MARK Cavendish is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

He finished in first place ahead of Darren Clarke in second and Mo Farah who was third,

A clearly emotional Cavendish said he was 'absolutely speechless'.

He thanked everyone for their support.

'To be nominated against nine inspirational people this year, to get this I am lost for words.'

He added: 'For me it is a landmark and I take this on behalf of cycling. For cycling to be recognised in a non-Olympic year a few years ago would have been unheard of.

'I want to thank everyone who supported me here and everyone at home.'

Ahead of tonight’s ceremony, the Manx Missile was the bookies’ favourite, having once been a 33/1 outsider before his spectacular performances in the Tour de France put him in the box seat.

Five stage wins and the green jersey catapulted him into the spotlight and tonight will see just how much of a star Cav has become.

Speaking on the show, he praised his support crew and team mates for all their help.

Looking ahead to next year's Olympics, where he represents the British team's strongest hope for a first gold medal, he said: 'I am pretty confident we can get GB off to the best start possible.'

Lord Sugar, a cycling fan, praised Cav as a 'British icon'.

A MAN'S body was found in the area the yacht club in Peel on Saturday afternoon.

The discovery was made at about 4.45pm.

Part of the promenade was cordoned off while investigations were carried out.

Police later confirmed the death was not being treated as suspicious.

The coroner of inquests has been informed and no further details have been released.

A CHRISTMAS celebration in words and carols was held at St Columba’s Catholic Church in Port Erin.

The event took place on Sunday and saw the Christmas story being acted out.

Those who attended were also invited to join in with Sunday carols as they fit in with the story.

Rushen Silver Band provided the music.

The parts of Mary and Joseph were played by Josie Laisney and Kieran Maddrell.

The three narrators were Roisin and Lisa Douglas and Reuben Harris.

There was a retiring collection in aid of Rebecca House children’s hospice.

l To order copies of these pictures – and others taken at the event – visit photostoday.co.uk

A FASHION show organised by Britannia International and M&Co has raised a total of £2,000.

The event was held at Centre 21 in Douglas and saw models aged from three to 60 years-old taking to the catwalk in outfits from Douglas clothing store M&Co.

The money will be donated to Britannia International’s charity of the year, Manx Mencap, and clothing store M&Co’s chosen charities, Dreamcatcher Appeal and the Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association.

Britannia International managing director Mark Beresford joined the models on the catwalk, along with colleagues from local Co-operative Foodstores, Port St Mary WI, Hospice Isle of Man, Manx Mencap and children of staff and friends from Britannia International.

Money raised by the bank during 2011 will be used by Manx Mencap in its project to refurbish 22 community homes which allow people with learning disabilities to live independently of their parents.

Organisers thanked the Co-operative, compère Wendy Campbell and A3 Marquees for their support.

THANKS to his wife Elaine and a course of treatment they had been previously been unaware of, civil servant Bryan Masterson is a man with a new lease of life.

The 53-year-old had been on the waiting list for a cadaveric kidney transplant for 18 months, before learning of a procedure known as an ‘incompatible kidney transplant’, which opened the possibility of receiving a kidney from a donor despite them having a different blood group.

Staff at the renal unit at Noble’s Hospital first put the idea to Bryan, and then organised seven months of tests to find out whether Elaine would be able to donate a kidney to her husband.

‘I have a kidney disease called IgA nephropathy,’ said Bryan. ‘That is where a person’s immune system attacks their kidneys.’

For a year he had been on peritoneal home dialysis, an alternative to the hospital-based hemodialysis – both are systems of artificially cleaning a patient’s blood.

The new option entailed medication that would suppress Bryan’s immune system enough to accept an otherwise incompatible organ.

Bryan said: ‘Elaine volunteered to donate her kidney but I wasn’t keen to ask family, I wanted to wait [for a compatible donor]. But she pointed out I had been waiting a year-and-a-half already and nothing had happened. She said: “Why allow yourself to deteriorate?”. My wife is a very brave woman.’

