After a three year absence, classic coastal cruise vessel MV Balmoral is back in passenger service.

The 1949-built ship last visited the island in 2012 but was withdrawn from service as her then owners were unable to afford to operate her in 2013 and 2014.

However, it is now back in action after supporters raised more than £300,000 and were awarded a £344,000 Coastal Communities Fund Grant.

Afternoon cruises from Douglas will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 26, 27, 28), leaving at 1pm. Friday and Saturday cruises will be to the Calf of Man, returning to Douglas via Port St Mary at around. 5.30pm

The Sunday cruise will take in the Calf of Man and travel as far as Peel, returning via Port St Mary to Douglas at around 6pm.

Balmoral will make a brief stop at Peel at 3pm so passengers can make a single journey in either direction if they do not wish to make the return trip. A bus will run from the Sea Terminal to Peel at 2pm, returning to Douglas after Balmoral’s arrival in Peel.

On Tynwald Day (Monday, July 6) Balmoral will sail from Douglas to Whitehaven at 9.30 am, returning at around 7.30pm and allowing about three hours ashore.

Balmoral spokesperson Paul Doubler said: ‘It has been something of a miracle to return Balmoral to cruising this summer, but we are not home and dry yet. We need great public support to make a very costly-to-run ship viable.’

For tickets, visit whitefunnel.co.uk or call 0117 325 6200.

Late changes to the plan to move the horse trams onto Douglas Promenade walkway could force the deadline for objections to be extended.

In response to pressure from a campaign group that has opposed the move, the Department of Infrastructure is creating updated plans to create extra space on the walkway.

Relocating the horse trams is just one component of a £21.3m promenade refurbishment project for which the DoI has sought planning permission (application 15/00594/B).

Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day that objections to the application can be lodged with Planning and Building Control. By yesterday, more than 115 comments had been submitted.

But according to the DoI the updated drawings are not expected to be delivered before Friday, July 3, a full week after the end of the 21-day public consultation period.

Once the documents are delivered, planning officers - now under the auspices of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture - must decide whether the changes warrant an additional consultation period.

Tim Knott, one of the organisers of the opposition group, has criticised the sudden changes to the plan which were announced by the DoI on Friday evening and subsequently appeared in Tuesday’s Examiner.

He said: ‘We can’t respond to changes that appear in the paper a few days before the deadline. How can people be expected to do that? We can only appeal based what has been submitted. I just don’t understand why things keep changing.’

The group’s Facebook page ‘Keep cars and horse trams off the walkway’ has generated nearly 2,500 likes.

Responding to the changes, Mr Knott said: ‘At first glance Mr Gawne and his department are talking about a modification to the submitted plans that takes out an area of raised pavement and adds another metre to the walkway in a few areas.

‘With the horse trams, the walkway would be reduced by more than three metres. Giving back a metre seems like a very small concession.’

Mr Knott added that his fundamental concerns about the safety of having trams on the walkway, which is popular with cyclists, families and people with disabilities, have not changed.

‘The changes don’t address the reduction in public amenity or safety issues and it doesn’t change the planning application as it stands’, he said.

‘I’m not interested in getting into politics. I just want to appeal a planning application that’s taking away a public amenity and in my view is dangerous.’

Visitors from far and wide will come to the Isle of Man to enjoy Tynwald Day and its associated celebrations, but for at least 24 of those visitors, it will also be a period of intensive study.

The Small Countries Financial Management Centre (SCFMC), an Isle of Man charity established in June 2009, is holding its seventh annual two-week executive education programme starting on July 6.

As in previous years, this year’s participants are senior public servants, drawn from finance and regulatory organisations representing a wide range of small developing countries. There will be 11 participants from the Caribbean and seven from East Asia and the Pacific and six from Africa and the rest of the world.

The Isle of Man is a recognised international finance centre with a high reputation for regulation and financial management.

Building on and reinforcing that reputation, the SCFMC provides a high quality and highly regarded programme, recognised as such by both the individual past participants, now numbering almost 150, their employing organisations and by international organisations such as the Word Bank and the IMF.

An independent evaluation of the programme published in 2012 identified the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the programme as excellent.

A further guide to the success of the programme is that a significant number of officials have progressed and risen up the career ladder in their home countries.

