Plans have been submitted to redevelop the former Howstrake holiday camp in Onchan.

Allprop Ltd has applied for approval in principle for a house with staff and office accommodation.

The site has lain empty since the early 1970s. Since then failed redevelopment plans have included 200 homes, and a hotel plus 200 residential units.

In a planning statement submitted as part of the bid (15/00636/A), it states: ‘Without investment to tackle the condition of the site and access to it, Howstrake will deteriorate further, continuing to blight the landscape while making no positive contribution to the economy.’

The site is described in the Onchan Local Plan 2000 as being in a ‘state of dereliction’ and ‘in dire need of restoration’. It is designated as open space.

The planning statement says ‘it is intended that proposed buildings will be of a residential scale and will take their cue from the scale of previous buildings on the site’.

It continues a subsequent detailed planning application would be likely to include seven ensuite bedrooms, wine cave, bar, cinema, games room, indoor pool, gym and staff flats. Outside, would see proposals for a wintergarden and orangery, walled kitchen garden and a putting green and golf driving net.

Local historian Peter Kelly explained Douglas Bay Estate Co decided to open a 50 acre park on the opposite headland to Groudle following the opening of the electric railway to Groudle in 1893 and the glen’s subsequent success.

An area was fenced off, thousands of trees were planted, an open air amphitheatre created, paths were laid out and a corrugated iron building housing a kitchen and dining room was erected.

The park opened for the seasons of 1895 and 1896 but it wasn’t a success.

Joseph Cunningham, from Liverpool, rented the site in 1897, setting up the first commercial holiday camp in Great Britain. Utilising the kitchen and dining room, he then added bell tents which saw four lads to a tent, sleeping on beds and each tent having a wooden floor. He ran it until the 1904 season when he opened up in Douglas instead.

The site lay vacant until 1910 when the Howstrake Holiday Camp Co Ltd was formed and ran the establishment until 1972. The camp then lay empty until a fire in 1980 destroyed a great part of it.’

Police are investigating an incident that occurred on the Everlasting Bend on the Laxey to Ramsey coast road on Sunday evening.

It happened at around 5.45pm and involved two vehicles that had stopped in the Ramsey-bound carriageway.

A number of vehicles were driven past the scene at the time of the incident taking place.

If anybody has any information which may help police with their investigation, contact Ramsey police station on 812234.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident on Summer Hill, Douglas, shortly after roads opened on Senior Race Day.

A collision involving a maroon Renault Scenic and a white Audi A8 occurred on the junction with Ridgeway Road at 4.20pm.

Police say the roads had not long opened following the conclusion of racing and traffic was heavy. It is therefore assumed there may be several witnesses to the incident.

If you have any information or witnessed the collision, contact Constable Beaumont on 631212, or alternatively contact the anonymous Crimestoppers Line on 0800 555 111.

A Douglas woman celebrated her 100th birthday with a visit from Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood – and a heartfelt tribute from well-known TV actress Alison Steadman OBE.

Mildred Kelly, who received a letter and birthday card from the Queen and bouquet of flowers from the governor, is a retired school teacher who was born in Bolton in 1915. She taught Ms Steadman drama in Liverpool in the 1960s.

Ms Steadman, who rose to national prominence in drama Abigail’s Party in 1977 and is well-known more recently for her role in BBC’s Gavin and Stacey, said: ‘Mildred was a school teacher in Liverpool for many years until her retirement. She taught and directed me in the early 1960s in Liverpool Youth Theatre.

‘She was an inspiration and full of energy and enthusiasm. I was 16 at the time and we all loved to be in her company.

‘Toby Haygarth and Bill Stewart were also in the Youth Theatre. We all went on to work in the professional theatre. We were every much influenced by Mildred and we loved her.’

She added: ‘Many years later in 2007 I was filming a television drama on the Isle of Man. Mildred heard I was staying in the island and contacted me and invited me to her house for a meal.

‘We enjoyed a lovely evening together and raised a glass to Liverpool Youth Theatre! It was so lovely to see her again and I have kept in touch with her ever since.

‘I’ve been back a couple of times to the Isle of Man to see her. Even in her nineties she enjoyed a glass of red wine and a laugh!

‘We shared a love of theatre but also of animals and wildlife in general. I have become increasingly fond of the Isle of Man and Mildred has shown me parts of the island I would never have discovered without her. I saw my first gannets diving for food and basking sharks! Moments I will never forget.