Overseen by Abdul Hammad, a visiting consultant from the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, tests showed the wife-to-husband organ transplant would be possible.

Bryan was admitted to the Liverpool hospital two weeks ahead of the operation to begin intensive immune-suppressant treatments before Elaine was admitted and the seven-hour transplant was carried out. The operation was successful – Elaine was discharged six days later and Bryan returned home after five weeks’ recovery. The couple live in Albert Street in Douglas.

‘Now I live a pretty ordinary life. I don’t have to do dialysis any more, thanks to Mr Hammad and his marvellous team,’ said Bryan, ‘People say I look better now, though no one said I didn’t look well at the time!’

Elaine is fully recovered and back working in her role as a clinical nurse specialist in the mental health service. Bryan is back working part-time at the Department of Social Care. Medication to suppress his immune system will continue however, though he says low immunity is a small compromise against freedom from his kidney disease. ‘I just have to be careful with food that may cause infection,’ he explained. ‘Silly things like buying wrapped meat instead of from the deli counter’.

It is now six months since the operation, the earliest Bryan thought it appropriate to say it had been a success, and he hopes his story will inspire other renal patients who may not have realised an incompatible organ transplant was an option for them.

‘Our story may help or bring hope to the many people in the island who are currently receiving dialysis,’ said Bryan. ‘Apart from anything else, it is an item of good news in these economically challenging times.’

Even if this kind of transplant isn’t possible, Bryan is also an advocate of peritoneal home dialysis.

He said: ‘People are sometimes apprehensive about dialysis at home, because you have to take more on your own shoulders. But there’s lots of support from the renal unit and I never had any problems. It gives more control over your life than hospital dialysis.’

That said, the successful transplant has changed his life for the better. Bryan concluded: ‘The best way to describe the difference the transplant has made is that it’s like going back to living the way we were before becoming ill.’

Christina Davis, a clinical nurse specialist at Noble’s renal unit, said the procedure that provided Bryan with a new kidney was still rare, having only been performed in UK hospitals within the past three years and being limited by availability of kidneys.

There is also a funding issue – these transplants are not ‘life or death’ operations as dialysis is always an option.

Bryan was in the fortunate position of having a willing donor and antigen levels in his blood low enough that suppressant on his immune system meant treatment would work.

Christina added that there are 15 to 20 patients in the island who are potential kidney transplant recipients. The issue – as was the case with Bryan – is that if a patient has a common blood group, the waiting list is very long and moves slowly.

We are grateful for all your support over the past year and hope that you will continue to come back to the Isle of Man’s leading news website.

Please remember this week’s Manx Independent is still in the shops and available when shops reopen on Boxing Day.

Staff will be back at work on Tuesday morning to ensure the Isle of Man Examiner is in shops by early afternoon.

Have a wonderful Christmas Day and remember to keep visiting iomtoday for the latest news over the holiday period.

iomtoday would like to wish all its readers a very merry Christmas.

A MAJOR project to renew more than 50 per cent of the Snaefell Mountain Railway’s tracks is ‘progressing well’.

That’s according to Community, Culture and Leisure Minister Tim Crookall MHK.

The £3m scheme involves replacing the track and sleepers and improving the drainage and ground under the rails.

Mr Crookall said: ‘Significant investment in our heritage railways is required to preserve them for future generations to enjoy. The major scheme is essential to ensure the safety of our passengers and to bring the condition of the line up to scratch.’

The first phase of the works was completed last winter. The work is on track to be completed in time for the line opening for the season on April 4.

The main contractor is Colas (Isle of Man) Ltd.

Mr Crookall said: ‘I commend the workers who have continued with the project in recent weeks despite temperatures dipping.’

He added: ‘The only day lost so far this year was Tuesday, December 13, when the workforce was moved to a lower level when the supervisor deemed it unsafe to continue in the high winds.’

The number of passengers carried on the railway has increased from 38,000 in 2009 to about 49,000 this year.

Mr Crookall said director of public transport Ian Longworth and his staff should be congratulated for their initiatives to boost passenger numbers.

