The politician who’s in charge of the island’s infrastructure has been in talks with the Steam Packet about its services in the wake of travel chaos last week.

The Manannan was out of action from Sunday till Saturday last week after it ingested debris.

The Ben-my-Chree was also affected by fog when authorities in Heysham shut the port.

The Department of Infrastructure this morning said that future arrangements for the Isle of Man’s strategic sea services would include a focus on ways to increase resilience on Manx routes.

The provision of spare capacity for both passenger and freight services would be considered, along with the types of vessels to be operated and the ability to respond to breakdowns or periods of adverse weather.

In the meantime, the department says it will continue to work with the Steam Packet to assist passengers during occasions when travel to and from the Isle of Man is disrupted.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK says he has held productive discussions with senior management at the Steam Packet in response to the difficulties experienced over the Easter weekend.

He confirmed that a number of issues {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/we-need-reviews-after-travel-disruption-1-7202831|raised by TravelWatch} had already been reviewed as part of proposals to minimise the impact of any future travel disruption.

Mr Gawne said that while damage to fast craft vessels and thick fog had created an unusual set of circumstances, further efforts would be made to improve the flow of information to passengers.

He said: ‘I fully appreciate that travel disruption is a major concern for the public and I wish to thank passengers for their patience and understanding over the Easter weekend.

‘Every endeavour will be made to try to limit the impact of any similar situations in future.

‘he Department of Infrastructure is currently considering the long-term provision of strategic sea services and part of that work will look at creating greater resilience on our ferry routes. We will also see what can be done at the Sea Terminal and airport to assist operators by providing accurate and up-to-date information to passengers.’

In previous discussions with TravelWatch the minister said he believed lessons had been learnt from travel disruption experienced over Christmas.

He said: ‘It would be easy to just criticise the carriers, but the Steam Packet has made significant improvements to its passenger handling arrangements.

‘The Steam Packet is also one of the few operators with the ability to bring in additional capacity at short notice.

‘While it would be ideal to have a spare vessel on standby to cover all eventualities, very few shipping companies have the ability to provide contingency measures for “just in case” scenarios. The department is also acutely aware that the constraints of Douglas harbour make it extremely difficult to charter an appropriate vessel to cover for short-term emergencies.’

He added: ‘Circumstances conspired against the operators over Easter.

‘Normally if sea services are disrupted passengers would have the option of making use of air services. However, on this occasion the damage that forced the Manannan out of action for several days coincided with a period of fog and adverse visibility at the airport.

‘I am in regular communication with Steam Packet senior management and will continue to discuss current issues and ways to improve services for Manx people and visitors to the Isle of Man.’

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/steam-packet-responds-to-travelwatch-s-points-1-7203877|Click here to read how the Steam Packet responded to TravelWatch criticism}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/ferry-the-steam-packet-borrowed-damaged-in-manx-waters-1-7200713|P&O ferry damaged in Manx waters}

The Isle of Man’s police chief constable has praised public servants.

Chief Constable Gary Roberts will be holding his annual awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 21, at 1.45 pm in the Broadway Cinema, Villa Marina. Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood will be there.

The ceremony honours police officers, special constables, support staff, community volunteers and members of the public with a variety of awards ranging from long service medals, certificates of merit for dedication and professionalism, commendations for saving lives and trophies for community partnerships, special achievements and outstanding performance.

Mr Roberts said: ‘In some quarters it has become fashionable to devalue or even denigrate public servants

‘The Isle of Man in my opinion is blessed with committed and dedicated public servants, who routinely do their best for the community they serve.

‘This is especially the case in the constabulary, where police officers, special constables, members of our support staff and community volunteers routinely go the extra mile to make a difference for the public.

‘It is important that these efforts are highlighted and rewarded.

‘The award ceremony recognises all that is good about the constabulary and its people.’

Thieves were among the first thieves to visit Beach Buddies’ newly-opened visitor centre at Niarbyl.

The item stolen was an animal trap - the sort used to catch a stray cat or small dog.

Beach Buddies was trying to catch a longtail (rat), which had left its marks outside. Volunteers wanted to ‘give him/her a new home’.

Beach Buddies’ Bill Dale said: ‘We did, in fact, catch the furry little friend, and he has been “re-homed” a good few miles away. The animal cage – loaned to Beach Buddies by the ManxSPCA - was left, unintentionally, outside the Visitor Centre for one night.

