The Red Arrows display scheduled for 3pm at Ramsey on Tuesday has been cancelled.

This is due to racing and qualifying now taking place on the TT course on Tuesday afternoon.

The RAF Red Arrows display at 7.30pm in Douglas will go ahead as planned.

Having one’s image on a stamp is nothing new for the Queen.

But the Isle of Man Post Office believes it can make some money by releasing some more.

It has produced a set of eight stamps that celebrate the Queen’s most important ceremonial occasions during her long reign.

The stamps are due for issue on June 18.

A mint set costs £6.76 and a first day cover is £7.46.

Queen Elizabeth II’s first significant ceremonial occasion as monarch was her coronation, which took place in Westminster Abbey at 12.33pm on June, 2, 1953, to become the 39th sovereign and sixth queen to be crowned in her own right by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Since this, the Queen during her reign has gone on to mark a series of milestones, including the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales on July 1, 1969, at Caernarfon Castle. She has also celebrated her Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees with street parties, pageants and pop concerts.

The set of eight stamps picture the monarch at some of her most important ceremonial occasions during her long reign, and include the oronation, the investiture of Prince Charles, Trooping the Colour, The Diamond, Gold and Silver Jubilees, State Opening of Parliament and Order of the Garter.

Details of each occasion are also struck in a gold typeset and the stamps have been described by Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood as a beautiful issue that ‘captures images through a long reign dedicated to service that will evoke many memories.’

President of Tynwald, the Hon Clare Christian MLC said: ‘Isle of Man Post Office is to be congratulated on bringing out this well presented collection of stamps reflecting significant ceremonial and historic events during the distinguished 63 year reign of Her Majesty. Widely admired for the manner in which she carries out her duties, this is a fitting tribute to the continuing long service of Queen Elizabeth II Lord of Man.’

The Friends of St Jude’s are serving TT food at Thie Ny Gealgey (The Old School) and outside in the garden on St Jude’s Straight, on the Ramsey to Jurby road.

Food will be served until Friday from 11am till 5pm.

There is freshly made baps, cakes, scones and meringues.

All proceeds will go to the continuing resoration of St Jude’s Church.

When Raymond Rennie received his dedicated TT visitor’s award his one regret was that his long time partner Jean Vickerstaffe was not there to receive it with him.

Ray, from Maghull, North Liverpool, has been visiting the event for the past 56 years and for 41 of those he was accompanied by sidecar mad Jean, who died aged 70 in March last year.

‘Really this award should be for Jean as well. She loved coming here and still managed to come even in the last 10 years as her health was failing,’ he said.

‘We had a motorcycle escort for the funeral and we played Ellan Vannin as one of the pieces of music.’

Ray, who is 67, received a commemorative tankard and certificate and was one of several loyal fans who received awards from David Cretney MLC and 21-times TT winner John McGuinness. In fact, Ray and Jean were such loyal fans of the TT that when they lived for two years in New Zealand, some time ago, they still returned to the island each year for the racing.

Since Jean’s death, Ray has been devoting time to ensuring her memory lives on and he was keen for her to have a presence in the Isle of Man. To that end, he was joined at last year’s event by TT racer Jim Hodson who helped him to scatter some of Jean’s ashes at Braddan Bridge and Glen Helen during TT 2014. In addition, he was delighted when Middle MHK Howard Quayle, who owns the holiday cottage where Ray and Jean were regular guests, offered to display a plaque there to Jean’s memory.

A new Formula 2 sidecar trophy at Aintree Motorcycle Racing Club has also recently been dedicated to Jean’s memory.

‘I really have to thank the people of the Isle of Man who have been so kind and supportive in such a traumatic time,’ he said.

Details of highway schemes planned for the year ahead are being published on the government’s website.

Information about individual projects, costs and start and completion dates will all be made public together with maps and links to street views so you can see exactly where the works will be taking place.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said this was part of his commitment to public engagement and openness.