They include the popular Pie in the Sky and Sunset Dinners events, which are set to continue next year.

• The Steam Railway’s Blow Away The Cobwebs event takes place on Friday.

The train will leave Douglas at 11.20am and return from Castletown at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults, £5 for children and are available on the day or from the Welcome Centre, at the Sea Terminal, or call 662525.

UNION boss Steve Salter has welcomed news that action is to be taken against levels of sickness absence in government.

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK last week described an alarming rise in the level of sick leave as ‘unacceptable’.

He asked the government’s Office of Human Resources to produce an action plan on the issue and to provide regular progress reports for the Council of Ministers.

His move came after figures released in Tynwald showed the cost of sickness absence across government rose to £13.7 million last year, up from £10.4 million in 2007-08.

The average number of sick days per member of staff was 8.4 days in 2010-11, compared with 8.1 days in the UK public sector and 6.5 days in the UK economy as a whole.

Of 9,582 staff, nine were off for more than 200 days last year, more than 800 were off sick for more than 21 days and 2,039 were on sick leave for between five and 20 days.

Unite regional industrial organiser Steve Salter said the union was supportive of the move to address levels of sickness throughout government.

But he said this had to be done fairly. He pointed out the issue was brought to the attention of the employers’ side of Whitley Council as far back as January 2007. And he said that Mr Bell needed to take account of the number of days lost due to staff suspension.

He said: ‘The Whitley Council employer’s side was tasked with obtaining statistics relating to these concerns due to the fact that we viewed the problem as escalating.

‘It is disappointing that it has taken almost five years for the employer to act upon the issues raised.

‘We are pleased that Mr Bell has now promised to act on these problems. However, we need to ensure this is done in a fair manner and that each case is treated on its own merits.

‘Mr Bell should scrutinise and hold accountable those managers entrusted to deal with sickness and attendance issues to ascertain whether any action should be taken against those who have not performed in their duties and ensured that the various attendance and capability policies have been followed and implemented correctly.

‘Although supportive of Mr Bell, he also needs to take into account the number of days lost due to staff being suspended for prolonged periods of time due to managers failing to follow the time constraints and guidance within the various policies we have to deal with capability and disciplinary matters.’

Mr Salter said that he was aware of seven individuals currently suspended within government. One had been suspended since February on full pay, another five since June/July and another one for a period of four to five weeks.

He said: ‘All on full pay where the policies clearly state that investigations should be completed within a four to six-week period.

‘Managers who commit to undertake an investigation need to ensure that this is completed within the four to six-week period, after which a hearing should take place or the member of staff should be returned to work.’

He added: ‘We have the policies and agreements to deal with these issues, to support employees who need support, but also to deal with individuals who abuse the system. It is now down to Mr Bell, as he has promised, to deal with the issues.’

What do you think? Email {mailto:opinions@newsiom.co.im|opinions(at)newsiom.co.im} or sign in to add your comments below.

STARGAZERS are to get a second chance to see a presentation about the Manx Night Sky.

Chairman of the Isle of Man Astronomical Society Howard Parkin gave his first Manx Night Sky presentation at the Henry Bloom Noble Library in November.

But constraints as to available room meant ticket supply was unable to meet demand so Mr Parkin is to give a second talk and slideshow presentation on Wednesday, January 25, in the community room at the Noble’s Park Pavilion.

Mr Parkin has called his presentation The Manx Night Sky 2012, as he will be talking about what local stargazers will be able to see in the Manx skies over the Isle of Man during the next 12 months. The talk will start at 7.30pm and is expected to finish by 9.30pm. There is a £2 charge for tickets, which includes light refreshments, and tickets are on sale at the library’s ground floor counter.

Borough librarian Jan Macartney said: ‘Howard Parkin’s talk in November attracted record numbers.’

Police have released the name of the man found dead in Peel on Christmas Eve.

He was Philip John Brown, 57, of Peel.

Mr Brown's body was found in the area of Peel Yacht Club at 4.45pm on Christmas Eve.

