been restored to enable it to be used by PokerStars outside the States and to ensure the return of money to American customers.

The Isle of Man Gambling Commission and PokerStars moved quickly to reassure players that their money was safe, the company’s licence was intact and its operations were completely unaffected.

But Alderney Gambling Control Commission suspended and then revoked the licence of Full Tilt Poker.

In September last year, it was reported that a French investment firm had agreed to buy the company for $80 million, the deal providing for full repayment of poker players, but it was subject to resolution of the US legal actions.

But that deal fell through after the potential purchaser could not reach agreement with prosecutors over how quickly players with money tied up on the site would be repaid.

It is reported that as part of PokerStars deal to settle its own outstanding issues with the Us Department of Justice, it would purchase Full Tilt Poker and pay off its player balances.

A DROP-IN session for anyone who is interested in becoming a foster carer will take place on Thursday, May 24, from 3pm to 7pm at Ballasalla Medical Centre, in Main Road, Ballasalla.

It has been organised by local charity Foster First and is part of an awareness and recruitment campaign being run in tandem with Foster Care Fortnight in the UK from May 14 to 27.

Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a foster carer is welcome to attend the session, where they can talk to Fostering First staff who will answer questions and give advice on the challenges and rewards that becoming a foster carer can offer.

Currently, 52 children in care in the Isle of Man are being looked after by foster families, but there are more children needing foster homes which is why Fostering First has launched a campaign to recruit carers.

So what does it take to be a foster carer?

‘We just show them what it’s like to be a family,’ is how Eileen Malone sums up the support she and her husband Tommy have provided as foster carers over the past 17 years.

Eileen and Tommy’s dedication as foster carers was recognised last year when they won a Manx Radio Carers’ Award in October.

It was a well-deserved honour, but the best indication of how much their love and support is appreciated by children in their care is the fact that many of them keep in touch with Eileen and Tommy years into adulthood.

Eileen says it would be wrong to suggest to would-be foster carers that it was all sweetness and light, but the emotional rewards of seeing children in their care grow up to have happy and fulfilling lives makes it all worthwhile.

Foster carers must be over 21, but there is no upper age limit. Carers can be married, divorced or single, or co-habiting.

It does not matter whether they have their own children or not, or whether or not they own their own home.

All foster carers receive training, help and support from Fostering First, as well as financial remuneration to cover the expenses of caring for a child. If interested in becoming a foster carer, email fosteringfirst@thechildrenscentre.org.im or call 631947.

Inquiries about becoming a foster carer can also be made by visiting Fostering First’s offices at 17 Village Walk, Onchan. More information can be found at http://www.thechildrenscentre.org.im/what-we-do/fostering-first

Fostering First is a registered Manx charity set up by The Children’s Centre in April 2010.

THE STREETS of the Isle of Man turned pink last week to help raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Hundreds of people of all ages, male and female, turned up for the dashes kitted out in bras, to take part in the annual event.

Four dashes were held during Friday and Saturday, in Castletown, Douglas, Peel and Ramsey.

About £3,000 was raised on the streets of all dashes over the weekend and sponsorship money is still coming in.

Dasher Claire Barnett took part in the Peel event. She said: ‘It was my first bra dash and it certainly won’t be my last, there was a great atmosphere and the people of Peel could not have been more generous!’

In Castletown there was a wide range of people dressed up in tutus, babies with bras on their jackets, bunnies and many more.

Among the winners from the Castletown event were Castletown Insurance, who took the best dressed team award, while the best dressed children’s team were Jonas Austin, two, Yazmin Dale, two, and Abbie Hampton, one.

Castletown dash organiser Tracy Clayton said: ‘The day went very well. There was a very good atmosphere and there was a good show from the Castle Rushen High School kids. It was a very good day and all the prize money was returned to us.

‘The public were very generous on the day. There were also quite a few people watching from the square.’

One of the organisers of the Ramsey Dash, Rosy Mazzone, said it went well and they raised just over £600 in their buckets. The dashers popped into shops and pubs to raise some of the funds.

In the Douglas dash residents from the Sunnydale Residential Home took part – they were all kitted out in pink in their wheelchairs and zimmer frames!