He said: ‘The department is responsible for maintaining approximately £1bn of highway assets.

‘Long-term strategic planning is a priority. Basic maintenance of our infrastructure may not seem particularly exciting, but it is absolutely essential. Basic maintenance of roads and civil structures such as bridges and retaining walls has been neglected for many years and we are starting to pay the price.

‘This under-investment is reducing the lifespan of our core assets which, if allowed to continue, runs the risk of catastrophic failures in the future.’

Mr Gawne cited Bay Ny Carrickey where the sea wall will be strengthened and repointed at a cost of £130,000. ‘If this maintenance was ignored the road would collapse at some point in the future, leaving us with a repair bill of many millions,’ he said.

The Minister said the transfer of services such as street cleaning and hedge cutting to local authorities was allowing his department to focus on maintenance of the strategic infrastructure.

The mother of a teenage boy who took his own life has paid tribute to her son, saying a light had gone out and he would be deeply missed by his friends and family.

Coroner John Needhan recorded a verdict of suicide on Rohan Alexander Halls, aged 16, who died from asphyxia at home at Quine’s Hill, Port Soderick, on February 16.

Caroline Halls said her son, a pupil at King William’s College, was much more than simply the subject of an inquest – he was a kind and witty young man. She thanked everyone who had supported the family and said they now wanted time to come to terms with the loss.

A statement from Mrs Halls said she moved to the Isle of Man in March 2014 and her son had joined her and her partner Mark Kelly in the island July 2014 after he had completed his GCSEs in Aberdeen.

She said he was a bright pupil, good at maths and had won a scholarhip to the King William’s College. He had been a pupil there for a short while in 2005, which he had not enjoyed. As a result, she said he had been nervous about returning. Mrs Halls described her son as a private person who could be hard to reach. She said he was interested in cooking, and stocks and shares and had wanted to become a vet.

She described him as being subdued during half term and said she had a discussion with Rohan on Sunday February 15 about being organised and self-disciplined with his school work. She said they had agreed he would part with his computer and telephone each night at 10pm to ensure he got a good night’s sleep.

The court heard he had a Skype conversation on Sunday with his cousin and seemed happy.

On Monday morning, February 16, Mrs Halls described finding her son in his bedroom.

Paramedics were called but efforts to revive him were not successful.

An examination of his telephone and computer found messages indicating he had decided to take his own life and it was not a spur of the moment decision. There were also messages saying goodbye to various family members.

Mr Needham told the court: ‘This is sad in someone so young but it could not have been predicted.’

Help for people who are feeling depressed is available from the Samaritans. Phone 0300 30 300 36.

Police would like to identify the man in this picture as they investigate a report of a spectator entering closed roads.

The alleged incident took during last night’s Supersport 1 race in the area of Bray Terrace, Bray Hill, Douglas, at around 6.40pm.

Police say they have been told he entered closed roads, narrowly missing the passing of the leading riders.

If you are this man, or know who he is, contact police headquarters on (01624) 631212 so the matter can be dealt with.

A man was jailed for eight weeks and banned from the island for five years yesterday following an incident at Ballahutchin shortly after the end of Sunday’s Superbike race.

It was unclear today whether Isle of Man staff will be affected as banking giant HSBC announced it was to axe 25,000 jobs, with fears that 8,000 could go in the UK.

The bank is to cut between 22,000 and 25,000 jobs globally as part of an overhaul to slash costs and reshape the business.

The bank said it was planning a reduction of around 10 per cent of its full-time workforce.

It is thought 8,000 jobs could go in the UK, where HSBC has around 48,000 employees.

HSBC’s island operation island bank is based at HSBC House, Ridgeway Street, Douglas.

The group also announced aims to sell its businesses in Turkey and Brazil, which will see its workforce reduce by around another 25,000.

It comes as the bank seeks to deliver annual cost savings of around £2.9 billion to£3.3 billion by the end of 2017.