‘She loves the island and was proud to show it off.

‘I wish her a very happy 100th birthday. Sadly now Mildred finds it impossible to communicate but I know inside she is still the talented, kind, fun, inspirational lady I met in my teens.

‘Thank you, Mildred!’

Friend of 25 years, Diana Ballard also praised Mildred, saying: ‘She is a very kind, thoughtful person.

‘She has always said she was going to reach 100.’

Plans to transform the old Douglas harbour swingbridge tower into a visitor centre could have hit the rocks.

Douglas councillors were told that Lottery funding of only £50,000 could be secured towards the cost of the £500,000 project.

Plans for a visitor centre, based around the Victorian tower which houses the mechanism to power the old swing bridge on South Quay, were first unveiled by Douglas Development Partnership back in 2009.

That initial scheme, entitled the Dhoo Glas Experience, came with a price tag of £4m. Ambitious plans would have seen a funicular railway take visitors up from South Quay to a two-storey complex on the cliff behind, featuring a restaurant and an interpretation centre detailing the town’s maritime history.

This would be linked by a glass-sided bridge to the back of the swingbridge tower.

Subsequently, more modest proposals were put forward which would have seen Douglas Council acquire the site from the Department of Infrastructure to operate a visitor centre in partnership with Culture Vannin.

But in a report giving an update on the scheme, councillors were told that a business case should be progressed only if the project was considered affordable.

The total estimated cost was £509,000, without producing a business case and appointing a designer. But the Manx Lottery Trust had informally indicated any grant would be capped at £50,000.

Based on those estimates, the complex would be required to produce a minimum income of £43,000 a year, and would therefore require substantial support from the council. On this basis, officers recommended that any further work on the proposal was stopped.

Councillors, however, voted to clarify the position with the Lottery Trust before deciding whether to progress or abandon the project.

Councillor Betty Quirk said: ‘If it is left any longer it is just going to deteriorate.’

Council leader David Christian said: ‘The swingbridge tower is still something we are looking into. The DoI want it off their hands. It’s part of our heritage. It could tell the story of the harbour over the years.’

NatWest and Isle of Man Bank customers will be among the first to use Apple Pay when it launches.

The two banks will offer Isle of Man customers access to Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay, when it launches in the UK. 

The introduction of Apple Pay is another way NatWest and Isle of Man Bank say they are making it easier and more secure for customers to do their banking on the move, and just one of the banks’ recent digital innovations to make banking more convenient for customers.

Others include the integration of Touch ID, where customers can open the NatWest and Isle of Man Bank mobile iOS apps just using a fingerprint, and Get Cash, where customers can withdraw money from an ATM without a bank card by using a text code generated by their mobile banking app.

Security and privacy is at the core of Apple Pay. When you add a credit or debit card to Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the secure element on your device.

Each transaction is authorised with a one-time unique dynamic security code, instead of using the security code from the back of your card.

Victoria McEneaney, executive director, NatWest and Isle of Man Bank said; ‘We want to be the number one bank for customer service, trust and advocacy by 2020 and we know that our customers value simple ways to pay that use the most relevant and secure technology.

‘The introduction of Apple Pay allows us to do this. We are delighted to be working with Apple and are really excited to be able to offer Apple Pay to our customers.’

In stores, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch. When paying for goods and services within apps, Apple Pay is compatible with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.
For more information on Apple Pay, visit: www.apple.com/uk/apple-pay/



Thousands of bikers, both residents and visitors, flocked to Laxey for the ninth TT Motorcycle Show.

Organised by Andy Scullard and Derek Peters of the Moddey Dhoo Motorcycle Club, the free event sees 24 awards handed out.

It was also a chance to soak up the sunshine and live music from Barry Nelson & Jeceris.

Andy said: ‘It’s probably the busiest show we’ve ever had.

‘During the day there was well in excess of 5,000 people.

‘At times it was only just that we could find parking spots for them.’

Among those attending were Ian Coates, who left home in 1999 for a four-month bike holiday and ended up returning in 2013.

His bike is covered with stickers as a reminder of the trip.

Meanwhile Federico Kanu of Argentina was in the island for two weeks as he aims to motorbike across the world.

Julie and Chris Kilford enjoyed their honeymoon on the island, spending a week here for the TT.

Of the 24 awards, 18 were presented to visitors, and six to island residents.

Andy thanked the Department of Economic Development and Laxey Village Commissioners for their support.