Sponsorship money can be paid into any Lloyds TSB Bank, 30-12-80, 27712560, Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man.

To order copies of pictures from the bra dash visit {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/buyaphoto|iomtoday.co.im/buyaphoto}

AFTER months of speculation, the headline acts for the first day of The Garden Party music festival 2012 are revealed this morning as Newton Faulkner and Reverend and the Makers.

The guitar-slapping singer songwriter and the indie rockers behind hit Heavyweight Champion Of The World top Friday’s bill, with an announcement on Saturday’s headliners expected soon.

This year’s festival, which takes place on July 6 and 7 at Begoade in Onchan, looks to be significantly scaled up from last year’s predominantly local musical line-up. Big name visiting acts join Manx performers on the schedule for the main outdoor stage, while the addition of a second acoustic stage and silent disco dance tent will add further beef to the weekend’s entertainment.

Dreadlocked maestro Newton Faulkner will feel right at home in the summer festival atmosphere, success from his top three 2007 debut album Hand Built By Robots has led to appearances at Glastonbury, V Festival, Oxegen in Ireland and Lollapalooza in Chicago. Reverend and the Makers ended a two-year hiatus with a Coventry gig in February, a new album expected in May and support slots secured in June with the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Knebworth and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.

Saturday’s big headliner is yet to be confirmed, although they will join names like Turin Brakes and Starsailor’s James Walsh on the second day’s line-up.

Festival gates are open midday to midnight both days, and day and weekend tickets are available from.thegardenparty.im

Read the full version of this story in today’s Manx Indepenedent.

A SHEEP suffered severe bites and lost a large amount of blood when it was attacked by a dog in a field near Upper Ballacrye, Sandygate.

It happened between 6pm on Monday and 6pm on Tuesday. Constable Robert Midghall warned dog owners: ‘In certain circumstances it is legal for farmers to shoot dogs on sight for trespassing and worrying animals on their land.’ Call Ramsey police on 812234.

THIS Nissan Micra left the road in the Tholt-y-Will Cottage area of Sulby before plummeting down the valley and coming to rest on its wheels on the track below.

Emergency services were called out to the incident early on Sunday morning.

The driver was located nearby, having managed to get himself out of the car.

A police spokesman said: ‘The driver was the only occupant in the vehicle and he had an extremely lucky escape, passing by some trees on the descent.

‘He suffered neck and hand injuries and was transported to hospital for further checks and treatment.’

THE Steam Packet Company expects the Ben-my-Chree to be back in service on Sunday, on schedule, following a refit.

The Ben entered dry dock on April 16 for its biennial statutory overhaul.

It is due to come out of dry dock on Saturday for post-dock sea trials before re-entering service the following day.

A Steam Packet spokesman said: ‘The refit is, at this time, on schedule and the Ben is expected to return to service on Sunday as previously reported.’

The mechanical overhaul is a requirement of her operational safety regime. It allows for a full inspection of the hull and those components normally underwater.

A large capacity freighter was chartered from Northlink Ferries for the dry dock period, while Manannan covered all passenger and car services, as she did during the Ben’s last overhaul in 2010.

WITH the island at the mercy of global economic pressures and facing an unprecedented squeeze on public finances, one would have thought there were to be vital questions to be asked in our national parliament.

But Liberal Vannin MHK for Douglas South Kate Beecroft had far more pressing issues to address in the House of Keys.

How much, she asked in a question for written reply, does each government department spend on buying, maintaining and watering flowers, plants, other foliage and greenery?

She could be forgiven, perhaps, if the sums involved were huge.

However, the reply given by Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK gives little comfort that cutting back on floral displays is going to make much of a dent on our yawning VAT blackhole.

In 2011/12, the total cost was £9,000, including £469 on buying flowers, £708 on hiring and leasing, and £7,823 on watering and maintenance.

Mr Teare said the costs had reduced over four years from £11,426 in 2008/09 and the largest costs were incurred by the Department of Infrastructure in maintaining the flowers and plants in public spaces such as the airport and Sea Terminal.

During question time itself, Mrs Beecroft asked Health Minister David Anderson MHK if he would oblige all medical staff to wear appropriate clothing and suggested that they should wear bigger name badges.