HSBC also confirmed it would finish its review of where to base its headquarters by the end of the year, after announcing recently that it was considering a move away from the UK because of regulatory and structural reforms.

HSBC said it was undertaking a ‘significant’ reshaping of the business.

The announcement came ahead of an investor presentation on HSBC’s strategy by chief executive Stuart Gulliver.

He said the actions being taken would ‘transform our organisation’.

He added: ‘We recognise that the world has changed and we need to change with it.’

Dominic Hook, Unite’s national officer for finance, said: ‘Unite are seeking to meet with UK chief executive Antonio Simoes as soon as possible to demand that any redundancies are through voluntary means or managed through natural attrition.

‘This latest wave of job losses is a stab in the back to a dedicated workforce who have put HSBC back on the road to recovery since 2008.

‘After all the scandals of recent years, front line staff have suffered time and time again as they are forced to pay for the mistakes of others with their jobs, their terms and conditions and their reputation.

‘Unite will consult with our members in HSBC, we will fight for them and we will support them.’

Isle of Man Friends of the Earth has been nominated for an environmental award in the UK.

The Earthmovers Awards Ceremony recognises groups and individuals which have made an impact on environmental issues in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus the Isle of Man, during the previous 12 months.

This year the Isle of Man has made the shortlist for the first time in the Local Group of the Year category, and is up against Bristol Friends of the Earth in a public online vote.

The group is urging Manx residents to get behind them and vote as soon as possible here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/63SY2L2
Earthmovers tells the stories of people who have made a real difference to the lives of others through their environmental campaigning.

In summing up the reasons for IoMFoE’s nomination, the body describes the body as ‘a fantastic example of how vibrant and effective local groups can be’, adding: ‘They have done something enormously impressive – organised a collaboration between their own group, other community groups and government departments in the island government [EcoVannin]. This has brought together those inside and outside the structure of political power to collaborate on a joint exercise for sustainability.

‘Their analysis for how to do this has been strategic and effective and they have funded this work with some smart fundraising.

‘The judging panel considered this to be a great example of alliance building and commend Isle of Man Friends of the Earth for driving this forward as the key environmental group on the island.’

Other highlights of IoMFoE’s year which the Earthmovers judges noted were the launch of the Electric Vehicle Users’ Forum, regular hosting of public meetings, films and activities, and featuring in the local press.

However, IoMFoE is up against stiff competition as Bristol Friends of the Earth has also had an outstanding year, during which they have pulled off a series of significant initiatives.

Wildlife watchdogs have issued a warning about Arctic terns.

It comes after reports of walkers breaching a fenced breeding colony at the Ayres and attacking the birds with rocks and sticks.

The Ayres is the only nesting site for terns in the Isle of Man and the birds travel around 50,000 miles to and from the southern oceans – the longest migration for any animal – between nesting.

Under the Wildlife Act 1990, it is illegal to disturb, injure or kill nesting terns.

Dr Richard Selman, senior biodiversity officer, said: ‘The Point of Ayre is a beautiful and popular area. It is also the one, key site where Arctic terns, having flown all the way from the southern oceans, nest every year. We need to use the area sensitively so that we don’t lose this important species.

‘Unfortunately, terns abandon their nests when the pressure from people or predators gets too great. They nest in a limited area and I hope people will respect the controls provided in order to give them the best chance of raising their young.

‘Fencing and signage provide clear demarcation of such areas. Arctic terns will defend their nests and this can be a painful experience.

‘I would urge anyone who sees anyone breaking the law to contact us at DEFA or, if out of hours, Ramsey police station.’

The land where the terns nest is owned by Bride Sand and Gravel.

Spokesman Andrew Kenyon-Smith said: ‘Even though much of the land at the Point of Ayre has been in private ownership for generations, we’ve always been happy for the public to enjoy it and hope this can continue.

‘We have always resisted closing our land off as much as possible but, if people are going to impinge on the wildlife like this, we may have to think again.

