Time is running out to submit entries for the Young Musician of Mann 2015.
The contest is open to all young instrumentalists under 19. Performers will play a maximum 10-minute recital at the Erin Arts Centre on October 11.
The final takes place on November 15, when the Malcolm Dickinson Memorial Prize will be presented.
The deadline for entries is September 25.
For an entry form, call 832662 or email information@erinartscentre.com
Schoolchildren will get the chance to develop their computer skills thanks to a new computer bus.
The converted Code Club bus has been fitted with state of the art computer and project equipment and was launched this week.
The former Manx Gas Conversion Bus, donated to the project by Manx Gas, will be operated by the Manx ICT Association (MICTA) and the Code Club, in conjunction with the Department of Education and Children.
Kurt Roosen, boss of the MICTA, said: ‘The bus will visit schools around the island, providing a vital resource in helping schools deliver the ICT curriculum.’
The Isle of Man Code Club provides a focal point for people of all ages to develop their coding skills, share their knowledge and experience and teach others how to utilise today’s technology.
The Manx ICT Association has acted as the trade association for ICT companies in the Isle of Man since 2010 and is now expanding to develop all aspects of the ICT sector.
The Steam Packet transported the bus for free to and from Blackpool so it could be fitted with the computer equipment.
Kurt said: ‘I’d like to thank the Steam Packet Company for its support in helping us bring this project to fruition.’
Chief executive of the Steam Packet, Mark Woodward, said: ‘The Code Club bus is a great initiative, offering children a superb facility in which to develop their ICT skills.
‘We were delighted to help assist in bringing the bus from the UK and look forward to seeing it in action around our schools.’
New rules drawn up to ensure there is no repeat of a scandal-hit by-election come into force later this month.
The new laws, which aim to improve the transparency and integrity of the election process, will take effect one year ahead of the next general election on September 22, 2016.
But they will not apply to any by-elections to the House of Keys taking place before the general election.
They aim to prevent a repeat of the 2010 Douglas East by-election scandal, in which candidate and television chef Kevin Woodford’s campaign had financial backers whose identities were secret.
Mr Woodford’s campaign manager, Charles ‘Buster’ Lewin was later jailed for conspiring dishonestly to secure proxy votes for Mr Woodford, conspiring to steal and conspiring to forge a document.
The Amended Representation of the People Act include new provisions relating to ‘prospective candidates’ for the general election – anyone who publicly declares their intention to stand.
From September 23 a person who is or becomes a ‘prospective candidate’ cannot spend more than £2,000, plus 50p per registered elector in the constituency, on their campaign overall, to avoid undue influence on the election process.
Chief Minister Allan Bell said: ‘This is not a heavy handed approach. It recognises the concerns about the need for greater transparency.’
Candidates should keep a record of their spending in case any complaint is made after the election that they have spent too much. They also have to keep a record of donations received worth £50 or over, to support the declaration of donations election hopefuls must make before polling day.
They must not retain any donation given anonymously and must refuse support from a political party that is not registered under the Act.
The amended Representation of the People Act includes changes recommended by an independent review following the Douglas East by-election, as well as amendments arising from a public consultation.
Royal Assent was announced in July this year.
E-gaming has outstripped individual areas of financial services for the first time as the largest single sector in the Manx economy.
The latest report on national income has confirmed we have entered a fourth decade of unbroken economic growth.
Gross domestic product reached £4.32bn in 2013-14 after real growth of 4.5 per cent during the year.
Chief Minister Allan Bell said that while the report is for the 2013-14 financial year, all the indicators showed that the economy is continuing to grow.
He said: ‘This was the biggest increase in annual GDP since 2008, the year of the credit crunch.’
Key results from the report show that growth in GDP of 6.1 per cent, or 4.5 per cent in real terms (compared to 3.2 per cent in 2012/13).
Gross National Product, the other measure of national income, grew by 6.7 per cent, or 5.1 per cent in real terms (compared to 4.8 per cent in 2012/13).