The SCFMC’s purpose is to contribute to the growth and prosperity of small developing countries through capacity building at senior official levels in the government financial sector.

It achieves this through the provision of targeted executive education programmes conducted by practitioners and academics to provide improved skills, deeper understanding and best practice around financial regulation, risk management, and broader management of government financial activities.

Executive director Mark Shimmin said that ‘for those countries represented on the Programme, it aims to improve the management of the financial sector to positively impact growth and poverty reduction, to improve the capacity of small countries to respond to international standards and regulation and to enhance the leadership skills of the participants so that they can both apply the tools effectively and engage and inspire others to follow their lead.’

Funding for the Programme was announced in January 2013, when the International Development Committee of the Council of Ministers in the Isle of Man confirmed that it had committed £300,000 a year to the programme for each of the years 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The Programme is spread over a fortnight, the first week in the island with teaching at the Nunnery and then the group transfers to Oxford for the final week. Its mixture of academic and practitioner expertise is a key part of its effectiveness.

Mr Shimmin paid tribute to John Aspden, chief executive at the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC), who had been a popular and highly respected presenter on regulatory issues and a strong supporter of the programme from its inception.

Mr Shimmin explained that Malcolm Couch, chief financial officer and formerly assessor of income tax and Chris Gledhill from PDMS have also been effective contributors to the programme for many years, dealing with taxation issues and the importance of secure data management respectively.

In addition, Sir Miles Walker and John Webster continue to provide a popular session on the Isle of Man’s economic journey.

Last year, Nicola Guffogg, current assessor of income tax and Deemster David Doyle were speakers and both will be contributing to the programme again this year.

Deemster Doyle’s lecture in Oxford last year on ‘Rule of Law- the backbone of economic growth’ was particularly well received and Mr Shimmin said the Centre was delighted that the Deemster had agreed to speak again this year.

A new boss has been appointed to run the biggest department of the Manx government.

Dr Malcolm Couch is to be the chief executive officer of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Currently the Isle of Man Government’s chief financial officer, he will take up his new post from Monday.

He takes over from Mark Charters, who {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/health/health-chief-quits-1-7316882|quit earlier this month} after less than a year in the job.

Mr Couch’s transfer to the DHSC has been approved by the Civil Service Commission.

Interim arrangements will be put in place at the Treasury while the process of recruiting a replacement chief financial officer is carried out.

Dr Couch graduated in medicine from the University of Sheffield in 1988 and also has bachelor and doctorate degrees in medical science.

Dr Couch was appointed as chief financial officer in April 2013 after serving as the Isle of Man’s assessor of income tax for eight years. He has played a key role in the development of the island’s international reputation, as well as leading Government’s efforts to rebalance public finances.

Dr Couch said: ‘This new role will bring many challenges. Everyone in the DHSC wants to give their best, and in doing that they help to make the lives of people in the Isle of Man better. We have many issues which need to be faced and I will not hide from them.

‘Perhaps my key aim will be to bring together the community, the staff of the DHSC and Tynwald in a shared view of how to address those issues. Working in a national health service again will be like coming home for me, and I am looking forward tremendously to taking up a key role in it.

Minister for Health and Social Care Howard Quayle MHK said: ‘Malcolm will bring broad experience in both financial management and healthcare services to this post. I look forward to working with him to help deliver high quality and sustainable health and social care services for the Isle of Man community.

‘The department has acted swiftly and positively in making this appointment. We are at a critical stage in the development of a new strategy and it is important to have stability and leadership in place as we continue to modernise the department and its services.

‘Malcolm is a well-known and respected senior officer in government with a strong track record of financial management and good governance. I have worked closely with him in his Treasury role and I am confident that his professional and inclusive approach will help us to build on the solid progress that has been achieved so far.’

The department was radically changed last year when its three top bosses left {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/health/isle-of-man-health-chiefs-to-retire-on-same-day-1-6520076|on the same day.}

Mr Charters seemed to be a ‘new broom’ tasked with shaking up the department.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/health/radical-surgery-for-manx-health-service-bosses-travel-to-spain-and-new-zealand-for-inspiration-1-7101833|The Manx Independent exclusively revealed that Mr Charters had led trips to New Zealand and Spain in February.}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/health/new-health-and-social-care-boss-announced-1-6646077|How Mr Charters’ appointment was announced.}

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/health/new-leadership-team-ready-1-6993342|The leadership of the department as in December.}

Four men from the north of England who were accused of kidnapping another man in the Isle of Man last October have had their charges dropped.

At a pre-trial review hearing in Douglas the prosecution offered no evidence against Zishaan Amar Sharif, aged 21, of St Michael’s Road, Bradford; Muhammed Hammad Khan, aged 24, of Jasmin Terrace, Bradford and Amman Sohail, 22, of Roydscliffe Road, Bradford; along with Abdul Ahad, aged 19, of Kent Street, Burnley.

At the pre trial review hearing today (Thursday) a date was to have been set for the full trial to take place but instead it was decided there was no case to answer and the charges, which all four men had denied, were formally withdrawn.

The complainant, Mohammed Jahed Islam, believed to be from Burnley, was thought to be staying at an hotel in Douglas.

The four accused were remanded in custody after the allegations were made last October.

A workman fell from scaffolding in the Farmhill area of Douglas this morning.

Fire crews were called to Bluebell Close to an area between two properties where a workman was found at the bottom of a scaffolding tower.

A fire service spokesman said: ‘The scaffolding tower was in a potentially dangerous situation resting on a wooden fence between the two properties, with the casualty precariously positioned under the scaffolding.’

Sub officer Martin Corlett instructed his crew to stabilise the scaffolding while a casualty assessment could be carried out.

Crews then moved the scaffolding away from the casualty.

Fire and ambulance crew then worked together to stabilise the casualty before he was transported to Noble’s Hospital.

The condition of the casualty is not known at this time.

Sub Officer Corlett praised the teamwork between the fire and ambulance crews.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Work Inspectorate also attended the incident and are conducting investigations at this time.

Cregneash Church reopens on Saturday, from 2pm, after being closed for six months to allow for £60,000 of restoration work.

‘There was a huge damp problem,’ said Rushen parish vicar Reverend Joe Heaton. ‘We have removed the old plaster and re-rendered throughout. We have moved the font by one yard so it is more central. We have tinkered rather than made huge changes.

‘We have moved two pews at the back to make room for community gatherings and give better access for the accessible toilets. The internal door was in two parts, now it is one, giving greater ease into the building.

‘We have brought the altar forward by half a yard so that when I’m taking the communion service I will be facing the congregation. There is also more lighting and we are getting audio-visual equipment. It’s always been a gem of a church, now it’s a polished gem.’

He thanked building company T E Leece & Son for its swift progress. He also thanked the organisations that have given grants: Manx National Heritage, the Elizabeth Clucas Trust, the Gough Ritchie Trust and Squire Trust.

He said the changes open it up more to the community as a venue, which seats 55, for talks and activities. ‘When applying for grants the thing we were clearly stating was it would have much greater community use.’

‘There is a partnership we are developing with MNH, nothing formal, but I can see they can use St Peter’s for activities as and when it is available such as Island at War. It is ideal for talks. We are looking forward to ensuring it has much wider community use. There is a barbecue on July 8, there could be concerts, songs of praise, we are keener it has wider appeal. Faith tourism seems to be a big thing. There could be talks about wildlife, etc.’

He added: ‘Most people are really pleased with how it looks now. We have ensured that the identity of St Peter’s has been kept, we have honoured the heritage we have been given, and most certainly St Peter’s has a future for current and generations to come.’

A service is at 3.15pm on Sunday, June 28.

Gastrointestinal surgeon Giovanni Tebala will be the latest speaker who will talk at the Douglas Golf Club on Monday.

Mr Tebala will be the guest of the Isle of Man Cancer Service Users’ Forum and his talk starts at 7.30pm.

For the third talk of the year, Mr Tebala will do a presentation on cancers affecting the oesophagus and gastric cancers affecting the stomach. He will discuss treatment options both here and in the UK for Manx people diagnosed with these cancers.

His presentation will also cover bowel cancer and the importance of the bowel screening programme, as well as improved surgical techniques for patients.

Mr Tebala has worked at Noble’s Hospital since 2013 having previously worked at the Aurelia Hospital in Rome where he was in charge of the digestive and laparscopic surgery unit from 2007.

The fourth meeting of the year, on September 25, will be at the Palace Hotel, Douglas, and will be the group’s second Survivorship Conference.

More than 100 people attended the first event last year. More information will be available in due course.

In November the group’s guest will again be Millie Bello, the consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon, who will talk about opening the new breast and screening unit and the treatment of breast cancer.

Admission to the events is free of charge and parking at the golf club is plentiful. For more information contact the forum’s vice chairman Julie Stokes on 484950.

Manx National Heritage, the organisation responsible for the protection and marketing of the Isle of Man’s heritage and culture, is launching a series of guidebooks to accompany visits to its historic sites in the island.

The six books in the series, which are being funded by the Manx Museum and National Trust, are being researched by Manx National Heritage staff including Edmund Southworth, director of Manx National Heritage.

Manx National Heritage is working with Isle of Man Advertising and PR to produce the guide books.

The first of the guide books to be released is the ‘Great Laxey Wheel and Mines Trail’ which charts the history of mining in the village and the building of Lady Isabella in 1854, through to the present day.

The 36-page book, featuring a number of never-before-seen images and graphics as well as images from the Manx National Heritage museum archives, tells the story of the wheel and her significance to Laxey and the mining industry as well as profiling some of the leading individuals in her 160-year history.

The Great Laxey Wheel and Mines Trail guidebook, priced at £5.95, is now available online at www.manxnationalheritage.im and from all MNH retail sites, including the House of Manannan and Manx Museum.

The book is on sale at the Laxey Wheel site, where visitors can also experience the newly refurbished wheel following the work carried out over the winter months.

The other books in the series scheduled for release this year are on Peel Castle, which is expected to be on sale in the autumn, and completely new souvenir book on the collections and work of the Manx Museum, including some of its leading exhibits as well as ‘behind the scenes’ treasures.

The Manx Museum souvenir book will be available in the winter.

Three further guidebooks – on the four Castletown sites; the southern sites (including Cregneash) and the Grove Museum, Ramsey are planned for publication in 2016.

Edmund Southworth, director, Manx National Heritage, said: ‘These updated guides will not only improve the visitor experience to some of the island’s main sites but, with the research carried out to produce them, will help improve people’s understanding of how they contribute to Manx culture and heritage.

‘They are richly illustrated and easy to read – making them accessible to all ages.’

Browne Craine & Co is pleased to announce that Lynsey Smith and James Sayle have been appointed directors of the firm.

‘I’d like to congratulate Lynsey and James,’ said David Craine, chairman of Browne Craine.

‘Since joining the firm, they have made an excellent contribution, I have no doubt they will make great additions to the management team. Most importantly, they are both very positive individuals which can only mean great things for the firm.’

The firm recently celebrated 60 years in business.

Originally founded by Ron Browne in 1954, David Craine and Maurice Singer joined with Mr Browne in 1982 and have since grown the business to what it is today.

Browne Craine prides itself on providing exceptional service to all of its clients by simply understanding that each individual’s needs and requirements are different.

‘It’s an incredibly exciting time for the firm and all our staff, particularly as we have reached the 60 years milestone,’ added David.

‘We have a new strategic outlook which will allow us to focus on the future success of Browne Craine.’

This announcement comes shortly after James Sayle, David Craine and Lynsey Smith the firm appointed marketing manager, Kate Parrish and tax consultant, Karen Muldoon, in its new strategy for growth.

More than 90 participants, aged eight to 75, took part in the Bike 4 Life event at the NSC.

The aim of Tuesday’s event was to encourage people of all ages and abilities to take up cycling. There were bikes to suit everyone, including hand cycles, tricycles, and bikes adapted for wheelchair users.

Education Minister Tim Crookall, who attended along with new DEC member Bill Malarkey, said: ‘It was great to see so many people coming along to try out cycling for the first time, regain their confidence after a break from cycling or have a go at one of the many inclusive bikes. The smiles from participants said it all.’

Manx Sport and Recreation will now hold weekly sessions every Tuesday from 4pm-5pm at the NSC Raceway.

Thanks to ‘Wheels for All’ – Cycling Projects, a range of bikes will be available: a trike, hand cycle and wheelchair transporter. With the continued support from Erin Bike Hut and Green Bikes, electric and mountain bikes will be available for a small charge.

A free workshop for women on blame is on Monday, June 29 from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Thie Rosen community centre, Port Erin.

‘The Blame Game’ explores how to resolve relationship issues constructively, take responsibility when in the wrong and not allow people to blame you when it’s not your fault.

Vasanti Patel, from Brahma Kumaris, will lead the workshop. Organisers stress this event just happens to be for women only, and there is no insinuation women have more of an issue with blame than men!

Registration is essential. Go online at www.brahmakumaris.org/uk/isleofman or call 626940.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare has hailed the depositors’ compensation scheme as a success after reporting to Keys that investors had now received full refunds.

He said the payments were subject to unresolved disputes and cases where contact had been lost with depositors but, those issues aside, people had been paid out in full from the depositors’ compensation scheme of liquidators.

He told Keys members at this week’s sitting: ‘I do appreciate they may have lost the time (investment) value of the money and some of the interest whichthey were originally contracted to receive.

‘The liquidation process is not yet complete and there may be further funds due to some depositors.’

He praised the handling of the matter by the Financial Supervision Commission and said specific actions they had taken before the Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man) bank collapsed had been beneficial.

‘These steps, including removing the bank’s direct exposure to its Icelandic parent, undoubtedly helped in the very high levels of recovery achieved by the liquidators for a bank failure. I believe that the outcome so far is a credit to the arrangements which we have on the island,’ he said.

He said dividends had been paid in stages to the bank’s creditors, including the depositors’ compensation scheme, in stages since the bank’s collapse in October, 2008.

The bank’s failure left more than 11,000 depositors more than £840 million out of pocket and many attended an emergency meeting held at the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas shortly after the collapse was announced. Some elderly investors voiced concerns that they would never receive the money in their remaining lifetime.

In the High Court in May 2009, Deputy Deemster Andrew Corlett awarded a winding up order for the bank after a scheme of arrangement proposed by the government as an alternative to liquidation failed to win support from creditors and was opposed by the Depositors’ Action Group.

In Keys this week Mr Teare said lessons had been learned from the episode: ‘We need to continue to be careful about upstream deposits, where deposits are transferred up to a parent company,’ he said.

‘The Financial Supervision Commission always looks at the financial stability of a local subsidiary and the robustness of the parent company and any action needed to protect the Isle of Man will be taken.’

He added the Achilles’ Heel in the case of Kaupthing was its exposure to the Icelandic parent company.

He added the Isle of Man had fared well in comparison with UK investors who were expected to receive 84 to 86 pence in the pound in compensation because their risk exposure had been much higher.

In July 2009 the government approved a £193 million package to help compensate investors up to the first £50,000 lost.

Well I don’t know about you, but I’m one of those people who is always starting one job before the last one is finished.

That doesn’t mean I never finish what I have started, I always do, what I mean is the start and finish is not necessarily on the same day.

Let me give you an example. I think I mentioned in a previous column I liked gadgets.

That goes hand in hand with the fact I like to invent things to make my life a bit easier.

You would think that by now I would have realised the truth. But as they say, there’s no optimist like an old optimist.

About two years ago, I built a 25ft greenhouse in our back garden.

That sounds a bit grand, but what I did was to cover over a long raised bed I had made the previous year. It was going to be a simple netting cover to keep the cats off the veg, but in true Pullyman style, ‘simple’ is not a word that could ever describe one of my jobs.

We moved to Onchan from Greeba about five or six years ago. We had lived in the country for 46 years, and one of my hobbies was building sheds. And guess what, our new bungalow was shedless. But not for long.

All right, before you turn to the crossword, I’ll come to the point. Back to the greenhouses. Yes, I thought you’d notice. I said ‘greenhouses’.

Well one day, a couple of years ago, I was giving the crops a drink of water when I had a brain­wave, why not build an automatic watering system? So I did. But I never quite finished the job. I installed four 50-gallon tanks to store the rain water that was collected from the roofs.

I designed and constructed a network of drip pipes to deliver the water from the storage tanks to the beds, but because of the length of delivery pipes, I was working on a design for a header tank with an automatic electric float pump, when I had this brilliant idea to build an eco­friendly greenhouse heating system. So I started the next day.

The first phase was to build a heat store: a large hole in the ground, four feet deep and three feet square. The hole was lined with two inch thick insulation board with the joints sealed with duct tape.

The hole was packed with old wine bottles filled with water, and the spaces between with gravel. The tank lid was sealed, and a two-inch plastic inlet pipe was installed to collect warm air from the inside of the roof of one of the green­houses during the day, and deliver it to the bottom of the tank.

The day­time air warmed the bottles and the gravel and in turn, the bottles warmed the cold night ­time air, which was returned to the inside of the greenhouse during the night.

The air was circulated 24/7 by two small fans inside the sealed system. The fans were powered by a 12v heavy duty caravan battery, which was kept charged by a solar panel mounted on the roof.

The system was monitored by a control box that had separate switches and fuses for each of the fans, and a volt meter and voltage regulator to show the battery power level and the charging rate.

And would you believe, it actually worked. I was amazed. But I was never completely happy with the control box. I thought it looked too clumsy, so I switched everything off and started to design a replacement.

Pause for breath, and fast forward to the present time. I had one or two jobs in progress, but I had decided to put them on hold and make an effort to finish off the two greenhouse projects first. So off I went to the plumber’s merchant.

As a general rule they are a direct bunch of folk used to dealing with customers who know what they want. They were always very helpful on my many shopping trips, but one day, curiosity got the better of one staff member.

‘Just what are you up to?’ I was asked. So I told him. After a millisecond of thought he said: ‘Well why don’t you just buy a ******** heater and a watering can?’ Some people have no sense of adventure.

-----------------------

Pullyman – aka Michael Cowin – was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease around a decade ago, a condition that affects people in different ways. Michael discovered writing and Island Life is featuring some of his musings. Sometimes topical, sometimes nostalgic, read about life as seen through the eyes of Pullyman

Calling all Pigs On The Wing fans!

The enduring and hugely popular Manx Pink Floyd tribute band have announced a show due to take place at the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas.

The event taking place during Manx Grand Prix week on Thursday, August 27, will also be the 20th anniversary of the band that was started way back in 1995 by vocalist/guitarist Pete Williamson and guitarist James Craig, when they were classmates at Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel.

Expect the classics from the likes of Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Another Brick In The Wall and Shine On You Crazy Diamond among many others as the band takes you on a two-hour journey through the extensive Pink Floyd back catalogue.

For those who are long-term fans of the band, I’ve also been advised that there are some new additions to the set that haven’t yet appeared in the live show in the band’s 20- year history.

Tickets are now on sale and priced at £15. They can be bought directly from the box office at the Gaiety Theatre or online via villagaiety.ticket solve.com

For more information on the band, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Pigs-On-The-Wing

The long-standing supplier and sponsor of musical equipment on the island that is Peter Norris Music has announced that they will be undertaking a series of acoustic shows in the near future.

These intimate shows dubbed ‘Acoustica’ will take place in the Buck’s Road, Douglas, store right on the shop floor and are designed to assist local acoustic musicians to promote their work, to launch their albums or simply to try new material.

The plan is that the various events will culminate in a one-off show due to take place at the Centenary Centre in Peel.

The store will provide a PA and mics for any interested parties and it appears that local singer-songwriters Chris Gray and Matt Creer have already signed up to play and to lend their support.

For any other interested budding acoustic outfits or singer-

songwriters, visit www.facebook.com/groups/174142375558 or call in to the shop.

--------------------------

Steve Leach brings the latest rumblings, murmurings, news and views on forthcoming events in and around the island’s music scene. Help support the scene by emailing leachsteve@hotmail.com

Nine patients have been infected by MRSA in an outbreak at Noble’s Hospital.

Ward 5 has been shut temporarily.

The patients and their relatives have been informed and assured that all the necessary precautions have been put in place.

The Department of Health and Social Care says that scrupulous hand hygiene by all staff and visitors and a high level of environmental cleanliness are essential measures for containing the bug, meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

A spokeman said: ‘Visitors to Noble’s Hospital and the island’s other health and social care facilities are reminded of the importance of good hand hygiene – particularly after using the toilet and before and after eating, entering a ward, and touching the person they are visiting – using sanitising hand gels where available.

‘A small number of patients currently affected are carrying MRSA rather than infected with it. They are showing no signs or symptoms of associated illness or infection.

‘Precautionary measures put in place will help contain any further spread.’

MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to a number of commonly-used antibiotics.

This means MRSA infections can be more difficult to treat than other bacterial infections.

MRSA is usually spread through skin-to-skin contact with someone who has an MRSA infection or has the bacteria living on their skin.

The bacteria can also be spread through contact with contaminated objects such dressings, sheets and hard surfaces.

Police are appealing for information about an incident that occurred on the beach at yhe Point of Ayre between 10am and 11am on Wednesday.

A photographer is said to have disturbed Arctic terns nesting in fenced-off colonies in that area. It is believed that a number of people were in the area at the time and they are described as having being clearly upset as a result of the birds being disturbed and agitated.

Constable Mark Kerruish, the wildlife crime officer, said that the Ayres is the only nesting site for these birds in the Isle of Man.

The birds that nest here have made a journey from the Southern Ocean to nest and breed at this site, a return journey of some 50,000 miles.

The terns are Schedule 1 protected species, and under The Wildlife Act it is illegal to disturb, injure or kill nesting terns.

Earlier this month, police warned people not to disturb the birds.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/don-t-disturb-arctic-terns-1-7297510|Click here to read that story.}

Firefighters had to remove an elderly driver from a car after she lost control of it and crashed.

Just after 4pm on Thursday fire crews from Laxey and Douglas were sent to the everlasting bends on the Laxey to Dhoon coast road.

The car had come to rest on its side, wedged between a tree and a hedge.

The fire crews stabilised the car before removing the woman from it.

As soon as the woman was on firm ground she was assessed by the ambulance crews.

Once she was stabilised and secured to a stretcher all crews worked together to transport her up a steep bank by using a ladder as an improvised bridge.

The officer in charge of the incident, Sub Officer Mark Tailor, said the woman remained in good spirits and maintained a lively conversation throughout her ordeal.

He also praised all involved as they had made a difficult rescue look easy, attributing this to good all-round teamwork.

The condition of the casualty is unknown at this time.

Dentist Leslie Hanson is the first to announce his intention to stand for MHK in the Peel by-election.

Mr Hanson, of Stanley Road, Peel, has lived and worked in Peel for more than 30 years.

He told the Isle of Man Courier he was standing ‘because I’d do a good job’.

He stood at the last general election, in 2011, when Tim Crookall took the seat with just 31 more votes.

Mr Hanson, the son of the late Betty Hanson, a former MLC, was educated at St Thomas’ School, Douglas, and King William’s College in Castletown, he later left the island to study at Edinburgh University dental school.

When asked what his priorites were, he said: ‘A lot of things will, I think, have to be reassessed in the future for the island to maintain a long term economically independent future.’

But he declined to give more details on his priorities and concerns at this stage.

The by-election follows Tim Crookall’s elevation to Legislative Council.

A date for the election is yet to be announced.

If you’ve ever wondered what a jellyfish tastes like you have a chance to find out tomorrow (Saturday).

The Manx Society of Marine Conservation is holding its first jellyfish workshop at Port St Mary Town Hall on Saturday.

The aim of the workshop is to help the understanding of the jellyfish in our waters, and also to launch the MSMC’s jellyfish survey.

The workshop will be hosted by PhD student Grai Hardinge, and will involve a talk about jellyfish identification, what they eat, what are their typical habits, and which bits people should and shouldn’t touch.

Grai will also be bringing some specimens of dead jellyfish along and will let people understand more about touching and handling the sea creature.

She will also be bringing along samples of cooked jellyfish to try.

There will also be a craft session for children and an interactive quiz to help with jellyfish spotting.

‘Although there aren’t any uniquely Manx jellyfish, there are certain species that regularly come to the island,’ said Haley Dolton, from the Manx Society for Marine Conservation.

‘Typically types called Moon, Lion’s Mane and the Mauve stinger. There are other types which may come here, such as the ‘By-The-Wind Sailor’. We’ll also talk about species that you don’t generally find in these waters, like the Portuguese Man O’War.’

‘It should be a good day.’

The jellyfish survey, which will be co-ordinated by the MSMC aims to recruit as many people, from walkers, beachcombers, swimmers or kayakers to photograph and record the number and the types of jellyfish in the seas around the island.

The presence and patterns of jellyfish may give a good indication of the quality of life in Manx waters, and will give researchers an idea of what other creatures might be in the area.

The workshop will run from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday and costs £3 entry, proceeds of which will go to the running of the jellyfish survey. For more information, visit {http://www.manxsmc.com/involve-yourself/workshops.html|this site}.