‘It would be a pity if the irresponsible behaviour of the few ended up spoiling things for the many.’

G4S Isle of Man has announced two new appointments in the next stage of the development of their technical security and fire business.

Nigel Fraser has joined G4S after a 29 year career in the Fire Service and is responsible for scheduling engineer allocation and also for delivering fire training and fire related Health and Safety audit and compliance services.

A qualified mechanical engineer by trade, Nigel also holds NEBOSH and Level 5 MILM qualifications and is a technical member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

His role at G4S will be to develop the range of audit and compliance services the company provide, as well as providing fire training and extinguisher training using the islands only live fire training unit. In addition, he is responsible for allocating installation and maintenance schedules for the company’s six alarm and fire engineers.

He will work alongside Don Jenner, the company’s technical manager for alarms and fire systems.

Darren Shirley joins G4S as business development manager and is well known across the island for his fire and security system knowledge, being a certificated fire detection system designer.

Darren has 18 years’ experience within the fire and security industry and brings a vast knowledge of intruder, CCTV and fire systems to the company.

His role will be to drive the continued growth of the technical security business whilst providing design and product knowledge support to the engineers and developing innovative solutions and product support to customers across the island.

Stuart McCudden, managing director said: ‘Nigel and Darren bring a range of new skills and unrivalled expertise to our business and as part of our development strategy, will be introducing a range of new services and products to our customers.

Nigel has a significant insight into the issues around fire prevention and detection after almost 30 years in the Isle of Man Fire Service and Darren’s 18 years in the fire and security industry give us unrivalled experience and expertise in these critical areas’.

People with drone aircraft are being warned not to fly them tonight during the Red Arrows performance in the Douglas area.

Air Traffic Control at Ronaldsway Airport says that in addition to the restricted airspace around the TT course, there is a restricted airspace in force within a six-mile radius of Douglas this evening for the Red Arrows display.

It is an offence to fly any aircraft, including {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle|drones}, within that airspace between 7.25pm and 8.05pm tonight.

It is also an offence at any time to fly a drone over or within 150 metres of a congested area.

A congested area, in relation to a town or settlement, means any area which is substantially used for residential, industrial, commercial or recreational purposes.

This afternoon’s Red Arrows display above Ramsey has been cancelled.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/what-s-on/manx-entertainment-news/red-arrows-ramsey-display-cancelled-1-7299288|Click here to find out why.}

D-Day veterans and schoolchildren remembered the events of 71 years ago at a special wreath-laying ceremony in Lord Street, Douglas, on Sunday.

The invasion of France by Allied troops in 1944 led to the country being liberated from Nazi Germany and, later with the Soviet invasion from the east, to the downfall of Hitler’s regime.

PokerStars has received provisional licenses from the Spanish gaming regulator, the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ), allowing it to offer sports betting and slots games to players in Spain.

PokerStars already holds licenses in Spain to provide poker and casino table games such as Roulette and Blackjack.

The last 12 months have been very busy for PokerStars’ Spanish business with the brand deploying a range of new products, while continuing to promote the game of poker, which remains central to the company’s future plans, through a variety of initiatives.

Some notable recent achievements in Spain include:

l Setting new records in live European poker tournaments with PokerStars’ European Poker Tour Barcelona in August 2014

l Signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr as brand ambassadors to promote the game of poker

l Being the first jurisdiction in which PokerStars’ popular Spin and Go tournaments were launched

l The launch of Roulette and Blackjack casino games on desktop and mobile platforms

l Launching ‘live dealer’ Roulette games on desktop

‘We’re very pleased to receive provisional licenses to expand our games offering on PokerStars in Spain,’ said Gino Appiotti, president of Southern European Operations for PokerStars.

‘Our operation of online poker, live poker and now online casino shows that players trust us to deliver a variety of games in a fun and exciting way.

‘We look forward to building on this by launching games under these new licences.’