A company based in the island which won an award at the last IoM Newspapers Awards for Excellence has tasted new success.

plan.com has been voted Best B2B Distributor at the 2015 Mobile Industry Awards in London.

The team joined more than 430 guests at the Mobile Industry Awards, held at the Brewery, London.

Fighting off competition from a number of the UK’s most established distributors in the category, plan.com secured one of the top awards of the night.

Previous winners included Exertis and Daisy Distribution. plan.com is based in Capital House, Circular Road, Douglas, with around 35 staff.

The company, whixh is technology led and based around communications, scooped the PokerStars award for marketing and PR effectiveness at last year’s glittering awards ceremony.

The Mobile Industry Awards panel were extremely impressed by plan.com’s unrelenting innovation and large number of passionate customer testimonials.

One of the judges said: ‘Their portal feature is very innovative and is at the heart of the company, it is also very impressive that they have taken on so many dealers, so quickly; their marketing is brilliant and looks fresh’.

plan.com chief executive officer, Dan Craddock said: ‘We are delighted to win the Mobile Industry Award for Best B2B Distributor 2015, we’ve had an incredible year and out of the three awards we’ve been nominated for, we’ve bought back the trophy every time.’

He added: ‘We’re very proud of this achievement and want to thank every single one of our staff and partners including O2 for their support.

‘But we’re not finished yet, we’ve just launched version three of our multi award winning partner portal which now gives our partners the opportunity to offer eight new products and services, all in one place and all on one bill.

‘We’re constantly developing and making improvements to the partner portal to make sure we always have the best solution in the market.’

B2B means business to business.

Arbory parish’s big annual celebration, Laa Columb Killey, will be held on Thursday, June 25.

After fancy dress is judged at the primary school, at 2.45pm the procession, led by Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band, will leave for the fair field where Gill Smith will open the event and crown festival princess Jasmine Hextall, who is attended by Isobel Knopp, both 12, and Esther Leece, 11.

After a display of country dancing, the exhibition tents of vegetables, flowers and handicraft will open.

There are also attractions such as a coconut shy and bouncy castles plus the tea tent.

Organisers say admission to the field is £5 for adults while the ‘fabulous tea tent’ is £4 for all the sandwiches, cakes and tea you can manage.

The following evening, on Friday, June 26, a new event will be held and will see a Laa Columb Killey and Arbory School Celidh in the marquee with Tarroo Marroo Ceili Band.

It will take place from 6.30pm to 9pm and refreshements will be available.

Admission is £2 for under 18s and or £3 for adults.

An inquest into the death of a 31-year-old Port Erin tree surgeon has opened and adjourned.

Adrian Jeffrey Morton was found dead at his home at Ballahane Close in Port Erin on June 3.

No medical cause of death has been established and further toxicology tests are being carried out.

A police statement read out in court said there were no signs of injury to Mr Morton’s body.

An assortment of prescription drugs and an empty syringe packet were also said to have been found.

The inquest will resume at a date to be confirmed.

A new document outlining the government’s digital strategy over the next two to five years should help to improve access to information and government services.

Tynwald members voted by a majority to endorse the document which was described as a ‘general framework for the development and acceleration of digital services’.

Policy and Reform Minister John Shimmin, who moved the motion, said the vision was for digital services to provide a ‘smaller and smarter’ government.

‘We need to increase our range of digital services and give maximum outcomes across government,’ he said, adding the document gave a common vision and an ‘agreed direction of travel’ for digital services.

Potential savings over five years could be as much as £5 million. Online uptake of digital services aimed to increase to 80 per cent, he said.

‘This is not just about on-line services, it is a holistic approach to the use of digital services inside and outside government.’

Seconding the motion, former Policy and Reform Minister Chris Robertshaw said he commended the document which was an ‘excellent piece of work’ but sounded a note of pessimism, questioning whether there would be the ‘revolution in thinking’ (a phrase used in the report itself) needed to implement it.

‘Are we ready to adopt revolutionary thinking? The answer to that question is regrettably that we are not,’ he said, adding it was this belief that prompted him to step down as Policy and Reform Minister.

‘Our traditional way of working and thinking as politicians is in my view now getting in the way of potential future success,’ he said.

A recent report ranked the island 33 out of the top 34 jurisdictions to start up a new business, in terms of digital capability.

