The Manx support for cyclist Mark Cavendish competing in the Tour de France Yorkshire will be evident this weekend.

Crafting group Mannin Quilters contributed to a bunting project that is lining parts of the cycle route. The quilters made more than 60 miniature green jerseys each with a gold three legs of man in the centre.

The Yorkshire Hotel situated close to the stage one finish-line in West Park, Harrogate has taken all the three legs bunting to hang.

‘It will be interesting to see if we do get some coverage... that’s why we did put gold sparkly three legs on them to get some coverage,’ said a Mannin Quilters’ spokesman.

Royal Navy warship HMS Brocklesby arrived in Douglas on Tuesday and will be moored at Victoria Pier until tomorrow.

The Hunt-class mine counter-measures vessel recently returned from the Mediterranean.

Visitors got a glimpse of life on board and learned about career opportunities.

A total of £700 was raised for an Isle of Man charity this week at Douglas Golf Club.

The KHG Funds Senior Open – which this year has MBL Financial as the principal sponsor – is a three round tournament, which teed off on Thursday.

The tournament is run on a four-ball format and split into two categories – Seniors (aged 50-64) and Super Seniors (65+) – with prizes on offer across both age groups.

At the end of the round the leaders of the various categories were: Senior men, George Ferguson with 44 points; Super senior men, Calvin Quayle 39; Senior women Lynda Jackson 37; Super senior women Pauline Merrill 38.

As well as the competitive round of golf there was also an opportunity for players to take their chance at beating the course pro in a ‘nearest the pin’ challenge. The overall winner of this fun competition was Peter Crebbin, but seven players managed to beat Douglas pro Mike Vipond, raising £700 pounds for Hospice Isle of Man.

Mary Doyle, of Hospice Isle of Man, said: ‘Hospice is very grateful to KHG and MBL Financial for their continuing support of our charity.

‘Without donations such as this we would struggle to provide ongoing support for the residents of the Isle of Man.

‘I loved the fun idea of competing against the pro - we appreciate everyone’s efforts.

‘The fact that seven people managed to achieve this and £700 was raised in this way is very much appreciated.’

The second of the three rounds will take place at Rowany Golf Club on August 7.

A report from the competition will appear in next week’s Manx Independent sports pages.

Staff from Noble’s Hospital will perform in a comedy show on July 12.

The show, sponsored by Pokerstars Helping Hands Programme and the Douglas Bay Rotary Club, will feature around 30 members of staff on stage as well as behind the scenes, including a band.

It will be in aid of the Isle of Man Ambulance Service, Saint John Foot and Ankle Clinic and towards building a new special care baby unit.

Foundation doctors Sam Fosker and Ross Wallace have been involved with the planning of the show.

Sam said: ‘We are hoping to put on a really fun and enjoyable night for the public and healthcare staff to come together and have a laugh at the funnier side of healthcare.

‘Members of staff on all levels are involved, nurses, health care assistants and paramedics. However, this is not the first time the hospital has done something like this, as at the old hospital site a similar show was performed 10 years ago.’

Ross said: ‘The play is a light-hearted comedy show based on how a hospital functions, to show that we’re not always so serious. I was always involved with theatre in uni and so was Sam, so we were keen to do something theatrical for charity.

‘We started writing the script and were careful to make it appropriate for an Isle of Man audience and their sense of humour. I’ve been performing a lot, whether that’s in the operating room or stage.

‘The experience so far in preparing for the show has been tough, but absolutely amazing. It’s given us the chance to talk to different members of staff, ranging from practice nurses, ward clerks to consultants. There’s been a lot of planning involved, especially behind the music as we don’t want it to be ear-piercing! Overall, we want to make a difference to people’s lives.’

Registered nurse Gerard Hall is the band leader and shared his thoughts: ‘The experience so far has been great. There’s so many talented people working within the hospital and we’ve been practising for months.

‘Extra money to provide new facilities is hard to come by and the show is a great way in which staff can give something back to those who donate.’

The Noble’s Hospital Comedy Show will take place at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, on Saturday, July 12, at 7.30pm. For tickets call the VillaGaiety box office on 600555 or online at villagaiety.com

Issues surrounding career progression, the ‘equity gap’ and work/life balance were discussed during an informal female advocates’ business (FAB) lunch at the Isle of Man Law Society.

FAB lunches are being regularly held to promote diversity at the Manx Bar, the composition of which has changed dramatically in recent years.

Hosting the lunch was the Society’s chief executive Jane O’Rourke who was joined by Kathryn Clough and Laura Monk (Callin Wild); Helen Gough (Gough Law); Sally Bolton, Nicky Merritt and Penny Rogerson (Corlett Bolton); Irini Newby (Simcocks) and Liz Parkes (Gelling Johnson Farrant).

Also at the lunch was trainee advocate Georgina Li on work placement with the Society. The second-year Edinburgh University law student said she was motivated to become an advocate, ‘because the law is the basis of how society functions’.

While the Manx Bar is changing, albeit slowly, and women now make up about 43 per cent of the profession, there is still a tendency to speak in terms of female ‘firsts’.

Clare Faulds was the ‘first’ woman to be admitted to the Manx Bar in 1973, Dr Sharon Roberts the ‘first’ female Deemster and the ‘first’ female President of the Isle of Man Law Society, appointed in 2007, while Jayne Hughes became the ‘first’ female Deputy High Bailiff in 2011.

Jane O’Rourke observed: ‘It’s become a profession where young women properly have every expectation that they will succeed in the same measure as their male counterparts.

‘Previous perceptions were that the Bar was not particularly inclusive but we have seen a strong emergence of women in the legal profession in the Isle of Man.’

Helen Gough said: ‘When I qualified 13 years ago there were very few female advocates but that’s no longer the case.’

Kathryn Clough said she felt this to be particularly interesting given that this has been achieved without the imposition of positive discrimination or minimum quota policies. ‘It’s been a natural evolution,’ she said.

Although the words ‘glass ceiling’ were not mentioned, Irini Newby spoke for all those present when she said: ‘You see in law firms how there’s roughly a 50-50 male-female split until you look at the top,

where there tend to be far fewer women at partner level.’

Female partner under-representation was caused in the main, she felt, ‘because many women feel they have to make a work-life choice. It’s a management challenge and a difficult choice, but that diversity, having women and men on the board, brings an important balance to a firm.’

Greater diversity at partner level could help shape practice culture.

Women have been recognised in other sectors as being particularly skillful at cultivating and, importantly, sustaining long-term client relationships, observed Jane O’Rourke. ‘And women have an aptitude for seeing the bigger the picture,’ added Irini Newby. ‘Simply put,’ said Kathryn Clough, ‘Men and women bring different skills to a practice. Both are valuable and it’s the combination which benefits the client.’ ‘And it’s important that clients find the right lawyer – male or female – to whom they can relate best,’ said Jane O’Rourke.

It’s never too late for women to take up a career in law.

Former teacher Nicky Merritt qualified as an advocate in 2011 and, as her colleague Sally Bolton (a former librarian) observed: ‘I would always recommend anyone considering the law to get a background in another discipline first.’

‘At Simcocks, none of our trainees have had previous legal experience; I believe that brings an added dimension to the practice,’ agreed Irini Newby.

Sally Bolton summed up the mood around the table: ‘In the past I think many of us felt that in the legal profession you had ‘‘to do it better’’ simply because you were a woman.

‘Things are changing, more women are entering the profession and we’re witnessing a welcome shift in the culture. Watch this space.’

Richard Ronan has begun work as a government minister.

The Castletown MHK received his ministerial warrant from Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood on Wednesday.

He got his new job (and a pay rise) after Chief Minister Allan Bell reshuffled the Council of Ministers.

Mr Bell was forced to do that after John Shimmin MHK resigned as Economic Development Minister when a lawyer deemed government loans to the Sefton Group to be ‘not lawful’.

Mr Ronan, a former joiner. takes over as Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister. Phil Gawne (Rushen) leaves that department for Infrastructure, while Laurence Skelly (Rushen) takes the Economic Development portfolio.

A government minister in the Isle of Man earns £58,156.

An MHK with no departmental responsibilities earns £38,771, those who are members of departments (such as Mr Ronan before his promotion) earn £50,402.

For more on this story, see this week’s Manx Independent, which is on sale now.

The International Black and White Association will have a stall on the Fairfield on Tynwald Day.

The IBWA’s stated aim is ‘To promote tolerance and understanding between the peoples of the world through art, culture and sport’.

It will also be supporting One World Centre in its Global Village, which this year is in the Arboretum.

There will be information available on the other charities with which IBWA works, a raffle and a ‘guess my name’ competition.

There will also be special and black and white cakes made by Sarah Christian.

‘We are very grateful to 3FM for the loan of their gazebo which means that we will have protection not just for helpers but also for a very important item, the cup that the Ellan Vannin team won at the recent ConIFA world football cup in Sweden,’ said Jennie Thompson vice-president of IBWA.

‘It will be a chance for the general public to have a look at what the Team achieved and I am sure that it will attract a lot of attention.’

IBWA supported the Ellan Vannin team and also the aims of ConIFA and especially the Ellan Vannin’s support of the Darfur refugee team.

One World Centre is holding its Global Village in the Arboretum this year with representatives of the diverse cultures that are on the Isle of Man. IBWA with the IOM United Nations Association will also have a presence here and there is going to be opportunities to taste see and experience different foods dances and even have your name written in Chinese calligraphy

Jennie added: ‘Tynwald Day is a unique event to celebrate not just the Manx Nation but also recognise the diversity of our island.’

Tynwald Day will be celebrated on Monday, July 7, this year because July 5 falls at the weekend.

Douglas Council is promising that its carnival will be a big success.

It is due to take place on July 19 and is a revival of an event that last took place in the early 90s. It harks back to the days when the capital was a magnet for mass tourism.

According to a press release from the council, garages and workshops around the island are ‘humming to the sound of hammering and drilling as floats are being prepared while spare rooms and front rooms are filling up with fabulous feathers and sequins as the finishing touches are being put to costumes’.

Events start at 2pm with dancing, gymnastic displays, charity stalls and music on Loch Promenade. At 6.30pm the carnival begins with a grand procession from Strathallan to the Sea Terminal.

There will be floats, bands, classic cars and bikes, a Carnival king and queen, and music.

The after party will take place at the Bottleneck car park area.

A teaching union says it will draw on the benefits of the island’s curriculum and education system when it pushes for change in the English education system.

A delegation of 28 head teaches from the North West of England and Wales enjoyed a three-day visit to the island this week, organised by the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

They met Education Minister Tim Crookall and department officials, as well as visiting a number of schools.

Alan Rutter, divisional secretary for the NUT in Cumbria, told the Manx Independent he had been ‘really impressed’ by what he had seen in schools here, particularly the ‘extremely wide-ranging creative curriculum which allow pupils time to develop’.

He praised the island’s Freedom to Flourish model, saying head teachers and teachers got the best out of pupils ‘without having OFSTED breathing down your necks’ and ‘teaching to the test’.

Mr Rutter said the union would highlight the benefits of the island’s model in future consultation with the English Government.

‘We would want to be saying there’s a different model here. You can strive for excellence without all the political interference we have got in England.

‘This what can be done and we would like to see that more.’

The trip came about as a result of a visit by Beth Davies, NUT president, and Simon Jones, NUT national executive member, in February.

He said the island’s curriculum, together with the fact that assessments are often classroom-based, schools have supportive quality assurance arrangements and collaboration between schools is encouraged meant teachers were free to teach – something that was the envy of colleagues in the UK.

‘The Isle of Man’s Freedom to Flourish system with no OFSTED, ESTYN, SATs, annual literacy and numeracy tests, league tables, bandings, academies etc outperforms schools in England and Wales by over 10 per cent at GCSE.

‘Schools are happy places where children love learning and thrive without the pressure of being labelled failures.’

Liz Beaumont, assistant head teacher at Sacred Heart RC Primary School, in Blackburn, described the visit – including trips to the Education Support Centre, Ballakermeen High School and Henry Bloom Noble Primary School – as inspirational.

‘Each school is unique because each community is unique. It’s acknowledged that is how it should be. In England we are all being fitted into a model of what is a good school.’

She said she felt re-energised to resist the move in England towards academies. The NUT is campaigning against them, saying they have a damaging impact and don’t raise educational standards.

A government department has been branded incompetent by the leader of Douglas Council for failing to address basic maintenance jobs around the capital.

Council leader David Christian said there was a plethora of routine repair jobs that had been neglected by the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) which he called the ‘Department of Incompetence’.

Top of his hit list was a failure to repair seafront railings mangled in the storms earlier in the year and poles supporting signs which have been unpainted for so long they have rotted through and become dangerous.

‘Millions have been spent on paving Victoria Street to improve the appearance, yet basics like street signs and poles are in the worst state they have ever been. There are electrical control boxes with the bottoms corroded away and signs missing all together and poles that have virtually rusted through,’ he said.

Many areas of damaged railings along the seafront remain blocked off by unsightly yellow safety barriers with no repairs yet completed.

‘Last time it got this bad it was before the centenary TT races and the council took it on board.

‘We went round and repainted lots of street furniture and the DoI gave us a contribution to the cost of doing it. Now everything looks so bad again – in such a state – that we need to take some action,’ he said.

‘We are now at the height of the summer season and no work has been done on the promenade railings. We all know money is tight but you have to keep the basics up to scratch.’

‘There are poles supporting traffic signs (which are DoI responsibility rather than the council’s) that have rusted through and will now cost money to replace,’ he said, adding, one traffic sign in King Street had been reported by the council to the DoI as dangerous because it was corroded and in danger of falling down.

One of the big fears was giving a bad impression of the island during the tourist season, he said: ‘People direct complaints to me becuase they think it is the council’s responsibility.

‘I had complaints from hotel owners who hoped something would be done before TT.’

l What do you think? Does Douglas look shabby? Email opinions@newsiom.co.im or write to us at the address on page 10.

Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman and Hairy Biker Dave Myers visited the island this week to film new BBC One series ‘Holiday of my Lifetime’.

The episode will show Dave reliving a holiday with his parents in 1967 when they flew to the island from Blackpool.

The Manx Transport Association provided a 1967 Isle of Man Road Services Leyland Leopard bus. The Myers family may have travelled on the same bus when it was new in 1967 as it was, at that time, on Airport Specials from Ronaldsway to Douglas.

The episode is hosted by Len. Filming took place at Ronaldsway, Castletown, Douglas, St John’s, and the A.R.E. Motorcycle Museum.

The Sefton Hotel is selling off some of its most luxurious suites in an attempt to lower the group’s level of debt.

The custom-built Sefton suites were created in 2008 to cater for the most well-heeled travellers, offering luxury accomodation to high net worth individuals and the film industry.

However, according to the Sefton Group’s annual report and accounts published last week, this market was badly hit by the economic downturn of recent years and has failed to fully recover.

In the report’s opening statement, Sefton Group chairman Sir Miles Walker, who stepped down last week, said: ‘We have received interest from a number of parties interested in acquiring a suite for residential living’.

The group maintains 10 of the suites, which are priced at £200 and above per night.

Nine are located in a separate building on Douglas Promenade, adjacent to the main hotel.

The group intends to sell five or six of the suites and the report confirms that one sale is currently being completed while two more are being marketed.

Matilda Thornton, aged five-and-a-half, has donated her long hair to make wigs for children battling cancer.

And she has already raised enough money for the charity to make nearly three more.

Matilda, of Governor’s Hill, Douglas, was keen to help children who have lost their hair following chemotherapy after watching a TV programme about children with cancer.

Her hair – which was last cut when she was just two years old, was cut by Marco Leonetti at Utopia Salon, in Castlemona Colonnade, Douglas, on Saturday afternoon.

Matilda’s remaining hair was styled into a bob, and her long locks are now on their way to the Little Princess Trust, which uses real hair to make wigs which they provide free to children.

Matilda has also been fundraising for the charity – each wig costs £350 to make.

So far Matilda, a pupil at St Mary’s School, in Douglas, has raised almost £1,000.

But she hopes when more people read about her fundraising efforts she will be able to double that.

Proud dad Marcus explained: ‘We were watching TV one night when a programme was on about children with cancer and there was a little girl without hair.

‘Matilda is a very sensitive girl and got a little upset.

‘I explained the girl had lost hair because she wasn’t well and I also said that people could donate hair to make new hair for poorly children.

‘She was the one who suggested she could give her hair to another little girl.’

Matilda’s efforts received a boost from Mario Ciappelli of Portofino restaurant after he lost a £100 bet with Theo Fleurbaay of the Arrandale hotel on the Uruguay v Italy football match.

And she also received £50 on the day from a woman sat next to her at the hair salon who saw what Matilda was doing.

To make a donation to the Little Princess Trust go to https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/matildashaircut

As well as young cancer patients, the Little Princess Trust also helps children with other conditions which result in hairloss, such as alopecia.

Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood visited Pennybridge Equestrian Centre to see pupils of the Riding for the Disabled Association enjoy a riding lesson.

It was an informal visit and he was very interested in all aspects of the group rides which take place,’ said RDA chairman Joan Waters, who is also one of the instructors.

Mr Wood was introduced to the committee members and to the volunteers who attend each week to ensure that the rides can take place.

He spoke to the riders and presented them with rosettes.

‘Everyone at Riding for the Disabled wishes to thank him for his interest and, if anyone has a few hours to spare once a week, we would appreciate your help,’ said Joan.

Anyone interested in helping at Riding for the Disabled should call Priscilla Mayall on 843539.

No official advice will be issued about children’s intake of sugary drinks, but a Health department spokesman has endorsed the comments made by the UK government’s scientific advisory committee.

Dawn Henley, of the Department of Health, said the report on which the advice was based contained various recommendations including a tax on soft drinks and they wanted to consider it fully before responding.

‘We agree that drinking water is good for children for many reasons and it is a good habit to get into rather than drinking sugary drinks as the norm. Another problem is that sugary drinks like that have lots of calories but not many nutrients so they don’t really do you a lot of good,’ she said.

Clearly drinking water at mealtimes will only help to address childhood obesity: ‘It can only be a factor. Obviously drinking water with a huge plate of sausages and chips is not really going to address the issue,’ she added.

‘It’s important to look at the whole picture and consider the balance between energy in calories consumed during the day, and energy out in the form of exercise and daily extivities. It’s a matter of balance and the key is often to do things in moderation.’

Mrs Henley said they endorsed official advice on drinking water or milk, including milk shake if it was without added sugar, and full fat milk. While advice in the UK suggested giving children semi-skimmed milk, experts in the Isle of Man have said full fat milk is perfectly acceptable for growing children provided they are not still being weaned on breast milk.

Even pure fruit juice - though better than fizzy drinks - does not escape criticism as it still contains natural sugars. Children wanting to drink it should ideally still dilute it with plain water or even sparkling water, which will also reduce its harmful effects on the teeth.

The UK recommendations follow a six-year research programme which said excessive sugar was linked to obesity, tooth decay, some cancers and type two diabetes.

Port St Mary cafe owners Rich and Adrienne Ashcroft are appealing for the return of their beach toys.

They placed a borrow-and-return bucket filled with all of the toys you could dream of for a trip to the beach outside Patchwork Cafe for the whole summer season last year without a problem.

Residents and visitors to Port St Mary were encouraged to take items – free of charge – to play with on the beach.

But following the Queenie Festival in the village at the weekend they were upset to find that many of the items had not been returned to the bucket.

‘The first year it worked absolutely fine,’ Mr Ashcroft said.

‘It was fantastic. People who didn’t want to buy more plastic buckets and spades could take them for a day or an hour free of charge.

‘This year the bucket has been there only about a month or so and we are already 50 per cent down.’

The couple have not yet reported the incident to the police – hoping that people will be honest enough to return the items.

‘We are appealing to anyone who visited at the weekend and finds when they open the boot of their car that they have a bucket or spade that they don’t think belongs to them to please drop it back at Patchwork,’ he said.

‘We would really appreciate it.’

He added: ‘If any of the items have been broken, please just say. There won’t be any charge.’

Among the items that have gone missing are buckets and spades, fishing nets, footballs and even a full cricket set.

Mr Ashcroft said: ‘It’s not what you expect to happen in Port St Mary. The bucket is a nice thing to have in the village. There are honesty boxes all over the island for goods such as vegetables and eggs.

‘That is why we like to think everyone is trustworthy.’

It hasn’t all been bad news at Patchwork though. Last week the couple were delighted to find they had won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, given to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews.

Mr Ashcroft said: ‘When the Certificate of Excellence arrived in the post there was no one more surprised and delighted than ourselves. We have worked tirelessly over the last year to make Patchwork a true destination and community-orientated cafe.

‘Accreditation such as this really makes it worthwhile.

‘It’s a combination of excellent service from our front of house staff and the wonderful Manx produce that has been fundamental to our success.

Manx Stars in their Eyes will end this year after its thirteenth and final show on Saturday, November 15.

The hugely popular talent show, based on the 1990s television programme hosted by Matthew Kelly, has raised £200,000 for charities since it began in the year 2000.

One of the organisers, James Proudfoot, said: ‘We’ve decided to make this year our last show, hopefully not unlucky 13.

‘It sells out every year to 1,300 people, but I’ve got two kids now, Scott Christian has other business committments and a few of the other members of the team are busy too, so we just thought now was a good time, we wanted to finish on a high.’

James said that he will be sad to see it go and that he has lots of good memories from the shows.

‘It’s karoake on steroids. Every year the atmosphere is fantastic, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up,’ he said.

Asked about his favourite moments he said: ‘The crowd reaction to Pavarotti, when he started singing, it was just incredible, when he hit the high notes in Nessun Dorma the place just went bananas.

‘Little Charlotte Church as well, the atmosphere again when she hit her big notes was unreal. Getting Comedy Dave from Radio One to judge has been good.

‘We’ve had some funny judges, Milky Quayle, some cracking shows, some great winners, but we want to quit while we’re ahead.’

Manx Stars in their Eyes was started in the year 2000 by Scott and Joanne Christian, David Griffin and Paul Moran as a one-off night.

Scott was suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma but happily recovered and felt that he wanted to give something back.

Charities which have benefited from the show include Hospice, Rebecca House, Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, Naseem’s Brain Trust, Oscar’s Dreams and Manx Miracles.

Among the winners have been Joanna Winterbottom as Toyah, Sharon Ross as Cher, Anthony Britton as George Formby, Stephanie Clift as Eva Cassidy, Mike Corkhill as Pavarotti, Charlene Cowin as Celine Dion and Jodie Teare as Duffy.

James said: ‘It had a couple of years off when there was no Villa or Summerland and I got involved when it started again and through knowing Paul.

‘I started making videos for them and doing some big screen stuff.’

So is there any chance of a return for the show in the years to come?

‘If we do something again I don’t think it will be Stars in their Eyes, it’s run its course,’ said James.

‘If we’re twiddling our thumbs two or three years down the line we might get itchy feet again.

‘The social side is brilliant, working with all the singers and dancers, doing all the filming, it’s good fun, but it’s a lot of work, at the end of the show no-one wants to see each other for six months.’

Mark Cavendish has been ruled out of the remainder of the Tour de France.

The Manx Missile this morning (Sunday) underwent tests on his right shoulder and ligaments after a dramatic crash in the opening stage of the Tour de France yesterday.

He came off near the end of the stage in Harrogate after colliding with Simon Gerrans during the sprint finish, which was won by Marcel Kittel.

His Omega Pharma - Quick-Step announced on Twitter today he wouldn’t be starting today’s second stage - meaning he’s out of cycling’s biggest race this year.

Cav’s hopes of a fairy tale start to the this year’s Tour de France opener were dashed as he crashed 250 metres from the finish line in Yorkshire, putting in doubt his participation in the rest of this year’s event. The Laxey man collided with Simon Gerrans in the last few hundred metres of the 190.5km opening stage from Leeds to Cav’s mum Adele’s home town of Harrogate, as he tried to keep touch with sprint rival and eventual stage winner Marcel Kittel.

The Manxman remounted and crossed the finish line, but looked in a lot of pain having landed heavily on his collarbone and shoulder

Police investigations are continuing today (Sunday) after more than 100 youths gathered in Douglas last night.

Officers say the teenagers were behaving anti-socially and causing problems on Johnny Watterson’s Lane after midnight.

They say they’re investigating public order and alcohol-related offences this morning, after parents were asked to come and collect their drunk children.

Police said on Facebook at the height of the incident: ‘100+ Youths causing issues in Watterson Lane with Anti-Social Behaviour. Officers report some very poor attitudes and there will be follow-ups in relation to alcohol related offences (parents are currently being asked to come and collect their drunk charges)’

The incident follows a similar problem in Castletown last weekend

A surprise was in store for a Ramsey man when he visited the archive film show at the Sing and Sign in the Park event.

The promotional day for the island’s deaf population featured a cinema show set up in a vintage bus, showing footage from the 1937 Deaf Association conference held in the Isle of Man and on it Mike Boulton spotted his grandfather William.

‘I knew him very well,’ Mr Boulton said.

‘We saw them regularly and we also lived with them for a time. I also have pictures of him from when he was younger.’

The film, shot in 1937 by Leslie Edwards, the then Deaf Association secretary, follows people on the convention visiting Peel, Rushen Abbey and Mooragh Park, watching a TT race from near the Bungalow and attending a church service. William Boulton is clearly seen outside the door of St George’s Church speaking in sign language.

Sing and Sign in the Park organiser and island Deaf Champion Gareth Foulkes said: ‘He is animatedly signing to the camera ‘‘E D W A R D S, camera now’’.’

Retired teacher Mike Boulton said his grandfather was a champion swimmier in the Isle of Man and carried on swimming regularly in the Ramsey open air lido until he was aged more than 80.

Originally from Chester, where he had played water polo, he met his wife Amanda at the Liverpool Deaf School where they were both pupils. She was from Ramsey where her parents owned the Crown pub.

The pair moved to Ramsey after they were married and he worked as a tailor.

William Boulton was a member of both the Isle of Man Deaf Club and of the BDA, regularly attending their events in the UK in Brighton and Aberdeen.

The films served as a form of communication for the BDA’s members and were loaned to deaf clubs across Britain.

William, who was born in 1880 and died in the early 1960s, went deaf at the age of three but was fluent in sign language which he preferred to use. He taught the language to his grandson.

Amanda went deaf aged five as a result of a bout of scarlet fever but was more adept at speaking than William as a result of losing her hearing when she was older.

Mr Foulkes said: ‘Interestingly, William taught Mike a very old (18th century) form of fingerspelling for the letters Z and Y. I wonder if this is what they used in Liverpool Deaf School when he attended.’