Despite being a relative newcomer to offering online casino games in Spain, the quality of the PokerStars’ casino product has earned the trust of players, with the brand achieving a double digit share of the Spanish online casino market, while maintaining a strong number one position in poker.

PokerStars intends to provide a timeline for the launch of slots games and sports betting in Spain in the near future.

There was a strong presence from Isle of Man representatives at the Global Lottery Messenger Forum (GLMF).

More than 100 delegates representing 35 lottery messenger brands travelled from 18 countries for the event.

It took place on board the 5-star Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Gibraltar.

Over the last few months, the lottery messenger industry, which enables the global public to participate online in non-local national lotteries, has undergone significant growth.

Organised and hosted for the second consecutive year by Isle of Man based Counting House, and this year supported by six sponsors, the industry made a loud and clear statement that the GLMF is here to stay.

‘Less than 12 months ago, the lottery messenger industry had never sat in the same room,’ said Stuart Ballan, head of sales, Middle East, at Counting House.

‘As a direct result of GLMF2014, which took place in Tel-Aviv, Israel, in May 2014, many new collaborations emerged.

‘Consequently, by GLMF2015, many people knew each other in the industry, resulting in delegates arriving with clear agendas of who they wanted to meet, and why, leading to new and strengthened business and personal relationships.’

diverse

The event offered a diverse combination of keynote speakers and industry panels, which kept the audience’s attention from start to end.

Paul Davis, managing director, Counting House, formally opened the proceedings, followed by Stuart Ballan who presented on how the industry had changed since GLMF2014 as well as some of the issues for the year ahead.

Peter Greenhill, chief executive officer of eGaming, with the Isle of Man Government, moderated a fascinating panel on regulation that included Steve Brennan, CEO, Gambling Supervision Commission, IoM, Ofri Noier, (LOTTOTECH) and Sascha Badelt (CEO, Digidis).

Following lunch, Stuart Ballan moderated the insurance panel, discussing the pros and cons of the insurance model, including related risks.

Paul Davis shared his many years of payment processing industry experience with a global tour of issues affecting the more complex countries.

The e was completed at Le Bateau restaurant, where in addition to enjoying the food, drink and networking, everyone waited with baited breath for the announcement of the winner of the Apple Watch quiz.

It’s perhaps a measure of the people attending the event that the winner, instead of choosing to accept the most sought after gadget on the planet, chose to donate the cost to the Nepal Earthquake fund.

Niall Carey, commercial manager of Isle of Man Post Office provided a presentation entitled ‘Effective use of postal services for lottery messenger’.

Mr Carey began with an introduction to the Isle of Man as a jurisdiction before moving on to Isle of Man Post Office’s credentials as a trusted provider with direct access to international mail streams for over 40 years.

Following an overview of the business Mr Carey then spoke about eGaming and postal services discussing the advantages of Direct Mail (DM), how postal services are changing and the emotional impact of mail versus email for communicating with customers.

To close, Mr Carey spoke about the importance of including DM as part of the marketing mix along with the positive impact it would create for the lottery messenger industry.

Following the event Mr Carey said: ‘The Lottery Messenger industry is one of the most exciting industries today.

‘The Global Lottery Messenger Forum is truly international drawing some of the greatest talents in the industry and some of its most innovative thinkers.

growing at an

incredible rate

‘Lottery messenger is growing at an incredible rate and we’ve every confidence that our business will play an important role in its development.’

Lisa Duckworth commercial director of Isle of Man Post Office said: ‘This year’s Global Lottery Messenger Forum was a great success.

‘We’ve already won work from this and have a number of positive leads to follow up as a result.

‘We believe our secure direct mail proposition combined with the lottery messenger sector is a winning combination.

‘Our work within this sector supports the Isle of Man Post Office’s 2014-17 strategic plan and diversification strategy which looks to continually identify and develop new business opportunities in growing sectors such as lotteries messenger with the aim of bringing more business to the island and increasing the profitability of the Post Office.’