An amendment by Peter Karran MHK (Onchan) to refer the document to the Economic Policy Review Committee failed. Members voted in favour of supporting the document with the exception of Mr Karran and Kate Beecroft MHK (Douglas South).

Douglas Corporation is getting it in the neck from Blue Badge disabled drivers for wanting to make them pay for their designated spaces in the town’s multi-storey car parks. So am I.

I had a telephone call from a nicely spoken lady who, in the nicest possible way, said it was my fault that the Corpy had done it because I had written so brazenly about the happy advantages of being a Blue Badger.

Right, I take the blame. But I would like to have my say on the current trouble.

I would recommend the Corpy forget about charging us Blue Badgers. What they should do is hunt down and impose severe cash penalties on all the perfectly fit drivers who invade our spaces.

This means they will still be making money but also winning the approval of Blue Badgers.

Lots of people trespass on disabled driver spaces and, it seems, get away with it. But this is also something the Corpy can take action on.

All they have to do is hire a bunch of thugs and tell them to get hold of the offenders, take them down a back lane, and beat the living daylights out of them. But not too much, of course. Just enough for them to qualify as disabled drivers themselves.

They could then become Black and Blue Badgers.

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This week I find myself in a somewhat strange position.

Last week I proposed that the Douglas horse trams should stay where they have always been and the cars should be shunted out of the way.

I didn’t really believe this might be taken seriously.

But it has been by quite a number of people who have been in touch with me, including motorists.

Is this the moment for launching a protest campaign on behalf of the trams?

I put the matter to a senior tram horse last night and she said: ‘Neigh lad, you’ll never get away with it.’

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This week’s crossword clue was found in the Daily Telegraph cryptic by Sara Goodwins and Barbara Taylor as follows: ‘More than one bird races to catch island rodents (7).’

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The spring newsletter of the Isle of Man branch of the Royal Naval Association told readers that in the days of cannon balls these would by stacked on the deck in a square based pyramid called a monkey pile.

A brass plate with upraised edges was the resting place for the stacks and the idea was to stop the cannon balls rolling all over the place in rough weather. But in cold weather brass contracts faster than iron and this gave rise to a well-known meteorological expression used today.

I knew that. I didn’t know monkeys had piles.

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I was leaving Noble’s Hospital when I was stopped by a man who was going a little thin on top. He said: ‘When you die can I have your hair?’

I told him he could.

But how he went about retrieving it would be up – or perhaps more likely down – to him.

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My Funnies File reveals that a ladies’ fashion shop in Parliament Street, Ramsey, had a display window round the corner behind it in Collins Lane and a notice in the front window said: ‘Our underwear can be viewed in the back lane.’

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This week’s announcement to passengers by a London Underground driver is: ‘Do you want the good news or the bad? The good news is that last Friday was my birthday and I hit the town and had a great time. The bad news is that there is a points failure somewhere between Mile End and East Ham, which means we probably won’t reach our destination.’

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Crossword: TITMICE

Six members of Isle of Man Friends of the Earth travelled to Castleton in the Peak District at the weekend for one of the biggest events in the UK’s calendar of environmental campaigning and activism gatherings. The team are back with lots of memories, new skills learned, new friends and contacts made and an unexpectedly huge award. Cat Turner reports

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Every year, Friends of the Earth UK organises Basecamp, an environmental campaigning and activism gathering attended by hundreds of people.

This year’s event saw not far short of 500 tickets sold.

The attendees include members of the FoE ‘family’ – it is, after all, the world’s biggest grassroots environmental group–- but also many other non-FoE organisations and people who share the group’s aims for a world that’s more pleasant, fair and healthy to live in.

Kerry Hudson, Falk Horning, Margaret Kneen, my twins Catherine and Lizzie and I represented the Isle of Man this year, and because so many of us went, we were able to cover a huge cross-section of the workshops and sessions on offer.

In any one hour-long slot, there could be up to six different sessions from which to choose – from ‘How to talk to politicians’ to ‘The basics of fracking’, from ‘Latest developments in GM food campaigning’ to ‘Economics and the Environment’.

In all there were around 200 events in the three days, so it was very hard to choose, and we were fortunate that we all had our special-interest areas and could carve-up the workload between us!

For my part, I was intensely grateful for sessions on ‘Building healthy groups’, though in fact we’re tremendously blessed with our volunteers and allies in the island, plus sessions on helping new volunteers find their feet, and on structuring campaigns.

Kerry got to a number of workshops on using the media (including social media), and on how ideas of ‘wellbeing’ fit into the environmental movement.