The report reveals that Information and Communication Technology and e-Gaming were the main drivers of growth during the year, growing by 58 per cent and 30 per cent respectively in real terms, with e-Gaming overtaking insurance as the largest single economic sector.
E-gaming now has a 16.7 per cent sector share, while insurance is 14.6 per cent, banking 7.7 per cent and other finance and business services 10.1 per cent.
Mr Bell said this showed the success made of efforts to diversify the economy away from finance. He said this had stopped the island going into recession - in contrast with Jersey, which remains far more heavily dependent on financial services and has now been in recession for five years.
The Chief Minister said the report also reflected a strong recovery in the construction sector, which has seen real growth of 17 per cent compared with 2012/13.
However, retail and tourist accommodation both contracted significantly during the year. The Mount Murray Hotel was closed in November 2013 following a devastating fire. It is now up for sale.
The report can be read at www.gov.im/categories/tax,-vat-andyour-money/national-income/
The Ministry of Defence has admitted that a Royal Navy submarine was responsible for damaging Irish trawler about 18 miles off the Calf of Man in April.
The nets of the 60-foot wooden hulled trawler, the MV Karen, were snagged by the sub in April.
The crew of the vessel were not injured during the incident but it was estimated that repair costs would be upwards of £10,000.
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{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/trawler-skipper-talks-of-lucky-escape-after-boat-pulled-by-submarine-1-7214298|Flashback: See our report of the time}
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In a written statement to the House of Commons, the Armed Forces minister Penny Mordaunt said: ‘The Royal Navy has now confirmed that a UK submarine was, in fact, responsible for snagging the Karen’s nets. The incident, the delay in identifying and addressing the events on that day, and their consequences are deeply regretted.
‘It is standing Ministry of Defence (MoD) policy not to comment in detail on submarine operations but, exceptionally, I can say that this incident occurred because the submarine did not correctly identify the Karen as a fishing vessel with nets in the water, and thus did not give her the berth she would otherwise have had.
‘Moreover, had the submarine been aware of the incident at the time, which it was not, then the protocols in place under the code of practice for submarine operations in the vicinity of fishing vessels would have required the submarine to surface and remain on scene while the matter was investigated.’
A major route on the approach to Douglas will be closed at night from next week to allow a road improvement scheme to take place.
The A1 between Quarter Bridge and Braddan Bridge roundabout will be closed between 6.30pm and 5am from Monday, September 14, to Saturday, September 26.
The Department of Infrastructure scheme involves resurfacing.
A statement from the DoI said: ‘This work is necessary to enhance the ride quality of the road and to address issues with standing water, which create a safety hazard for motorists as well for the TT and Festival of Motorcycling.
‘Overlaying the road will resolve these problems and extend the life of the highway.
‘Work recently took place to renew the footpaths between Quarter Bridge and the entrance to Douglas Rugby Club’s Port-e-Chee ground. Higher kerbs were installed in order to allow for the road overlay.
‘Further kerbing and footway improvements are being carried out from the rugby club to Braddan School.’
The alternative route will be via Saddle Road where parking will be suspended between its junctions with Vicarage Road and the New Castletown Road throughout the duration of the work.
An unprecedented number of accidents within a few seconds of each other in the closing stages of the Manx Grand Prix Senior race left officials with no choice but to stop the race.
Manx Motor Cycle Club chairman Harvey Garton said five incidents occurred on the last lap of the race – all of them on the mountain section within a few miles of the finish.
‘Everything suddenly happened at the same time and so a decision was made that the race should be red flagged to make it safer for everyone, including the marshals trying to sort it all out,’ Mr Garton said.
In addition to the two rescue helicopters brought in specially to cover the races and practices, a third belonging to the DHSC was also used. The two remaining casualties were less seriously injured and did not require transport by helicopter but, with resources at full stretch, the race was ended early.
Clerk of the course Phil Taubman said he could not recall a similar situation ever occurring in the past. An event spokesman said occasionally the DHSS had made use of the race helicopters in the past but there were no plans to draft in extra airmed cover.