Following the path of many other industries it has moved towards a B2B model as it has matured, with four platforms launched in as many months.

Three of the world’s four B2B platforms were sponsors at GLMF2015.

‘The locations for GLMF2014 and GLMF2015, Israel and Gibraltar, respectively, were chosen because of their strong connection to the lottery messenger industry,’ said Mr Ballan.

‘Consistent with this theme, Counting House is pleased to announce that GLMF2016 will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, another lottery messenger industry nerve centre, on April 11, 2016, at a venue to be confirmed.’

3016 – Pictured left to right are Peter Greenhill, (CEO of e-Gaming, IoM), Paul Davis, (MD, Counting House), Tom Mitchell (Director, Lottorisq), Marek Mahdal (Kootac), Matt Butcher (Director, PIMS-SCA), Stuart Ballan (Head of Sales, Middle East, Counting House), Steve Hickson, (Director, SidePlay Entertainment), Mark Robinson (Director, Bluefin), Steve Brennan, (CEO – Gambling Supervision Commission, IoM) and Niall Carey, (Commercial Manager, IoM Post Office)

3467 – Room shot at the Global Lottery Messenger Forum at the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Gibraltar

The Steam Packet and the Sefton Group have once again teamed up to say ‘thank you’ to the volunteers who make the TT and Festival of Motorcycling possible.

The marshals, known as ‘Team Orange’, give up their time to ensure the racing can go ahead, and one of the hard-working volunteers will be enjoying a well-deserved two-night break as a mark of appreciation.

The ferry company and the hotel firm have joined forces to offer a two-night break for two people, including ferry travel and accommodation, to the winner of a prize draw for marshals who volunteer their services each year.

This is the fourth time the companies have offered a prize to the TT Marshals’ Association in gratitude for its members’ commitment to the island’s most popular racing events.

Steam Packet sales development manager Brian Convery said: ‘The island’s popular racing events, like the TT, simply couldn’t happen without “Team Orange”.

‘We have worked closely with the TTMA for many years, offering discounted travel and more recently early booking for the 2016 TT to those who have made a real commitment to marshalling, and are pleased to be able say this “thank you” again.’

Nicola Wilkinson, Sefton Group marketing manager, said: ‘The marshals do such an important job each year, ensuring the racing goes ahead, and we are pleased to be supporting the prize draw again by offering two nights’ bed and breakfast at the Sefton Hotel.’

The prize draw takes place during TT race week.

TTMA chairman Terry Holmes said: ‘I’d like to thank the Steam Packet Company and the Sefton Group for their generosity in providing this prize again. It is important to recognise the dedication and commitment shown by all our volunteers, and let them know the Isle of Man appreciates what they do.’

Musical entertainment is to be provided after Douglas Carnival’s floats have finished entertaining the crowds.

The ‘after party’ will take place at the Bottleneck car park at the end of Loch Promenade.

Bushy’s will run the bar and there will be a beer garden created by the council’s parks team.

The carnival is from 7pm but before then there’ll be live music throughout the afternoon from Soundcheck ahead of the main event and after party which will feature an acoustic set from 3 Million, Looney and the Vikings, who wowed the crowds long into the night last year, and Buncha Skankers headlining and closing the show.

Town centre manager Michelle O’Malley said: ‘We said this year’s carnival would be bigger and better and it certainly will be.

‘The after party will make sure that this is a carnival that just keeps on giving. We’ve had a fantastic response with businesses, community groups and charities really keen to be part of what will be the event of the year, not just for Douglas but for the whole island.’

The carnival will take place on Saturday, July 18.

Entries and sponsorship opportunities are still welcomed.

To find out more contact Michelle O’Malley, MOMalley@douglas.gov.im, 696304 or visit douglascarnival.im

A vintage motorcycle displayed in a Ramsey shop window accompanied by a notice saying ‘Parts urgently required – can you help find parts for this beauty?’ drew an immediate response.