Margaret gathered information at sessions on genetic modification, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and other big issues, and Falk took in sessions on reaching younger supporters so that a group has access to their energy, ideas and succession planning.

As well as these, we managed to attend lots of other really absorbing talks, too.

For those who just wanted to soak up the atmosphere and be with like-minded people, there were also plenty of quiet places to sit and reflect.

Plus there were sessions on banner-making, seed-bomb construction, bridge-building, potion-making, woodcrafts and – the highlight for my daughters – building an outdoor cob pizza-oven for the late-night campfire sessions.

For me, the most powerful thing was realising just how many people and groups there are working for the good of the environment and communities – and how generous they are in sharing their ideas on what works and what doesn’t.

Some sessions were quite intense – there were strong views on whether climate campaigners should include issues of population control in their work, for example.

These centred on how to balance respect for the rights of people to migrate/have choice as to the size of their families, against other issues such as the scale of each individual’s consumption and environmental footprint, and how bigger families can affect our planetary resources.

I was struck by the diversity of opinion from people with a shared aim (climate and resource justice), and the careful, respectful but honest ways in which these difficult sessions were run.

Other highlights included informative sessions on new developments in genetically modified foodstuffs and the laws around this, the evidence in favour of permaculture approaches to growing, and the ways an economy can be transformed from one that works for business (and government statistics), to one which really works for people.

For youngsters, Basecamp’s an amazing experience. Some children hang out with their parents in workshops and other sessions, and others dip in and out of the specially-organised kid-friendly event.

For anyone who’s keen on the environment or who simply wants a great weekend break, I’d definitely recommend Basecamp next year.

People can come alone or in groups, and as the venue’s a youth hostel in the beautiful Peak District, they can camp, stay in dorms or opt for B&Bs or single rooms.

By the end of the weekend we were all exhausted, but brimming with information, contacts and ideas, much of which we hope will inform our work here in the island over the coming year.

And we came back to the news we’d picked up an award.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers and friends, Isle of Man Friends of the Earth won the title of UK Local Group of the Year – a tremendous and important accolade.

Thank you, Isle of Man, and thank you, Friends of the Earth.

James Eric De Carteret Robertson and Ashley Anne Robertson, of Moreno House, 6 Osborne Terrace, Douglas, bought 54 Majestic Drive, Onchan, for £880,000.

It was bought from Terence Eric Michael O’Hare.

Other recent transactions lodged at the General Registry in Douglas are as follows:

Charles Barry Horne and Diane Elizabeth Horne sold Advisina, 17 Mountain View, Peel, for £340,000, to Heidi Ingun Skillicorn, of 7 Lake Lane, Peel.

John Francis Astin, of 13 Highfield Crescent, Birch Hill, Onchan, sold Lock up shops, 16, 17 and 18 Port Jack Road, Onchan, for £272,500, to Danni Holdings Limited, whose registered office is situated at 1 Begoade Cottages, Begoade Road, Onchan.

Geoffrey Alan Walmsley and John Arthur Walmsley, sold St Anthony, Cronkbourne Avenue, Douglas, for £260,000, to Maciej Lukasz Majewski and Elzbieta Irena Majewska, of 26 Stevenson Court, Douglas.

Nicholas John Gough sold 68 Meadow Crescent, Douglas, for £255,000, to Dylan Robert Cain and Emma Louise Cain, of 27 Westminster Drive, Douglas.

Carole Anne Rice, by administrator,and Harry Kneale Wade, as administrator, sold 6 Meadowbrook Gardens, Douglas, for £235,000, to Marc Ian Bolan Clarke and Sarah Louise Fiddy, of 44 Cronk Grianagh, The Strang.

Jennifer Kimberley Weckwerth sold Fernlea, Droghadfayle Road, Port Erin, for £227,000, to Matthew James Harvey and Kelly Anne Harvey, of Arcady, Fisherman’s Walk, Derbyhaven.

Richard Anthony Sutcliffe and Carol Anne Sutcliffe, sold Shefferlands, Station Road, Port St Mary, for £225,000, to Benjamin James Fairfax and Magdalena Fairfax, of 1 Beechwood Rise, Douglas.

Kathleen Smith, of 49 Springfield Court, Onchan, sold 2 St Catherine’s Terrace, Onchan, for £140,000, to Debra Marie Kelly, of Cronk-y-Berry Mooar, Douglas.