Policed say there are no suspicious circumstances and they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the matter.

Mr Brown's family have been informed.

THREE Isle of Man residents have made the Queen’s 2012 New Year’s Honours list.

Former Strix boss Eddie Davies, from Ballasalla, is included in the New Year’s Honours list for 2012. He has received a CBE for charitable services to add to his existing OBE.

Mr Davies, who has lived in the island since becoming managing director of Strix in 1984, is a successful businessman but it is his philanthropic work which has earned him this award.

Born in Little Lever, near Salford, after studying mathematics at Durham University and becoming a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, he pursued a career in business that took him round the world, notably Brazil.

Mr Davies and co-owner John Taylor built up Strix, the manufacturer of electronic heating controls for kettles and other water-heating appliances, which has factories in the UK and China and employs more than 1,000 people and has 300 patents and a world market share of over 70 per cent. The company has won several prestigious export and innovation awards. They sold Strix in 2005 for £300m.

In 2000, Mr Davies was awarded an OBE for services to industry.

The other two honours went to Elaine Christian JP and Catherine Christian, who are MBE recipients.

Elaine Nancy Christian, from Douglas, will receive the MBE for her services to the community in the field of criminal justice.

She has been a Justice of the Peace for 27 years, serving with distinction on the Magistrates and Juvenile Benches. She is currently vice chairman of the Isle of Man Magistrates Association.

Elaine has a lifelong interest in music and she conducts the choir Enco.

Mrs Christian is a founder member of Victim Support Isle of Man and she remains on the management committee of the charity.

Catherine Christian will receive an MBE for services to youth in the Isle of Man.

Catherine Christian, from Ramsey, was involved in the Beryl’s Bus project in Ramsey from its inception in 1995. The project grew into the Ramsey Youth Project and continues to this day as ‘The Shed’.

Her friendly intervention has helped to prevent the development of social problems in the town. Mrs Christian works as a youth worker in Ramsey.

We’d still be looking forward to big day in the past

So, the dust settles on the Christmas festivities of 2011. In a rapidly-changing modern digital world it can sometimes feel like each generation (in terms of lifestyle, mindset and opportunities) is more and more detached from the last.

Christmas time however remains a haven of tradition, as countless customs and institutions reappear year on year, from carol and nativity performances to turkey dinners and watching Home Alone.

But how does the 21st century Christmas we’ve just enjoyed compare with the festive experiences of the people of the Isle of Man in years gone by?

The first stark contrast is the date. Sophia Morrison wrote in Manx Fairy Tales in 1911 that ‘in the days of our grandmothers, Old Christmas Day, the fifth of January, was believed to be the true Christmas.’

January 5?

This is still observed with a handful of events in the island: the House of Manannan museum has hosted many Old Christmas Day exhibitions and this year dancers Ny Fennee and musicians Mactullagh Vannin are holding a Shenn Laa Nollick (Old Christmas Day) ceili in Ramsey on January 6.

The calendar system in the Isle of Man changed in 1753 to fall in line with neighbouring nations, since which time Christmas has fallen on December 25, a date which Arthur William Moore had something to say about in Folklore of the Isle of Man in 1891: ‘It is interesting to note that the church festival of Christmas was placed at the same time as the Pagan feast of the winter solstice, which was called the Saturnalia by the Romans, and Yule by the Scandinavian nations, with whom the Isle of Man was closely connected.

‘The Church attempted to change the heathen ceremonies into the solemnities of the Christian festivals, of which it put as many as possible at this season.

‘The result was, the strange medley of Christian and Pagan rites, especially with regard to the mistletoe and the Yule log, which contribute to the festivities of the modern Christmas.’

So then, as today, traditions are absorbed from a range of origins.

Sources indicate Christmas in the Isle of Man was for the most part celebrated in a similar way as in the rest of the British Isles, though there are a few examples of practices that were distinctly Manx.

Christmas Eve, in Manx Oie’l Verrey, a corruption of Oie feaill Voirrey (Eve of Mary’s Feast) was the date of a carol-singing gathering that brought together most of the community, that would erupt into something of a food fight.

In ‘Mona Miscellany’ from 1869, William Harrison sets the scene of a Manx Christmas Eve:

‘A singular and interesting custom is observed, which attracts large numbers to the parish church for the purpose of singing carols, in Manx called Carval, and which appears to be peculiar to the Isle of Man. On this evening, the church having been decked with holly, ever greens, and flowers, after prayers the congregation commence singing their carols, which they keep up with a spirit of great rivalry until a late hour. On this occasion the church assumes a brilliancy seen at no other time, for each bring their own light, some of the candles being of large size, many of them formed into branches for the occasion, and adorned with gay ribbons. During the interval of the carols, peas are flung from all directions, the female portion of the singers having previously provided themselves with an ample stock to pelt their bachelor friends.’

The coming together of the whole community is a theme that is present throughout the whole of the festive period, as following Christmas Eve it appears the island would descend into the Victorian equivalent of a 12 day rave – as described in 1845 by Joseph Train: ‘There is not a barn unoccupied for the whole twelve days — every parish hiring fiddlers at the public charge, and all the youths, nay, sometimes people up in years, make no scruple to be among these nocturnal dancers.’

Communal nocturnal dancing- albeit in a different guise- is no alien concept in the 21st century, though the Christmas dinner described by Train of ‘potatoes, and fish, pounded together, and mixed with butter’ probably did not make it on to any tables this year.

Arthur William Moore also noted that ‘To the superstitious Manx, one pleasant feature of this sacred season generally, and of Christmas-eve and Christmas-day in particular, was that they were able to pass any haunted glen or road in perfect safety, as, owing to the beneficent influence of Christ, no Phynnodderee, buggane, witch, or evil creature of any kind could harm them.’

This at least is something we have in common with our ancestors; most folks in 2011 probably felt they were free to stroll the roads and paths without being ambushed by a mischievous buggane.

NEW Year’s Day dippers should expect ‘quite chilly’ weather conditions, according to the Met Office.

The forecast for Sunday is for temperatures of 6C combined with a strong westerly wind.

It will be fairly bright most of the time, with some isolated showers.

There is a risk of the showers turning wintry on the hill tops later in the day.

Spare a thought for the many dippers attempting to brave more than one dip – and some aiming for five – to raise money for charity.

Forecast

For those who have not been put off by the forecast, the New Year’s Day dips take place at the following times:

• Friends of Auldyn’s Ramsey dip. Register at 1.30pm at Queen’s Promenade lifeboat station for 2pm start.

• Southern dips: Chapel Beach, Port St Mary, 12.45pm; Inner harbour, Port St Mary, 1.30pm; Gansey beach, 2.15pm; Port Erin beach, 3pm.

• Castletown Ale Drinkers’ Castletown dip from the harbour, 3.30pm.

• Peel dip, register at 11am for a midday start.

• Breakthrough Breast Cancer dip, Queen’s Promenade, Douglas, midday.

• Deemster’s New Year Dip, Laxey beach, midday.

Severe gale force nine winds battered the island on Wednesday evening.

At the Met Office’s base at Ronaldsway, the highest gust of 60 mph (52 knots) was recorded at 6pm.

A spokesman said all areas of the island would have been hit with wind of similar speeds.

It caused the return Douglas to Heysham sailing due to depart at 7.45pm and return the following morning at 2.15am to be cancelled due to weather conditions.

The Ben-my-Chree sailing was originally brought forward to try to beat the weather but was later cancelled.

It came as the Met Office forecast conditions in the sea to be rough, with the wind expected to reach severe gale force nine.

In addition, the Northern Civic Amenity Site, in Bride, was closed on Wednesday due to the blustery conditions.

THE Liberal Vannin Party is launching a campaign to make housing more accessible, affordable and sustainable.

The party believes four new measures would go a long way in ‘correcting the imbalance in the residential and rental housing market’.

It wants to see a part equity mortgage scheme, initially for social housing tenants whose income has risen to a level where they can afford the mortgage repayments but have insufficient working years left to be eligible for a standard mortgage.

Tenants could apply for the lesser of 50 per cent of the value of the property they wished to buy or £100,000.

Government would then be a co-owner of the property and a house would be vacated for someone on the social housing waiting list.

A Liberal Vannin spokesman said: ‘With social houses costing an average of over £160,000 without the cost of the land, this is a very cost effective way of reducing waiting lists for housing and encouraging a property owning democracy.’

The second policy is the creation of a new sector in the housing market, the protected sector.

Special planning conditions would form part of the planning process and would apply to all new first-time buyer properties built with government funding and in other circumstances where the planning committee felt it appropriate.

The spokesman said: ‘These conditions would ensure that the purchaser had the necessary residential qualifications.

‘In addition, there would be restrictions on the property whereby it could only be sold to another buyer with the same residential qualifications, it had to be owner occupied and could not be rented to a third party and it could not be owned by someone who already owned a residential property in the Isle of Man.’

The third policy would raise money to fund the part equity mortgage and protected sector schemes.

It would enable the release of parcels of land across the island to be used for the construction of large houses through a process of a planning order for the whole island which would be ‘open, transparent and accessible to all land owners’.

If successful, the uplift in the value of the land would be shared with government.

The party spokesman said: ‘This will stimulate the construction industry – now more than 70 per cent dependent on the public purse – and provide accommodation of the standard required to attract the high net worth individuals that the Council of Ministers wishes to encourage.’

Finally, the party would like to see the introduction of a landlords’ registration scheme requiring private rental accommodation to meet approved standards.

Only registered landlords would then be considered eligible for any government grant/benefit support.

The party believes it would improve the standards in the private rental sector and prevent any unregistered landlord benefiting from housing benefit paid to those who are unemployed or on low incomes.

Liberal Vannin has three members in the House of Keys, Onchan MHK Peter Karran, who is also Education and Children Minister, his constituency colleague Zac Hall and Douglas South MHK Kate Beecroft.

COULD the international pressure on the island be easing at last?

Over the past five years, our financial services, tax rates and Customs deal have come under intense scrutiny from beyond our shores.

We’ve had the EU question our corporate tax regime, the painful revision of our VAT deal twice in two years, an inquiry commissioned by the Westminster government has run the rule over our ability to withstand financial shocks and the OECD has reviewed our tax transparency and co-operation.

It seems that barely a week went by without another brickbat being lobbed our way by Brussels, London or Washington.

But now as 2011 comes to a close, there is a tangible feeling that international relations have turned a corner – and the pressure on us, at least for the time being, has abated.

This was underlined last week with confirmation that, after months of uncertainty for the island’s business community, European finance ministers have agreed our zero/10 business tax regime is fully compliant and non-harmful.

All this may well be because our friends abroad have bigger problems to worry about – the European sovereign crisis, a yawning black hole in the UK’s public finances and the prospect of the US, the world’s largest economy, sliding back into recession

But equally, our Treasury officials can take credit in robustly tackling problems as they arise and ensuring we are ahead of the curve on issues such as tax transparency.

A case in point is the introduction earlier this year of automatic tax information exchange, the Isle of Man being one of the first jurisdictions anywhere in the world to do so.

While there had been initial reservations from some in the island’s business community, automatic exchange has proved its worth – at a stroke, it has served as a valuable foil to any criticism about lack of tax transparency.

It is notable that even the Tax Justice Network, consistent critics of so-called ‘secrecy jurisdictions’ has acknowledged the work the island has done in this area.

On VAT, the loss of more than £175 million in revenue – about one third of total government income – has caused major problems in balancing the budget. But even here, the UK has indicated it won’t be back for more.

And on zero/10, now finally resolved with the announcement last week by Brussels, criticisms from Europe were dealt with by decisive action: by scrapping ARI, the anti-avoidance measure, that the EU Code Group considered as harmful. The result was to save the corporate tax strategy and the thousands of jobs that depend on it.

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK agrees that we may have turned a corner but added that we should not be complacent.

He said: ‘The pressure on the Isle of Man over the last five years has been pretty intense. There is a feeling now with the decision on zero/10 that the pressure overall has eased somewhat.

‘This might be to do with the EU and UK having horrendous problems of their own to deal with.’

He said that Lord McNally, UK Justice Minister, had assured him recently that the UK had no major issues concerning the Isle of Man at the moment.

Mr Bell added: ‘We’ve got to be realistic. There will be ongoing concerns in Europe about tax rates but for the time being I’m quite satisfied with the position the Isle of Man had negotiated. Full marks to the Treasury for that.’

Tax justice campaigners argue that offshore centres help to plunder resources and siphon wealth from Third World Countries.

Mr Bell denies the Isle of Man plays any such role. He confirmed that the island is considering extending Tax Information Exchange Agreements to developing nations, a move advocated by the OECD’s Global Forum – so long, he said, as an appropriate model is in place to do so, given that many such countries did not have a properly developed tax system and there were issues of corruption in some regimes.

IOMTODAY would like to wish all its readers a Happy New Year.

We hope that you celebrated the start of 2012 safely and are looking forward to the year ahead.

Don’t forget, the New Year’s Day dips are taking place across the island today, raising money for good causes. At 12pm there are dips at Peel Beach, Laxey Beach and Queen’s Promenade, Douglas; 12.45pm at Chapel Beach in Port St Mary; 1.30pm at Port St Mary inner harbour; 2.15pm at Gansey; 3pm at Port Erin Beach; 3.30pm at Castletown harbour.

Also, the annual Illiam Dhone commemoration at Hango Hill, Castletown, takes place at 2pm tomorrow (Monday). Go along to hear speakers pass political, cultural and social comment on the government’s performance over the past year.

Please remember this coming week’s Isle of Man Examiner will be in shops from Tuesday afternoon.

Have a great New Year’s Day and remember to keep visiting iomtoday for the latest news during 2012.

MOMENTUM continues to grow for the first music release from budding teenage pop starlet Beckii Cruel, known by her school friends and family as Rebecca Flint.

Her single U Can’t Kiss Me has experienced a steady rise in club charts, and after debuting at number 45 in the Upfront Club Chart in October, the song broke into the top 10 earlier this month, peaking at number 8 on December 22.

The chart is compiled by Music Week, a British music industry magazine and subscription website, and is updated weekly according to chart returns supplied by DJs in nightclubs around the UK.

The 16-year-old from Ramsey has been working to launch a career off the back of her popularity in Japan, where her YouTube videos of dancing to Asian pop hits gained her a large fan base.

U Can’t Kiss Me also clocked at number 15 in Music Week’s Commercial Pop Top 30, compiled in a similar way to the Upfront Club Chart but featuring a wider range of music.

Beckii said: ‘This is now so amazing. U Can’t Kiss Me just seems to be loved by so many people. To think it is going to be making so many Christmas parties go with a bang is great. And I’m still not old enough to go in most clubs.’

The most up to date chart sees the single still sitting pretty, at number 12 on the Upfront Club Chart.

THE British Isles seem to be going a bit Bee Gees crazy, in a wave of nostalgia that has celebrated the Isle of Man trio.

A TV special, an increase in radio play and a new greatest hits collection has renewed interest in the band that have generated hits decade after decade.

Throughout the autumnal months, fans have been able to take part in a phone vote for their favourite Bee Gees track and the results were part of a 90 minutes primetime show over Christmas.

To coincide with this somewhat indulgent musical televisual feast, there has been an updated and slightly revised reissuing of their greatest hits album. When I received my copy and saw that it was called Number Ones, I confess to raising an eyebrow.

The prestigious ‘number ones’ title is fine when used in the collected works of Elvis or The Beatles. I questioned immediately whether there had indeed been enough chart topping singles to merit such a prestigious title.

I was right to query this – there have only been five UK chart toppers, so I feel an alternative title could have carried it off better.