She said that many people don’t understand the difference between a registrar, a consultant and a ward manager, and it would be most helpful if their name, job description and General Medical Council registration number was actually on their badge.

By making the badges just a little bit bigger, this information could be clearly visible, she argued.

But Mr Anderson dismissed the idea: ‘Making the badges bigger, I imagine, would be impractical; it would impair their work.’

After the Keys sitting, Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK defended the right of members to ask whatever questions they chose, insisting it was their ‘absolute prerogative’.

But he added: ‘Certainly the quality of some of the questions do vary from time to time. Perhaps some people would question their relevance in these tough economic times.’

SUSPENDED Liberal Vannin MHK for Onchan Zac Hall says he has still not been notified of the outcome of a meeting of the party’s executive committee held to decide his fate.

Mr Hall was suspended from Liberal Vannin last month for failing to support party leader, Education Minister Peter Karran, in the Tynwald debate over pre-school cuts.

He had been earlier sacked as member for education for breaching the government code on collective responsibility.

Liberal Vannin’s executive committee sat on Wednesday to discuss the situation. But in a statement, the party said it was decided there would be no comment made to the media until Mr Hall had been informed of the outcome.

However, Mr Hall told iomtoday he had not been informed of the outcome. ‘I wasn’t invited to the meeting. I don’t know who was present and I have absolutely no idea what the outcome was as I’ve not been informed. Nothing surprises me any more.’

In a hard-hitting statement issued in response to the his suspension, Mr Hall accused the party of having ‘Stalinist tendencies’ and says he was aghast at the ‘unprofessional way’ the matter had been handled, insisting it would have been almost impossible to have a fair hearing.

THE idea of a ‘people’s bank’ will be discussed at a meeting of the Positive Action Group tonight (Thursday).

PAG has linked up with another island group, the Alternative Worldview Society, for the event, called The Lawful Bank.

Well-known community activist from the UK, Roger Hayes, will address a public meeting at Union Mills FC Clubhouse from 7pm.

‘Roger Hayes has a large and increasing following just across the water in Wirral and this is a great opportunity to hear his ideas over here,’ said a PAG spokesman.

The clubhouse is at Garey Mooar, Ballaoates Road, Braddan. Admission is £2 on the door and all are welcome.

A CHARITY race in aid of The Children’s Centre attracted more than 200 runners.

Race the Sun, sponsored by the Mann Made Group, involves teams of up to 10 aiming to run 98 miles around the Raad ny Foillan coastal path between sunrise and sunset. The first runners set off from Peel promenade in the early hours of Saturday morning, with the runners on the final leg arriving back in Peel for the finish in the early evening.

Mark Eastham, adventure events fundraising coordinator at the Children’s Centre, said: ‘Race the Sun has raised over £40,000 since it began in 2008 with all funds going directly to supporting vulnerable children and young people in the Isle of Man through our Mobex project.

‘Funds are still coming in from this year’s race, but we hope it will raise around £10,000. Once again we would like to thank everyone who took part and in particular the many runners who raised funds through sponsorship.

‘We’re also very grateful to the Mann Made Group for generously supporting the race for the fourth year, and to the Up and Running store in Douglas for donating prizes for the winners of each leg of the run.’

The race was won by the Department of Education’s Team Ed in a time of 13 hours 18 minutes.

The Golden Shoe prize for the team which raised the most money went to the AXA squad, which collected more than £800.

The team result was as follows: 1, Team Ed (13:18.01); 2, Helios Heroes (13:50.41); 3, SMP (13:51.33); 4, Search and Select (13:52.13); 5, KPMG (14:09.05); 6, Team Thomas (14:27.23); 7, Keen But Mediocre (14:30.00); 8, Barclays (14:32.06); 9, NSC (14:38.15); 10, St Ninian’s High School Staff (14:45.59); 11, Poker Stars (14:54.17); 12, Running on MT (15:21.48); 13, Motorvation (15:31.34); 14, Temps IOM (15:35.56); 15, Big Bang Theory (15:43.36); 16, The DBC Lions (16:02.42); 17, Mann Made (16:17.18); 18, PWC (16:22.30); 19, Team Pippa (16:22.44); 20, The Children’s Centre (16:45.50).

THE Isle of Man Post Office will be issuing new bee fauna stamps in August.

These images are so life-like you can almost smell the honey – as the issue is being printed on scented paper!

Apart from the honeybee, the Isle of Man is home to approximately 15 species of bumblebee, and 57 species of solitary bee.

Currently there are known to be 24 species of bumblebee and over 200 solitary bee species recorded from the British Isles.

In the island, these bees can be found foraging from flowers on mountain moorlands, where the lovely Bilberry Bumblebee, among several other bee species, can be found visiting bilberry and heather flowers, right down to the island’s coastal fringes.

Most people will be familiar with some of the various species of bumblebees that visit our garden flower beds, but the solitary bees will be less familiar and it may be only when they are nesting in the lawns or flower beds that people notice them. They are called solitary because, unlike the honey and bumble bees, there is no worker caste and they do not live in colonies, although they can form large nesting aggregations such as those of the species Colletes succinctus. Other solitary bees, known as cuckoo bees, forgo the labour of building and provisioning their own nests but sneak their eggs into the nests of other bees. The silver and white Epeolus variegatus is one such cuckoo bee which can be found on the Ayres, where it takes advantage of the efforts of other bees such as species of the genus Colletes.

In the island there are about 120 beekeepers. One hundred of them are fully paid-up members of the Isle of Man Beekeepers Federation to the British Beekeepers Association, comprising of three districts. It is estimated that there are at least 400 colonies kept by these beekeepers or the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

To find out more about the stamps, which will be issued on August 8, visit www.iomstamps.com

The island’s fire service dealt with a number of incidents on Saturday.

They had to deal with a number of different incidents.

At 5.13pm, Peel fire crews responded to repeat calls to wheelie bins well alight near a restaurant on East Quay in the town.

They discovered two large wheelie bins well alight. They were extinguished with high pressure hosereels and crews remained there for 10 minutes to ensure that no fire had spread in to the restaurant. The cause of the fire is unknown and currently under investigation.

A fire service spokesman said: ‘Wheelie bins are an easy target for vandalism and arson attack and once lit can cause serious damage to any adjoining property.

‘We strongly recommend the metal type for any large disposal of waste and/or if that is not an option storing bins in a secure area away from windows, porches and doorways. We also appeal to the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police or fire and rescue personnel.

At 5.41pm, crews from Douglas fire station dealt with a grass and gorse fire off Marine Drive near Port Soderick.

Due to poor water supply the officer in charge of the first attending appliance ordered on an additional water bowser/carrier. After 30 minutes of difficult fire fighting due to access and onshore wind the fire was brought under control

A fire service spokesman said: ‘Luckily a footpath above the fire acted as a natural fire break which helped to control the spread.’

The cause is currently not known, and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters left the scene at 7pm.

However, they were called again a couple of hours later after a re-ignition of the fire due to strong onshore wind fanning the area.

Again, crews extinguished the blaze with high pressure hosereels and jets supplemented by water from the water bowser/carrier. At 10.40pm due to the fading light operations had to be scaled down to to conditions becoming dangerous for crews working in certain areas however, it appeared that water had doused all the major inaccessible hot spot areas.

They did not have to return.

At 7.17, as their colleagues were dealing with the Port Soderick fire for the first time, the standby crew on Douglas station responded to a call at King Edward Road near Port Jack. This turned out to be youths who had possibly been lighting a disposable barbecue at the bottom of the cliff walkway opposite Port Jack.

Crew using a ‘portable aqua pack’ (a small tank of water which can be easily pressurised and carried on a fire-fighter’s back) was used to extinguish the barbecue and damp down. Police were also on scene and spoke to the youths concerned.

A fire service spokesman said: ‘Please consider where you place a portable barbecue. Heat is easily conducted underneath please be sensible and on completion ensure the barbecue is extinguished and never left unattended.

‘Again if camping do not bring this type of portable barbecue anywhere near your sleeping area or place in a van to keep warm, as they produce a large amount of carbon monoxide in an enclosed space.’

On Saturday at 10.05pm, the Douglas crew rescued four people trapped in a lift in a property on Peel Road.