Keith Henry Green, of Greeba View, Ballavitchel Road, Crosby, and Jacqueline Green, sold 5 St Peter’s Lane, Peel, for £80,000, to Stuart Duncan Blackley and Heather Jane Blackley, of Fo-Glion, Glen Maye.

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We publish details of all house sales unless we receive a written request from the police or probation services.

The Insurance Institute of the Isle of Man has announced that Bryan O’Connor has been appointed as its new president.

Commenting on his election by members of the local institute at its AGM, Bryan said: ‘I am both honoured and delighted to be appointed as President for the year 2015/16 and look forward to working with our members and the other local professional organisations to maintain the excellent standard of CPD provision for insurance and financial services professionals on the island.’

The Insurance Institute of the Isle of Man is the local branch of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) which also includes local members of the Personal Finance Society (PFS) and acts as an educational representative body for all insurance and financial services professionals on the island.

As the leading professional body for the global financial services profession, the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) exists to promote higher standards of integrity, technical competence and business capability. With more than 112,000 members in more than 150 countries, the CII is the world’s largest professional body dedicated to insurance and financial services.

Mr O’Connor, of leading local insurance broker Rossborough Insurance, replaces John Hockney who remains chairman of the local branch of the PFS.

The AGM also saw two of the local council’s long serving members being appointed as honorary life vice presidents in recognition of the time and dedication they have given to the local institute.

Christine Crowther and Paul Ellison have both served on Council for many years in various positions with Christine also having represented the CII on a national level. Christine currently acts as secretary, and Paul as treasurer.

Chief Minister Allan Bell told Tynwald that a ‘remedy’ would be found to address concerns over the doubling of the tax rate on income from land and property.

Mr Bell said an announcement would be made soon following a review of the doubling of the rate from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

He explained that the measure, which was announced in this year’s Budget, aimed at removing a potential tax planning opportunity.

And he insisted that it did not mean Manx owners of companies would be paying more tax - only that the time at which it is paid will come forward.

Mr Bell told Tynwald: ‘However, I am conscious of concerns raised by various sections of the business community, both with myself and Treasury, since the announcement of this increase.

‘Although I am content that in the main much of this is an issue of perception, I do consider that we should do whatever possible to encourage and promote land development.

‘With this in mind Treasury are currently reviewing how this could be achieved and I hope to be able to make an announcement in the not too distant future.’

Michael MHK Alfred Cannan said the measure had sent out the ‘wrong message’ to businesses and property developers at a very ‘fragile’ time for the economy.

Zac Hall (Onchan) suggested the episode demonstrated a lack of pre-Budget engagement with ‘stakeholders’.

Mr Bell insisted there had been ‘extensive’ discussions with the business community. ‘We obviously have been listening very carefully. Treasure is working hard to look for a remedy to this problem.’

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare had previously said that doubling the tax rate on property and land income would help fund proposals to scrap the 10 per cent income tax band and take 10,000 residents out of the tax net altogether.

Asked if the remedy mentioned in Tynwald might derail his income tax proposals, Mr Teare told the Manx Independent: ‘It really depends on the scope of the remedy. I expect the financial consequences will be manageable.’

Island space company ManSat has strong potential for the future says the man who has taken over as new chief financial officer.

Ian Sanders replaces Ian Jarritt, who has retired after 14 years working with the company.

ManSat is a Manx registered and Manx owned private limitedheadquartered in Douglas.

It provides specialist regulatory services to international satellite operators.

Mr Sanders, an economist and chartered accountant by training, is an independent consultant to companies in the telecoms, media and technology (TMT) sectors.

Mr Sanders said: ‘ManSat is a great company with strong potential.

‘I believe that it provides an excellent example of how Isle of Man-based businesses can succeed in highly competitive and fast moving international industries.

‘I look forward to working closely with Chris Stott (ManSat chairman and chief executive officer) and the rest of the ManSat Board to help take the company to great heights.’ Mr Stott said: ‘Ian Jarritt has made a very significant contribution in working with ManSat to achieve what many thought was impossible for the island.

‘Fortunately for us, he is not severing all connections with the company as he joins us as a non-executive director of our main board.

‘Ian Jarritt is a hard act to follow, so we are delighted to be able to announce that Ian Sanders has agreed to work with us.

‘His wide international TMT (Telecom,media and technology) experience in areas such as economic regulation, strategy and business planning, financial management and the management of complex services contracts will be invaluable to us as we work to take ManSat to the next stage of its development.

‘We have achieved a lot since Ian Jarritt started working with us and this is just the beginning of what is a very bright future for the company and for the island’s space sector.’

Mr Jarritt said: ‘I am proud to have played a role in what ManSat has achieved over the last 14 years. I think ManSat has great potential for continued profitable growth and I am pleased to be continuing my connection with the company in my new role as non-executive director at a time when so many exciting things are happening in the global and, indeed, the Isle of Man space industries.’

Before becoming an independent consultant, Mr Sanders spent more than 20 years with the professional services firm PwC, and its consulting business PwC Consulting, where he was a TMT strategy consulting partner and was based at various times in the Isle of Man, London, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and Beijing, working on consulting projects in more than 20 countries worldwide.

The boss of the Manx NHS, Mark Charters, has quit as chief executive ‘for personal reasons’ - less than a year after taking up the post.

Mr Charters was appointed to head up the newly merged Department of Health and Social Care in July last year.

In a statement the Civil Service Commission said it ‘regrets to announce’ that Mr Charters ‘has left the position for personal reasons following completion of his primary objectives’.

It added: ‘Interim arrangements are being put in place for the running of the department pending the appointment of a successor. Mr Charters hopes that the island will support the new strategy for Health and Social Care that the department will be consulting on over the coming months.

‘The Civil Service Commission can make no further comment at this stage.’

Mr Charters has been spearheading a new strategy of integrated health care, based on a model pioneered at the Canterbury District Health Board in New Zealand. He and Health Minister Howard Quayle came in for much criticism when they travelled to New Zealand on a fact-finding mission earlier this year.

TT star Guy Martin has been presented with a commemorative glass paperweight to recognise his services to the industrial heritage of the British Isles.

Adrian Beacham and his daughter Lucy made the presentation on behalf of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association and the Severn Valley Railway at Bridgenorth in Shropshire.

The presentation was made during TT week in the paddock area at the back of the Grandstand.

In 2011, Guy helped with the restoration of a Severn Valley steam locomotive as part of a Channel 4 series ‘How Britain Worked’.

At the presentation, Adrian and Lucy gave the TT rider a crystal glass cube engraved with a steam engine bearing the Three Legs and also a bone china mug depicting Guy’s Labrador dog Nigel.

Adrian said: ‘This was in recognition of all the work Guy Martin has done over the past few years preserving our industrial way of life both old and new.’

The students at Sulby Primary School are making a name for themselves with a remarkable run of wins in the One World Centre’s It’s Not Fair! short film competition.

Designed to allow primary children to explore global issues in a four-minute film, the competition attracted entries on a number of topics including fair trade and rainforest destruction

Having enjoyed previous wins with films on general issues around global fairness and inequality, this year Sulby scooped the top prize again with an entry that focussed on water.

Their success was announced at a special award screening held at Ballakermeen Studio Theatre on Monday in front of the other competition finalists, as well as teachers and parents.

Sulby’s film, which was described by the judges as ‘beautiful’, ‘engaging’ and ‘thought-provoking’, followed the story of a drop of water as it travelled through time and around the earth, eventually falling into a stagnant muddy pool in Africa where it was drunk by a young girl with no access to clean fresh water.

While highlighting the effects of dirty water on the young and vulnerable, the film also contained humour, lots of facts and information and suggestions on how water quality and sanitation can be improved for the millions who don’t currently have it. The film was awarded Best Production as well as Best Overall Film.

Other award winners were Anagh Coar (Best Call to Action), who looked at the impact of deforestation and talked about their decision to adopt a rainforest jaguar; Ashley Hill (Best Special Effects) who made good use of green screen to feature on Fairtrade and St John’s (Best Title Sequence) who looked at different types of unfairness in the world, including education, with very imaginative use of sport to make their points.

One World Centre director Rosemary Clarke said: ‘Yet again, we have been amazed at the range of topics covered, the imagination and creativity involved and the genuine enthusiasm the children have shown in responding to the challenge of making a short film.

‘The technical ability displayed by such young people is hugely impressive and their understanding and empathy for the topics they research is very clear.’

Sure has sponsored the It’s Not Fair! film competition each year it has been run Pictured: The winning film-makers from Sulby with, from left, Sarah Jarvis from Sure, Christy DeHaven and Dave Armstrong from Another Dam Productions and Rosemary Clarke from the One World Centre