But there are many great hit singles on the CD that have performed well around the world and to find them all listed on one release is a fine trip down Memory Lane.

Out now to buy and download, there are 20 songs on Number Ones, kicking off with Massachusetts, World and Words before launching into timeless classics like Jive Talkin’, How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever and Tragedy. The new album is completed by Man In The Middle, a tribute to the late Maurice Gibb and then there’s the demo version of Immortality, a song that they wrote and performed backing vocals for Celine Dion.

OVERINDULGENCE, it seems, is part and parcel of the festivities even though we know we’ll pay for it later.

And it’s not just our expanding waist bands that tell the tale – indigestion is, for many of us, an all too common occurrence.

From heartburn to bloating, to constipation and stomach cramps, the symptoms are varied, but each is a reminder that your digestive system is having trouble coping with the amount or type of food it is being asked to process.

’Tis the season to be jolly and for many of us, bloated, gassy and constipated.

If you’ve overdone it this Christmas there’s plenty you can do to help get your digestive system back on track.

With the New Year celebrations still to come I don’t wish to dampen the festivities too much, but thinking twice about what you’re eating does seem the obvious place to start.

Red meat and fatty cuts of meat are hard to digest, so swap these for lean cuts of turkey, chicken or fish. Cheese is also very hard to digest, so maybe give this a miss when the cheeseboard is being passed around.

You should also reduce your intake of sugary foods, cakes, biscuits and rich puddings. So yes, you may want to think twice before tucking into another Christmas pudding! It’s one of the worst offenders! Why not opt for a delicious fresh-fruit salad instead?

Don’t drink too much liquid with your meal as this just dilutes your stomach enzymes.

Coffee, tea and alcohol are common indigestion triggers and so should ideally be kept to a minimum.

Eating little but often throughout the day to avoid overfilling the stomach is also recommended and avoid wearing clothes that are too tight around the waist.

Sit down. Your body finds it hard to run around and digest at the same time, so sit down and relax; don’t bolt your food, and give yourself five minutes once you’ve finished eating before you jump up and start attacking the day again.

Chew your food. As obvious as it may sound, you’ve no idea how few people actually do more than close their teeth a couple of times around a mouthful of food before gulping it down – it barely touches the sides before it lands in the unsuspecting stomach below.

Chewing is an act that not only breaks your meal down to a manageable size, but it also alerts the stomach to the imminent delivery of food. If you don’t chew, your stomach won’t have produced the digestive enzymes it needs, resulting in chaos and confusion and a hefty dose of acid indigestion.

For a helping hand with digestive enzymes a prebiotic supplement like Molkosan Vitality taken half an hour before each meal can help.

For bloating and indigestion associated with feelings of fullness and wind there’s Digestisan from A. Vogel. It contains Cynara (Artichoke), Dandelion and Boldo to help stimulate digestive enzymes, and Peppermint to help reduce the symptoms of colic and wind. Dilute 15 to 20 drops three times a day in a little water.

If you are constipated drink plenty of water (not coffee and tea, as they can make things worse), and drink it away from meals so as not to dilute your digestive juices.

And for a real blast to get things moving again try Linseed. Start with a low dose and only take for a short time.

Peppermint can help to reduce the symptoms of colic, bloating and wind. It also relaxes muscle tension in the colon which helps to relieve spasms.

If symptoms persist, consult your GP.

For further advice, speak to Laura Williamson and her team at Castletown Health and Beauty Store in Malew Street. Call 825812.

Whatever the weather or sea temperature for that matter, a growing number of people feel compelled to hurl themselves into the icy waves around the island on New Year’s Day.

We caught up with those souls hardy enough to brave the waters at the midday ‘Deemster’s New Year Dip‘ on Laxey beach.

Amongst the throng was our editor Richard Butt. Here you can watch the action as the chilly dippers race toward the sea, and enjoy the ensuing screams from the comfort of your warm homes.

The Isle of Man Examiner will feature pictures and stories from all the day’s dip action and will be in shops on Tuesday afternoon.