Speaking on Friday at the riders’ presentation evening at the Villa Marina, Mr Garton described this year’s event as ‘one of the most stressful I can remember’, after early practice sessions were curtailed or cancelled by unsettled weather conditions and IT problems on Wednesday, which delayed the Junior race and shunted the Lightweight and Supertwins to Friday morning.
Friday’s Senior race was won by Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, with Rob Hodson second and Andrew Dudgeon third.
David Taylor, who crashed at Brandywell and Peter Symes who came off at the 33rd Milestone were both described as critical after Friday’s Senior race and Mr Taylor, an IT worker who lived in Sheffield and achieved podium finishes in two previous Manx Grand Prix, later died from his injuries.
Mr Garton described him as ‘a well respected person and rider who was liked by all’. He had competed in the Manx from 1996 to 2012, then missed two years because of work commitments, returning this year to ride in the Junior and Senior races.
The other three riders involved in Senior race incidents were Martial Mourra (Mayhill), Donald Gilbert and Andy Farrell (both Creg-ny-Baa). They were all later reported as discharged from hospital or expecting to leave hospital soon.
A statement issued by race organisers at the weekend gave a condition report on riders injured earlier in the event. Yvan Cardona (Cruickshanks) was described as critical, Ken Davis (13th Milestone) was comfortable, Chris Dowling (Sulby Bridge) was comfortable, as was Jason Brewster (Goosneck). Sjak Van Dijk (Sarah’s Cottage) has been transferred to the Netherlands and John Tucker, who was injured during the vintage parade lap, has been discharged from hospital.
Manx Grand Prix newcomer Dennis Hoffer died after an incident near the 13th milestone during qualifying on August 26.
An Isle of Man based gambling company is tasting victory in a battle to buy a rival group for £1.1bn and it could mean jobs being created at the island head office, a spokesman told Business News.
AIM-listed GVC Holdings had spent five months battling with rival 888 Holdings for the Gibraltar online betting company Bwin.party.
GVC’s registered office is at Milbourn House, St George’s Street,Douglas, and is a multinational sports betting and gaming group.
A spokesman for GVC told Business News that the Douglas office is currently only temporarily staffed for when board and shareholder meetings are held there.
But he said the huge deal to buy Bwin.party will effectively ‘triple the size of the company.
‘As a result it will require permanent staff [at the Douglas office]
‘So this will be a real opportunity to build and enlarge the Isle of Man office with secretarial and finance personnel.’
He could not put a figure on how many staff would be needed to man the office.
GVC’s flagship brands which it owns include Sportingbet.
Bwin - whose brands include Partypoker, Partycasino and Foxy Bingo – had originally agreed to an offer from 888, worth about £900 million, before GVC fought back.
Bwin has now abandoned the approach from 888 Holdings and accepted GVC’s £1.1 billion offer, something it said was ‘fair and reasonable’.
Bwin said the GVC deal provided millions of additional value compared with the 888 bid.
Kenneth Alexander, chief executive Officer of GVC, said: ‘GVC is the natural partner for Bwin.party considering our strong sports betting and online gaming pedigree.
‘Sports betting is in our DNA and leveraging GVC’s experience of successfully acquiring and restructuring online gaming businesses, notably Sportingbet in 2013, we look forward to merging the two operations to deliver long term value for combined shareholders.
‘GVC has been working closely with Bwin.party’s management and has identified many talented individuals with whom it looks forward to working to ensure the future success of the enlarged business.’
This has been the latest in a series of high profile moves within the gambling industry.
Earlier this year betting firms Ladbrokes and Gala Coral unveiled a long-awaited deal to create a £2.3bn gambling giant.
And only last week Business News reported that Paddy Power, which has a staffing presence in the island, is involved in a proposed merger with Betfair. The impactof this move in the Isle of Man is as yet unknown.
A public inquiry starting on September 28 will look at the Strategic Plan for the long-term development of the use of land in the island.
The Chamber of Commerce and Tynwald agree that inward migration is essential to sustain the Isle of Man’s economic grown by providing businesses across all sectors with the skilled employees they need.
So, housing is a big issue.
However, Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jane Dellar has some serious concerns about the data on which the Strategic Plan is based.
She wrote about it in the Isle of Man Examiner.
The draft Strategic Plan – like all planning processes – has to be based on sound, accurate data.
The Plan is fundamentally about housing, and population projection is one of the most important, perhaps the most important, inputs.
Therefore, if the projected population input data is unreliable then it brings into question the Strategic Plan as a whole.
When the Plan was originally drafted, it was based upon the best available population figures available from Government’s Economic Affairs Division and used the Government’s Population Projection Model.
This involved feeding in base year data and then operating on these figures by applying various adjusting factors to take the data forward in time.
These factors are fertility rates, mortality rates, net immigration levels and immigration age profile.
Each of the adjusting factors as used within the model is open to questioning.
But the principal concerns must surround the immigration assumptions because these are absolutely critical given the levels of immigration, and their variability, experienced on the island over a long period of time.
It is this criticality that leads Chamber to call into question the adoption of the immigration assumptions in the projections for housing demand in the draft plan without there having been an examination of their validity.
In this regard the implicit assumptions about the age distribution of the migrant population are as relevant as the absolute numbers being assumed.
Any such examination could not avoid but consider the relationship going forward between immigration and the island’s economic performance, its changing economic structure, and its attendant prospective labour requirements.
Tynwald has unanimously supported one of the Chief Minister’s key objectives for economic growth which is to increase the island’s working population by 500 to 1,000 people per year to achieve the targets set out in Vision 2020. However, as it stands, the Draft Strategic Plan assumes that Government’s inward migration targets will not be successful. Chamber has raised this matter with the Strategic Plan Inspector on the basis that the population projections are not consistent with the jobs growth envisaged in Vision 2020. Unfortunately, our request that the figures be reassessed was rejected.
We acknowledge that any projection of population growth and its broader impact on the economy – no matter how carefully it is calculated – will be subject to a degree of uncertainty. However, we strongly believe that the Draft Strategic Plan should be based on (and support) Government’s aims and objectives for growth in jobs and, therefore, population too.
Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce members are from businesses which represent around half of the private sector workforce on the island.
As the biggest business network here we are always eager to support and encourage Government initiatives which we believe will benefit the economy.
After all, promoting the continued prosperity of ‘IOMPLC’ is in everyone’s interest. But there are occasions when we have to openly challenge Government – and this is one such occasion.
The Strategic Plan is a vitally important document and will form the basis of policies which will affect everyone on the Island, and have a huge impact on the potential for economic growth. In essence, it is a building block which will form part of the foundations of the society which the current policy makers hand over to the next generation. We can’t build these foundations on guesswork, which is why Chamber feels so strongly that the population projection data used as the basis for the Strategic Plan needs to be questioned.
We believe that it is essential for the Economic Affairs Division to update the population projection to be fully consistent with the stated aims of the Council of Ministers and Tynwald.
Chamber will continue to lobby Government about this issue.
Details of an event billed as the Isle of Man’s first technology summit was announced today. (Tuesday)
Wi-Manx, part of the Elite Group, will host the gathering next month. (October).
The company says the summit will showcase and introduce new technologies to island businesses and provide professionals with the opportunity to learn about new and innovative technology from leading industry experts.
It says the event will bring together industry expert speakers, business leaders and technology professionals for a ‘breakthrough inaugural event that has been designed to boost the adoption of best of breed technologies in the Isle of Man’.
A spokesman said: ‘Highlighting the wealth of advanced technologies available on island for businesses to consume, the overarching theme of the event is enhancing operational risk management and those attending the event will leave equipped with the knowledge and experience required to protect against internal threats, external threats and business down time while hearing the latest on the taxation of the digital economy.
‘Welcoming professionals from all areas, the event’s seminars will appeal to all of those involved in the technology decision making process because of the varied scope of topics covered across the afternoon from compliance planning and data governance to business continuity and the taxation of cloud revenues.’
Held at the Villa Marina in the Royal Hall on Tuesday, October 27, from 2pm to 5pm, organisers say the event will focus on giving business the tools they need to protect and better themselves.
Kate Hegarty, director at Wi-Manx said: ‘Managing cyber security and operational risks is a highly complex challenge for businesses; the Tech Summit will expose island companies to the intelligent technology available to assist with protection against evolving threats.
‘Wi-Manx are committed to innovation and the continual investment in technology, the Tech Summit will showcase some of these technologies but also give attendees invaluable insights and knowledge from high calibre industry speakers.
‘We are very proud to have EY supporting the summit as a Gold Sponsor; this reinforces the importance of the event and the message that all the services your business needs are right on your doorstep.’
The Isle of Man Tech Summit will be split into seminar streams, each delivered by leading industry experts.
EY will focus on cyber security and tax implications of moving to the Cloud, while software giant Varonis (a Silver Sponsor of the event) will offer key insights about internal threat management and The Elite Group, will cover back up and recovery.
There will also be opportunities for attendees to network and gain invaluable insight from experts in this industry.
Alistair Stennet, executive director, Taxation at EY said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting the event. The summit comes at a great time given the mission-critical nature of data in nearly every aspect of a modern enterprise; organisations are facing not simply an escalating risk, but the near-certainty that they will suffer a cyber-security breach’.
In a recent study conducted by EY, 28 per cent of polled finance professionals stated that they were most likely to see the biggest threat emanating from external hackers, but significant proportions also saw threats coming from technical systems vulnerability (23 per cent) and employees (21 percent).
The Isle of Man Tech Summit will equip island businesses with knowledge and tools they need to prepare against cyber security threats whilst balancing cost, risk and value.’
Anyone who wishes to attend can visit www.wimanx.com/iom-tech-summit to find out more and register to attend for free.
A visiting motorcyclist who died in an accident on the mountain road suffered massive blunt force trauma, a court has heard.
The inquest on Lewis Clark, a 22-year-old chef from Pontefract in West Yorkshire. was opened and adjourned by coroner John Needham.
Mr Clark was riding on the mountain road near to the Black Hut when the accident happened on August 30. A post mortem examination by pathologist Dr Christopher Clague found Mr Clark died as a result of injuries to his head and body consistent with a motorcycle accident. He had also suffered burns, the court was heard.
Mr Clark’s body was formally identified by his mother Beverly Clark.
The accident, which happened at about 1.30pm, closed the mountain road. Workmen from the Department of Infrastructure worked through the night carrying out repairs to the surface before racing, scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday morning, was able to take place.
Coroner John Needham said the proceedings were limited to time place and cause of death and formally identifying Mr Clark, whose body could then be released to his family.
The conclusion of the inquest, when detailed witness statements will be considered and the coroner will reach a formal verdict, will take place at a later date which is still to be fixed by the court.
Proceedings were adjourned in the meantime.
The Hall Caine Prize for Creative Writing 2015/16 has been launched.
The prize, which is in its sixth year, is open to students aged 21 and under who are in full-time education in the Isle of Man.
They are invited to write a short story, a memoir or the opening chapter of a novel.
The theme this year is ‘Echoes’.
The prize is named after {http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/people/writers/thc.htm|Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine}, a best-selling novelist in the late 1800s and early 1900s who made the island his home and who served as an MHK.
Hall Caine’s great granddaughter Gloria Rukeyser, also a writer, sponsors the prize to foster the love of writing.
She said: ‘Each year we choose a new theme and I am always impressed at the imagination young writers show in their interpretations. There is always a huge variety of styles, plotlines and endings. I look forward to reading this year’s entries.’
The prize is run by the Department of Education and Children.
The prize has four categories: Primary, in which entrants must write up to 500 words, with prizes of £100, £75 and £50; Key Stage 3 – up to 1,000 words with prizes of £150, £100 and £50; Key Stage 4 – up to 1,500 words with prizes of £175, £125 and £75 and Key Stage 5/IoM College of Further and Higher Education – up to 2,000 words with prizes of £200, £150 and £100. Up to 10 highly commended entrants in each category will receive prizes of £25.
Teachers from the DEC’s primary and secondary schools and King William’s College judge the prize, looking for strong characterisation, good narrative flow and, above all, imaginative story-telling.
The closing date for entries is Friday, January 22, 2016. All entries must be accompanied by an entry form and entries themselves must not carry identifying markers, such as the author’s name or school. They must contain an accurate word count. Entries that don’t adhere to this won’t be considered.
Entrants are advised to study the full rules, which will be advertised in all schools and at the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education, can be viewed at www.gov.im/hallcaine or can be obtained by contacting jan.cowan@gov.im
The competition is again a validated Children’s University activity and entrants will receive three hours’ credit in their passports for taking part.
A prize-giving ceremony will take place in spring 2016.
The winning entries will be published in a book.
Bob Bagshaw celebrated his 90th birthday in grand style and the lifeboat benefited at the same time.
The Castletown resident said he didn’t want any gifts, but would rather donations be given to the RNLI; £220 was raised and a cheque handed over to Port Erin lifeboat station.
But there were also presents. Bob is commodore of the Manx Model Boat Club, and they gave him a set of new tools. He is also a keen member of Men in Sheds, which he visits up to three times a week, and they banded together and bought him a flight round the island. What is more, he took his brother Geoff, who lives in England and who he had not seen for 14 years.
‘It was lovely,’ said Bob .
‘The little single engine ‘plane had on board a Squadron Leader (Geoff) and a Sergeant Flight Engineer (Bob)! My brother found it interesting because part of his training with the RAF was at Jurby.’
Now he said the focus falls on what to do for his next big birthday. ‘We are preparing for my 100th!’
Two ex-pats from the island have experienced first hand the scale of the humanitarian crisis engulfing the Mediterranean.
Ellie Shaw, who has been working this summer as a stewardess on board a super yacht cruising the Aegean coast, has told of the stark contrast between sunseeking holidaymakers and the desperate refugees who have fled there for their lives.
Ellie, who is from Port St Mary, has been confronted with the refugee crisis on a daily basis. Last Wednesday as the super yacht left Bodrum, it came across an empty inflatable raft, the morning the bodies of little Aylan and Galip Kurdi were washed ashore.
It was the image of a Turkish policeman gently carrying three-year-old Aylan’s lifeless body from the beach that has brought home to the world the scale of the crisis.
Meanwhile, Andrew Davies, a former investment banker from Ramsey who now runs a hotel in the Greek island of Symi, has been hailed a Good Samaritan in the UK national press after set up a reception centre for Syrian refugees.
Mr Davies, who grew up in the Isle of Man, was so distressed at seeing refugee families sleeping rough on the streets of the island that he and letting agent Wendy Wilcox launched Solidarity Symi.
And in just over a fortnight since the venture began, they have helped feed, house, clothe and provide medical aid to hundreds of desperate Syrians - helped by other ex-pats, concerned locals and tourists on their summer break.
Andrew, 43, who attending Andreas School and Ramsey Grammar School and whose mother Pamela and grandmother Susan Butler live in Ramsey, told the Mail on Sunday: ‘We suddenly started seeing all these families arriving, with kids going barefoot. How could we lie on the beach reading books when people were suffering?
‘We had to do something, These are human beings who had to leave their homes or die, often surviving by selling family jewellery along the way. We have seen people with scars from torture, and others who say they have seen chemical attacks.’
Symi, a tiny island of 2,600 people located just six miles from Turkey, is on the front line of Europe’s humanitarian crisis. More than 4,000 refugees arrived in the first half of the year alone. Since then, however, numbers have spiralled.
During a visit to Symi, Ellie saw hundreds of refugees waiting in 40 degrees to be processed before continuing their journey onto mainland Greece.
But she first became very aware of the refugee crisis while staying at a beautiful, boutique hotel in Kos and taking a walk along the beach.
‘I couldn’t understand why there were so many inflatable boats washed up as wrecks,’ she recalled.
Back in Bodrum, eating an ice cream on the waterfront in 35 degrees of sunshine, she saw refugees desperately trying to take shelter and raise money to purchase water for their dehydrated, heat exhausted families.
She told iomtoday: ‘We actually watched a boat of 15-20 refugees come in last night on an isolated beach that we are at.
‘We had to shine our safety spotlight to guide them to a safe landing. It wasn’t long before the local people came to salvage what was there and the refugees left their lifejackets on the beach before disappearing into the night.’
Faye Moffett has taken up her new role as managing partner of the Appleby Isle of Man office.
Faye, group head of the firm’s corporate department, succeeds Sean Dowling, who it was announced in July will become a partner in the new business formed by the recent management buyout of Appleby’s fiduciary arm.
She said: ‘I am honoured and thrilled to be leading the team at Appleby in the Isle of Man, especially at such an exciting time for the firm.
‘There will be changes in the coming months which will bring plenty of great opportunities for the firm.
‘I am looking forward to being at the helm to help strengthen and grow our business while ensuring that our existing clients continue to receive the high level of service they expect.’
Faye trained and qualified as an advocate at Dickinson Cruickshank (which merged with Appleby in 2009) in 1997 before leaving the island in 2000 and spending several years working for leading law firms in Edinburgh.
She rejoined Appleby as an associate in 2004 before becoming partner in 2006.
Faye specialises in banking and finance transactions, including property finance, aircraft and ship finance, and has particular experience in providing opinions on Isle of Man companies and on cross-border security and insolvency issues.
Her clients include Isle of Man companies, international financial institutions and international law firms.
She is highly regarded among colleagues and clients, with respected industry publications Chambers UK and Legal 500 UK having both identified Faye as a ‘leader in her field’.
Legal 500 UK 2015 singled out Faye’s ‘commercially astute’ advice for praise.
A concert held at Amber Bar, in Douglas, to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Summerland fire raised £475 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital’s burns unit.
Teenager Archie Veale, who was treated there for septicaemia last year, received the money on the hospital’s behalf with his mum Lucy from John Brennen, Pete Woodman, Alex Harris, Chris Gray and Tina Brennen. (MW150901-296)
The latest Manx Wildlife Trust event to be held at Milntown, in Ramsey, was the bee’s knees!
The afternoon event was led by the trust’s biodiversity education officer, Dawn Dickens, who led a guided tour around the 15 acres of gardens and woodland.
It was a chance for families to observe bee activity as well as find out which flowers bees like best.
Participants also enjoyed the opportunity to get a close up look at bees in action in a beehive.
Pictured are some of the children who took part in The Bee’s Knees busy bee spotting with Dawn. (JM150826-51)
The Isle of Man Bank is marking its 150th anniversary by carrying out improvements to a popular beauty spot.
Hundreds of bank staff, their families and customers will plant trees, construct picnic tables and benches and create a nature trail at Ballaugh Forest on Saturday, September 19.
Native broadleaved trees will be planted near the picturesque pond area.
Steve Prescott, of Manx Native Trees, is providing most of the trees, although the Department of the Environment, Food and Agricuture is supplying 300 ash trees.
The DEFA’s sawmill is providing sawn timber originating from the forest, which bank staff and customers will use to construct benches and picnic tables.
They will create a nature path, with stopping off points of interest marked by information boards, after receiving expert advice from Andree Dubbledam, from Wildflowers of Mann and the Manx Wildlife Trust.
The bank has commissioned local artist Nick Barlow to craft a sculpture of a raven from timber from the forest and this will be unveiled on the day.
The bird has historic significance in the area, with the nearby Ravensdale river and earlier glen giving name to the former castle hotel and the current pub.
Bill Shimmins, the managing director of the Isle of Man Bank, said: ‘As a community bank, it is befitting to celebrate this significant milestone while giving back to our people and our landscape in way that will benefit the Isle of Man in the years to come.
‘We look forward to spending the day with our customers and members of the public alike in what will be a fun and rewarding occasion.’
The 140-hectare mixed species forest had existed since 1959 but Phytophthora ramorum disease has led to the need to fell all larch trees and the bank’s support will breathe new life into it.
The Celtic League has criticised the destruction of records relating to a probe into a Manx-registered company’s alleged involvement in supplying arms used in the Rwandan genocide.
Chief Minister Allan Bell has confirmed that documents were destroyed 10 years after Customs and Excise completed a 1996 investigation into whether Mil-Tec Corporation Ltd had breached UN sanctions.
That inquiry established that Mil-Tec could not be charged with the alleged supply of ammunition to Rwanda in 1993 and 1994 as the sanctions order did not come into force until 1996.
But Celtic League spokesman Bernard Moffatt, who raised the issue in a letter to the Chief Minister in June this year, said it was ‘unpardonable’ if records had been destroyed ahead of the United Nations International Criminal Trial for Rwanda completing its work.
He said: ‘Quite frankly it is appalling that the Customs Division of Treasury were allowed to destroy their report/documents.
‘The Rwanda tragedy was one of the most appalling genocides in modern times and it is vital as we know from historical genocidal acts committed in the 20th century that all records are secured.
‘This is unpardonable and it is a double betrayal of those slaughtered in Rwanda many with arms sourced by a company registered in this jurisdiction.’
The records relate to the supply of arms to Hutu militia via Isle of Man-registered Mil-Tec. The Hutu went on to carry out genocide of the Tutsi community before order was eventually restored.
In his response, Mr Bell said: ‘With regard to the retention of records in relation to Mil-Tec Corporation Limited, I have received confirmation that following the allegation regarding the company’s activities made in late 1996, the Customs and Excise Division of Treasury did conduct enquiries.
‘These established that as the sanctions orders were not introduced in the island until December 1996, the company could not be charged in relation to its alleged supply of ammunition to Rwanda in 1993 and 1994.
‘As no further investigation or proceedings were possible, the only records were those of the enquiry itself. These were retained in accordance with the Customs and Excise Division’s document retention policy for 10 years and were then destroyed.’
Mr Moffatt said: ‘It would seem that the records were destroyed before the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda had completed its work – and indeed some indictments are still open.
‘This also would seem to be not only an affront to the victims but a slap in the face to the United Nations.’
It is estimated that between 500,000 and a million Rwandans were killed in the 1994 genocide, up to one fifth of the total population.
A review of sentencing in child sex cases is being carried out.
Chief Minister Allan Bell said he hoped a bill to ‘modernise’ sentencing options in a number of areas, including sexual offences, will be introduced to the branches of Tynwald by the end of his administration or early in the next.
He was speaking following the launch a campaign calling for tougher sentences for paedophiles. That campaign was launched by Lisa Taylor, a victim of child sex abuse herself who has bravely waived her right to anonymity to reveal how the trauma she suffered as a little girl is still having an impact today.
Mr Bell said he was aware of concerns about sentencing of sex offenders but that he wanted to be careful to avoid a witch hunt.
He said: ‘I have huge sympathy for anyone caught up in this sort of horrific situation.
‘It is quite clear, as we have seen in the UK, that the protection available through the law is not sufficient to deter some of these people from their activities.
‘The government has a role to play in providing sentencing options but it is up to the judiciary to decide what the level of sentence should be. It would be quite wrong for us to try to dictate on a case by case basis as to what sentence is considered appropriate.
‘However, there is a review of sentencing. A new bill will be brought before the Keys to modernise sentencing options in a number of areas. A sexual offences bill is being drafted as well. We are aware of concerns. But we don’t want a witch hunt. This isn’t a massive problem in the island.’