Within hours of the bike being there, a visiting motorcyclist fan – a mechanic from Lincolnshire – called in at Top 2 Toe, Bowring Road, to say he could help and left his telephone number.

The details were passed on to Tony East, owner of the bike, which is a Calthorpe K4, registration number CMN 68.

Mr East, who is secretary of the Isle of Man Vintage Motorcycle Club and owner of the A.R.E. Classic Bike Collection based at The Old Vicarage, Kirk Michael, is recovering from a hip operation, but has every intention of following up the offer.

He said the machine was a comparatively rare ivory Calthorpe, so-called because of its colour, dating back to around 1937.

Mr East explained: ‘They didn’t make many of them, although it was very well engineered and very advanced for what it was. There are very few of them about.

‘This particular model belonged to Fred Wyeth, of Laxey, a member of the Vintage Motorcycle Club.

‘Fred used to ride it around, although it was a heap of junk! I acquired it after he died and have been restoring it in his memory. I have got the bike to a stage where it needs some “fine fettling” but I’m unable to finish it. If only I can find the parts.’

‘When it’s complete, we will have a ritual starting-up with cream buns and coffee!’

Canada Life International’s (CLI) new purpose-built corporate headquarters at Isle of Man Business Park, has been officially named as Canada Life House.

The naming ceremony was performed by chief minister Allan Bell MHK.

The business has had a long-term presence on the Isle of Man, dating back to 1987.

Canada Life International, or Albany International as it was originally called, began in Castletown in 1987 with five staff, occupying the top floor of the old St Mary’s church in Castletown Square and taking over the whole building a few years later as the business grew.

In 2000 the business outgrew St Mary’s and expanded into a second office: Canada Life House on Alexandra Road.

At the end of 2010 the company exited St Mary’s and moved into Mill Court while retaining Canada Life House.

The company now employs close to 150 staff and administers approximately £9.5bn of assets.

Sean Christian, CLI’s managing director said: ‘This exciting day for the business is also a clear demonstration of our long-term commitment to the Isle of Man and to the offshore bond market.

‘We’ve received fantastic support from the local community over many years which has allowed Canada Life International to make the Island our home.

‘In return we always aim to be a positive force in the local community, from supporting charity events to sponsoring local clubs and organisations.

‘Castletown has been a great home for the business over the last 28 years and our initial intention was to find alternative premises within the town.

‘It became apparent that opportunities for purpose-built office accommodation in and around Castletown were limited which ultimately led to our relocation to Douglas. Our offshore business has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years and moving into the first class facilities at Ballacottier Business Park is the latest stage in our expansion plans.

‘We are proud to offer one of the broadest ranges of investment, estate planning and protection solutions to UK investors.

‘We continue to be the only company offering advisers and their clients a choice of three different life companies across two jurisdictions – two in the Isle of Man and one in Dublin.

‘Our Dublin operation is about to increase in size and scale following our recent announcement of the imminent acquisition of Legal & General International.

‘Our Dublin based business will be an ideal complement to the business we have successfully built up on the Isle of Man over the past 28 years.’

Negotiations with the UK Treasury over a new VAT revenue sharing agreement are close to a conclusion.

Chief Minister Allan Bell said talks had been put on hold pending the UK general election - but with a new government in place, a deal would be signed off soon, and he was optimistic it will not leave the island further out of pocket.

He said: ‘There’s a new Tory administration in place and thankfully many of the individuals we were dealing with are still in post and hopefully they will pick up the threads fairly quickly.

‘We are very closely to a conclusion of those discussions and I hope we will get the final sign off to this agreement fairly shortly. There is no indication what the final outcome might be. But I’m cautiously optimistic we will get a new agreement which will leave the island no worse off – and will give us stability for the next few years.’

The Manx government has lost a third of its income following earlier revisions of the VAT pooling arrangement.

Mr Bell said new powers given to Scotland could include a VAT revenue sharing mechanism but there was no indication the UK would adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach.