A letter of complaint will go to Chief Minister Allan Bell from Castletown commissioners after they had a discussion about the regeneration of the town’s square.

Last Monday, December 15, commissioner Colin Leather said that at a social function, Graham Cregeen (MHK for Malew and Santon) had told him that he had been informed by Mr Bell that the project ‘would not go ahead via the regeneration fund’ but that it might be taken up by the Department of Economic Development.

The authority said this was ‘out of order and undermining the work of the regeneration committee (RC), and its chairman, Richard Ronan, as this information should have been firstly formally communicated to the Castletown RC, particularly in view of the hard work performed by the committee. This should not have been the subject of informal discussion in a social forum.’

Kevin Weir proposed they write a ‘strong letter of complaint’ to Mr Bell.

Police are investigating a second fatality on the island’s roads.

A coach heading towards Douglas with 22 passengers on board was in collision with a man on Richmond Hill soon after 1am this morning (Saturday)

The man, who was a pedestrian, was taken by ambulance to Noble’s hospital but was pronounced dead soon after.

The road was closed until 5am to allow accident investigators to complete enquiries.

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward, in particular anyone who saw a pedestrian in the Richmond Hill area at around the time of the collision.

Anyone with information should call police on 631212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The incident is the second fatality in as many days on the island’s roads. On Friday morning a 22-year-old man died in a collision involving two vans at the Mountian Box.

Blackpool Airport is able to operate flights – but a Citywing spokesman said that, although it was good news, it did not yet affect Citywing.

The new operating company – Squires Gate Airport Operations – is gearing up for a relaunch this week after the Civil Aviation Authority gave the all clear.

The airport can now resume limited commercial flights with air traffic control and emergency fire cover.

Citywing managing director David Buck said he was pleased that the airport had got its licence back and that the ticketing agent would be watching developments.

He said: ‘This is great news. It’s an excellent move forward and excellent for the area. The airport has been greatly missed and I am very pleased at this development.’

The airport closed down on October 15 with the loss of 100 jobs when operating company Blackpool Airports Ltd went into liquidation with debts of up to £34m.

Citywing announced that it was suspending flights between the Isle of Man to Blackpool until at least the spring 2015.

Owner Balfour Beatty insisted it had no option but to close the loss-making airport after last-ditch efforts to find a buyer failed.

Last month Mr Buck told the Blackpool Gazette: ‘We would be delighted to come back to Blackpool.

‘It would depend on the costs, of course, but we would love to fly from there once again.

‘We were very sorry to see Blackpool close.’

Last year 18,657 passengers used its Blackpool route, making it Citywing’s second most important route after Belfast.

The company said it had investigated all reasonable options to keep the North West lifeline open, including detailed discussions with nearby airfields over the possibility of an interim service.

Citywing apologised to customers and assured them that Citywing, which employs 50 staff in the island and carried 63,824 passengers in 2013, would continue to strive to reopen the service in March 2015.

Parish authorities in the south do not have a ‘cool response’ to the possibility of sharing services Rushen Commissioners have said.

They were responding to comments made at Castletown Commissioners’ meeting on December 2, at which commissioners agreed when authorities met the day before, there had been a ‘rather cool response’ to the prospect of sharing service provision, ‘clear areas of disagreement between towns and parishes’ and ‘clear friction.’

Authorities are in discussion after Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK wrote to them about the shift in responsibility for several key functions – such as hedge cutting, street sweeping – which ‘would be better delivered by local authorities’.

Authorities in the south have agreed to the idea in principle, but there are concerns about the cost of the operation and particularly equipment, leading to discussion about sharing items such as street sweepers.

In a statement,Rushen Commissioenrs said: ‘A cool response and friction is far from the truth.

‘Rushen, Arbory and Malew, all parish districts, have been talking for many months about looking into working together and when this opportunity with regard to the transfer of functions to local authorities from the Department of Infrastructure came up they saw it as the ideal opportunity to carry this out.

Since receiving the minister’s letter on October 17 Rushen and Arbory have been asking the minister and department for, and have received, all sorts of information and this has helped them reach a decision with regard to taking on some of the functions suggested.’

The clerks were due to meet Mr Gawne and Bill Corlett from the department to get more information with a view to preparing tender documents, feeling using contractors would be the best solution.

The tenders will be for road sweeping and hedge trimming, as the three parishes have around 120 miles of hedges to cut between them.

Town authorities – with fewer hedges and more regular sweeping of smaller roads – have very different requirements, said RPC, although there could be some overlap.

A series of ‘ongoing allegations’ have been made about Castletown commissioners Andrew Thomas and Kevin Weir, and clerk Eddie Convery which ‘are completely untrue’ the board said at Monday’s meeting.

The allegations were made by a resident living in town, but the authority would not reveal what they were or who had made them.

Mr Weir would not be drawn further.

He said: ‘Because of data protection I can’t say anything. There is a lot going on.’

When asked if they involved legal proceedings he said: ‘I will leave that to your imagination, I cannot answer it. It’s all tied up with confidentiality and data protection. There are issues. It’s a bit like Watergate!’

He added: ‘I have never ever, myself, Andrew Thomas and Eddie Convery, done anything wrong. We cannot say anything because of confidentiality, that’s the frustration.’

Last Monday, fellow commissioners unanimously passed a vote of confidence in all three men.

The island’s Older Persons’ Mental Health Service has been reaccredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Memory Services National Accreditation Programme (MSNAP) as ‘excellent’.

The memory service provides specialist assessment, investigation, diagnosis and treatment to persons experiencing memory problems and support for their carers. Whilst memory problems become more prevalent in older people, the service is also open to younger people who might benefit from a memory assessment.

Some memory problems occur as part of the ageing process, and are not related to brain degeneration which can be associated with dementia.

MSNAP was developed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to assure and improve the quality of care for people with memory problems and dementia and their carers. The accreditation process takes a holistic view of care from both the professional side and the patient’s perspective in a comprehensive process of review, through which good practice and high quality care are recognised.

Involving service users and carers is a MSNAP priority, and people with first-hand experience of using the Service are encouraged to get involved in all stages of the accreditation process.

Kelvin Rossiter, clinical nurse specialist of the Older Persons’ Mental Health Service, said: ‘In receiving the reaccreditation, the department’s memory service meets the very highest UK standards and is able to benchmark against other memory services across the UK.

‘This demonstrates the high quality service that patients and carers will receive which is person-centred, needs-led and takes into account their unique and changing personal, psychosocial and physical needs.’

Michael Coleman MLC, Member for the Department of Health and Social Care with responsibility for the mental health service said: ‘The Memory Service has demonstrated the consistently high standard of care.’

Demand for local produce has reached a new high this Christmas according to one island business.

Robinsons group, which sells fruit and vegetables as well as other foods, flowers and fish has reported a 28 per cent rise in sales in run up towards Christmas.

Managing director John Horsthuis said interest in locally produced items had been growing over the past few years but this year seemed to be exceptional.

‘As the market has reacted, the local producers have moved to meet the demand. That has certainly led to higher sales of Manx goods,’ he said.

‘In the run up to Christmas this year that trend has become extremely pronounced.’

The trend is reflected in sales of fresh fish with trade up around 25 per cent on the same period last year. Again, this is being attributed to greater interest in the provenance of goods as well as increased capacity built a new £14,000 smoke house earlier in the year.

In addition more produce is being exported now, particularly to the North West of England.

As a whole, the group says it is expecting to meet orders for 100,000 blooms and more than 4,000 gifts, with demand particularly high for items which have island provenance or interest.

Mark Hotchkiss of Post-a-Rose said feedback from their customers suggested niche products, particularly those with an Isle of Man heritage were popular as gifts not just with residents but also for friends off island.

Manx Radio has launched a new transmitter on Peel Hill to serve Peel and the Patrick area.

The station says that while those in the west have been able to receive the station for many years, in places the signal has been very poor.

Managing director Anthony Pugh hopes the clearer signal will encourage others to tune in.

Asked about the funding and cost of the transmitter, Mr Pugh said: ‘The Manx Radio transmission network is owned and paid for by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) as agreed by Tynwald and the new transmitter was funded through the existing DHA transmitter operations budget.

‘The new Peel transmitter, however, was designed and installed by Manx Radio engineers, whose salaries are funded by Manx Radio.’

‘Regarding the cost, I’m afraid I don’t have the figure.’

It was clear just from watching the audience walking into the Villa Marina that Alan Davies has wide appeal.

And when the star of Jonathan Creek, QI and The Dog Rescuers appeared on stage for the latest date in his stand up tour Little Victories, a quick straw poll confirmed this.

‘So how many were born in the 60s? That’s good: that’s my era,’ he added as lots of hands went up.

‘How about the 50s?..and the 40s?’

The oldest audience member willing to own up was born in 1926, and the youngest claimed to have been born in 2004.

‘He’ll find some of the material pretty interesting in the second half,’said Alan.

There was a quick poll to find out who who came from where: ‘Have any of you come far? A few people saying yes here? You said yes - where have you come from...Douglas! That’s here. So who’s come further than Douglas? Peel? Someone said Ramsey.

‘So is there a lot of rivalry between Douglas and Ramsey?’

‘YES,’ shouted the audience.

There was also a quick scan of the local newspapers: ‘The tree at the Fairy Bridge seems to be at the centre of controversy this week...but I see the supermarket still has some food.

‘So all good then.’

Much of the comedy focused on his home life and upbringing. His mother died when he was young, and he and his brother were brought up by their father.

In fact, he and his brother were brought to see the TT sometime in the mid 1970s by their father.

‘I like motorbikes but I particularly liked the sidecars. Any sidecar passengers in the audience?’

Much humour centred on nostalgia and the 1970s: ‘You didn’t get on telly by baking a cake in those days. It was how you ate in the 70s.’

There were also reminiscences about his dad’s car: ‘It was a chocolate brown Princess. Except no-one called it chocolate brown...I expect there’s quite a few audience members who don’t know what a Princess is. It was the bigger version of the Allegro. That’s the one Top Gear tested and found it was more aero-dynamic going backwards than forwards.’

There were even references to the old Solvite wall paper paste advertisement, with the man stuck to a board being hauled high in the air by a crane: ‘You wouldn’t be allowed to do that now would you?’

He was sent away to public school and there were also memories of private education, which he described as ‘a system that specialises in rugby, latin and bullying’.

His dad was a keen tennis player and belonged to a tennis club but as children they were not taken there. Instead they played on the municipal courts spending most of the time retrieving balls and trying not to hit them over the fence into the river.

The Villa Marina had a near capacity audience which showed its appreciation at the end of the show with prolonged applause. Allan Davies’ Little Victories tour continues into the new year.

Guy Martin will be returning to TV screens over Christmas.

The charismatic TT rider will be featuring in Guy Martin’s Passion for Life, which will be screened on Channel 4 at 6.40pm on Saturday, December 27.

The 30-minute show features a series of short films, released earlier this year on Channel 4’s online platform 4oD, but repackaged for television audiences to enjoy over the festive period.

The series proved popular with fans online, being watched more than 500,000 times following its launch in August.

It was produced by North One Television, the firm behind the TT coverage shown on ITV4 for the past five years.

Promotional material for the series promises the programme will lift the lid on ‘Guy Martin’s complex character, revealing his candid thoughts on the dangers of the Isle of Man TT, and featuring exclusive access to his normally off-limits private life’.

The first film in the series looked at Martin’s involvement in the TT, offering fans ‘exclusive insight into the man behind the leathers’, and featuring footage of action around the Mountain Course .

Film two focused on his work day and how ‘he has cycled to his job as a lorry mechanic every day since he was 12 years old’.

The third film, meanwhile, followed his passion for engines and his dream of owning a Merlin, the engine which powered the Spitfire .

Sixth-form students and their prospective business mentors met for the first time as part of an initiative to provide youngsters with the skills they need to gain employment in the island’s ICT sector.

The IT Career Academy programme is about supporting both the business and education communities by addressing the skills, knowledge and relationships gaps in a way that prepares 16-to 18-year-olds to be ready to enter the world of work.

The Academy’s co-ordinator, Andrew Cole, said: ‘It was so exciting to see students and prospective mentors interacting enthusiastically. They could all see how beneficial this programme can be.

‘These students really want to succeed and the employers are already on the look out for recruits. They see this as a two-year extended interview and that’s fine!’

The pilot initiative has been developed with the support of the Department of Economic Development and Department of Education and Children.

Students from Castle Rushen High School, Queen Elizabeth II High School and Ramsey Grammar School are taking part.

They recently travelled to London for the UK Careers Academy launch event, also visiting the headquarters of social networking service LinkedIn.

And they will complete paid internships with IT companies next summer.

Keith Winstanley, Castle Rushen head teacher and a member of the local advisory board, said: ‘This is a wonderful initiative, not only from the students’ perspective but also for the island as a whole.’

‘The academy presents us with a range of positive practical steps that will in the long term address a key skill shortage here on the island.

‘Every student I have asked about it has been very pleased with the opportunity.’

A fascinating book entitled, ‘A Book of Prospects’ by Eva Wilson, which contains scenes of the island drawn in 1652, has been published by Castletown Heritage.

va was inspired by research for her previous book for Castletown Heritage, ‘Castletown, A Miscellany’, which included 17th century drawings from an album held in the British library.

‘The drawings have appeared in various contexts in writing about the Isle of Man in various ways,’ said Eva. ‘I realised there was more to it than people had been shown. I thought the whole album should be published.’

The Daniel King drawings are named after the artist who did the sketches while James Chalenor was looking at the island on behalf of Thomas Fairfax (Lord of Man from 1651 to 1660). Some of the sketches were etched by Wenceslaus Hollar.

Eva said: ‘After that, the album becomes part of an antiquarian collection and is sold on. It was bought in the 18th century by somebody interested in the Revestment Act [of 1765] and it included newspaper clippings from 1764 to the 1780s.

‘Then we do not know what happened until it came into the British Museum in 1866, then the British Library.

‘It is a complicated history and I account for that in the book, but mainly I wanted the pages to be shown as they are.’

The book includes five views of Castle Rushen, also showing people in the market square, Fort Island, Douglas, Peel Castle and Bishopscourt.

There are two significant drawings of birds. Eva said: ‘There’s one of a gannet and another of a great auk from 1650, they are possibly the earliest known drawings of such birds.’

Included are copies of the 18th-century newspaper clippings.

Eva said: ‘They begin with a speech by [governor] John Wood given to the Castletown people when the island is handed over, and he [the collector] continued his interest. After 10 years there is disillusionment because it did not go so well. Towards the end of 15 years he becomes more interested as an antiquarian.One can have an idea about the sort of person he was.

‘He was a man of his time, also he had a business interest, but who he is, I do not know. I think he was someone living in Chester or the North West, he talks about the postal service to the Isle of Man.

‘He will have been at the sale in London. He was a man of some prosperity.’

It’s been an ‘exciting project’ that has taken two years and involved multiple trips to London. Little wonder then that Eva, at 89, has found it tiring.

‘I’m lucky I’m physically well but this was getting a bit much,’ she said.

‘I’m relieved it’s finished and in good order, I’m not going to do something of this magnitude again!’

She thanked Culture Vannin and the Ann Harrison Trust for their generous contributions

The book, £15, is at Manx National Heritage outlets, Castletown shops and library.

The pedestrian who died when he was hit by a coach in the early hours of Saturday morning was a PE teacher who worked at St Ninian’s High School

Police named him this afternoon as Robert James Campbell. He was 31 and lived in Santon.

The accident happened on Richmond Hill, Braddan, at about 1.10am.

Police have been supporting his family during this difficult time. Police have also been liaising with the head teacher of St Ninian’s High School and the Department of Education.

Police inquiries into the collision are continuing.

A number of people have come forward as a result of the previous media appeal for witnesses and police would like to thank the public for their response.

Police are reiterating their appeal for anyone who saw a pedestrian in the vicinity of Richmond Hill between 12.30am and 1.10am on Saturday to come forward.

Sue Woolley was northern reporter for the Examiner group for nearly 30 years. She is now a freelance journalist, writing mainly on local history and folklore.

She is author of My Grandmother’s Cookery Book, Peeps into the Past and Ramsey – a Collection of Images through the Years.

Her newest book, written with Les Clarke and Ray Stanfield, is The Midwood Collection – classic images of Ramsey and the North. It is on sale now in local bookshops.

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What is your idea of a perfect meal?

Home-made chips, Greek salad and tinned salmon. (I used to be a vegetarian, but now I’m a fish and chipocrite).

What is your favourite way to relax?

A massage by Caroline at Essential Health.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Travel. I’m making up for years of bringing up children and not going anywhere.

Do you have any pets?

No. When we lived in Maughold we kept dogs, cats, goats, hens and donkeys. Now we are townies, we don’t keep any animals.

What is your greatest achievement?

Apart from my children (and grandchildren), it has to be completing the British Wheel of Yoga Teacher Diploma. Four years of hard slog. It is my own personal ascent of Everest!

What is your favourite time of the year?

Spring, when everything is fresh and new. I think the island looks at its best in April/May time.

What is the first job you ever had?

I did six months as a cadet nurse, but realised nursing was not for me. My sister saw an advert for a junior reporter on the Ramsey Courier. I applied and got the job. That was 1969!

Do you have any irrational fears?

I don’t like the dark, which was very inconvenient when living out in the middle of Maughold where there were no street lights. Fortunately, Ramsey has very good street lighting.

What is your worst habit?

Being late. I do try my best but have a habit of starting to do things when I know I should be getting ready to go out.

If time/money were no object, what would be your perfect day?

A yoga retreat with an aromatherapy massage and delicious food at Brightlife. I’m a very simple soul.

What is your favourite book?

Current favourite is The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I didn’t want it to finish.

What is your favourite TV programme?

Oh gosh – Waterloo Road or Antiques Roadshow! I don’t like anything too loud or too scary.

What is your favourite part of the Isle of Man?

No question – Ballaglass. It is magical and full of memories.

What is the last show/band that you saw live?

Bob Dylan in Glasgow last year. I have been a fan since I was 12 and have virtually all his albums.

What is your favourite band/artist at the moment?

I have a very broad taste in music and even have a list of my 100 favourite songs/classical pieces, but I know nothing about modern pop music. In the car, I listen to the Beatles or Bob Dylan.

Choose three people, dead or alive, to invite to dinner?

Bob (obviously), Maya Angelou and President Obama.

Which do you prefer:

Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter.

Cats or dogs? Cats.

Birthday or Christmas? Christmas.

Starter or pudding? Starter.

Quiet night in or night out? Quiet night in.

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If you or someone you know would like to answer the same questions, email Jackie Turley on jackie.turley@newsiom.co.im or call 695658.

The iomtoday spotlight used to be known as the Courier Questionnaire and has recently been resurrected as Island Profile, which appears in the Manx Independent each week.

The winners of the 2014 Student of the Year Awards, sponsored by Barclays Wealth and Investment Management, were announced at a special ceremony.

The annual awards recognise the achievements of the island’s exceptional young people in five different categories: citizenship, the arts, academic achievement, sport and endeavour.

The finalists and their families and friends attended the ceremony, held at Ballakermeen High School in Douglas, along with teachers; David Anderson, MHK and member of the Department of Education and Children and representatives from Barclays.

The island’s five secondary schools and King William’s College each nominated students for the awards and a judging panel of Barclays employees interviewed each young person to select finalists from each school and an overall winner for each category.

All 30 finalists were presented with certificates and gift vouchers by Simon Scott, managing director of Barclays Wealth and Investment Management, with the winner of each category also receiving a trophy.

The winners:

Citizenship – Shannon Greenwood (Ballakermeen High School)

The Arts – Isla Callister-Wafer (Queen Elizabeth II High School)

Academic Achievement – Monique Lloyd-Davies (Ramsey Grammar School)

Sports – Alex Bregazzi (Ballakermeen High School)

Endeavour – Alice Gandy (Castle Rushen High School)

Simon Scott said: ‘Barclays is committed to supporting young people in the Isle of Man so we’re very proud to sponsor the awards.

‘The standard of the students shortlisted has been fantastic and it is an amazing reminder of how talented and motivated our young people are.

‘Deciding the winners was very difficult for the judges as all the shortlisted students made such a fantastic impression and their levels of achievement have been truly outstanding.

‘Barclays wants to help improve the employability skills of students and young people to help prepare them for the workplace by supporting them with the development of their people, work and money skills through our Lifeskills programme.

‘Our sponsorship of the Student of the Year Awards, which celebrates the successes of students, is an important part of achieving this locally.

‘All the students that were shortlisted and nominated should be extremely proud of their achievements and know that their teachers, family, friends and the judges are all very impressed with their accomplishments both in school and in the local community.’

David Anderson said: ‘It is very important that we recognise our island’s outstanding youngsters and the annual Student of the Year Awards is a great way to celebrate their endeavours.

‘The awards not only recognise the students’ own achievements, whether they are academic, sporting, artistic or about helping others, they also reflect how much the students invest in school life and how they help to mentor and inspire others.’

For further information, please contact: Harriet Black, Orchard PR, harriet@orchardpr.com, 01481 251251.

Photo caption L-R:

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About Barclays

Barclays is an international financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays’ purpose is to help people achieve their ambitions – in the right way.

With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs approximately 135,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com

Barclays offers wealth and investment products and services to its clients through Barclays Bank PLC and its subsidiary companies.  Barclays Private Clients International Limited, part of Barclays, is registered in the Isle of Man.  Registered Number: 005619C.  Registered Office: Barclays House, Victoria Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM99 1AJ.  Barclays Private Clients International Limited is licensed by the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission, registered with the Insurance and Pensions Authority in respect of General Business, and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK in relation to UK regulated mortgage activities.

A Tynwald select committee is inviting the public’s views on animal welfare legislation.

The move follows a Petition for Redress presented by Roseleen Harrison at St John’s in July requesting that Tynwald consider the introduction of animal welfare legislation in the Isle of Man comparable to that contained in the UK Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The committee’s members are Kate Beecroft MHK (chair), Brenda Cannell MHK and David Cretney MHK.

Observations for consideration by the committee should be addressed to Marie Lambden, Third Clerk of Tynwald, Legislative Buildings, Douglas, IM1 3PW. m.lambden@tynwald.org.im.

The closing date for submissions is January 23.

A plan to convert the former Wesleyan Sunday school building in Victoria Square, Port Erin, to offices has been given the broad support of its neighbour, the Erin Arts Centre, but the arts organisation wants to ensure access is maintained to an entrance at the back of the centre.

Oceanweb Ltd has applied (14/01299/B) to convert the building into offices with a workshop to administer and service the equipment for its business providing IT for the super yacht industry. The plan includes creating four car parking spaces behind the building.

The spaces would be on what is an historic right of way to the entrance to the EAC said director John Bethell.

The main doors of the centre are too heavy to lock, so when the centre is locked and unlocked, it is done using the rear door; the door also acts as an emergency exit.

‘It’s the parking in the back we have concerns over,’ he said. ‘There is an historic right of way through there to get to the back door (of the centre).

‘We also have concerns about them backing in and out onto the main road and parking on that little spot of land. And that door is a fire exit. It’s not that we do not want anything to be there but the plans do not make it clear where our back door or the fire exits are. We have to make sure out right of way is maintained.’

The commissioners backed the plan on Dec 2.

If Tesco was to apply for an alcohol licence for an Express store in Castletown, the town’s authority would not object they said at last week’s meeting.

Several months ago, Roy Tilleard, the developer of Callow’s Yard (CY) where the store would open, wrote asking for the board to support another alcohol license application by Tesco at 17/19 Malew Street.

Mr Tilleard wrote Tesco’s Store Acquisitions Director ‘has confirmed that they still wish to open the store at Callow’s Yard but that it is still dependent on the grant of an alcohol licence.’ Tesco has said an alcohol licence is required to make the store viable. He said if Tesco opened, Poundland would like to open a Dealz Store at CY.

The authority replied until there is official confirmation that Tesco wants to try once more to open an Express store in town, they would not discuss their stance on an alcohol licence.

When the store last applied for an alcohol licence (its third attempt), it was turned down because of the great number of outlets selling alcohol in town, the authority took a ‘neutral’ stance over Tesco’s application.

Commissioner Colin Leather raised the issue on November 3 and urged board members to make a decision about what he said was a ‘simple question’, but fellow commissioners said they wanted official confirmation first.

In private on December 2 they decided to raise no objection if an application was made again, a decision made public last Monday.

Ramsey Group Practice has apologised to patients after an unprecedented number of telephone calls on Monday, December 17, swamped its phone system.

Practice manager Mandy Kelly has apologised on behalf of the doctors and staff for delays in answering inquiries.

Dr Alex Allinson GP said: ‘Christmas is often a busy time for GP surgeries, but on Monday the Ramsey Practice received 835 calls with over 380 between 8am and 11am.

‘With this large number of calls, some patients were unable to get through to the practice and had to try repeatedly.’

The surgery has since been working closely with Manx Telecom and consulted other organisations that deal with large numbers of calls. As a result, over the Christmas period, a new system is being introduced to allow calls to be held in a queue. In addition, a new automated switchboard is being installed, with more reception staff available to answer calls at peak times.

Patients should call on days other than Mondays if their inquiry is not urgent.

The Mountain Road has reopenend following an incident earlier near Guthrie’s Memorial.

The road was blocked after a car ended up on its roof.

In a separate incident, emergency services were called out at around the same time to another incident on the roads at Milntown.

As the damp weather conditions continues, police are urging motorists to take care in the challenging driving conditions.