One of the trapped people rang 999 and the panic button also raised the alarm at the Emergency Services Joint Control Room

A little later, at 10.57, the Douglas crews responded to a call for help with a fuel leak at a garage forecourt on Peel Road.

This was found to be from a damaged fuel nozzle delivery pipe. The leak was contained by isolating the pump and dissipating the spillage by washing down.

You can win tickets to the Ceilidh on the Quay event, part of the Queenie Festival in Port St Mary, with tomorrow’s bank holiday Isle of Man Examiner.

The Examiner, in shops first thing in the morning, will also have action from the first TT practice session.

Plus there’s the latest on the pre-school nursery situation.

The Isle of Man Examiner is out tomorrow.

A NEW island venture claims it is offering a golden opportunity as the UK prime minister warns of ‘perilous economic times’ and the euro faces make or break time.

The firm called Isle of Man Bullion has secured two gold storage vault facilities in the island.

And the company claims many around the world have already expressed a wish to leave their gold here in a ‘safe and trusted jurisdiction’.

Spokesman Courtenay Heading, a prominent island businessman, said the company is also building ‘relationships in Europe and the Middle East prior to an official Manx launch on August 8’.

He said: ‘The initiative is built on market timing but reflects a centuries long history of gold as a store of wealth, and never more so than in turbulent times.’

He said a 10-strong team has been assembled to get the business moving and these include former police officers.

‘And there will undoubtedly be a knock-on effect for jobs in the island,’ added Mr Heading.

He added: ‘Any vault is only as good as the security it offers and the relationships of customers and the custodians with whom they do business.

‘Basing it in the Isle of Man plays to our 1,000 year trusted parliament as many countries are going through unforseen turmoil.

‘Many off island have already expressed a wish to put their gold in a safe, trusted jurisdiction.’

The public announcement of the new company is very timely - only late last week UK PM David Cameron warned the eurozone was at a crossroads amid doubts about the currency’s survival.

Mr Heading, already well known in the business community for his work with engineering firm Bladon Jets, told Business News: ‘Gold has gone from being a commodity 10 years ago to being a currency now, with China paying for her oil in gold not US dollars.’

He claimed the world is now living through a currency battle. ‘On their weighing scales of true money the paper pile has got six times taller in a decade, but the ounce of gold is still the same sized store of value.

‘To the man or woman in the street gold means holding on to purchasing power.

‘Two thousand years ago an ounce of gold bought you a very nice handmade suit and it still does. It holds this power because unlike paper currencies it can’t be printed into oblivion, and gold is supported by solid fundamentals.’

Mr Heading said he has been investing in gold since 2002 just as some central banks were selling down their reserves. ‘But a decade later central bank buying of gold is at a 40 year high. What’s changed is the dawning reality of the phrase ‘‘good as gold’’ ’.

Mr Heading said the new company had been around two years in the planning. He said: ‘Isle of Man Bullion currently stores and can sell gold here. It’s not a regulated activity, but we have very experienced regulatory compliance and security experts in our team.’

He confirmed that talks were under way with various island companies over providing support services for the new venture which he predicted would be very exciting for the island economy.

He said he is a firm believer in island professionalism and added: ‘Companies with the telephone number starting 01624 are definitely top of the list.’

Mr Heading said the island was ‘blessed beyond belief’ in terms of security and probity and was the ideal location for the storing of gold.

He added: ‘There is a strong sense of community in the island.’

Details of the location of the two vaults are being kept under wraps and further details of the new firm will be released nearer to the launch date in August. Mr Heading said: ‘Gold has endured for 2,000 years. Like a few others, I’ll be cheering a Cavendish victory at the Olympics and doubtless he won’t be photographed with an ink stained certificate of achievement round his neck. He’ll be kissing his gold medal, before squirelling it away somewhere for safekeeping.

‘I went for a curry last week, and the talk turned to the current financial turmoil in Europe. It was brought to a conclusion with the wife of a friend saying: ‘‘but if you can’t trust the banks what do you do.’’ That’s the decision that’s slowly dawning on us all, since 2008 when a lot of us drew out paper money, just in case. But since then that too has lost purchasing power, with my car needing £100 to fill it up.’

courtenayheading@manx.net

THIS is the swim team aiming to become the first group from the Isle of Man to cross the English Channel.

Dubbed the Manx Minkes, after the whale most commonly spotted in local waters, the group comprises Johanna Barkwith, Jill Bunyan, Brandon Ellis, Christine Howell, Heather Mattocks and Silla Parnell, with reserves Mark Gorry and Beth Swaine.

The attempt will raise money for the charity Aspire, which helps people with spinal cord injuries, and they hope to raise at least £10,000.

They have just had their first training weekend in Dover and hope to complete the swim in the second week of September.

The shortest crossing distance of the Channel is 22 miles, but tides and currents can make it much more.

AN award for young people which was founded nearly 60 years ago is going from strength to strength in the Isle of Man, despite the fact that there are now so many activities they can get involved with.

The Department of Education and Children is licensed in the island to offer the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which is open to 14 to 25-year-olds who complete activities under the headings of volunteering, skills, physical, expedition and residential.

At any one time, there are more than 800 young people in the island participating through groups at all five secondary schools, six voluntary youth organisations, two youth centres and one outdoor activity provider.

Participants carry out regular activities and commit themselves to a minimum timescale of between three and 18 months, depending on which award they are taking part in – and young people learn a lot about themselves along the way.

Already this academic year, 25 young people have been invited to Government House to receive gold badges from the Lieutenant Governor, while 190 young people received bronze and silver certificates in a ceremony at the Gaiety Theatre.

Announcing the launch of the award in 1956, Buckingham Palace said it wanted to encourage the young citizens of tomorrow by helping them to ‘achieve a balanced development of their character’.

The Duke of Edinburgh remains a patron of the award, which was introduced in the island three years after its inception.

Award co-ordinator Alison Gawne, of the Youth Service, said: ‘It’s as popular as ever as it gives participants the opportunity to get credit for activities they are already involved in, as well as the chance to try something new.

‘Many particularly enjoy the challenge of the expedition, where they are given the freedom to take part in a venture of their own making, remotely supervised by adult volunteers.’

Joanne Howie, 21, completed her bronze and silver awards at St Ninian’s High School (although she finished her gold award through an independent group, Markee Vannin). She said: ‘What I got from completing my awards was an unbelievable number of skills – ranging from photography to five days’ horse riding and camping – that I can apply to my studies and career. Most of all, it gave me amazing memories.’

Charlotte Howarth did her silver and gold awards through Southern Explorer Scouts and the 18-year-old described her experiences as something she would ‘remember and cherish’ for the rest of her life.

To find out more about the award in the Isle of Man, contact Ms Gawne on 686051 or visit {http://www.gov.im/education/info/doea.xml|www.gov.im/education/info/doea.xml}.

A RAMSEY woman and her friend have completed a trek of the Great Wall of China in aid of the charity Crossroads Caring For Carers.

KerryAnne Quilliam, 25, from Ramsey is a care support worker for the charity. She took part in the long walk with her friend Katrina Molloy.

KerryAnne was originally due to do the trek with her colleague and friend Emma Clague but because of illness Emma was unable to take part and Katrina stepped in to take part in the 29-mile journey.

The charity was chosen because it is close to the girls’ heart hearts.

Last year the girls held a lot of fund-raising events to raise money for the charity, which included taking part in the Parish Walk and 24 hour ‘hairathon’.

During the trek the walkers climbed thousands of steps in a journey that took them across one of the great wonders of the world.

The overall total was raised for the Great Wall of China Trek in aid of Crossroads Care was £8,000.

KerryAnne, said: ‘The experience was fantastic, we had an amazing time. There were eight of us in our team who completed the trek. We got on really well, encouraging each other along the way and at the end we crossed the finishing line together. It was definitely a tough challenge as the steps were not like an ordinary staircase, they were all uneven, some were huge and others tiny. In some parts there weren’t even steps at all, just a pile of rubble!’

Despite the fact that towards the end of the trip KerryAnne thought her calf muscles were too sore to carry on, she stated she never wanted to give up because she was enjoying herself too much.

Katrina, 24, who lives in Chester, said: ‘I personally enjoyed trekking down the ruins, it was like an obstacle course and you had to think of where to place each foot.

‘The views throughout the trek made all the pain worth it, although looking back through the photographs doesn’t give it any justice to how breathtaking the views really were.

‘I am very proud of mine and KerryAnne’s achievement and neither of us moaned too much about our achy limbs but either way it was all worth it for the amount that we have raised and all for such a worthy cause.’

During the trek KerryAnne and Katrina had two Chinese guides with them who told them all about their country’s culture and history, which they both found fascinating. The guides also tried to teach them some of the language.

‘The best thing about the walk was the sense of achievement at the end!’ said KerryAnne. ‘The views were amazing. The people in the group also made it as everyone was so different and were doing it for different reasons/charities.’

After completing the trek the girls stayed in China for a further six days, where they got to see the sights of Beijing, Xian and Chengdu.

TT FANS this year can enjoy the action from five new vantage points dotted around the course.

The so-called Fanzones each have a temporary grandstand and are positioned in some of the most spectacular viewing points including the jumps near Crosby and Ballacrye as well as at Rhencullen, Ginger Hall and Creg-ny-Baa.

With seating for between 200 and 300 spectators, the stands at Creg-ny-Baa and Crosby are already sold out for Senior Race Day.

Each Fanzone will also have catering and toilet facilities, free WiFi, free parking and an enhanced PA system providing live race commentary.

Isle of Man Tourism political member Geoff Corkish said they had provided the new areas in response to research which indicated a demand from fans.

‘Fans will always have their favourite spots, but as the TT audience grows we want to make sure that spectators have a wide choice of options for watching the races,’ he said. ‘Demand for tickets for the Glencrutchery Road grandstand increases every year so we were keen to offer fans an alternative ... and I am delighted we are able to bring them on line in time for TT 2012.’

TT star Conor Cummins is also featured on a Youtube film clip {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPdkh_B0Vds|www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPdkh_B0Vds} giving the rider’s perpective of the course as it passes each of the new vantage points.

The areas have been chosen for their breathtaking views of sections of the course such as Crosby jump where bikes can hit 180mph and iconic locations such as Ginger Hall on the edge of Sulby village and Creg-ny-Baa where spectators will see the riders as they approach from Kate’s Cottage and the sweeping run downhill into Brandish.

Viewing at Rhencullen, just north of Kirk Michael, became severely restricted following the deaths of two spectators on the mountain in 2007, but the introduction of the fanzone mean it is expected to become a popular spot once again.

Tickets for the fanzones, including a grandstand seat, are available for each of the four race days on June 2, 4, 6 and 8 – and cost £25 or £20 for midweek races. They will also be open for final practice with a £5 charge.

A MAN driving an airport luggage vehicle had a heart attack at the wheel and crashed into a Flybe plane on Saturday.

Passengers were told the news as they waited to board the lunchtime flight to Bristol. They were later transferred to Flybe’s Birmingham flight.

The condition of the driver, who was taken from the tarmac in an ambulance, is not known.

One passenger due to travel on the Bristol flight told the Isle of Man Examiner problems began for Flybe earlier in the morning as an incoming flight from Liverpool fell victim to some mechanical problems which caused knock on delays during the day.

Added to that, he said, was a reported computer system failure which meant making alternative arrangements for passengers proved more difficult and check in details had to be handwritten.

‘My flight was supposed to go to Bristol but was put back to 3pm,’ said the passenger.

‘We were all getting ready to start the queue when we were summoned to Gate Two and a Flybe representative said a man had had a heart attack going with the luggage to the plane.

‘He was at the wheel and had crashed into the side of the plane, which was damaged.

‘We were told to continue waiting and then our flight was merged with the Birmingham flight and it didn’t leave until 5.40pm.

‘The captain came out from the cockpit and said it had been a terrible day with Flybe and he could understand why everyone was annoyed. He said the plane would be an insurance write off.

‘There were still delays after our plane left.’

The passenger said some people on the flight missed connections to France as a result of the delays.

A Flybe spokesman said: ‘A number of flights in and out of the island were delayed on Saturday May 26 due to the collision between the ambilift vehicle and Flybe’s stationary aircraft, which unfortunately caused considerable damage. We are pleased to learn that the individual involved is in a stable condition and apologise for any disruption to services following this unforeseen incident.’