It’s a theatrical tradition to tell actors to break a leg before they go on stage.

But it seems Jude Fullerton, production manager of upcoming production Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr, took the advice a little seriously.

She fell off the stage during Sunday’s rehearsal and has undergone surgery this week on her foot after she broke it in three places – and dislocated it.

Despite the setback, she says the show, featuring a 95-strong cast aged from eight to 19, must go on: ‘There won’t be a problem as the parents have all been well versed on what needs to get done and we are on track with practice sessions with hair and make up.

‘I was only gutted that I hadn’t allowed for the accident in the rehearsal plan on Sunday! Rehearsals are now for refinement and really we are concentrating on getting everyone to come to the show.’

Jude explained that they were just about to start a run through at the South Douglas Old Friends’ Association on Finch Road when the accident happened.

‘I was standing on the little stage, was just getting off and tripped, lost my footing and my ankle just collapsed on me – it wasn’t a pretty sight,’ she said.

‘The ambulance and paramedics got there very quickly and were very good, explaining everything to me as we went along.’

On Monday, Jude, aged 53, had a three and a half hour operation to insert pins and a plate. She is now getting back on her feet with the aid of some crutches.

Jude , who is married with two children and lives in Port St Mary, said JT Productions decided to stage The Little Mermaid because ‘it’s a Disney classic – loved by most and never done on the Isle of Man before’.

She said: ‘There was also a lot of scope for doing our own interpretation and adding creativity to the costumes, sets, props and routines’

The principals are: Dandi Dancox and Laura Corkhill as Ariel; Isaac Murtagh as Prince Eric; Christian Cooper as Sebastian; Claudia Lewthwaite and Finn McGregor as Scuttle; Freddie Dancox, Millie Christian and Georgia Marsh as Flounder; Alex Walker and Molly Bowman as Flotsam and Jetsam.

Jude said: ‘The kids are just amazing. I am so proud of them, but the whole of the Isle of Man will be proud of them. It has been one creative exciting experience and we want everyone to come and see what we have been able to achieve as well as put some laughter and joy in sometimes a gloomy and depressing world.’

The Little Mermaid is JT Productions’ fourth children’s production. It sees James Turpin as producer, director David Dawson, musical director Claire Creer and choreographer Gary Chatel.

Jude said it gives youngsters a ‘whole theatre experience’, giving them the opportunity to develop some great life skills while having fun.

Performances take place at the Gaiety Theatre from Wednesday, November 4, to Saturday, November 7, at 2.30pm and 7pm. For tickets, call 600555, go to the Welcome Centre or visit www.villagaiety.com

The anxious wait will soon be over to find out who the finalists are in Isle of Man Newspapers’ Pride in Mann awards.

A judging panel, including representatives from awards sponsors, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, meet next week to face the unenviable task of selecting the top three nominees in each of the 12 categories.

Readers then get to decide the individual or organisation they would like to win each category.

A four-page supplement detailing all of the finalists will be published in the Isle of Man Examiner’s sister paper, the Manx Independent, in next week’s edition (October 15).

At the back of the supplement there will also be a voting form. Voting will close on October 22.

All of the finalists will be invited to attend the Pride in Mann awards presentation on November 4.

And the winners will be revealed in the Manx Independent on November 12.

Nominations have been made across the 12 categories: Charities and Volunteers, Community Champion, Emergency and Health Services, Environmental Awareness, Good Neighbour, Local Hero, Manx Cultural Champion, Manx Welcome, Performer of the Year, Service with a Smile, Spirit of Youth/Schools and Sporting Achievement.

• Visit www.prideinmann.com to read the nominations.

A section of Bray Hill in Douglas will close for three hours on Sunday, from 6am to 9am, to allow the TT footbridge to be dismantled.

The road will be closed from its junction with Ballaquayle Road, at St Ninian’s crossroads, and its northernmost junction with High View Road.

Alternative routes will be via Stoney Road, Woodbourne Road and Ballaquayle Road.

This work is being carried out by Wilson and Collins, who can be contacted on 822854.

The deadline has been extended to December 31 to submit entries for the TheatreFest15 play-writing competition.

The TheatreFest15 New Work Award invites writers to submit a one-act play on slavery.

The competition is open to writers, be they established or emerging, not only in the British Isles but also anywhere in the world.

The winning entry will be produced in 2016 for one night at the Talisman Theatre in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and be staged at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, as part of that year’s TheatreFest programme.

TheatreFest15 is a five-year project encouraging new work for the theatre and is a partnership between the Isle of Man Arts Council and the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA).

NODA chief executive Tony Gibbs said: ‘We hope to give even more writers the opportunity to be part of this exciting inaugural venture.
www.theatrefest15.com

A family get-together marked 65 years of wedded bliss for a couple from Peel.

Joe and Irene Graham, who married at St George’s Church in Douglas on September 28, 1950, celebrated the milestone at their daughter Sandra Neill’s house in Kirk Michael.

The couple, who are both 86. were recently appointed vice presidents of the Lon Dhoo choir, for which Mrs Graham, an organist and pianist, was the accompanist for 21 years.

Moving to Peel in 1964, they ran the post office there for 26 years. Mr Graham is a three times former chairman of Peel commissioners, ex captain of Peel Golf Club and currently treasurer for Peel Methodist Church. Mrs Graham was also involved in the Townswomen’s Guild and Women’s Institute.

Mr Graham was born in Greeba while Mrs Graham was born in Manchester, returning to the island as a child, with her parents, her father being part of the Clucas family. In early life, Mrs Graham worked as a seamstress and milliner for TH Cowin’s before joining the post office and, later, working alongside her husband in Peel.

Mrs Neill said her parents were delighted to receive their congratulatory card from the Queen. Mr and Mrs Graham have a son, Nigel, in Australia whom they have visited three times, most recently in 2012.

They have three grandsons in Australia, and in the Isle of Man they have a granddaughter, Abigail, and two great grandsons.

NatWest has apologised to a customer after he claims he was left in the lurch when it closed his island-based offshore accounts without giving him sufficient warning.

Andrew Hirst, who is from the island but now works as a financial consultant in Malaysia, said he was left with no Isle of Man account and made to feel like a criminal following the actions of the bank.

Returning to Malaysia on September 1 after a series of family and business engagements, he was horrified to open a letter from the NatWest dated June 30 informing him the bank had undertaken a review of its worldwide operations and was giving him 60 days’ notice before all his accounts would be closed.

By then it was too late to make alternative arrangements and transfer the funds.

Mr Hirst said no warning had been given to him in May when he had a meeting with the relationship manager allocated to him.

He told the Manx Independent: ‘The bank has the prerogative to close my accounts but my problem is with the way they went about this, and the complete lack of understanding I encountered trying to resolve the issue or even get my own money out.

‘The ensuing fall-out from this is still going on, and I have done very little else but try and work around the mess I’ve been in, ever since. I have been made – repeatedly – to feel like a criminal, yet all my accounts were in the black and had been administered in an exemplary manner.’

Mr Hirst, who has strong links to the island, had held accounts with NatWest for the last three or more years.

He first went to the bank when he was living in Onchan looking after his father and elderly aunt. After his father died, he opened an executor account to administer his estate. He also opened a personal account.

Now spending much of the year in Malaysia, he was transferred to the bank’s international department.

His own accounts held four figure sums, or five figures including the executor account. But the accounts saw in excess of £500,000 go through them, with his own personal accounts holding six figure sums up until this year and the purchase of a home in the island.

With his accounts frozen, he was unable to transfer funds to his UK account, to cover direct debits and standing orders due out at the beginning of the months. As a result, his UK account went seriously into an unauthorised overdraft position.

His wife, who was on a leisure trip in England at the time, was left stranded with no cash and no means of withdrawing any.

In addition, Mr Hirst could not check which of his Isle of Man direct debits and standing orders hadn’t been paid, including the fees for his aunt’s care home.

‘I asked them to unlock my online banking for a day -or even an hour – so I could just transfer the money myself, but no,’ he said.

He reported his case to the island’s financial regulator, the Financial Supervision Commission which has now become the Financial Services Authority.

A NatWest spokesman said: ‘We never take the decision to close a customer’s account lightly.

‘We have reviewed Mr Hirst’s complaint and have acknowledged that we could have done more to help him in this case and for that we are sorry.

‘We are continuing to work with Mr Hirst to ensure that he is not out of pocket as a result of our decision.’

Mr Hirst said was disgusted at the way he had been treated.

He said the bank now accepts it could have handled things more sympathetically and has agreed to stand the charges for the overdraft resulting from his inability to transfer funds across.

It sounds a little quackers - but the MSPCA need your help to rescue a duck called Smurf!

The hapless duck on the pond in the Governor’s Hill estate will be feeling a little blue as he has somehow become entangled with a small Smurf toy or keyring which has caught up in his breast feathers.

Caring members of the public alerted the MSPCA at Ard Jerkyll to his plight.

Its officers plan to launch a rescue mission at 4pm on Monday but need the public’s help as there are other ducks around and they only want to catch Smurf.

Margaret Mansfield, MSPCA spokeswoman, said: ‘Come along in your wellies – children under 16 will have to bring an adult - so we can have crowd power to keep the other ducks calm and secure while we save Smurf, take him off to have the toy removed and then we’ll put him back on the pond to swim with his friends.’

Why are the Manx judiciary, arguably the pinnacle of the public sector, inured from all the privations and pressures of austerity that Allan and his CoMin buddies demand of public sector workers and others?

Salaries paid to UK judges (including Manx deemsters who are analogued to UK scales) are the highest in the world. Ireland, which the Chief Minister said we can all take lessons from following a recent ‘fact-finding’ mission, had judges only slightly less well of than the Brits until the Dublin government acted.

Several years ago Enda Kenny, Ireland’s Taoiseach, announced that the ‘be-wigged ones’ could not expect to escape that axe of austerity that was falling on everyone else. Despite much opposition from a group used to privilege and getting its own way Kenny and his Justice Minister, Alan Shatter, pressed on with the reforms. The result was that by 2013 the Irish judiciary were claiming their salaries had been cut by a third.

In these difficult economic times, as other classes of public and private workers have had to endure the privation of cuts or freezes in pay, these denizens of the high courts have been immune from such realities.

Kenny had to overcome not just opposition from the judiciary themselves but also constitutional difficulties that required the issue to be put to a referendum.

Not surprisingly, the public, given the opportunity to express an opinion on the salary and lifestyle of judges, overwhelmingly supported the move in the referendum by four to one.

Of course no similar cuts have occurred in the Isle of Man, and the judiciary here continues to enjoy the cosseted lifestyle analogued to the UK they have always had although everyone else is suffering the privations of austerity.

In these difficult economic times, as other classes of public and private workers have had to endure real time cuts or freezes in pay, this chosen few lolling around in the high court have been immune from such realities.

Accurate determinations of pay and pensions of this island elite are hard to come by.

Trying to sort out details of their current pension arrangements via the PSPA website is a bit like wading through treacle!

One interesting fact, however, is that prior to April 1, 2012, the various pension schemes’ accounting records were maintained on a cash receipts and payments basis and there was no requirement to prepare financial statements.

It seems our learned friends were not required to maintain a level of pensions transparency similar to other public servants so I suppose it is a sign of progress that a properly maintained record is now is place.

Perhaps the media could send of one of those queries they like to submit periodically on the public sector and in this instance shine a bright light on the mysterious world of judicial pensions and pay.

Returning to those reforms in Ireland, Justice Minister Shatter, also suggested five years ago that the Irish judiciary might make additional savings by working longer hours and having shorter court vacations.

Such changes might be appropriate here given that the last time I saw a deemster’s job advertised it specified ‘no pre-determined hours of work’. Nice job if you can get it!

The government would be in a win-win situation here because having spent the last few years impressing on the Isle of Man public sector the need for reform they could urge the deemsters to set an example by starting at the top.

The final icing on the cake here, of course, is the business of allocating these sinecures for life involves the Crown and our old friend the Lieutenant Governor so reforming the existing system in conjunction with the Manx government and his real bosses in London would give him something useful to do as well!

So is a cut in deemsters’ (and other’s) pay similar to that which occurred in Ireland coming? Don’t hold your breath! However the government is continuing to make savings via cuts.

Last week it cut unemployment benefit.

That’s right, start at the bottom!

Arts in the Isle of Man has the potential to generate £6.4 million a year for the economy, a survey by the Arts Council has found.

The Isle of Man Arts Council has evaluated the impact of the year-long Island of Culture 2014 event, which celebrated art and culture across the island.

From surveying the general public and schoolchildren the council found that, on average over a year, attending cultural events leads to a £110 spend per person, in addition to admission charges, and based on the population of the last census that means the arts has the potential to generate £6.4 million a year.

The evaluation also found that residents are highly engaged with the arts, revealing 96 per cent of those surveyed attended at least one event in 2014. 77 per cent said they would feel a great loss if forced to give up arts and culture events and three quarters disagreed with a statement that money spent on arts and culture could be better spent on other things.

Six in ten people stated contemporary music, comedians and local stage musicals had been their favourite events in recent years and the survey showed that 85 per cent of young people took part in at least one activity, with live screenings of War Horse from the National Theatre being the most popular event of the year.

Chairman of the Arts Council Geoff Corkish MBE, MLC, said the information gained from the survey is being used to inform the Arts Council’s new arts strategy, which will be launched at the end of this year, as well as a new website, funding scheme and communications strategy.

The Island of Culture event has also allowed the Arts Council to offer a revised bursary funding scheme for talented students who wish to seek higher or further eductaion in the arts off island.

Mr Corkish said: ‘We have spent much of 2015 reflecting on Island of Culture 2014 and planning our way forward to ensure we capitalise on its legacy and we acknowledge that as part of our findings there are continuous improvements we can make.

‘Island of Culture has been valuable not only because of what it created during 2014, but also as a platform that as an Arts Council we are now exploiting for the benefit of our economy, cultural commuity and young people.’

The most popular activities at the 2014 event was the Loaghtan sheep sculpture erected at the Bungalow, Christmas lantern workshops, film events hosted by TV critic Mark Kermode and an audience with actress and singer Patricia Routledge.

Patients in the island will be able to recieve treatment for a larger range of minor illness at their local pharmacy.

The Minor Aliments Scheme, launched in 2008, has expanded their service to allow patients to obtain treatment on prescription for a wide range of non-serious conditions, direct from the local pharmacy without an appointment.

There are now 16 treatments available from the scheme launched by the Isle of Man Pharmacy Contractors’ Association and the Department of Health and Social Care, which treats 14 different minor illnesses such as hayfever, shingles and toothache, as well a nappy rash and oral thrush in children.

Local pharmacist and spokesperson for the Pharmacy Contractors Association, Ian Hemensley said: ‘Pharmacy teams are increasingly supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing. The Minor Ailments Scheme is very popular, reducing the need for GP appointments for some of the more common minor ailments, such as bacterial conjunctivitis, impetigo, thrush and cystitis.’

To receive treatment patients will first need to have a private consultation with their local pharmacist before being given the appropriate treatment and treatments in the scheme cost £3.85.

In some circumstances patients may need to be referred to their GP if further treatment is needed.

Dr Iain Kewley, executive director for intergrated care, said: ‘The scheme will help to reduce the pressure on GP practices and the Manx emergency doctors service. This will enable GPs to focus on caring for and treating patients with more serious conditions.’

For more information contact you local pharmacy or pick up an information leaflet from your pharmacy or GP practice.

The Isle of Man audiology service has pledged its support to help raise awareness of hearing condition tinnitus.

The audiology service has signed up as a member for the British Tinnitus Association (BTA) to help support the charity raise awareness of the condition and improve the quality of life of people affected .

Tinnitus is a term that describes the sensation of hearing a noise in the absense of an external sound. The noise can have virtually any quality such as ringing, whistling or buzzing and the charity helps the one in ten people in the UK who experience tinnitus and in particular the 10 per cent of those who find it severely affects their quality of life.

Stephen Griffiths, head of the Isle of Man Audiology Service, said: ‘We have had first-hand experience of working with the BTA at our tinnitus information days, sign posting patients to the BTA and the recent inauguration of the island’s very first tinnitus support group.

‘The support that the BTA provides to us as clinicians and of course to our patients is of immeasurable value given the distress tinnitus can cause. We are only too pleased to reciprocate that support with our continued membership.’

Helen Goldsby-West, from the BTA, said the charity supported over 335,000 people last year and needs to raise over £500,000 a year through donations and fundraisers to continue with their work.

‘The corporate membership scheme is a great way for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to our work and the wider tinnius community. We are extremely grateful to Stephen and the team at the Isle of Man Audiology Service for their backing in our endeavours.’

The Isle of Man audiology service, based in Noble’s hospital, provides a comprehensive tinnitus service and other free audiology services.

If you would like advice about tinnitus call the BTA’s helpline on 0800 018 0527 or visit www.tinnitus.org.uk.

Three artists who represented the Isle of Man at the hugely successful Lorient Festival in the summer are giving residents the chance to see the works they displayed.

Eileen Schaer, Juan Moore and Julie Roberts will be bringing a selection of work they exhibited to thousands of festival-goers in the Manx art show to the Sayle Gallery, in Harris Promenade, Douglas.

The exhibition, Lorient Reprised, is described as ‘showcasing their individual practises and some of the best that the Isle of Man has to offer’.

It opens on Tuesday (October 6) and runs until October 25,

Three 18-year-old cadets from the island have received awards from Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood in a ceremony at Government House.

Cadet flight sergeant Stephen Isherwood, 18, from Douglas, cadet sergeant Benjamin Awkal, from Castletown, and cadet flight sergeant William Bradley, from Laxey, all received the lieutenant governor’s Certificate of Merit.

The Lieutenant Governor’s award system is used by the North West Reserve Forces and Cadet Association (RFCA), to recognise service by their adult and cadet forces.

The area commanders of the cadet forces recommend, where appropriate, a cadet or adult member to receive a Certificate of Merit for exceptional service.

The RFCA then consider and approve these recommendations and pass them to the lieutenant governor (in respect of Isle of Man units) for final approval and presentation.

All three Manx cadets won this award.

In addition the cadet forces in each area may nominate a Lieutenant Governor’s cadet and the successful candidate becomes the Lieutenant Governor’s cadet (in the island) for a year, carrying out various parade and escort duties for the governor during their year of service.

Stephen Isherwood is the outgoing Lieutenant Governor’s cadet and has received the Certificate of Merit in recognition for his year of service.

Ben Awkal started his cadet career in 2010 and is a cadet in the RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) at King William’s College. He has participated in all aspects of the RAF section training programme and completed his bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. He is working towards his silver award and has become a CCF under officer helping to operate the training programme for other cadets in his charge. He has been a standard bearer attending national and local parades.

William Bradley started his Air Training Corps (ATC) career in the 440 (1st Manx) squadron in 2010 and quickly advanced in the squadron. During his time at the squadron he has participated in all aspects of the training programme, achievig the rank of cadet flight sergeant. He also helps operate the training programme for other cadets and was nominated for Best Cadet Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) last year.

A 96-year-old woman who fell down in her bathroom died by accident, an inquest has ruled.

Coroner John Needham heard Mary Ann Johnstone McManus was found by staff lying on her back in the en suite bathroom in her room at Brookfield nursing home in Ramsey, where she had lived for the past five years.

The court was told she was lying on her back between the toilet and the bathroom door.

Staff helped her up and she complained of shoulder and neck pain. She had also suffered bruising to her hip, forehead and hand. Staff at the home decided she needed to go to hospital and she was admitted to Noble’s Hospital the same day, August 24, for treatment and observation.

After conductiong hospital tests, doctors discovered what appeared to be an old fracture to her neck. According to records held at the home, Mrs Johnstone McManus had apparently fallen down several times recently, in May, June and July.

She was discharged from hospital on August 28 but died at the Brookfield home on September 17.

Her GP, Dr Hilary Clarke, of the Ramsey group practice, noted various factors contributing to her death, including fractures to vertebrae in Mrs Johnstone McManus’s neck, heart disease and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (an intermittently irregular heart beat).

She was discharged from hospital four days later and returned to the Brookfield old people’s home. But the court heard her condition gradually deteriorated over the next three weeks. She was given pain killers and in mid-September an End of Life form was prepared.

Recording his verdict, Mr Needham said: ‘At 96 she was suffering from the debilitating effects of old age; arthritis in the neck, atrial fibrillation and heart disease, which are all too common in a 96-year-old.

‘She was at high risk of falling and there had been three previous falls at the home since May this year,’ he said.

Mr Needham said he had noted in previous inquests the difficulty presented in caring for frail old people who, at the same time, wanted to maintain an element of privacy and dignity.

He told the court: ‘She fell in the bathroom. All available aids were provided such as a panic button. She fell due to the debilitating effects of old age. She had not been in the bathroom for long before she was found and she was taken back to bed. She was complaining about pain and a sensible decision was taken to call an ambulance so she could be assessed.’

But he added: ‘It is difficult to know what treatment to give someone of that age. The fracture seems to have been old but the fall seems to have worsened the effect in terms of the neck and shoulder pain. There was really not much to be done for her at that age.’

Mr Needham said Mrs Johnstone McManus was discharged back home and died peacefully on the morning of September 17 as a result of the debilitating effect of a neck fracture caused or aggravated in a fall in her bathroom.

The court heard Mrs Johnstone McManus was born at Gretna in Scotland in 1919. She spent time serving with the RAF in the south of England in the war. She and her husband had also lived in Yorkshire and she had been employed as a seamstress.

Mrs Johnstone McManus’s daughter-in-law told the court her mother-in-law had enjoyed her time at Brookfield, and felt she had received good care at the home in her latter years.

Offering his condolences to Mrs Johnstone McManus’s family, Mr Needham said: ‘A fall is an accident and therefore the correct verdict is accidental death.’

Police are investigating an unprovoked attack outside Domino’s Pizza takeaway in Pulrose.

A man was assaulted in his vehicle outside the premises in Groves Road on Friday at 8.30pm.

Officers say this was an ‘unprovoked attack’ and are keen to speak to any witnesses.

Anyone with information should call police headquarters on 631212.

Sometimes I sit back and wonder where the time has gone.

These days it seems to fly. You get to Saturday tea time, sit down with a glass of cooking Merlot and turn the telly on.

The first thought that comes into mind is: ‘Is it a whole week since last Saturday?’

There is never anything worth opening your eyes for on Saturday night telly.

It is wall to wall rubbish . Occasionally there’s a football match that I wouldn’t mind having a sight of, or now and then a film that looks promising.

There is just one big snag: you have to up­grade your Sky package, a posh phrase for just pay more.

So, if ‘Strictly come Porridge on Ice’ has no appeal, what else can you do?

You could read the phone book, or tackle a jig­saw puzzle with the blank side up, or try embroidery. Or you could just do what folk used to do before that bloke, Logie Baird, invented the X Factor. You could talk to each other.

I know that there are lots of folk who live on their own, and there is only so much that you can tell yourself that you don’t already know, but you can pick the phone up or write a letter or two.

What I am trying to say is that we should communicate with each other. And I don’t mean by exercising your thumbs.

The advert went something like: ‘It’s good to talk.’

One of the most gifted communicators I was privileged to know was John Kennaugh.

John passed away last week after a short illness, and he will be greatly missed.

John possessed a rare gift. He could speak to people, be they leaders of men, or the bloke next door, and make them feel that he was genuinely interested in whatever they had to say. As indeed he was.

If he was talking about foot and mouth, or this year’s hawthorn blossom, he could hold your attention.

In his lifetime he had held many positions, both social and official, and his skill and ability as a communicator served him well.

John was born into farming and farming was his life. He became president of the Isle of Man NFU, a position that he

held for many years, he was a magistrate, a local commissioner, and the Captain of the Parish of German. He was a local Methodist preacher, and a man of great faith.

But there were two facets of John’s busy life that I admired above all else.

He was the master of masters at interviewing. He was an absolute natural.

When you listened to John, either on the radio, or at a public meeting, you would think that you were just listening to two people having a conversation.

If an interviewee was nervous, or difficult to draw into a conversation, John was an absolute genius in the technique of relaxing his guest.

His easy style of broadcasting, be it TT week or one of his farming programmes was an example to us all.

The other hat that he wore was that of the chairman of the annual Braaid Eisteddfodd.

Three short years ago, I stuck my toe into the pond of performance poetry and public speaking. It was at the Braaid, and I was in the line up of budding entertainers.

And I was close to pulling out.

John never knew, and now of course, never will know, that he was a vital component in one of the first public appearances of Pullyman. Thank you John Kennaugh.

But back to the start of this little ramble. Where does the time go? When someone such as John passes on, it can focus our thoughts on our own mortality, and our life.

Our lifetime on Earth may seem a long time but in the context of the age of the universe it is a mere blink of the eye. John, will be missed by many. I know that I will miss his humour, his wisdom, and his generosity.

Sometime in the future, someone might miss you or me, so make a point of communicating with your fellow man before it is too late.

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A decade ago Pullyman – aka Michael Cowin – was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, 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

A Ramsey woman is celebrating after winning return flights to Jersey.

Isobel Christian correctly answered the competition question ‘What is the capital of Jersey?’ with St Helier to win the flights.

She said she was shocked to receive the phone call saying she had won and said it was down to her daughter, who also entered the competition, reminding her to take part in the CityWing competition, which appeared in Isle of Man Newspapers publication the Manx Independent.

Isobel said Jersey had been a holiday destination for the family when her children were young.

She was presented her tickets from senior manager at CityWing Judith Musgrave and Sally-Ann Maiden from the Isle of Man Newspapers.

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Pick up a copy of Thursday’s Manx Independent to be in with a chance of winning return flights to Gloucester with CityWing

Sure has provided mobile phones to The Foundry’s Duke of Edinburgh Award Group for use in emergency situations.

The handsets have been given to students to take on expeditions in case they need to make contact with their supervisor or the emergency services.

The Foundry is a voluntary youth organisation based at Broadway Baptist Church in Douglas which offers local young people the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Bronze, Silver and Gold level Duke of Edinburgh students will have use of the handsets which have been equipped with the Memory Map app. Memory Map works with a phone’s inbuilt GPS capabilities to pinpoint locations which can be shared with other users – in this case the location can be shared with the supervisor.

The first group to take the handsets on an expedition was a Gold level expedition to the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland.

The four day expedition saw eight young people walk from Rostrevor to Newcastle in County Down with three nights of camping on the mountains.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is available to young people aged 14 to 25 and it encourages them to try new activities as well as giving credit for existing interests.

The volunteering, physical and skill sections encourage young people to get out into the community, helping others and taking part in positive activities.

John Harris, Duke of Edinburgh co-ordinator for The Foundry, said: ‘The phones provided by Sure are extremely important for getting in touch with groups of students if there is an emergency situation during an expedition.

‘The phones add an extra level of reassurance for the supervisor that the students can always be contacted.

‘We would like to thank Sure for providing the phones for use by our students.’

Sarah Jarvis, marketing manager at Sure, said: ‘The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an exciting scheme for the island’s young people to get involved in.

‘The expedition element of the award is a fantastic opportunity for the students to go on an adventure; helping build their team work, communication and leadership skills and make some amazing memories. Safety is an extremely important part of the expedition.’

Antiques Roadshow expert Eric Knowles will be valuing island residents’ antiques to raise money for Hospice.

The Trash or Treasure event, hosted by Hospice Isle of Man, will be held at The Claremont Hotel in Douglas on Saturday, October 24, from 11am to 2pm.

Cream tea will be served and tickets are £10.

For tickets or more information call 647433 or email fundraising@hospice.org.im

A charity fashion show, hosted by Isle of Man Breast Care, will be held on Friday, October 23 at the Villa Marina.

The Fashion for Life show will start at 8pm with doors opening at 7pm.

The evening will be compered by Dot Tilbury and Geoff Corkish.

For more information visit www.iombreastcare.co.uk/fashion-for-life-2015