‘But it took just one night for someone to decide that it was OK to steal an item which was clearly the property of Beach Buddies, as it was placed amongst a number of other items at the back of the visitor centre, such as fish boxes, firewood and a ladder.

‘Stealing from a charity is surely one of the lowest levels a human being can sink to.’

He added: ‘Quite what anyone would gain buy stealing an animal trap of this sort when they are offered free of charge by the MSPCA is outside of our thinking.’

Beach Buddies will lost its £50 deposit if it can’t return the trap.

Manx punters are celebrating after backing Grand National victor, the 25/1 outsider Many Clouds, owned by Trevor Hemmings who lives in the north of the Isle of Man.

Sid Cunningham, director of bookies Joe Jennings, said it was a ‘total disaster’ for the company’s five shops in the island as locals ‘cottoned on to the Trevor Hemmings and Manx factor’.

He said staff at the firm’s Ramsey shop even ran out of money on Saturday evening because so many canny locals had won after backing Many Clouds.

Mr Cunningham, 63, said ‘I’m still shell shocked’ as he assessed the financial damage this morning (Monday).

He likened it to 2011 when another Hemmings horse, Ballabriggs, won the Aintree marathon trip.

It was an amazing third victory for owner Hemmings having also won with Hedgehunter. Mr Hemmings said: ‘When a third win comes along that is something special. It is a wonderful , wonderful feeling.’

Bobby Gaines at the Grosvenor pub in Andreas said most villagers had put a wager on Mr Hemmings’s horse and there were a lot of smiling faces on Saturday night. Jimmy Kneen, landlord of the Trafalgar Arms, Ramsey, said there was a party atmosphere.

Work to dredge Peel harbour of silt and dump it at Poortown quarry is causing more outrage.

Reader Trevor Cowin sent us these pictures of the silt, taken this morning, which had fallen off a lorry outside his house and the Highwayman pub on the way to the quarry.

Plans to dump potentially-contaminated silt dredged from Peel marina in a pit excavated near Poortown quarry have sparked an outcry in the west and a public meeting has been called.

Work was carried out over the weekend of March 28 and 29 without planning consent.

Emergency powers under the Public Health Act are being sought for the scheme which the Department of Infrastructure described as a ‘temporary’ storage facility.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: ‘I must stress this is only a temporary measure and we will continue to press for a permanent solution.’

German Parish Commissioners have asked the Captain of the Parish, John Kennaugh, to call a meeting in St John’s Methodist Hall on Thursday (April 16), at 7.30pm to discuss the matter.

A car today slid off the mountain road on a section of highway that was resurfaced last week.

The Audi came off at Keppel Gate.

Bill Dale took this photo.

The Isle of Man Yacht Club in Port St Mary begins junior dinghy training this week.

The courses are held on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 6pm for the first couple of weeks.

There are a few places still available. For further information contact Wendy Hill on 835646.

The MS&CC (Manx Sailing and Cruising Club, the name of the Ramsey sailing club) winter series at Injebreck has now finished and there is a great deal of activity in the boat park as people complete their final preparations for the season.

Dinghy racing starts on Sunday, April 26, with racing taking place every Friday evening and Sunday morning.

The cruisers race on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings from Wednesday, May 6.

This year’s programme will include two ‘fun sails’ to encourage the less experienced to get involved. The dates for these are Sundays, May 17, and June 7. There will be a set start time but it will be a general sail (possibly a cruise down to or around the Calf) followed by a barbecue at the club at around lunch time.

Those interested in getting involved should email Michael Kneale at sailing@iomyc.com

On the social side, tickets - at £15 a head - for the fitting out supper on Saturday, April 25, are now available and must be reserved by April 21. Contact Fiona on 832088 to book.

Almost 500 people in the Isle of Man took part in the world’s biggest wildlife survey earlier this year, the RSPB has revealed.

In the Isle of Man house sparrows swooped into poll position after being spotted in 86 per cent of gardens, closely followed by starlings and then chaffinches.

House sparrows are red-listed (of high conservation concern) in the UK and in the Isle Man, so seeing so many in our gardens proves what an important habitat this is.

It was good news too for jackdaws, who made it into the top five, moving up from seventh place last year and collared doves who moved from 10th to eighth.

However, gorgeous goldfinches dropped one place and blue tits fell down to eighth place. More unusual sightings included migrants like redwings and bramblings, as well as goldcrests – the UK’s joint smallest bird.

Manx Birdlife works in partnership with RSPB to conserve the Manx birds and their habitats. For the last 15 years Manx Birdlife has been running a weekly Garden Birdwatch scheme in the Isle of Man.

At the moment the scheme counts with only 73 dedicated birdwatchers.

It would mean a great deal if more people would join the Isle of Man scheme. All you need to do is to send your address details to enquiries@manxbirdlife.im or visit Manx Birdlife website for more details: http://manxbirdlife.im/our-work2/garden-birdwatch/

Amy Colvin from RSPB NI, said: ‘During winter, birds need extra food and water, a safe place to shelter and make their home. Gardens providing these things are an invaluable resource for birds and are likely to have a significant effect on their numbers, perhaps even playing a pivotal role in reversing some declines. We hope Big Garden Birdwatch has helped people understand how birds rely on our gardens, and has encouraged them to take steps to give nature a home all year round.”

Overall more than eight-and-a-half million birds were spotted during Big Garden Birdwatch 2015.

More than half a million people across the UK spent an hour during the weekend of January 24 and 25 watching their garden and recording any feathered friends that made a flying visit.

As part of the Big Garden Birdwatch, thousands of children and young people also took part in Big Schools’ Birdwatch in their playgrounds during January and February, including six on the Isle of Man.

Big Garden Birdwatch and Big Schools’ Birdwatch are a part of the RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home campaign, aimed at tackling the housing crisis facing the UK’s threatened wildlife. To find out how you can give nature a home where you live visit rspb.org.uk/homes

Plans are progressing for a memorial garden at Noble’s Hospital to remember and recognise organ donors from the island.

After almost a year of fundraising the hospital’s organ donation committee is now close to its £12,500 target.

And they are now inviting families who would like to have a loved one who have donated organs remembered in the garden to get in touch.

Committee member Diane Taylor, whose son Daniel’s gift helped to save and improve the lives of four others, said: ‘The garden is to remember donors and give renewed pride to their families.

‘Organ donors rarely save just one life but many lives can either be saved or transformed by a single donor.’

The garden will be made up of various sizes of local stone from Pooil Vaaish quarry. It has an island theme and will feature local landmarks.

Each donor will have a memorial stone inscribed with their name and age.

‘We are now at the stage where we would like to invite families who have loved ones who have donated organs and would like them to be remembered in the garden to contact us,’ Diane said.

‘We understand that for some this may be something they wish to keep private and no donor will be included without written authorisation from their family.

‘There is no time limit and we can go back as far as required even if its up to 20 years or more ago.’

She added: ‘The memorial garden is to be a permanent feature and donor families can contact us at anytime and not just for the opening. In the future, families are welcome to get in touch and request to have a memorial stone made for their loved one should they wish to.’

Fundraisers have included bingo and bowling nights, an 80s disco, walkers in the Parish Walk and a team took part in the Crossroads Charity Shop Challenge

Diane’s employer, Manx Telecom, has held dress down days and cake and bottle stalls.

The Raven Raiders, who won the mixed team event at last year’s Viking Longboat races, donated their winnings.

Barclays Bank has another fundraiser in the pipeline.

Families who would like to have a donor stone should email diane.taylor@isleofman.com or write to her at Glen View, St Jude’s, Andreas, IM7 2EW.

The jury is expected to be sent out to consider its verdict in the Ian Anderson murder trial this week.

The defendant has denied murdering 60-year-old gardener Neil Roberts at the house Mr Anderson shared with his wife in Queen Street, Castletown, in December 2013.

Court did not sit on Friday or Monday and today (Tuesday) prosecution and defence counsel will deliver closing speeches to the jury.

This will be followed tomorrow (Wednesday) by Deemster Alastair Montgomerie’s summing up of the evidence, after which he will give instructions to the jury.

The case continues.

This week’s Examiner is in the shops now.

It has the latest on the Peel silt saga on page one.

Inside, it also reports on leachate being removed from the old Raggatt tip.

The paper also includes a local authority’s complaints about the chief minister and finds out why the UK Labour Party’s policy on non-doms might be bad for the Isle of Man.

There’s also a story about problems at the beer festival and tributes to motorcycle star Gary Carswell.

Manx Telecom has shown a ‘good, solid performance’ with reported profit before and after tax for the year at £5.7m from £0.4m a year earlier.

Revenue was £79.3m from £76m, an increase of 4.2 per cent.

And the final dividend for shareholders was 6.6 pence, taking the total to 9.9pence.

There was a small decline in EBITDA, (earnings before interest,taxes, depreciation and amortization) from £27.5m to £27.1m but the company said this was as a result of the additional costs associated with being a public company.

And the underlying operating profit was reported at £17.6m, down from £18.1m, a decrease of 2.8 per cent

MT chief executive officer Mike Dee said: ‘Looking back at our achievements in 2014 I am pleased to say we had a busy and successful year.

‘Following the IPO (initial public offering) in February 2014 we have continued to focus on our core business of providing a wide range of communications services to consumers, businesses and the public sector on the Isle of Man.’

Mr Dee added: ‘We have made good progress over the year, with revenue growth driven by strong sales in global solutions, as well as positive take-up of high speed broadband on the island.

‘After a slower than anticipated start the Greenhill Data Centre now has a number of new local customers ready to move in.

‘This, and the continuing success of 4G, gives us confidence that the underlying strength in the business will continue in the year ahead.’

Mr Dee was in London today as Manx Telecom released its full year results, the first year in which the telecommunications company ‘went public’ and has been a member of AIM, the junior arm of the London Stock Exchange.

This is Mike Dee’s final year with the company after 31 years service.

He told the Manx Independent: ‘It has been a good, solid performance.’

And he said the results proved that it had been the right thing for Manx Telecom to ‘go public’ by joining AIM.

He also said Manx Telecom’s share register included a good number of local people.

The company paid its maiden interim dividend of 3.3 pence per share in November 2014 and intends to pay a final dividend of 6.6 pence on June 25.

The full year dividend of 9.9 pence represents a 7 per cent yield in line with the policy communicated when the company was admitted to AIM.

Manx Telecom’s fixed network connected some 37,000 residential customers and more than 4,000 business customers at the end of 2014.

It had 50,900 voice lines, 25,500 retail broadband customers out of a total broadband base of 32,000 customers.

In mobile, the operator had approximately 35,100 prepaid customers, compared to 36,000 a year earlier.

Postpaid customers stood at 28,900, up on 28,700 at the end of 2013.

l Also today Manx Telecom announced the Isle of Man Government is now the ‘anchor tenant’ ie the leading tenant for phase one of the Greenhill Data Centre.

MT said that after a competitive tender the Government signed a five year contract from February 1 which saw it take 25 racks at the centre to ‘ support a variety of front-line Government services.

This agreement became operational in March 2015 after a ‘complex and successful migration from existing Government premises’.

The company is also looking to develop Phase II of the GDC data centre later in 2015, following interest from another prospective anchor tenant.

Mr Dee said: ‘This agreement with the island’s Government is the highest form of validation for the quality and security that we can provide to customers in both the public and private sectors.

‘Our data centre operations continue to represent an important area of growth for Manx Telecom and we look forward to developing Phase 2 of the Greenhill centre later this year.’

Seventy years ago, in April 1945, the Isle of Man had seen its share of the tragedy and waste of war.

The Second World War had been disrupting people’s lives for five and a half years but it was not to last much longer. The end of the war in Europe was less than a month away.

People knew that peace was coming and they were beginning to hope that their loved ones might soon be returning home and things might be returning to normal once again.

The island had an astonishing total of more than 400 aircraft accidents recorded during that time. Not every accident was serious but many of them involved loss of life; the island’s hills and Mannanan’s cloak took a grim toll of over 200 young men.

Seventy years ago today, April 14, an aircraft flew into a field overlooking Perwick Bay near Port St Mary.

Nobody knows why it crashed there and nobody ever will. All we can do is tell the story and wonder why such a peaceful scene was transformed into a blazing, smoking inferno; a place of devastation with twisted and unrecognisable metal strewn across the field with ammunition exploding and debris flying through the air.

The aircraft that crashed was an American Flying Fortress bomber, a large, four-engined machine designed for killing, capable of carrying several tonnes of bombs and armed with 12 machine guns.

On this day the bomber was on a peaceful mission; it was heading to Northern Ireland to pick up supplies of whisky for a party at its home base at the United States Army Air Force station at Thurleigh in Essex.

This flight in itself was an example of the sheer madness of war. While men were dying in torpedoed oil tankers carrying aviation fuel across the Atlantic Ocean, other men were using the precious petrol for all kinds of apparently unnecessary purposes like this.

Having said that, are we right to moralise about this from the comfort of our 21st century homes?

Most of us weren’t around at the time and we simply cannot imagine what it felt like to have struggled through those long, dreary years of rationing, hardship and fear.

Eleven people were on board the Flying Fortress. They were all Americans. Four of the five flight crew were members of a crew who flew together regularly on operations but most of the others were just there for the ride. One of the passengers was a woman who was responsible for setting up the Red Cross Clubs where American servicemen could relax and have a reminder of their far-away homes. They were aged between 21 and 35 and it seems fitting to include their names here. They were:

The Crew

Pilot: 1st Lieutenant Robert Arthur Vieille, 23

Second Pilot: 2nd Lieutenant Collins Edward Liersch, 22

Navigator: Flight Officer Howard Edgar LeCompte Jr, 24

Engineer: Technical Sergeant Earnest Earl Gallion, 21

Radio Operator: Staff Sergeant Chester Frank Smalczewski

The Passengers

Captain Wilber Bradley Butterfield, 24

Captain George E. Cubberly, 32

2nd Lieutenant Austin J. Parrish, 28

Master Sergeant Derrell Sevier Jones, 35

Technical Sergeant William C. Starbuck, 27

Emiiy Harper Rea, American Red Cross, 33

Some of the names and spellings might appear unusual but they reflect the diverse origins of the people of the United States at the time.

The details were thoroughly researched by the volunteers of the Manx Aviation and Military Museum for inclusion in a memorial which was erected in 2012 in another combined operation, this time by Rushen Parish Commissioners and the Museum, near the site of the accident.

The crash site has been visited by several family members and friends of the victims. The late brother of the pilot, Robert Vieille, visited once and his sister, his niece and her husband have visited several times.

They have been instrumental in carrying out research in America into the events surrounding the crash.

Sadly Robert’s brother died before the memorial was built but it was unveiled by his sister and niece. The second pilot, Collins Liersch’s, hometown girlfriend and his best friend married a couple of years after he was killed and several years ago they were taken to the site by me.

I have been privileged to have been able to help many people visit the places where their relatives died in aircraft accidents but this was the most special visit of all.

These two people knew Collins Liersch better than anyone and they flew thousands of miles from their small farming community in Wisconsin to visit the place where he died. To see them, two people in their mid-80s, standing close together with heads bowed in that peaceful green field overlooking the sea where Collins died so long ago was the most moving and humbling experience. I can’t begin to imagine what thoughts were in their minds but my thoughts were of sadness at the waste of it all.

I suppose that out of the tragedy some good has come because many people in America appreciate the way in which we commemorate these people who died so far from home and the island now has many friends over there.

The aircraft itself was unusual. Many American aircraft were given names and this was no exception; it was called ‘Combined Operations’.

It was so called because it was an aeroplane which had been put together from two severely battle-damaged Flying Fortresses. In effect it was built from scrap; the front end of one and the tail end of another were joined together with great care by the ground crewmen at Thurleigh in their spare time.

It was those men’s way of giving Hitler an extra kick in the pants and it got its name because it was the result of the combined operations of airframe mechanics, engine fitters, electricians and the many other trades whose unsung efforts helped to achieve the victory over evil. Their attention to detail made this a very special aeroplane which was well known in its squadron for being a ‘fast ship’.

Research by the Manx Aviation and Military Museum has revealed that the aircraft flew on more than 80 bombing missions over Europe so its quality was not in doubt, despite its unusual origins.

The victims were taken back to England for burial in the American Military Cemetery at Madingley near Cambridge. Some were returned to America after the war for burial near their families.

The scene of the accident is now a quiet field once again but even after 70 years a small patch of bare soil remains to indicate the exact spot where those eleven people met their deaths. Close by, the polished black granite memorial tells passers-by of the tragedy and it is probably correct to say that because of it more people know about the accident now than ever before.

This tragedy was not to be the island’s worst air accident for long. Only nine days later, April 23, 1945, it would be overtaken by another terrible event when another Flying fortress flew into North Barrule killing 31 American servicemen. Let us hope and pray that these two forever remain the worst air accidents on the island’s soil.

The Manx Aviation and Military Museum has displays which tell the stories of both these accidents plus many others. It is open every Saturday and Sunday and bank holiday from 10am to 4.30pm and during the summer it is open every day from TT Practice Week to the end of September.

There was a bottleneck at the fourth CAMRA beer and cider festival when a large number of visitors arrived all at once on Friday evening.

By early evening only those with advance tickets were being admitted and some drinkers already inside the venue reported queuing for up to 40 minutes for their drinks

Alan Cooper of the island’s branch of CAMRA said an unprecedented number of people arriving in a very short space of time as offices and businesses closed around tea time had caused the delays.

Organisers had expected the move from the Masonic Hall to the larger Villa Marina would ease the space problem but drinkers had been unwilling to leave the bar area and move into the other rooms where bands were playing or food was being served.

‘We are fully aware of all of people’s comments,’ Mr Cooper said. ‘We take them entirely on board and we will be considering them seriously in the coming months before next year’s festival.

‘There was plenty of room for people but it’s human nature that people tend to want to congregate at the bar.’

He said there was to be a debriefing session held with the Villa Marina officials.

Bands used the large hall and stage area and tables were set up for people to sit and listen but many drinkers stayed mainly in the bar area which was not much bigger than that at the Masonic Hall.

On Saturday there were similar visitor numbers to Friday but spread out during a longer period, avoiding the congestion of the previous day.

This year’s festival attracted around 3,000 visitors over the three days, 1,000 more than last year, with around 400 coming to the festival from off island.

There were 132 real ales, ciders and perries, twice as many as at the first festival in 2012 but many of the ales had run dry, particularly the lighter coloured ones, by Saturday night.

‘We wanted to get a range of speciality flavoured beers and those tend to be darker in colour but for next year we will again be ordering more,’ Mr Cooper said.

On Saturday twice as many people visited the fstival as on that night in 2014 and more than 10,500 pints of ale and cider were drunk.

Mr Cooper said organisers were sorry about the queuing and that some people were turned away on Friday but he said the planning for the 2016 event would look at all options for increasing the bar area to alleviate the problems.

Plans to open a Tesco Express shop in Douglas town centre are progressing.

Proposals for the new store will be shown at an exhibition on Thursday, April 23.

The convenience store would be located in the former home of the Manx Electricity Authority in The Strand Centre – which has been empty since 2012.

The public exhibition is being held at the vacant shop unit on April 23 from 2pm until 7pm.

As well as viewing information about the planned store, residents will be able to discuss the proposals with members of the project team working for the {http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/mar/24/tesco-faces-us-lawsuit-over-profit-overstatement|troubled} retailer.

The Douglas Tesco Express store would be the company’s second shop in the island.

Its attempt to {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/tesco-have-no-plans-to-pursue-plan-to-open-store-in-castletown-1-7134484|open in Castletown was thwarted} over licensing issues and {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/tesco-extension-plan-refused-1-1747499|an attempt to expand the Lake Road shop} was denied.

Tesco employs more than 290 people at its Douglas supermarket, which opened 15 years ago.

Supermarket critics {http://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/tesco_every_little_hurts.pdf|claim} that big shops such as Tesco kill off more jobs than they create because of their impact on smaller businesses.

The Lake Road store, which is one of Tesco’s busiest, raised over £12,000 last year for charities and groups in the island and it claims it works with a growing number of Isle of Man suppliers.

However, it supplies far fewer Manx products than its principal island rival, Shoprite.

Related story:

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/tesco-targets-douglas-town-centre-store-1-6868961|Tesco targets Douglas town centre store}

RL360°’s first full calendar year since its management-led buyout delivered 31 per cent growth in new business across the board.

In total, sales in PVNBP (Present Value of New Business Premiums) terms hit £591m in 2014, up from 2013’s year end figure of £452m.

The results (PVNBP) for 2014 also reveal confidence is returning to the single premium market, with sales up from £332m in 2013 to £450m in 2014, a 36 per cent increase.

Regular Premium (RP) sales were strong too, up 18 per cent from £119m in 2013 to £141m last year.

The Far East was by far the biggest region for RP, with almost half of the sales coming from that region.

Audited operating profits were 180 per cent of planned target and RL360°’s overall increase in the embedded value was 222 per cent ahead of its 2014 set target.

The company was in the envious position of having all of its five key regions hit revenue target and finishing the year strongly.

Chief executive David Kneeshaw won the business person of the year award at the 2014 Isle of Man Newspapers Awards for Excellence.

He said: ‘2014 was a momentous year for RL360°.

‘We celebrated our first year since the management buyout and have delivering a fantastic first set of results. 2014 saw new opportunities opening up in Africa and in the Latin American market our most recent market entry.

‘We have set ourselves some ambitious sales targets for 2015 and we’ve made good headway already, with a record number of new business applications in the first two months of the year.’

This strong start to 2015 comes on the back of some key product changes made at the end of 2014, including a revamp of RL360°’s regular savings product Quantum.

‘We also invested heavily in technology.

‘For example, we launched online dealing for Portfolio Bonds, meaning that online dealing is now available to all products, old and new.

‘We are now looking ahead to the launch of our online applications this summer.

‘We are grateful for the commitment of our financial backers and supporting advisers, as well as to the entire RL360° team, as we continue to push hard across all our markets’.

The £4 million neonatal intensive care unit at Noble’s Hospital opened its doors today.

It is the first major extension to Noble’s Hospital since it opened in 2003.

The facility is located on the first floor of the east wing of the hospital, next to the Jane Crookall Maternity Ward.

Enabling works started in June 2013 and Tynwald voted to approve funds for the construction in October 2013 with building work under way that same month.

The facility was topped out by Health and Social Care Minister Howard Quayle in June 2014 with completion and handover to the department in March this year. The facility was delivered to budget and on time.

The unit has the same capacity of nine cots, as there has been in the special care baby unit, while providing more space for each one – a key requirement of current standards and ‘best practice’. There is improved overnight accommodation for parents.

The new unit allows for improvements in the treatment of terminally-ill babies and benefits from an enhanced floor plan layout to provide more privacy, as well as assisting in isolating babies, carrying out resuscitation, and in providing more storage space for vital equipment.

Consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at Noble’s Hospital, Dr Prakash Thiagarajan, said: “The new neonatal facilities are first class. Meeting constantly evolving standards and advances in medicine is a challenge and the team is very grateful for this significant investment.

‘We can now boast the best possible neonatal facilities for a level two unit and continue our focus on providing excellent care for critically-ill babies and the necessary support for their parents and families.’

A Manx Road Safety Motor Meet for 16 to 25 year olds will take place in Peel on Friday (April 17).

It will run from 6pm to 10pm at Marine Parade at the northern end of the promenade.

The event offers young drivers the chance to receive road safety advice, watch videos, look at cars and talk to representatives from the police and Department of Education.

It is part of a series of events being held around the island with the aim of encouraging safer driving and reducing the number of serious incidents on the island’s roads.

Organisers hope that holding events outdoors with a more interactive element will make them more appealing.

Students and pensioners have been learning about the different ways to look out for potential online and telephone scams, following a number of presentations hosted by Isle of Man Bank.

Events have taken place for lower sixth form pupils at the QE2 School in Peel, the Onchan Pensioners Club and members of the Towns Women’s Guild in Peel.

feedback

The positive feedback following these sessions has led to the bank planning to host more events for the Isle of Man community.

James Tummon, the Bank’s fraud prevention manager, has developed the half hour presentation in which some of the recent telephone and online frauds experienced by members of the local community are highlighted.

Advice is also given on how to identify suspicious communications as well as helpful insights into how customers can protect themselves from fraud and stay safe online.

Key messaging of the event included:

l Don’t give your full PIN and password to anyone

l Never tell anyone your card reader codes or use them when logging in online

l Never click on a link to another website or call an unknown number.

l Keep your PC security up to date.

help and support

Bill Shimmins, managing director, Isle of Man Bank said: ‘As a community bank it is important for us to offer our help and support to the Isle of Man community where we can.

‘These sessions give us the opportunity to raise awareness of scams that have developed in recent times, whilst also being able to offer advice on how the public can protect themselves.

‘To date around 150 people have attended the sessions and we are pleased the feedback has been very positive.

‘We now plan to deliver more of these presentations, so that we can reach and support even more of the Isle of Man community.’

Any organisation that would like more information about arranging a session should contact James.Tummon@iombank.com.

Further guidance on staying safe from fraud is also available from the Bank’s security centre online at www.iombank.com/security

Gardeners will be giving their advice at an event in Dalby on Friday.

A panel will be chaired by Brian Rae and include Steven Whittaker, Ian Smith and Michael Killey.

It takes place at Dalby schoolrooms at 7.30pm and admission is £7.50, which includes a Manx broth and bread, with tea, coffee and cakes.

All proceeds after costs go to good causes.